he human
breast?'"

"I forget uncle."

"More shame for you.--Hope away, Dallas; but you will never tame the
fighting spirit out of a Malay.--Morning, Archie, my lad. What do you
say?"

"I say that Rajah Hamet is tame enough, only one ought not to talk about
him as if he were a wild beast.--Good-morning, Sir Charles?"

"Morning, my lad," replied the Resident, with a peculiar smile. "Have
you got a head on this morning?"

"No, sir, I haven't got a head on this morning," cried the boy angrily,
and with his sun-browned cheeks flushing up.

"I beg your pardon, sir. I thought you had come to see the Doctor."

"So I have," said Archie, drawing himself up and glancing across at
Minnie, and then giving himself an angry jerk as he saw that she was
laughing.

"Do you want to see me, Maine?" said the Doctor.

"Yes, sir, if you are at liberty."

"Yes; all right, my lad.--Don't trouble yourself, Dallas. That will be
all right.--Into my room, Maine;" and he led the way into a pleasant,
comfortably furnished room looking out upon the clearing at the back, a
room evidently the Doctor's surgery more than consulting-room, but whose
formality was softened down by the cut-flowers which indicated the busy
interference of the ladies of the house. "Sit down, my lad," continued
the Doctor, as he took a bamboo chair opposite that to which he had
motioned his visitor; and gazing searchingly at him, he reached out his
hand: "Head queer?"

"No, no, sir," cried the subaltern, with his brow wrinkling up again.
"I only wanted to know about last night and the men wounded."

"Oh! That's what Sir Charles came about. Well, it's nothing much, my
boy. It's rather a large pull on my roll of sticking-plaster and a few
bandages--rival clans or houses--do you bite your thumb at me, sir?--
eh--Montagus and Capulets. Consequence of men carrying lethal weapons--
only krises instead of rapiers. Bad thing to let men carry arms."

"What about soldiers, then, sir?" said Archie merrily. "Bayonets,
side-arms?"

"Ah, but there we have a discipline, my dear boy. But, all the same, it
has fallen to my lot to treat a bayonet-dig or two when our fellows have
got at the rack. Well, I am glad you are all right. I thought you
looked a little fishy about the gills."

"Not I, sir. I managed a splendid breakfast this morning."

"Yes, boy; you are good that way. I often envy you, for what with my
health and every one's health to think about, doc