ajah Hamet is
bringing his men up there; and we may have an attack from the lower
river at any time."

"Oh, that settles it, then," said Peter. "We must have them cartridges
before those fresh reinforcements come. All right, then, sir. We must
creep round right away outside the camp, and get to the water-side half
a mile beyond the spot where I was on duty and hailed you that night.
There's sure to be boats up there."

"Very likely. What then? But if there are they will be anchored right
out in the river. How are we to get one?"

"Swim," said Peter laconically.

"And the crocs?"

"Chance it," said Peter.

"Ugh!" ejaculated Archie.

"'Tain't tempting, sir, but I'm game. Look here, Mister Archie,"
continued the lad; "they say British soldiers are odd fish--and so they
are--but bad as we want cartridges, ain't four hundred of them, all new,
and waiting to be used, at a time when every lad's pouch is empty, a big
enough bait to make any British soldier bite? Come on, sir; chance it!"

"I will, Pete; and if one of those hideous reptiles takes me down--well,
I shall have died for my country."

"I won't, sir," said Peter fiercely, "but I'll die for him. I mean, I
will disagree with him this 'ere way. Of course I should leave my rifle
at home, but I should go that journey with a naked bayonet in my belt,
and it will go rather hard before he settles me if I don't find time to
put it into his fatigue-jacket here and there."

"Yes, Pete; and, as you say, we will chance it. But when we have got
the boat, what then?"

"Lie quietly in the bottom, sir, and let it float down till we are off
the foot of the Doctor's garden, and then one of us will hold it ready
and drop down the anchor-stone or the grapnel, and there we are."

"But suppose some of the Malays are already in the house."

"No, we won't, sir. We are not going to suppose anything of the kind.
We are going to chance it, sir."

"That's right, Pete. When shall we start?"

"What do you say, sir?"

"I say to-night, directly after Last Post."

"Last Post it is, sir."

Peter had not lost the memory of differences of position, but he was
thinking of two men binding themselves upon a perilous compact that
might mean death to both, as he slowly stole forward a very dirty hand.

The young officer to whom it was extended on his part did not see in his
companion a private, but the brave, tried comrade, as he caught Peter's
powder-grimed hand in a war