As all four first reached the bank--arriving nearly at the same instant
of time--there were about twenty yards between the hideous saurian and
her who seemed destined to destruction. On first perceiving her danger,
the girl had made a few plunges to get back to the bank; but, hindered
by the depth to which she had unwarily waded, and overcome by terror,
she had desisted from the attempt; and now stood neck-deep, giving
utterance to cries of despair.

What was to be done? In less than a minute more the jaws of the saurian
would close upon her crashing her fair, tender form between its teeth as
though she were only some ordinary prey--a fish, or the stem of some
succulent water-plant!

Her father stood on the bank a very picture of distress. Of what use
the rifle held half-raised in his hands? Its bullet, not bigger than a
pea, would strike upon the skull of such a huge creature harmlessly, as
a drop of hail or rain. Even could he strike it in the eye--surging
through the water as it was, a thing so uncertain--that would not hinder
it from the intent so near to accomplishment. The Irishman, with only
fish-hooks in his hand, felt equally impotent; and what could the boy
Henry do, not only unarmed but undressed--in short, just as he had been
bathing--_in puris naturalibus_!

All three were willing to rush into the water, and getting between the
reptile and its victim, confront the fierce creature, even to their own
certain sacrifice.

And this, one, or other, or all of them, would have done, had they not
been prevented by Saloo. With a loud shout the Malay, hitherto
apparently impassive, called upon them to hold back. They obeyed,
seeing that he intended to act, and had already taken his measures for
rescuing the girl. They could not tell what these were, and only
guessed at them by what they saw in his hands. It was nothing that
could be called a weapon--only a piece of bamboo, pointed at one end,
which he had taken from among the embers of last night's fire and
sharpened with his knife, when he went off in search of the Singapore
oysters. It was the same stick he had been using to probe for them
under the sand. On seeing the gavial as it started toward the girl, he
had quickly drawn out his knife, and sharpened the other end of the
stake while coming across the beach.

With this sorry apology for a weapon, and while they were still
wondering, he dashed into the stream; and almost before any of the
other