ve you gagged, sir."

"I don't want to talk about it, sir," grumbled Bob, "but I'm sure
there's something wrong up yonder."

"And I'm sure there's something wrong here, Mr Roberts," said the
lieutenant, "and that's enough for me to attend to."

They went back in silence for some time, and then Tom Long, whose eyes
were unusually good, pointed to a part of the reed-bed on the right.

"Is not that the continuation of the creek, sir?"

"Yes, to be sure, so it is," said the lieutenant. "We can see it coming
this way. It's masked by those trees the other way. Steady, my lads;
steady. Let us go first."

The creek was wider here, so the boats turned, and retook their former
positions; but still there was no sign of the prahus.

"Those scoundrels must have led us wrong," muttered the lieutenant;
"there's nothing here. Why, yonder's the open river, isn't it; or is it
a wider space? Yes, thank goodness; there are the prahus after all."

He waited till the other boats closed up, and then whispered his final
orders, appointing two boats to attack one of the prahus while he made
for the other alone.

"Now then," he whispered, "are you all ready? A bold dash, my lads, and
they are ours."

"Please, sir," said old Dick.

"What is it?" cried the lieutenant, angrily.

"Them's our own two boats. I'd swear to 'em."

"And I'm sure that's _firing_," cried Bob, aloud.

"Yes," said Tom Long, speaking excitedly; "those were the two prahus we
passed on the way down."

"And they are attacking the residency," cried Bob.

Even as he spoke there was a shot fired from the steamer to recall the
boats, and the men bent to their stout ashen oars with all their might,
the lieutenant as he leaped on board being met by Captain Horton with--

"These Malay tigers are a little too cunning for us, Johnson. Those
were the prahus we passed on the way down."

"Yes, sir, another slip; but we may have them yet."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

HOW PRIVATE SIM TOOK A NAP, AND FOUND IT UNPLEASANT.

A general feeling of uneasiness had been excited as soon as it was known
that the "Startler" had left her moorings to go in search of the two
escaped prahus. Mr Linton did not feel happy in his own mind, though
he did not communicate his fears to a soul.

Still he might have spoken openly, for it would not have caused greater
terrors in the breasts of his daughter and niece, who were for some
reason or another too full of vague fears to retire t