He was pointing with one hand down the stream, but on the middy gazing
in the required direction it was too dark to see anything.

"I can see none," he said. "Where?"

"Two prahus coming up rapidly," said Ali; "be ready to fire."

"Not so fast, young sir," said the lieutenant. "Will that steam never
be up? Roberts," he cried, "touch the trigger of that life-buoy."

The middy obeyed, and a life-buoy dropped over the side with a splash, a
port-fire at the same moment bursting out into a brilliant blue glare,
which, as the buoy floated down rapidly with the stream, lit-up the
trees on either shore, made the water flash, but above all showed out
plainly to all on board a couple of large prahus coming rapidly up the
stream, the many sweeps out on either side making the water foam and
flash in the blue light shed by the buoy.

"There!" said Ali excitedly, "they are Rajah Gantang's prahus. Fire at
them."

"Not so fast, sir," said the lieutenant. "I must first be sure that
they are enemies."

He was soon assured of that fact, for as the steamer was lit-up by the
port-fire as well as the prahus, _bang, bang, bang, bang_, one after the
other, came the reports of the brass guns the two long boats had on
board, and a hail of small iron balls came whistling through the
rigging.

"There's no doubt about it now," said the lieutenant grimly; and giving
the orders as the prahus rapidly advanced, evidently with the intention
of boarding, the two big guns on the port-side thundered out a reply,
splashing the water all over one prahu, and going through the matting
boarding-screen of the other; but otherwise doing no harm.

The prahus replied, and for a few minutes there was a sharp duel kept
up, at the end of which time the oars were seen being swiftly plied, and
the two boats went on up stream at a rapid rate, the steamer firing at
them as long as they were visible by the lights they had on board.

"Was anything ever so vexatious?" cried the lieutenant. "Here we lie
like a log upon the water. Will that steam never be up?"

Just then the welcome news was given, and the order was passed down to
the engine-room; the screw began to revolve, and the men cheered as the
vessel's head was freed from the buoy, to which she had been moored, and
they began to steam rapidly in the wake of the two prahus, whose lights
had evidently passed to the left of the island.

Meanwhile a sharp engagement had evidently been going on in the