ill it be by-and-by?"

"I don't know. Never mind by-and-by," said Frank. "'Nough to do to
think of just now. What shall we do?"

"Go to sleep and forget it till to-morrow morning," said Ned
philosophically.

"Come," cried Frank; "that's the best thing you've said to-day. All
right."

It was now so dark that they had to feel their way into the inner room,
where they lay down on the mats with their heads close to the side, and
they had hardly settled themselves comfortably when the chief entered
the main room followed by two men, one of whom bore a lamp.

The principal Malay looked sharply round, and then said to Frank, who
lay on his back with his hands under his head:

"Does my lord want anything else?"

"Yes. You to go and not bother," replied the boy ungraciously.

"Can we bring him anything?"

"Yes; a boat to take us home."

"Shall I leave the light?"

"No; take it away. I'm sleepy."

The man bowed, backed out with his followers, the matting was dropped
between the two rooms and then over the doorway as they passed into the
veranda.

"That's the way to talk to them," said Frank, peevishly.

"You weren't very civil."

"Well, who's going to be to people who shut you up. It's no use to be
`my lord' without you behave like one. Now let's go to sleep."

Easier said than done. First in the hot darkness came the _ping_-_wing_
of a mosquito, then the restless sound made by the boys fidgeting about,
and the low dull murmur of the men talking in the veranda.

"What's that?" said Ned, suddenly.

"Bother! Go to sleep. Only our chaps walking underneath to see if
all's safe below. I say," he added, after a pause, "I know what I shall
do if they don't let us out soon."

"What!"

"Say I want to learn to smoke--late some evening."

"And make yourself sick."

"No; I'll make them sick. They'll bring a pipe and some burning
charcoal."

"To light the pipe?"

"No; it will be to light this jolly old bamboo house. It will blaze up
like fun."

"And roast us to death!"

"Not it. We won't be inside. Perhaps we can run away in the
scrimmage."

Silence again, and hot, weary, and miserable, the boys lay there in the
darkness, till a peculiar sound struck Ned's ear.

"Asleep?" he said.

"No; who's going to sleep if you talk so. Yes, there it is again.
Hurrah!"

"Then you did hear that sound?"

"Hear it? Yes. Know what it is?"

"I thought it was a crocodile in the river."

"So it is