e
Thames. But she made head slowly against the swift stream, while, as
the young men watched her, their eyes rested upon the fire-flies
glittering amongst the overhanging trees upon the banks, and all at once
there was a loud splash just ahead of where the naga was gliding.

"What's that--some one overboard?" said the Captain.

"No, sir," said a deep British voice from just behind where the young
officers stood; "only one of them great, scaly varmints getting out of
the way."

"Oh, it's you, Sergeant," said Archie quickly; and then, on the impulse
of the moment, the lad laid his hand on the big non-com's arm and said
hurriedly, "I've had it out with the Major, Ripsy, and it's all right
now. But it was all my fault. Don't be too hard on poor Pegg."

The Sergeant's reply was checked by a question from the Captain:

"Whom was the Doctor fetched to see? Any one ill?"

The Sergeant chuckled.

"No, sir. It was them rival niggers beginning to cut one another's
throats; but I stopped it with my lads, and then fetched the Doctor. It
gave him three or four little jobs. Some on them mean a row."

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE DOCTOR'S PATIENTS.

The looking-glass in Archie Maine's quarters often told him that he was
rather a good-looking young fellow; that is to say, he gave promise of
growing into a well-featured, manly youth without any foppish,
effeminate, so-called handsomeness. But nature had been very kind to
him, and, honestly, he scarcely knew anything about his own appearance;
for when he looked in his glass for reasons connected with cleanliness--
putting his hair straight, smoothing over his curliness, and playing at
shaving away, or, rather, scraping off, some very smooth down--he had a
habit of contracting his nerves and muscles so that a pretty good
display of wrinkles came into view all over his forehead and at the
corners of his lips and eyes, presenting to him quite a
different-looking sort of fellow from the one known to his friends.

The morning after the mess dinner, he had given a parting glance in his
little mirror, looking very much screwed-up, for his mind was busy with
rather troublous thoughts, among which were the events of the past day,
especially those connected with his interview with the Major.

Then he had hurried off to take advantage of what little time he had
before going on duty, and made for the Doctor's bungalow. It was not
much of a place; but the glorious tropic foliage, the