nce, for
after the watching and disturbed sleep of nights, Nature would do no
more, and Peter Pegg was sleeping more deeply than he had ever slept in
his life before.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

PETER'S FRIEND.

Phoonk! Then a peculiar squeal and grunting sound, and then once again,
_Phoonk_!

Peter Pegg started up into a sitting position, vacant of face and
staring at the straightly streaked rays of sunshine that made their way
through the plaited and latticed sides of the stable-like building in
which he had dropped to sleep.

"What's all that row?" he muttered. "Where am I?"

He rubbed his eyes; and then, as the grunting, snorting noise continued,
"What does it all mean?" he went on. "Why, I've been asleep, and was
dreaming something about old Bobby Hood's pigs at home, grunting. Am I
dreaming now? Them ain't pigs. Here, I know--helephants!"

He turned his face to the side of the place against which he had been
leaning, drew himself up, and applied his eyes to one of the cracks,
just as a voice seemed to be calling out in the Malay tongue at three of
the great cumbrous-looking beasts which were about a couple of yards
away from the building.

"Driving of them, and they won't go," thought the watcher; and the
speaker, a stunted-looking Malay with a short, iron-spiked implement,
somewhat like the iron of a boat-hook, in his hand, came into sight
between the huge pachyderms and the door, shouting and growling at his
charge as he waved the hook and progged the nearest beast as if trying
to drive them away.

"What a fool I was not to have learned this precious lingo! They want
to come in, and he's telling them to get on. Well, there ain't no room
for them here.--Ah, he don't like that!" For the dumpy Malay made use
more freely of the goad he carried, and the nearest beast gave vent to
an angry half-squeal, half-grunt, as, shrinking from the prod delivered
at its flank, it made a rush at two companions, driving its great head
first at one and then at the other, and with a good deal of grumbling,
squealing, and waving of trunks, they shuffled out of sight.

"Why, I must have been asleep," cried Pegg, as he made for another
opening where the sun streamed in; "but my head--oh, my head, how it
aches! I can't seem to understand what it means. It's all of a--" He
turned slowly round, staring vacantly, till his eyes fell upon the
basket and jar almost at his feet. "'Nanas--water! Why,"--he turned
his eyes i