elp, there was nothing near, and
Ali felt as if in a dream, till his other hand touched the kris that was
now beneath his chest.

It was his right arm that was forced down between the bamboos, and he
was consequently lying over upon his chest, when, to his horror, he
heard a noise, and saw the principal of his guards seize a torch and
enter the room, kris in hand.

For a moment Ali felt that he must spring up, kris in hand, and fight
for his life. Fortunately he lay still and feigned sleep, his heart
beating heavily, as he hoped to conceal the loosened bamboo with his
body, as well as the kris.

The Malay looked curiously round the room, and held his dammar-torch on
high, as he peered here and there. Not that he had heard a sound, but
he was evidently suspicious, or else extra careful.

Ali lay motionless and breathing heavily, but with a choking sensation
in his breast, as he felt that now, just when escape was open to him, he
had been discovered. He was in such a state of excitement that he was
ready to spring up and attack his guard, should he make any sign of
having found out what had taken place; but though the man held the torch
here and there, and walked round the room before coming back and bending
down over Ali, as if to see whether he was asleep, he saw nothing.

Then a fresh dread assailed the prisoner. Why was this man bending over
him, and did he mean evil against him?

Ali would have given anything to have been able to turn round and face
his enemy, but to have made the slightest movement would have been to
show that he had a kris beneath him, and his arm right through between
the bamboos, so the young man lay perfectly still, mastered his emotion
as best he could, and waited for what seemed an unreasonable space of
time, till the Malay slowly moved off into the outer room, and sticking
his torch in the floor, seated himself with his companions, and began to
smoke.

Panting with excitement, Ali lay there in the darkness, and for some
time not daring to move; but at last, watching the effect upon his
guards the while, he made an uneasy movement and muttered a few
unintelligible words.

The men looked up for a moment, but afterwards paid no heed; and finding
this so, Ali secured the kris in the folds of his sarong, after softly
withdrawing his arm from between the bamboos of the floor.

To his great delight, he found them very loose; and after waiting a
reasonable time, and until his guards se