t from the prahu and keep him imprisoned
there," thought Ned; and as he fancied this, he began to consider how
safe a place it would be for a man, so heavily chained that any attempt
at escape by swimming must mean being borne down by the weight of his
fetters.

He walked close up, meaning to see the prisoner put on board the boat,
but no one attempted to hail the prahu, and as Ned drew aside, he saw
that the prisoner was led close to the edge of the swift river, which
now began to look as if it were so much liquid opal, for bright hues of
orange and purple began to gleam through the wreathing mist, and the
plume-like dripping tops of the various kinds of palms stood out clearer
in the coming light.

"They are going to take off his chains first," thought the boy, as he
drew nearer still, no one paying the slightest heed to his presence; and
he had a full view of the man as the spear-bearers drew up in two lines
whose ends rested on the river, leaving their officers standing by the
prisoner, and undoing his bonds.

Ned was not half a dozen yards away, and a feeling of satisfaction
pervaded him as he saw the wrists set free, and heard the chain clank as
it was thrown on the ground.

The fetters from the man's ankles followed next, and fell to the ground,
while Ned could not help wondering at the stolid aspect of the prisoner,
who displayed not the slightest satisfaction at being freed from so
painful and degrading a load.

What followed was so quick that Ned had hardly time to realise what it
meant, for the officer signed to the prisoner to kneel down, and he
sullenly obeyed, while his lower jaw was working in a mechanical fashion
as he kept on grinding his betel-nut. The sun was evidently now well
above the horizon, for the gray mist was shot with wondrous hues, and
the palm-leaves high overhead were turned to gold. There were sweet
musical notes from the jungle mingled with the harsher cries and shrieks
of parrots, and with a peculiar rushing noise a great hornbill flapped
its heavy wings, as it flew rapidly across the river. In short, it was
the beginning of a glorious tropic day for all there but one, who knelt
sullen and hopeless, only a few yards from Ned, who stood spell-bound,
now that he realised what was to happen, too much fascinated by the
horrible scene to turn and flee.

For, as the man knelt there with the guard of spearmen on either side,
one Malay, who seemed to be an officer, but whom Ned reali