"Pete, look out! Quick! We must climb into this boat. She's cut us down. Quick--before it's too dark to see!"

"Here, I don't understand, sir. This fellow knocked me down, and--"

"Understand! Can't you see we are sinking? It's deep water here."

Before he could finish he dimly made out that the big Malay had struggled clear and seemed to be much higher as he dragged at Peter, hoisted him right up, and jerked him behind; while at the same time the panting woman was holding out the pole she used, at which Archie grasped, just in time, as he felt the water was gradually bearing him away.

The next minute he was being dragged over the side of the sampan by the two Malays, and as they lowered him so that he lay upon his back, Peter's head suddenly appeared between the two strangers, with the eager question:

"Have you stuck to your gun, sir?"

"Yes; all right, Pete. What a horrible accident! Where's our boat?"

"Rotten old cocoa-nut sh.e.l.l," cried Peter savagely. "There's the last on her just going down;" and he pointed to a spot a few yards away, where, dividing the pendent branches of their shelter, was the attap roof of their sampan. "And do you know what that means, sir?"

"Utter wreck, Pete," said Archie, breathing hard from excitement.

"Yes, sir; and my four boxes of cartridges with all them blue pills gone to the bottom to feed the crocs."

"But what about the other boat?"

"Why, we are in it, sir. Can't you see?" said Peter sourly.

"No, no--I mean the enemy's."

"Oh! Out of sight, sir. Gone down the river just as if you were peppering them still."

"Eh? What?" cried Archie, as he became aware of the fact that some one else had spoken, and that a bough of one of the trees that overshadowed them was being pressed aside; and, half-stunned in his astonishment, the young officer grasped the words that seemed to be coming in the confusion of some strange dream:

"Archie! Don't you know me? I'm Minnie Heath."

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

THE ENEMY'S WORK.

Archie Maine and Minnie Heath sat in the darkness, hand clasped in hand, the poor girl sobbing bitterly, nearly overcome with emotion, after, in a low, excited voice, asking questions about her aunt and uncle and Sir Charles. After learning that all were alive and safe, she burst out in so wildly hysterical a fit that there was a low, deep growl from the darkness at the far end of the boat.

"Silence, Pete!" whispered Archie sternly.

"'Twarn't me, sir. It's this 'ere Malay chap. I think he means that you oughtn't to make so much noise at that end. I wanted to say something of the kind, but I didn't want to be rude to the young lady."

Minnie was silent directly; and close to the spot where Peter had been speaking a curious rustling noise arose, which Archie could not understand, till almost at once the edge of the moon appeared above the night mist and lit up the interior of the shelter, and then it was plain that the big Malay fisherman was busy at work cutting down branches and laying them across the boat, in which a pile of leaf.a.ge was beginning to appear.

"What does he mean by this?" whispered Archie. "I suppose he means the branches to disguise the boat."

"I don't know," said Minnie. "I suppose so. I don't think we need ask.

He and Dula have saved me, and have been most kind."

"But can you talk now?"

"Yes, yes; I will not break down again if I can help it."

"I'll wait," said Archie.

"No, no; go on talking, pray," half-sobbed the girl. "It keeps me from thinking. What were you going to say?"

"I was going to ask you how you knew that we were in hiding here."

"Knew! Oh no! It was like this. Dula and Pahan were bringing me down in their boat, believing that they could reach the bungalow in the darkness and hide me there. Of course you did not see in the dusk that I am wearing Dula's baju and sarong."

"No; it was all too dark and confused. But I did think you were a native woman."

"That is good," said Minnie. "Dula brought me down to the creek where the boat was lying, and Pahan meant to pretend after dark, if we met any of the Malays, that he was taking in fruit for the Rajah's men. But we were seen too soon. One of the Rajah's boats came in sight, and the chief with it called to us to stop. Then Dula said I must lie under the attap mats, as they were going to pretend that they did not hear the call. They began poling the boat along as hard as ever they could, hoping, as the stream was with us, that we could escape; but--" The poor girl broke down with a sob.

"Don't talk about it, Minnie--dear sister," said Archie quickly. "Sit quiet and try to believe that you are safe. Pete and I will die sooner than harm shall befall you now."

"Yes, yes, I know," said the poor girl, stifling her rising sobs; "but I must talk. Don't stop me. It helps me to grow calm again after the horrible excitement of that race for life. Oh," she shuddered, "it was terrible! For they kept gaining upon us, till they got near enough to begin throwing spears, two of which pa.s.sed through the attaps; and I crouched down, praying that the darkness that was so near would come down and hide me so that Pahan could run the boat in somewhere amongst the bushes. At last, when it seemed all over, and I was feeling that I must bid good-bye to life and jump into the river before I saw these dear people speared to death, my poor heart gave one great throb in answer to the sound of your rifle, while Dula uttered a cry of joy, knowing the shots at the Malays could only come from friends, and helped her husband to force the sampan right in amongst the trees where we saw the smoke rising; and then--Oh Archie! oh Archie!" She broke down, and as she clung to her old companion, the lad made what sounded like a dreary attempt at a mocking laugh, as he exclaimed:

"Upon my word, Minnie, it was too bad! Here were we trying to save you, and you dashed in, sank our boat, sent all my cartridges to the bottom, and nearly drowned us into the bargain."

"Don't--don't try to make a laughing matter of it, Archie! I can't bear it now."

"Of course you can't. Forgive me for being such a fool. I say, your what's his name--Pahan--he's getting quite a stack of green stuff aboard, and--Hang it all! Look at the moon!"

"Yes; I am looking," sighed Minnie. "I've watched it many a time since I have been in hiding, and I never thought to look upon it peacefully again. Oh Archie! go on talking to me. Tell me more about Sir Charles, and what you have all been going through at the station."

"Can't. It would take a month."

"Oh! do tell me something."

"Breaking our hearts about you, then--everybody in the place. Even poor old Mother Smithers sat down and cried like a child; didn't she, Pete?"

"Gugg!" said the lad, out of the darkness. "Can you get at your knife, Mr Archie? Mine's turned into a screw-driver, and I want to help this nig--Malay gentleman to cut sticks."

"Here you are, Pete," said Archie, after a hard struggle to get his hand into the pocket of his overall, and a harder struggle still to get it back with the knife.

"Thankye--gugg--sir! Blest if I don't believe I'm going to have a cold!" And the cutting and rustling of thick, leafy branches went on.

"Now, Minnie, tell me, what do they mean to do?"

"Yes," said the girl quickly. "Dula told me--she can say a few words in English, and I know a few Malay sentences as well, so that we managed to understand one another--she said her husband thought he could get the boat down to the foot of our garden in the darkness, and then we could all carry baskets of fruit, and so pa.s.s through the Malays to a spot where we could make a dash for the Residency, where we should be safe, if some of the soldiers didn't shoot us down."

"Ah," said Archie slowly, "you needn't be afraid of that, Minnie."

"What's the matter?" cried the girl sharply.

"Oh, nothing. I am only very wet."