The Rajah of Dah Part 55

The sight of the prahus did not act as an appetiser, but the meal was eaten, great care being exercised that no traces of their stay were scattered about, and then once more the word was "Forward!" and the tramp for safety recommenced in silence.

As they went on, Frank pointed to where Murray had shot his various specimens and found the pieces of tin ore; and they went on higher till a comparatively open spot was reached before crossing, where, as they were now so high, Frank stopped to reconnoitre, gazing down with shaded eyes into the plain and along the park-like slope they had ascended.

"I can't see any sign of the prahus, Frank," said Ned. "There's nothing on the river. Oh!"

"What's the matter?"

"Something flashed half a mile away there. Look down to the left of that great tree. That's the one where we stopped to eat."

"Spears. I see," whispered Frank. "Here, Hamet."

The man stepped to his side.

"Look!"

Hamet crept forward and peered between the leaves of a bush, and gazed down for some moments in silence. Then turning, he said calmly:

"Thirteen of the rajah's men. They are tracking us by the marks we have left, and will overtake us in less than an hour."

This was spoken in broken English, but no speech was ever more impressive to the hearers, and the gentlemen pressed together, while the ladies listened as if to their fate.

"Well," said Mr Braine, hoa.r.s.ely. "You see. What do you say?

Surrender or fight?"

"Fight," said Murray, after exchanging a glance with Amy; and the two boys uttered a faint "Hurrah!"

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

OVERCOME.

"Now forward," said Mr Braine in a low earnest voice. "The plan will be to keep on till we come upon a place that we can hold against attack.

Frank, Ned, lead on with the ladies; we will come last. Quick, and in silence. Single file."

Frank led on, but at the end of half an hour no likely spot had been found, and distant shouts told that their pursuers were closing in.

Mr Braine came now to the front.

"We must have some place found at once, boys," he whispered, avoiding the inquiring looks of the ladies. "If it is only a patch of rocks or a dense clump of trees."

But no such spot offered itself, and on all hands he could see how easily they would be surrounded and at the mercy of the enemy.

At the end of another quarter of an hour they were approaching a steeper place than usual, but their pursuers were very near now, and the gentlemen owned to themselves that though they might shoot down a few of their enemies, the Malays would certainly conquer; when Ned, who had been staring about him wildly for some minutes, suddenly uttered a low cry.

"Here, quick!" he cried. "Follow me;" and turning at a sharp angle to the left, he seemed to be going almost back to the enemy.

"Stop! Are you mad?" whispered Murray, dashing after the boy and seizing his arm.

"No. I know the place: this way."

"Yes, follow him," said Mr Braine. "He may know;" and without hesitation he ran after Ned for a few hundred yards, till the boy stopped to gaze about him wildly, as the voices of their pursuers were now very plainly heard.

"It was somewhere about here--somewhere about here," whispered Ned.

"Yes, I know! Here!"

He pointed to a narrow rift just before him, and into this, as the ladies came up, he led them; the others followed, and they had hardly all pa.s.sed from the heat and glow of the day into the cool darkness of the cavern into which Ned had slipped on his first expedition, when a big swarthy-looking Malay brushed by the bushes which masked the entrance, followed by two more, who paused and shouted.

"The heathens!" muttered Tim, who was the last to enter; "they've found us, and I've lost me poipe."

There was an answering shout, and the men went on, while those in the cave breathed more freely. They were for the moment safe.

There was shout after shout, now more distant, now close at hand, for, to the dismay of the fugitives, the Malays did not go far, but, as if scenting their prey, turned back, and came by the narrow crack again and again, and those within wondered that they pa.s.sed it unseen, for the eager excited faces of the Malays were plain enough, and once they were not more than twenty yards away.

"There is some reason for their hanging about," whispered Mr Braine, as he stood there pistol in hand. "They must know of the place."

As he spoke there was a fresh shout, and four spear-armed men came to where the big fellow the fugitives had before seen was standing, rolling his opal eyes in every direction.

There was an answering shout from high up overhead, and as Ned stood gazing out past Mr Braine, he saw one of the men down the slope give a sudden leap, stoop down, and after securing something, hold up a bamboo-and-reed pipe.

"Bedad, they've found it," murmured Tim. "It fell out of me pocket."

"You've lost us now, Tim," whispered Frank.

"Whisht, sor. I couldn't help it. I haven't been meself since I took the masther's rat poison."

"You didn't, Tim. Father told me. You drank too much wine."

"Murther! Masther Frank. Why, so it was. It did get right into me legs."

"Silence!" whispered Mr Braine, sternly. "Ready with your arms."

He raised his revolver as he spoke, for the men who had disappeared had returned strengthened, and began to search eagerly about. Then one of them uttered a cry, pointed, and, levelling their weapons, they came on.

"Stand back!" roared Mr Braine, in their tongue; and he fired a shot over their heads.

This checked them for a minute, and they drew back behind the bushes to begin throwing spears, but the missiles only struck against the rocks at the side of the rift, and finding their efforts vain, they paused for a few moments. A few words ran from bush to bush, and Mr Braine whispered a warning, "Be ready;" and directly after, the more ominous word, "Fire!"

It was time, for the Malays dashed forward, kris in hand, but from out of the cave a scattered volley of revolver shots greeted them so warmly that two dropped, and the others fell back, followed by their wounded companions.

"A moment's respite," said Mr Braine. "Reload. We can beat them off."

A moment's respite, but not a minute's, for there was a wild shriek from the interior of the cave, and a chill ran through Ned. He had recalled the entrance to the place through which he had slipped, and he turned just as there was a rush, a burst of yells from within, answered by others from without, as the Malays again came on.

Then there was a wild struggle, the pistols were useless, and now thoroughly mastered by their lithe antagonists, all the efforts of the last few hours proved to have been in vain, for Mr Braine, Murray, the doctor, Mr Greig, Tim, and the two boys lay bound where they had been dragged out among the bushes, with the ladies seated weeping by them, and only one of the unfortunate party spoke.

It was Tim, who turned to the boys.

"Look at that now," he said; "I niver had a chance, and I've murthered one hand hitting it against the wall."