CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
UP THE RIVER.
A halt was made as soon as the little party were well away from theboat, for arms to be examined, and a plan of attack arranged.
Hamet listened respectfully till it had been decided that the only waywas for the party to creep up silently, seize and bind the guard, andthen retreat at once--a rather reckless proceeding, but one that seemedto them the most likely to succeed--and then he whispered a few words toNed.
"Hamet proposes, sir, that we should try to communicate with my unclefrom the back of the house or the roof. He says he could climb thedurian tree and break through quietly."
"Then let him try," said Mr Braine, eagerly. "We will be ready tosupport him and attack if it is necessary."
Hamet drew in his breath at these words, and assuming the lead, took theparty round through garden after garden, till they were only a few yardsfrom the house, where they stood listening to a low, murmuredconversation, which told where the guards had stationed themselves; andthen going down on hands and knees, he crept away from them, leaving theothers breathless with excitement, and listening for the alarm.
In a couple of minutes the Malay was back to catch Ned's hand and drawhim away, to put in force the tactics which had enabled him to rescuethe two lads on the previous night.
Ned followed him with beating heart, till they were beside one of thepalm-tree posts which supported the house, and then submitting to theMalay's busy hands, he found himself placed with his arms grasping thepost and his body curved a little, and comprehending the man's plans, hestood firm, while Hamet reached up as high as he could, planted one barefoot on the boy's back, the other on his shoulder, and then the bamboosupports of the matting walls creaked softly, as with the agility of amonkey he passed along to where the durian tree stretched a branch overthe roof, upon which, by the help of the bough, he managed to swinghimself, and then all was silent again.
Thump--thump--thump--thump. Ned felt his heart beat as he listened tothe murmuring of the Malay guards' voices which came under the house,and as the boy stood there, his ears were strained for the next noiseHamet might make, wondering the while whether the guard would hear.
He was so near the spot where Murray would be lying, that he felt he hadonly to raise his voice a little to announce their presence, but hedared not speak. Then he started, for he knew that Hamet was at work,for there was a faint rustling, with an occasional crack, as of thebreaking of a leaf; and as the boy stood there in the darkness, he knewthat Hamet was cautiously cutting through the attap thatch, scrap byscrap, for now little pieces no bigger than elm-leaves began to fallabout him.
This went on for what seemed to be an interminable length of time, andhe began wondering how a Malay who knew so well how hisfellow-countrymen made a roof, could be so long in making a hole bigenough for a human body to pass, when a familiar voice close to his ear,as it seemed to him, exclaimed:
"Who's there? Stop, or I fire."
"Oh, uncle!" panted Ned to himself; "how could you be so stupid."
Then he threw himself down, for there was the quick movement of feet,the familiar creaking of the bamboo steps in front, that he had so oftenascended and descended, and then his uncle's voice said loudly:
"Nothing wrong. Water--water!" And as if to himself--"I don't supposethey understand a word."
But it was evident that they comprehended the last word, for the bamboofloor creaked, and Ned plainly heard the sound of some one drinking.Then came the words, "Thank you;" the floor and steps creaked again, andafter all had been silent for what seemed to be half an hour, the boyrose to his feet again, conscious that Hamet was hard at work, for thescraps fell fast.
Then came a pause, the faint creaking of the floor as if Murray hadturned round, a dull expiration of the breath as of some one breathingvery hard; and as Ned stood grasping the pillar, he felt that the slighthouse was quivering slightly.
Ned's heart beat now fast, and in imagination he saw his uncle hangingfrom Hamet's hands and being drawn upward toward the sloping roof.
Another creak, a loud rustle, and he knew that he had climbed--halfdrawn--through the palm thatch, and the pair were about to descend.
"Quick, quick!" thought Ned, "before they hear you;" and longing to goto Murray's help, he strained his head back and tried to pierce thethick darkness.
All at once there was an ominous crack, a violent rustling sound, andthen a sharp jerk or check.
Murray had slipped, and was coming down fast, but he had saved himself,and from overhead now came a sharp whisper, "Quick!"
The command was needed, for the guard had taken the alarm. There wasthe rush of feet, a louder scrambling from above, and Hamet and Murraydropped down into the arms of the guards who came running under andround the house.
The struggle had commenced, and though Murray fought bravely, he hadbeen taken at a disadvantage, and the help had come, apparently, invain.
For, realising that the attempt had failed, Mr Braine and the doctorrushed to the assistance of the others, and a fierce melee ensued in thedarkness, wherein the fresh comers, who dared not use their revolversfor fear of injuring friends, devoted their principal efforts to keepingthe enemy from using their krises, weapons admirably suited for a closeencounter.
It was only a matter of a minute or two.
"Murray--is Murray there?" cried the doctor.
"Yes," came from the ground. "I'm held--two men. Never mind me--saveyourselves."
The fierce struggle went on almost in silence, for the Malays as theywrestled with the Englishmen, sought more to take prisoners than tostrike, and uttered a low growling noise, more like that of wild beaststhan men.
"It's of no use," whispered the doctor. "Braine, Ned, Hamet, make forthe boat."
"Yes, quick! escape!" cried Murray, after a tremendous effort to getfree.
"No, no," cried Ned, hoarsely, wresting his arm from the doctor'sclutch; and with a short run he sprang upon one of the men who wereholding Murray down.
The sudden action and the weight of his body in his leap drove the Malayfrom his hold, and, freed thus from one enemy, Murray made anotherdesperate effort as Ned rolled over, got his right arm free, dashed hisfist into his enemy's face, and sprang up.
"Now!" he panted, "all together for the boat."
He was striking out right and left now with nature's weapons, sendingone man down, and keeping others at bay.
"Where's Ned?" he panted.
"Never mind me, uncle; run!" cried the boy.
"By-and-by," muttered Murray, striking out again and repeating hisnephew's manoeuvre, but with the addition of a blow on the ear whichknocked over the man seated on Ned.
"Now then, are you ready?" cried Murray, as Ned sprang up; and theMalays now gathered together, and after a few moments pause: "Look out!"cried Murray, "spears!" for the enemy were coming on again. But at thatmoment the doctor and Mr Braine pressed to the front, and four flashes,followed by the sharp reports of their revolvers, checked the assailantsfor the moment, and the party began to retreat rapidly.
But shouting excitedly now, the Malays pressed on, and two spearswhistled by the ears of the retreating party.
"Ah, ye cowards!" cried a familiar voice; "tak that then," and shotafter shot was rapidly fired, one of which was followed by a hoarse cry,and a man went down.
"Sure, I forgot all about it before," said Tim; "and I hadn't so much asa shtick."
"Silence!" said Mr Braine, sternly. "Don't fire again without orders.Forward, quick!"
It was quite time, for there was a loud confused noise of voices fromall sides now, and, greatest danger of all, from the river to which theywere hastening fast. Lights were gleaming amongst the trees, some ofwhich Mr Braine saw were from the prahus, and it was evident that theywould soon have an attack to repel from that side.
"No, no," whispered Hamet, just then. "This way."
For in his excitement Mr Braine was leading the party wide of the boat,which was reached a
t last, just as lanterns were moving on the river,and voices were shouting from different directions.
"Now for it!" whispered Mr Braine. "Quick! All in! Every man take anoar. We must make a dash for it. The stream will help us. Don'tattempt to fire unless they board."
"No, no," cried Hamet again, as they struggled into their places; andthere was so much authority in his tones, that for a while all paused,and the Malay silently took one of the poles from the side, and keepingthe boat well under the shelter of the bank, forced her up streaminstead of down, always keeping close to the shore.
Mr Braine saw the wisdom of the act directly, for the boat progressedslowly and without a splash, being a good thirty yards away as Murray'sguards reached the bank just below where they had embarked.
An eager shouting and interchange of questions followed; two lights wereseen moving down stream in a zigzag way, and all at once a dazzling bluelight began to burn a couple of hundred yards from them, lighting up oneof the prahus moored in mid-stream; but though every figure on the largevessel, and the shape of another near, stood out plain, the fugitiveswere in darkness, and though they felt that they must be seen, Hametworked calmly and steadily with his pole, sending the boat higher andhigher, the force of the stream being only slight so close to the bank.
Then, again, the wisdom of his plan became evident, for the bank was nowdotted with dammar torches, and their swarthy bearers could be seenholding them over the water as they hurried down stream toward where theclosing in of the jungle would soon preclude further progress on foot.
The blue light burning in a vessel on the first prahu died out, butbefore it was extinct another flamed up from the second prahu, and thescene was wonderfully picturesque to the little party still moving upstream. Both banks were lit up, with the shapes of the trees standingout distinct and clear, while the river seemed to flow on likeglittering steel, on which, growing distinct now, three nagas werevisible for a few moments and then disappeared.
By this time Hamet's efforts had sent the boat four hundred yards abovethe last prahu, and as he grew more distant, his strokes grew quickerand less cautious, till it was wonderful what speed one pair of armskept up.
And now for the first time Mr Braine leant forward to the man andwhispered: "Well done; but you are taking us farther from safety."
"No," said Hamet, quietly. "Up the river. Hide. Some night creepdown. Back to Dindong."
"Yes. I see," said Mr Braine. "He is right."
Silence was preserved once more, and Hamet kept on so close in-shorethat the overhanging boughs swept the thatched roof of the boat. Thenall at once he thrust down his pole deep into the gravelly sand, and, asit were, anchored the boat.
"Now," he said, panting with his exertions; "all take oars and row."
"Yes," said Mr Braine, eagerly, and the oars were seized; but Hametuttered a low "hist!" and all listened.
For a few moments English ears failed to catch that which had struckupon the more keen sense of the Malay, but soon enough they could hearbeat--beat--beat--beat--the sound of rapidly plied oars, and it wasplain that a naga had now come up the river in pursuit.