Trapped by Malays Part 20

"Look sharp, sir. I'm putting your things straight. Tumble up and tumble in."

"Be quiet, you noisy rascal! What does it all mean? I say, we are in the middle of the night!"

"Not it, sir. Do look sharp, sir."

"But what for?"

"It's because of the review, I suppose, sir. The lads are all tumbling up as if there was some alarm. I ain't half dressed."

"Alarm! Nonsense! Sha'n't get up till the regular time."

"Hi! Hullo, Maine!" and Captain Down's voice was heard outside. "Are you nearly ready? Company's all turned out."

"Ready--no! What's the matter?"

"Don't quite know, but I think we are being attacked. The watch have come in with news that a strong party of the Malays are approaching by the forest path, out beyond the campong."

"What stuff!" cried Archie, beginning to dress sleepily. "It's the country-people coming in to see the show.--Here, you, Peter Pegg, why don't you get a light? Who's to see to dress?"

"Slip into your things, man," cried the Captain irritably. "No nonsense. Recollect where we are."

"Oh, all right," grumbled Archie. "I know it's only a false alarm."

"False alarm or no, the Major was half dressed before I came on here."

"Oh, all right," grumbled Archie again; "I'll manage.--Pete," he whispered, "try to get me a cup of coffee."

"Who's that?" cried the Captain.

"Sergeant, sir--Ripsy," came in that non-com's deep, important voice.

"Well, what's up?"

"Well, sir, they may be coming to see the review, but it don't look like it. There's a strong body of well-armed natives just the other side of the campong, and they may be friends or they may be enemies, but we have got to be ready for them, anyhow. You see, sir, it don't look right, because if they had been friends they would have been coming down the river in their boats. These 'ere must have been marching all night; and they have got elephants with them."

Whatever the body of Malays was, short as was the notice given, they found that the English cantonments were well guarded, and those who approached beyond the native village, where the main body had halted, were stopped before they could get any farther.

It was quite dark, and the whole appearance of the body of men suggested a night attack; but before long native messengers came into camp with a message from the chief officers of Rajah Suleiman to say that they had had a long night march so as to reach Campong Dang before sunrise, on account of the heat, and asking that they might be furnished with refreshments for His Highness, and be given permission for the elephants to be brought into camp by their mahouts, to be placed in the shade of the trees by the parade-ground while the gra.s.s-cutters went out for their food.

Messages then began to pa.s.s to and fro, and invitations were sent to the Rajah and his officers to join the officers' mess at breakfast and rest, as it would be hours before the military evolutions would begin.

The excitement and bustle quickly calmed down; pickets were stationed, with orders that none of the Malays were to come into camp; and the mess-men were almost ready to announce breakfast, when the Doctor came bustling on to the scene, and one of the first people he stumbled against was Archie.

"Oh, here you are," he cried, hastily fastening one or two b.u.t.tons of his white flannels. "Just the fellow I wanted to see."

"Morning, Doctor. How are you?" replied the lad.

"Bad. Up nearly all night with a couple of sick people, and I was at last just sinking into a pleasant doze when those wretched bugles began to ring out. All your doing."

"My doing, sir?"

"Yes--upsetting our regular routine. It will be just as I expected when the Major arranged for tins absurdity. As if Her Majesty couldn't have a birthday without everybody going mad with a desire to get sunstroke."

"Have some breakfast, sir," said Archie quietly. "You will feel better then."

"Better, sir? Bah! Nothing the matter with me now. Eh, what? Is the coffee ready? Can't be. These princes and potentates haven't all come in yet, and I suppose we shall have to wait for them."

"No, you won't, sir. Captain Down and some more of us who will have to be on duty have got a snug corner to ourselves, and we are going to have a s.n.a.t.c.h meal before going out."

"Oh," said the Doctor in a more mollified tone. "Then there is somebody here blessed with brains! Who was it--Down?"

"No, sir; if I must confess," cried Archie, "it was I."

"Oh," said the Doctor. "Then you must have been thinking of number one, sir."

"No, Doctor. My fellow, Peter Pegg, got me a cup of coffee an hour ago."

Matters soon settled quietly down, and the swarthy-looking Rajah Suleiman, in gorgeous array and attended by quite a staff of his notables--Maharajah Lela, Tumongong, Muntri, Lakasamana, and the rest of them--was haughtily partaking of an excellent breakfast, with a string of followers behind the chairs of him and his suite--pipe-bearers, betel-box carriers, and other attendants; while a picked guard of his finest men in a uniform of yellow satin, all armed with the lim-bing or throwing-spear and kris, were drawn up in the veranda, carefully watching over their lord in the mess-room, and as carefully watched over themselves by a guard of quiet-looking linesmen with fixed bayonets.

It fell to Archie's lot to be near the clump of trees beneath which the half-dozen splendid elephants that brought in the Rajah were being fed and groomed.

They had come in covered with mud from their journey along the narrow forest path formed of a line of deep mud-holes made by the elephants themselves, every one of the huge animals invariably planting his feet in the track of the one which had preceded him. Their trappings during the journey had been carefully rolled-up, and now hung with the howdahs from horizontal branches of the sheltering trees.

As soon as it was light the great beasts had been marched down by their attendants to the landing-place for a swim, and brought out again back to the shelter to be carefully groomed, and now stood partaking contentedly of their morning meal, prior to being decked with their gay howdah-cloths and other trappings.

One of the first men that Archie encountered was Peter Pegg, who was standing watching the mahouts, who in turn were overlooking the attendants whose duty it was to groom the Rajah's stud.

"How is it you are not on duty?" he said.

"Am, sir," said the lad. "The Sergeant put me here to keep a heye on these helephant chaps and see as they don't get quarrelling with t'other Rajah's men."

"Why, they have not come yet, have they--Rajah Hamet, I mean, and his people?"

"Oh yes, sir; and they are out yonder--helephants and all. Joe Smithers is doing the same job with them."

"Did you see the Rajah?"

"No, sir," replied the lad; "only 'eerd he was there. I am to be relieved to go to breakfast in a hour's time."

Archie nodded and went on. The hour pa.s.sed, and Peter, who had no further orders, forgot all about breakfast in the deep interest he took in the proceedings of those who had the elephants in charge; while as he waited for the bugle-call which would summon him to the ranks, he stood watching the finis.h.i.+ng touches being given to the elephants, now browsing on the plenteous supply of fresh green leaf.a.ge thrown before them by the gra.s.s-cutters, and began to make friends with the mahouts.

He tried one after the other, but on each occasion only to meet with a surly scowl.

He was going to cross to the man in charge of the finest of the elephants--a little, st.u.r.dy fellow, who only looked on while the attendants were busy over the showy trappings, the edgings of which glistened with a big bullion fringe, and who himself was showily dressed in the Royal yellow, which suggested that this must be the Rajah's own mount. Pete took a step towards him, but shrank back as if it were not likely that this chief among the others would receive his advances any better, when a voice behind him made him turn his head sharply, to find that Joe Smithers, now for the present off duty, had likewise been attracted by the elephants, and had strolled up for a look.

"Why didn't you come for your breakfast, comrade?" he said.

"Oh--wanted to see these 'ere;" and then, as an idea struck the lad on noticing the canvas haversack slung from Smithers's shoulder, he said quickly, "What you got in your satchel, comrade?"