ty approaching, consisting of
Mr Braine, the doctor, and Murray, with the Tumongong at their side.

"Tim," said the doctor, "you can superintend here. The men are to carry
everything in the boat up to the house next but one to ours."

"The one close to the trees, sor?"

"Yes. You will not want any other help. But mind that the boat is
properly made fast."

"Shall I stay too, uncle?" asked Ned.

"No; come with me, and let's see our new quarters."

They were in the act of starting when the Malay chief by their side held
up his hand to arrest them, looking along the river with eager eyes,
where a boat, similar to the one which had first come alongside their
own, could be seen approaching fast, half filled with men, eight of whom
were working vigorously at the oars, while half a dozen more sat beneath
the awning, with the blades of their spears thrust out at the sides, and
glittering in the sun.

"Have they got him, I wonder?" said the doctor half aloud.

"Got whom?" asked Murray.

"A Malay who offended the rajah by a serious breach, and broke out of
his prison about five days ago." He added a few words in the Malayan
tongue to the Tumongong, who responded.

"Yes, they've got the poor wretch," said the doctor. "Well, he was a
bad scoundrel. Let's stop and see them land."

The second dragon boat was rowed quickly up to the jetty, the oars laid
in, and the armed men landed, and stood ready while the rowers lifted
out a savagely defiant-looking man, whose wrists and ankles were heavily
chained. Then a couple of more showily-dressed Malays stepped out, a
little procession was formed, and the prisoner was then led, with his
chains clanking and dragging in the dust, away toward the rajah's
residence, the Tumongong talking rapidly to the fresh comers for a few
minutes, and then rejoining the Englishmen to walk with them to the
neat-looking house set apart for the enforced visitors.

They went up the steps, to find the place light, cool, and rather dark,
coming as they did out of the glare of the sun; but as their eyes grew
accustomed to the gloom, it was to see that the place was neatly covered
with matting, and that there was a darker inner room with more mats,
evidently intended for sleeping.

"I should hardly have expected that you had houses to let," said Murray,
who, now that their position was unavoidable, seemed bent on removing
any bad impression made by his rather warm display of temper.

"We have