CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
A BAD RETURN.
It was a dreary tramp down to the naga lying close beside their own,fastened to a tree on the river-bank; but though the two wounded menscowled at them, and even at the doctor who had offered to, and diddress their wounds, the rest of the Malays were respectful and friendlyenough, for the Resident and doctor were favourites with them, and theycould all recollect acts of kindness. The ladies were helped overdifficult parts, and refreshments and water were freely offered to thosewho had, as the Malays thought, naturally enough tried to escape, whilethey on their part had received orders to recapture them, and beensuccessful.
Then once more they were afloat, and for the first time Ned recognisedtheir guardians of the jungle prison from which they had been rescued byHamet, these men going back in their own boat, now reverted to itsproper crew.
So the two nagas floated gently down the stream in the afternoon,reaching the campong at last; but they went down so leisurely that itwas dark when they reached the jetty, shouting and beating a gong toannounce their return in triumph.
Everything seemed very quiet at the village, and Ned tried to pierce thedarkness and make out the place where they had lain in hiding, and thatwhere they had landed to try to rescue Murray.
"I say," whispered Frank, rousing up from the despondent state in whichhe had sunk, "try and count the prahus."
Ned turned and looked in the other direction, but it was too dark, andhe said he could not see.
"I can't either, but it seemed as if there were four."
The men sprang ashore, and secured the two boats before bidding theirprisoners come out, and as one by one these landed, Mr Braine overhearda little of their conversation.
"We are to be all taken straight up to the rajah's," he whispered."Keep up your courage, and let's hope yet. All may be well after all."
"Very kind of you to say so, Mr Braine," replied the doctor, "but--"
There was no time for further converse, the Malay head-man giving anorder, and the whole party were marched off the jetty and up the broadpath leading toward the rajah's; the crews of the two boats followingwith regular military step, till they reached a narrower part, where theway led between two houses, when suddenly, as if they had risen out ofthe earth, a body of men blocked the road, and guard and prisoners werehalted.
Then there were cries of excitement, and orders given to retreat, butanother body of enemies blocked the road in their rear.
For a few moments it seemed as if the prisoners were to be in the centreof a desperate encounter, but a few sharp commands sufficed to make theMalay guard sullenly give up their arms to a force ten times theirnumber, and then the march toward the rajah's house was continued, butunder a fresh guard now.
"What is the matter?" whispered Ned. "Is the rajah angry with them fortaking us?"
"I don't quite know," said Frank. "It seems to me that--Wait a minuteor two, it's so dark, and I can't make these men out."
They were marched directly after into the enclosure, now a blaze oflight from the number of lanterns and dammar torches stuck about. Theplace, too, was filled with armed men, and as they were halted just atthe foot of the steps, a Malay officer in scarlet and yellow came down,looked eagerly at the English party, and then signed to them to follow.
Frank tried to get to his father, but he was not allowed to advance tillthe ladies had all ascended to the broad veranda; then both lads wereordered to go up, and they followed their seniors into the rajah's chiefroom, now brilliantly lit, and dotted with his chief men, while he saton a bamboo stool at the far end in his gorgeous uniform as upon theirfirst meeting, the Tumongong sitting upon a second stool upon his right.
"Ugh! the old guy!" whispered Frank. "I wish--I say, look--it isn'thim. Why, Ned, what's happened?"
The reason for this exclamation was the rising of the Tumongong, totower above the double rank of sword and regalia bearers on either side.And to the astonishment of all present, he stretched out his hands,and, in very fair English, as he took Amy's and kissed them, said:
"My dear child, Allah be praised that you and yours are safe! MrsBraine, Mrs Barnes, welcome home."
He kissed their hands in turn, and then greeted the gentlemen warmlybefore turning to the boys. "Frank--Edward Murray," he said, "safe; noone hurt? I am very, very glad."
"But," cried Mr Braine, eagerly, "the rajah?"
"I am the Rajah of Dah now," said the Malay chief with a touch ofhauteur in his tones. "Are you surprised?"
"No," said Mr Braine, warmly. "Thank God! I knew that some day itmust come."
"When the fruit was dead ripe, it would fall," said the new rajah,solemnly.
"And Sadi?"
"The tyrant, the robber and oppressor of all who ascended and descendedthis river, is dead, sir, and with your help, I hope that a new periodof peace will open on the land. The time was ripe at last, and I sentto my ally here, Rajah Alleen."
This chief rose and was presented to all in turn, bowing with Easterndignity, and the scene would have been impressive but for the Malay'svanity. The gorgeous military uniform of his enemy had excited hiscupidity ever since reports had reached him of its splendour, and theminute he had made an almost bloodless seizure of the campong, he hadclaimed it as his spoil, received it readily from his friend theex-Tumongong, and arrayed himself in it ready for the return of theEnglish people, whom he wished to impress.
He succeeded far above his expectations, for that night, when back athis old home, Frank said merrily:
"Why, it don't fit him half so well as it did poor old Sadi."
"No," assented Ned. "But--dead! how horrible!"
"Yes; one of his own men killed him, they say, for every one hated himexcept me."
"And you liked him?"
"No, I don't think I liked him," said Frank, taking up the kris Hamethad replaced in his hands; and then, with a shudder, hanging it upon thewall; "but he was always very kind to me."
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
TIM PROVES HIMSELF A DRISCOL.
But for the presence of two strange prahus and their enormous crews, whoseemed more than could be packed in the long swift vessels, it seemedimpossible to believe in the great change that had taken place.
For the Resident, the doctor, the Greigs, and Murray were back in theirhouses, where the new rajah's people were constantly showing them tokensof their master's good-will. The people of the campong were all _enfete_, and the place was given up to rejoicings as they began to realisethat new days were in prospect, and a man might call his life his own.
And not the least puzzled of the occupants of the place was Tim, whosuddenly came confidentially to the boys as they sauntered back into thegarden.
"Masther Frank," he said, "will ye have the goodness to pinch me arm?"
"Certainly, Tim," cried the boy.
"Aisy lad, aisy. Don't take the pace out. Thank ye; it's all right. Iam wide awake."
"Of course you are."
"Oh, but I didn't know. I thought perhaps the masther's rat poison wasstill on me strong."
"Go along; it was the wine!"
Tim's eyes twinkled, and just then he heard himself called, and hurriedin.
"It is a bit of a puzzle, Ned, isn't it?" said Frank. "I could hardlybelieve it at first. Hallo! What now?"
A party of the rajah's officers were at the gate to summon the doctorand Resident, with Murray and the boys, to an audience, both thesegentlemen being at the doctor's house.
His highness received them with a great display of genuine, manlydignity, and with a showy retinue about him. He then spoke to hisvisitors in the Malay tongue, the Resident translating as of old, andbade them welcome to his court, assuring them of his friendship and ofthat of his people as long as they would stay.
He was thanked, but there was considerable hesitation in the way inwhich his offers were received. Then refreshments were handed round,and finally the court was dismissed, only the guards remaining outside,while
the rajah led his visitors into an inner room, where coffee,sweets, and fruit stood on one mat, pipes on another.
"Now, gentlemen," said the rajah, "pray seat yourselves, and we willsmoke. My dear boys, there are sweets and fruit for you till you wishto go."
The boys did not wish to go, and as soon as they saw their elderssettled down to their pipes, they began, as Frank expressed it, "just totry the fruit," and that fruit was tried, and obtained most favourableverdicts in every case.
At the end of a short conversation, the Resident said respectfully:
"May I ask your highness--?"
"Stop," said the rajah, laying his hand upon the Resident's arm, whilethe boys looked on and listened, "we have known each other for someyears now, and I hoped that I had merited your friendship."
"Indeed, yes," said Mr Braine; "but you never trusted me even tospeaking English, though I always felt that you could."
"My dear Mr Braine," said the rajah, "if I had spoken English to youalone some day, I should have betrayed myself, and--believe me, I wishedto live. My predecessor was suspicious in the extreme, and you know howthose fared whom he disliked."
"Yes," said the Resident with a shudder.
"I could speak English easily ten years ago. And, now henceforth, whenwe are alone, let there be no formality. You are an English gentleman.I have always tried to be a gentleman too."
"You always have been one," said Mr Braine, warmly.
"Thank you," said the rajah, holding out his hand. "Then, now listen, Iwant the help of my friends. By your guidance this land has grownpowerful, but unfortunately it has been for evil. I want it to bepowerful now for good. Stay with me as my friend and counsellor.--You,too, doctor, and Mr Greig; and as for you, Mr Murray, I am not quitethe barbarian you think. Let all those past troubles be as an uglyvision of the night. Forget them and stay. I can admire your pursuits,and it will give me great gratification if you will make this place yourhome. My elephants and boats and men are at your service, and, ofcourse, you are free to come and go as you please. You hesitate! Come,come; I implore you. Doctor, you will not forsake me?"
"Hang it, Tumongong--I beg pardon, I mean rajah, no."
"There," said the rajah, laughing; "I have you too. Murray, you willnot go. I am not blind."
Murray held out his hand.
"In the cause of science," he said, smiling, "I stay."
"I ask for no more," said the rajah. "Here boys," he cried, "you've hadenough fruit; you are going to stop. Frank, my lad, at any time youwant anything, ask me for it as your old friend."
"Thank you," cried Frank, eagerly; "then I want something now."
"What is it?"
"Give me a new kris."
"Why? A handsome one was given to you."
"Yes," said Frank, with a slight twitching of the brows, "but I'm notgoing to wear that again."
The rajah took one of two that he was wearing and gave it to the boy.
"Keep it as my present," he said; "and I hope, boy, you will live to seethe day when the kris has given place to good honest laws which protectpeople so that they can go unarmed."
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There needs no telling how, as soon as the rajah's ally had gone, thecampong settled down to its everyday life, but that life grew more andmore new. The Resident and the doctor stayed; Mr Greig began to maketrade flourish; and Murray went on with his collecting, workingenergetically for six months, when he was obliged to return to Englandwith Ned.
But they were both back again within six months more, and a friend ofMurray's accompanied him. He was a clergyman, but a great naturalist,and he joined his friend in collecting, till one day there was a greatfestival, for an English gentleman was married to an English lady, acertain Mr Wilson coming up from Dindong to be best-man. Afterwardsthe happy pair went down the river and along the coast to Malacca tospend their honeymoon; while Ned Murray stayed at the campong to lookafter the specimens and enjoy himself to his heart's content.
Then the happy pair came back, and there was constant talk of going backto England when the collecting was done; but the collecting never wasdone, and Murray set to work to write a book on the natural history ofthe place, that meant years of delightful work, so they stayed on to seethe land improving month by month, and find the rajah their firmestfriend.
A couple of years had passed, when one day Frank, who had developed agreat love for mineralogy, and Ned, who promised to be a great authorityon botany, came upon Tim Driscol busily improving the Murrays' garden.
"What are you doing, Tim?" said Ned.
"Jist putting in a few of Miss Amy's--"
"_Mrs_," said Frank, sharply, and Tim slapped his own mouth.
"Av coorse," he said. "A few crapers and a bit of chumpadah, and somescinted things she likes. Oh, it's a baste of a place, but one mustmake the best of it."
"Why don't you go back to the old country, then?" said Ned.
Tim gave him a droll look.
"Bekase I'm a Driscol, sor."
"And what's that got to do with it?"
"Sure, Masther Ned, there nivver was a Driscol yet who didn't know whenhe was well off."
"Why, Ned," cried Frank, laughing, "he's a philosopher."
"Yis, sor," said Tim, "and I get more so every day. But, by your lave,when are you young gentlemen going back?" They answered together: "Idon't know."
THE END.
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