thing at all, though indeed he got small
chance, for a few moments later they made out two Malay fishing boats
reaching out from the mouth of the river.

Behind them came others, approaching cautiously, and an hour later the
yacht was surrounded by a dozen craft. All hands were on deck, but there
was no need for any fears. When the leading boat approached cautiously,
Jerry Smith stepped up on the rail, shouting something in a strange
tongue, and without further hesitation the boat darted up to the ladder
and gangway, which had been put over the side, with a large floating
platform.

Contrary to the ideas which the boys had formed, the Malays looked
anything but savages. They wore fez-like round caps, bright shirts, and
sarongs or wrapped skirts of gay cloth, while all wore krisses of
various patterns, and a few carried old flint-lock muskets.

"Tell them we'll let only ten at a time on deck," said Captain Hollinger
to Jerry. Swanson was up forward, looking on with the men. Jerry
repeated the order in Malay, and a moment later he was surrounded by a
group of grinning, chattering, excited natives who plainly recognized
him as an old friend.

Captain Hollinger had already ordered a case of trading goods broken
out, and a few moments later the yacht was well supplied with bananas,
pineapples, cocoanuts, rice and fresh fish. One of the Malays, who wore
a resplendent sarong of crimson silk, Jerry introduced as the headman of
the village; he was a rather dried-up looking man, but his face was
intelligent and bright, and he shook hands all around in a hearty
manner.

As Jerry was interpreting the captain's address to him, Mart noticed
that one of the men next to him wore a kris without any sheath. Glancing
at the weapon, he drew Bob's attention to it; the blade was
flame-shaped, about three feet in length, and was inlaid with silver
lines. Bob jerked the quartermaster's arm and pointed at the kris.

"Ask him if he'll sell it, Jerry!"

"Aye, lad, he'll sell it right enough. I'll ask him, and you get
something he'd like--say, some kind o' weapon."

Bob darted off, returning with an old-fashioned Colt cap-revolver, which
he had hanging on his stateroom wall as a souvenir. Mart laughed at
sight of it, but to his surprise the Malay eagerly made the trade, and
the kris was Bob's. Captain Hollinger examined it with some interest,
and promptly made an offer through Jerry for a dozen more of the
weapons, to keep as souvenirs.