ination he saw the island
given over to violence and rapine, as a large force of savage Malays,
who resented the coming of the English, took advantage of the present
state of weakness and carried all before them.

He felt as if a strange pallor was taking the place of the ruddy,
sunburnt hue of his face, and he turned sick as he thought of Miss
Linton and her cousin; of the major's wife, and those of several of the
soldiers.

It would be horrible, he thought; but the next moment his strength of
nerve returned, and feeling that the safety of all might depend upon the
energy he displayed in his mission, he hurried on towards the fort.

As he went along under the shade of the trees, he recalled that which he
had seen when on duty a night or two back, and wondered whether there
was any cause for suspicion in the boat that he believed he had seen
gliding over the dark river in so shadowy a way. Then he remembered the
sounds he had heard; and lastly, he recalled various little things in
Abdullah's behaviour, that, trifles in themselves, now seemed to be
strangely significant.

By this time he reached the fort, on entering which he found Sergeant
Lund perspiring profusely, as with big clumsy unsuited hands he fingered
a pen, and wrote laboriously his report, while Private Sim, who had not
declared himself ill for a week, lay back under a tree fast asleep.

He was a very unlovely man was Private Sim, especially when asleep, for
at this time he opened his mouth very wide, and around it the busy flies
were flitting, evidently taking it for the flower of some new kind of
orchis or carnivorous plant, and they buzzed about and around it as if
enjoying the fun of going as near as they could without quite getting
into danger. That it was a fly-trap one big sage-looking insect seemed
certain, for he settled on the tip of Private Sim's nose, and seemed to
be engaged in making sudden flights and buzzings at young unwary flies
as they came near and into danger, driving them away from the yawning
cavern just below.

Gray smiled to himself as these ideas flashed across his brain, and then
he walked up to the sergeant.

"Which--which--that--which--or which--but which--in which--for which--to
which--phew! this is hot work. I wonder which would be best. Ah!
Gray, sit down here a minute, my lad, and tell me what to say. I've
been hours over this report."

"I am off on special business directly, sergeant," said Gray; "but let
me s