Trapped by Malays Part 42

wouldn't one of them be a fine thing to train young recruities with, and teach them how to keep awake on sentry?"

"But you said something to me, Peter, about having to make our escape by daylight. Why?"

"Why, sir? Because as soon as you try and travel out in that there jungle, it's so dark that you can't tell which way to steer."

"But we should have to trust to the elephant--if we could get him."

"Oh, that wouldn't do, sir. We should have trouble enough with it all clear daylight. I've thought it all over till my head won't think, and it's all as clear as crystial. We must wait for morning, when the helephant comes for his t.i.tbits before one of these chaps mounts guard, and then slip out and chance it. I believe in chance, sir--chance and cheek. You can often do things by risking it when you makes all sorts of plans and fails."

"Well, Peter," said Archie wearily, "I can propose nothing better."

"I wish you could, sir."

"So do I," said Archie. "Well, we must try; and if they catch us, why, they can but bring us back. I don't think they dare use their spears, for fear of what might follow when our people come to rescue us."

"Oh, they won't dare to savage us, sir. I believe these are Rajah Suleiman's men, and he wants to keep friendly with the Major."

"There I think you are wrong, Pete. If he wanted to keep friendly, he would not have set his men to attack our boat."

"I don't know, sir," said Peter solemnly, "for there's a deal of cunning and dodgery amongst these krisy chaps, and you never knows what games they may be at; and as to waiting for our Bri'ish Grenadiers to march up and find us, I'm thinking that we may wait till all's blue. My old woman used to say--my granny, you know, as brought me up--'Peter,' she used to say, 'I am going to give you a moral lesson, boy: don't you wait for people to help you, my lad; you help yourself.'"

"That was very good advice, Pete," said Archie, smiling, and uttering a deep yawn.

"Yes, sir; and that's what I used to do."

"Help yourself?"

"I didn't mean that, sir. I used to hear it so often that I used to do as you did just now."

"What do you mean?"

"Yawn at it, sir."

"Oh!" said Archie. "Well, but, Pete, that tiger you talked about kept me awake all night."

"So he did me, sir."

"Yes," said Archie, laughing; "but you've slept all day since."

"Right, sir. That's one to you, Mister Archie. Well, sir, that's our game, just as I say. We'll lay up a good stock of rations--I mean save the fresh and keep on eating the stale, and be all ready for the right morning, and when it comes, nip outside, mount the helephant, and away we will go--I mean, that is, if you think that you can creep up same as I do, and lower yourself down from the roof."

"I think I could now, Pete."

The lad grunted.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means I don't, sir. I know you'd _try_, but _try_ ain't enough.

You must _do_. Still, it don't mean that we are going to start to-morrow morning; and a good job, too, because there's grub, and our sleep-chests is pretty well empty. We must both be as fit as fiddles, sir, and then we can play a tune that will make the n.i.g.g.e.rs stare."

"Yes," said Archie, after lying in silence for a few minutes, with the darkness rapidly approaching. "We will worry our brains no more. This plan is simple. We will be prepared, and then good luck go with us. We will make our start."

"Bray-vo!" cried Peter. "That's talking like our own old Mister Archie.

I say, sir, you are picking up!"

"Am I, Pete?" said the lad sadly. "Feel my arm."

Pete ran his hand down his companion's limb from shoulder to wrist.

"Well, sir, that's all right."

"All right! Why, I feel like a skeleton."

"Well, but the bones is all right, sir. You went for ever so long without eating anything at all but water, and there ain't no chew in that; and when you did begin to peck, what's it been? Soaked bread, and 'nanas and pumpkins. You couldn't expect to get fat on them. Just wait till we get back to camp, and you are put on British beef and chicken, and them pheasants as you officers shoot. My," said the lad, with a smack of his lips, "couldn't I tackle one now--stuffed with bread-crumbs and roasted! I should be sorry for the poor dog as had to live on the bones. A bit of fish, too, fried, sir--even if it was only them ikon Sammy Langs. Here, stow it! I only wanted you not to fidget about being a bit fine. You get your pluck, Mister Archie; and you are doing that fast. Never mind about the fat and lean so long as you feel that you can hit out with your fist or tackle a kris chap with one of our spears. Doing a thing, sir, is saying you will do it and then doing it in real earnest. I say, how soon it has got dark! Now, what do you say to a bit of supper, and then finis.h.i.+ng up our sleep?"

"Agreed, Pete. But what about keeping watch for the tiger if it comes?"

"Ah, I didn't think about that, sir; but we've got to chance getting the elephant here and riding away before the sentry comes."

"Yes; we've settled that we must chance that."

"Yes, sir; and we must chance the tiger if he comes, which maybe he won't, for we haven't heard much of them chaps before."

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

IN THE ELEPHANT-HOLES.

"Did you hear anything in the night, Pete?" said Archie the next morning.

"There he is, bless him!" whispered Peter, from where he was peering through the lookout-hole.

"What do you mean?"

"That Malay chap, sir--the big one with the squint. I should like to drop upon him and smug that kris of his. Just think of it! As soon as we made up our minds to toddle the first time we can get the helephant here before they mount sentry, here he comes, just as if orders had been given for that to be done regular."

Peter dropped down from his lookout-hole, and began to pick out the worst of the fruit for the elephant when he came.

"Seems hard on a friend, Mister Archie, but I don't suppose the Rajah minds them being a bit over ripe."

"Not he," replied Archie; "but I meant, did you hear anything in the night?"

"Oh, you mean the tiger, sir? Yes, I heerd him three or four times, but I was too comfortable to sit up and bother about him. Did you hear him?"

"I suppose I did, but it all seems as if it was part of a dream."

"That's all right, then, sir. I say! Hear 'em? Here's the helephants coming. You get up and look."