The Rajah of Dah Part 21

"Is it wine?"

"Oh no; at least perhaps they call it wine. It's somehow made with the sap out of the palm-trees, with cocoa-nut milk and fruit juice. I don't know, and it doesn't matter. As soon as you get your lips to a cup of it, you don't want anybody to talk to you till it's done."

Ned soon had an opportunity of putting the contents of the bamboo to the test, and he quite agreed with Frank's description, for it was delicious after the long hot walk, and they all sat enjoying their meal as the boat glided rapidly down stream now, the men merely dipping their oars from time to time to keep her head straight. They had spent a far longer time than Ned had expected, and the sun was sinking behind the jungle as the village was reached, and they disembarked, Hamet being ready to bear the spoils of the day up to the house, where Murray intended to commence preparing the skins at once, but found that Mr Braine was in waiting to insist upon the two newcomers dining with him at his place.

"Never mind them," he cried, as Murray pointed to his specimens; "you can get hundreds more at any time, and Barnes and his people will be horribly disappointed if you do not come."

To Ned's great satisfaction his uncle gave way, for he felt no great disposition to begin an unpleasant task after so hard a day, and the result was that after a change they went up to the Resident's house, to reach there just at the same time as the doctor, his wife, and daughter.

CHAPTER TEN.

A SERIOUS COMPLICATION.

In a few weeks all thought of considering themselves as prisoners was forgotten, and Murray and Ned were as busy as it was possible to be in that hot steamy climate.

There was, however, one point about which Murray made a complaint, and spoke to Mr Braine upon the subject, and that was the presence of armed men as guards; for wherever they went, even if it was from one end of the village to the other, there were these quiet dark sentinels, and so sure as either Murray or his nephew came to the conclusion that they were alone, the next moment one of the men would be seen pretty close at hand.

"Never mind, uncle," Ned said, laughingly; "the sun always s.h.i.+nes here, so one must expect to have shadows."

"But I don't like it, Ned; it worries me," said his uncle; and as stated he complained to Mr Braine, who promised to speak to the rajah, and two days later came to the house where its occupants were busy skinning and drying their specimens.

"The rajah has sent me to ask if he can do anything more for you, Murray," said their visitor. "He has been saying again that he is delighted with your discovery of the tin, and that he shall some day set men to work mining and smelting, but he hopes you will persevere, and discover a good vein of gold. You are to speak as soon as you are ready for a long expedition, and the elephants will be brought up."

"Let's go soon, uncle," said Ned. "I want to have an elephant ride."

"Patience, patience, boy. There, that's not such a bad imitation of life, is it?" said Murray, holding out a beautiful amethystine-looking kingfisher.

"Capital!" said Mr Braine, smiling at the enthusiasm his new friend brought to bear in his pursuit.

"Do for us?" said Murray, thoughtfully; "do for us? No, I think not.

He is wonderfully civil; feeds us too well; the attention we get is excellent, and you people treat us as if we were your brothers."

"You are satisfied, then?" said Mr Braine.

"Yes, I think so; eh, Ned?"

"I am enjoying it thoroughly," replied the latter.

"Oh yes, of course. So long as you can be always off on some prank or another with Braine's unbroken colt. It suits you, you lazy young dog."

"Oh, uncle, what a shame! Frank and I have brought you in some splendid specimens."

"Well, pretty tidy; but that rare trogon's tail feathers were wanting in the three central pens."

"We'll get you another, then," cried Ned.

"You like the place, then?" said Mr Braine.

"Like it, sir! I never imagined being a prisoner was half so good."

"Ah yes--prisoners," said Murray, looking up from his work, which he was still pursuing in spite of the arrival of his visitor. "Here! hi!

Hamet!"

"Yes, master."

"Go and turn those skins over carefully, and put them out of the sun.

They are drying too fast."

"Yes, master."

"Yes; prisoners," continued Murray. "You did not take my message to the rajah about those spearmen always following us about."

"I did, and that was my princ.i.p.al reason for coming and interrupting you this morning."

"Ah!" cried Murray, looking up with an unfortunate bird turned inside out in one hand, and a brush laden with preserving paste in the other; "what did he say?"

"That he esteemed the visit and presence of so great a scientific man too highly to run any risk of his coming to harm. That many of his people were not so enlightened as those about the court, and were likely to resent the presence of an Englishman."

"And boy," said Ned in an undertone.

"And boy," said Mr Braine, smiling; "and that he would die of grief if anything happened to you; whereas, if harm happened when you had your guard, he could punish them?"

"Poor wretches!" said Murray, brus.h.i.+ng away at his bird-skin. "Soft soap. Gammon, Braine. He is afraid that we shall slip off, eh?"

"Yes; that is the plain English of the matter."

"And the men are to follow us still."

"Yes. You must put up with it."

"Ah, well, the place is so rich that I will not grumble. I must say that the men are never too attentive, and it would be unpleasant if we were to be speared and krissed; eh, Ned?"

"And skinned and preserved as specimens of the English for his highness's museum," said Ned, quietly, as he carefully drew the skin of a lovely blue and drab thrush over its skull.

"No one to do it," said Mr Braine, laughing.

"Well, I shall not grumble again," continued Murray. "Tell him we'll go soon right up to the hills through the jungle, and that I'll try and find him a gold-mine. You were quite right, Braine; we could not have done better for natural history if we could have gone where we liked."

"I am sure you couldn't."

"Ladies quite well--Mrs Braine and the Barnes's and Greigs?"

"Yes; but complaining that you do not visit us all more often."

"Very good of them, but I must get on with my work."