r friend wade in the darkness
up to where this boat had been moored, and attack its guardians. He
shuddered, and dared think no more, but, happily, Frank began whispering
to him just then.

"This is one of the little nagas," he said. "I know it. The men used
it to take us up the river. They did not know it would be all right for
us to escape. I say, Hamet, how far is it down to the rajah's campong?"

"Don't know," said the man quietly, using an oar so as to get the boat's
head down stream, and farther from the bank, where the fireflies were
still flitting at intervals.

"Well, we shall float down to it. We needn't speak low now?"

"No; only a little," replied the man.

"I say, you were a good one to come and help us. But, I say, you did
not kill any one, did you?"

"They tried to kill Hamet," he replied, quietly.

"Oh, Ned!" whispered Frank, with a shudder, "I shall never wear that
kris again."

They glided on down in silence for some time before either of the boys
spoke again, and then Ned said in a low voice:

"They seized you too, Hamet?"

"Yes, master, and brought us up the river here. I said to myself, `I
will save the young masters,' and they are here."

"But what is to be done now?"

"Go down in the dark to my lord, and say here is a boat waiting. Shall
we go back to Dindong?"

"But we could not, Hamet," said Frank. "The rajah's people would hear
us, and stop us."

"Perhaps," said the man, quietly. "Heaven knows: but we will try."

"Yes," said Frank, "we will try, unless my father thinks we ought all to
stop, and he could bully the rajah. But we will see."

"Yes, we will see," replied Hamet; and there was silence once more for a
time, but Ned was too much excited to remain quiet long.

"Are you sure," he said, "that they cannot follow us on shore though
they have no boat?"

"Quite sure," said Frank. "They are on the wrong side of the river, and
they could not cut a way through the jungle for days and days. I don't
know how far we are up either. Perhaps miles and miles, and they were
rowing and poling up all night."

Silence once more fell upon the party, and the boys sat watching the
dark wall of trees on either side and listening to the forest sounds,
all of which seemed strange and impressive at such a time. Now and then
the oar creaked with which Hamet kept the boat's head right, and several
times now the boys shrank from the side as there was a sudden swirl and
rush th