them, he gazed intently into the grave countenance of his
friend till he had finished speaking.

"Are zee raskils near?" he asked, sternly.

"No. We have come on many days ahead of them. But we found a party at
the river's mouth awaiting their arrival."

"Ant zey cannot arrife, you say, for several veeks?"

"Probably not--even though they had fair and steady winds."

A sigh of satisfaction broke through the naturalist's moustache on
hearing this.

"Zen I vill--_ve_ vill, you and I, Mister Roy,--go after ze bootterflies
to-morrow!"

"But we must push on," remonstrated Van der Kemp, "for preparations to
resist an attack cannot be commenced too soon."

"_You_ may push on, mine frond; go ahead if you vill, but I vill not
leave zee bootterflies. You know vell zat I vill die--if need be--for
zee Rajah. Ve must all die vonce, at least, and I should like to die--
if I must die--in a goot cause. What cause better zan frondship? But
you say joost now zere is no dancher. Vell, I vill go ant see zee
bootterflies to-morrow. After zat, I will go ant die--if it must be--
with zee!"

"I heartily applaud your sentiment," said Nigel, with a laugh, as he
helped himself to some of the food which the Dyak youth and Moses had
prepared, "and if Van der Kemp will give me leave of absence I will
gladly keep you company."

"Zank you. Pass round zee victuals. My appetite is strong. It always
vas more or less strong. Vat say you, Van der Kemp?"

"I have no objection. Moses and I can easily take the canoe up the
river. There are no rapids, and it is not far to the Rajah's village;
so you are welcome to go, Nigel."

"Das de most 'straord'nary craze I eber know'd men inflicted wid!" said
Moses that night, as he sat smoking his pipe beside the Dyak boy. "It
passes my compr'ension what fun dey find runnin' like child'n arter
butterflies, an' beetles, an' sitch like varmint. My massa am de wisest
man on eart', yet _he_ go a little wild dat way too--sometimes!"

Moses looked at the Dyak boy with a puzzled expression, but as the Dyak
boy did not understand English, he looked intently at the fire, and said
nothing.

Next morning Nigel entered the forest under the guidance of Verkimier
and the Dyak youth, and the orang-utan, which followed like a dog, and
sometimes even took hold of its master's arm and walked with him as if
it had been a very small human being. It was a new experience to Nigel
to walk in the sombre shade