"Don't argue, Pete. I say, lie down," said Archie sternly.

"Right, sir. But you will play fair? Rouse me up in an hour, and let me relieve guard."

"I will, Pete. We both want rest, and we shall do our work the better afterwards."

Peter promptly prepared the only dry place he could find, which was in the stern of the boat, by dragging down a portion of the bamboo and palm-leaf awning and laying the pieces across so as to form a little platform, where he stretched himself out, and before a minute had elapsed he was breathing so heavily that his companion began to peer up and down the river and think of the possibility of the sleeper being heard. But nothing was in sight downward, and he now found that by changing the position of the boat a little he could command a long reach upward--quite a mile.

The guessed-at hour grew into what must have been two, and amidst the annoyance of flies, and troubled by the intense heat, Archie sat watching and thinking, and wondering whether it would be possible as soon as it was dark to thread their way among the bushes of the opposite sh.o.r.e and carry their burden to the help of their friends.

"It's all what Pete calls chancing it," he said to himself; "but we may succeed--and we will."

At last, just as he was thinking that it might be wise to awaken Pete for an exchange of places, he suddenly caught sight of a large boat in the extreme distance, gliding round a slight curve, and after watching it increase in size as it came rapidly down, he laid a hand on Peter's arm, and the lad started up, fully awake.

"Relieve guard, sir? Right! Give us the gun," said the lad quietly; and then, following Archie's pointing finger, he realised the new peril, and withdrawing his hand, he drew out his bayonet and replaced it ready for instant use.

A glance showed the pair that they could do nothing more to add to their concealment, and with the boat rapidly nearing, they sat and watched, Archie with the c.o.c.ked piece lying across his knees ready for their defence in case of need.

During the first part of the time their impression had been that it was the dragon-boat they had seen going up, but as it drew nearer they made out that it was manned by Malays, evidently of the poorer cla.s.ses, but well-armed and in all probability followers of some minor chief.

To the lads' great satisfaction, it seemed that they were hugging the farther sh.o.r.e, and they pa.s.sed by travelling slowly, without even looking in their direction, and glided out of sight.

"Lucky for some of them, Mister Archie," said Peter, as he stretched out his hand for the gun and crept forward. "There you are, sir. I feel like a new man. Have a good sleep, sir. It helps the time along beautifully. How did you guess an hour, sir?"

"Never mind about the time, Pete. You guess another as nearly as you can; but wake me, of course, if there is any danger."

"You trust me, sir," was the reply; and Archie lay down, feeling that the position would be restful, but certain that he should not be able to sleep.

Five minutes had not elapsed, however, before he was sleeping heavily, but ready to awaken at a touch and sit up, to stare about him wildly.

"Why, Pete," he said angrily, "I have had more than an hour."

"Well, just a little, sir. Feel all the better for it, don't you?"

"Why, you scoundrel," cried Archie as he readied for the gun, "it's close upon evening--close upon night! How dare you disobey my orders?

Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Hadn't the heart, sir," said the lad quietly.

"But I said--"

"Yes, I know you did; and I was going to wake you up half-a-dozen times, but I knowed how weak you were, and that you would want every bit of strength for what we have got to do to-night; and I didn't want you to break down."

"Am I your officer, sir, or am I not?" said Archie fiercely.

"Yes, sir, of course; and I know I ought to obey the word of command.

But you don't want me to do impossibilities, now, do you, sir?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why, sir, you don't want me to carry you and the cartridge-boxes too?"

"No; I should carry my share, of course."

"Yes, sir; but I should be having Paddy's load. You would be carrying the boxes, but I should be carrying you and the boxes too."

"Pete--" began Archie fiercely; but he was checked by the lad's action, for with one hand he pointed up the long reach, and with the other he placed the gun across the subaltern's knees.

"A boat!" said Archie.

"Two on 'em, sir;" and they sat gazing up through the gathering gloom of their shelter at what the last faint rays of the setting sun showed to be a large sampan coming down the river, urged by a couple of Malays who were steadily using their poles, while some distance behind a boat about double the size was following them, propelled by oars.

"It will be all right, sir," said Peter. "By the time they come by here it will be getting dark. Look at that farther one. The attaps looked red just now, but they are turning brown already."

"Yes; and look there. Why, Pete--am I right? It seemed as if one of the Malays in the front of the far boat stood up and threw a spear."

"Right you are, sir, and no mistake. There goes another. Can you see how many there are in the first boat?"

"Three, I think; and one's a woman."

"I thought two of them," said Peter; "and there's eight or ten or a dozen in the other. Well, sir, the far-off one must be enemies, and the little boat must be friends. I know which side we ought to take, and we can now."

"What do you mean? Fire?"

"That's right, sir."

"But we shall show where we are."

"Of course; but we can't help that, sir," cried Peter excitedly. "Here they come. They'll overtake the little 'un directly. You've got bullet cartridges, sir, for I tried one. But I don't know whether this double gun will carry so far; so you had better wait."

"One barrel's rifled, Pete, and it will," said Archie, drawing himself into a kneeling position and resting the barrels upon a horizontal bough.

"Look sharp, sir! Oh, murder--there goes another spear! I couldn't hardly see, but it must have gone close to that woman who is handling the bamboo. Oh, do fire, sir!"

There was the sharp report of one barrel, and then, as the smoke rose, Archie fired again, and opened the breech and rapidly inserted the cartridges that Peter handed to him; while, as if startled by the reports, the rowers in the far boat laid on their oars, and those astern started up, and the lads could dimly see their spears bristling in the gathering gloom.

"Give them another, sir--only one--and reload. You missed first time.

You must bring down a couple now."

Archie fired again, and this time one of the Malays seemed to spring out of the boat and drift behind.

"That's good, sir. Here's your cartridge. Now then! Give them two now. They are coming straight for us where the smoke shows. Quick, sir!"

_Bang, bang_ went the double gun, the reports almost simultaneous, for in his excitement Archie had no thought of reserving one shot; and as he hastily reloaded he could see in the rapidly dimming light that the rowers were changing the course of their naga, as if to get out of the line of fire, and were beginning to make for the opposite sh.o.r.e; while the big Malay in the small sampan had ceased his efforts to pole his boat more swiftly along, and was using the bamboo to steer the little vessel, which, gathering force from the man's efforts combined with the swift stream, plunged right in through the hanging boughs behind which the two lads crouched. There was a heavy crash, mingled with the breaking of twigs, and the two lads were driven headlong into the bottom of their boat.

Archie struggled up at once, holding his double gun on high to keep it out of the water, with which he was drenched; and the first thing he could make out through the wide opening torn in their shelter was the naga and its occupants gliding rapidly by, the rowers pulling as if for dear life, and the spearmen crouching down in the bottom, half-hidden by the awning. Then they were gone.

Meanwhile Peter was struggling to free himself from the enc.u.mbrance of the big Malay, who had been shot from his own vessel right upon him; and the next thing that met Archie's eyes, as he gazed through the crushed-down leaf.a.ge driven before the lesser boat, was Peter's bayonet-armed hand with the weapon raised dagger-wise, and beyond the Malay, who was holding out his hands, the native boat with the Malay woman, pole in hand, panting hard as if from exertion. Then his eye caught the figure of the other woman, kneeling in the stern.