ill his hand came in contact with about two feet of the
haft standing out of the thatch, and he began tugging at it to draw it
forth. "Won't come, won't you? All right, then, go;" and catching hold
of the bamboo staff with his left hand, he doubled his fist and turned
his right into a mallet, thumping the butt, which readily yielded and
went farther and farther through, till he struck the bamboo and mat
together, when a final blow sent the weapon right through, and it was
gone.

"My!" he muttered at last. "Suppose Mister Archie was just underneath,
listening! Not he, poor chap! He'll be fast asleep," thought Peter.
"Well, there's no considering what I ought to do next. I have just got
to get back and pick up that there spear. Mr Sentry will never think
it's gone through, and if to-morrow he comes to look for it, he will
think that there monkey has carried it away sticking in his back. Phew!
My leg smarts; and that ain't the worst of it. I have got to get up to
the ridge here, and down the other side to where I crept out; and that's
where there's snakes."

It took a little resolution when the lad had reached the loose portion
of the mat, and he hesitated and kicked about a bit, to scare any enemy
away, before raising the mat, passing his legs through, and lowering
himself partly down.

A few minutes later he was holding on with one arm, having wedged his
toes into the side of the stable wall, while he carefully drew back the
thatch into its place.

Directly after, he stood listening amongst the rustling palm-leaves,
then crept to Archie's side, to hear him breathing heavily, fast asleep;
and then, after refreshing himself with a draught of water, he began to
search for the fallen spear. This he passed several times before he
found it sticking upright in the floor, gave it a hug of delight, and
was about to carry it to thrust it in beside its fellow, when he paused.

"That means if they find one they will find t'other," he said to
himself, "so that won't do."

This thought resulted in his finding another hiding-place for his newly
acquired treasure.

"We are getting on," he said in a satisfied way--"only got to smug a
couple of krises, and there we are. I say, my leg smarts, and I should
like to have a look at it; but I won't light a match, because it would
be risky in amongst these leaves--and I ain't got one. Well, that will
do for to-night, so good-night. I am beginning to think I am tired."

Bef