Trapped by Malays Part 36

As the day wore on the heat of the place grew half-suffocating. They had both been too ill to notice this at first, but now it grew to be insufferable.

"I wonder how the sentry stands it," thought the young private; and taking advantage of the Malay being very quiet--for not so much as a step had been heard for quite an hour--Peter made a sign to his companion not to take any notice, and then crossed to the other side of his prison, and after walking to and fro slowly and quietly a few times, he raised one foot to a bamboo cross-piece, sprang up, caught at a second bar, and held on just long enough to get one glance through the hole, before dropping lightly down again.

"Look at that, now," he muttered, for he had had time to see that the sentry was squatting down upon his heels, his chin buried in his breast, and evidently fast asleep. "What a chance if I was outside!" thought Peter; and he climbed quickly and silently up now to have a good look at their guard, just in time to see him start up erect and catch hold of the spear he had leaned against the tree that shaded him.

At the same moment Peter Pegg grasped the fact that the Malay had not been disturbed by _his_ movements, for he was gazing right away down the forest path facing the big door.

"It must be somebody coming," thought Peter. "He sleeps like a weasel, with one eye open."

He had proof the next minute that he was right. The steps became audible, and a couple more spear-armed men approached; there was a short whispered conversation, and one of them took the sentry's place.

"Changing guard," muttered Peter, "That's imitation of what they have seen us do. Wonder whether they are going to carry that on all night."

In due time there was another visit from the party which had brought the fruit and water, the surly-looking leader having the door unbarred, to give a look round, and then, on their being satisfied that the prisoners had an ample supply of provisions, the door was closed again, to Peter Pegg's great relief, for he placed his lips close to Archie's ear and whispered:

"Oh, I have been squirming! I was afraid they would begin to hunt for the spear they left behind."

"Spear left behind?" said Archie.

"Yes; didn't I tell you? They forgot one last night, and it's tucked in behind you, under the leaves.--Now then," thought the lad, "what's it going to be--sentry by day only, or one all night?"

The latter proved to be the case, for after the two prisoners had partaken of an evening meal--Archie making no opposition now--Peter Pegg peered out from time to time, to see that the sentry had drawn nearer to the door; and there he was, plain enough, till it grew too dark to distinguish anything a few yards away, when at last the silence became so profound that the lad began to hope that the watch was given up. He whispered his belief to his fellow-prisoner, and said that he was going to see whether it would be possible to creep out by way of the roof, when his hopes were dashed by a cough; but on peering out he could see nothing, and, full of disappointment, he walked slowly to where Archie lay, and whispered to him again.

"I can't see anything," he said, "but I have watched him so often that I could make it all out. He's been taking a bit of one of them betel-nuts out of a bag, and then taking a sirih-leaf from a sort of book, and laying it on his hand before he opened his little bra.s.s box full of that wet lime. Then he smeared some of the lime over the leaf, laid the bit of nut on it, rolled the leaf up into a quid, and tucked it in his cheek, just like a Jack-tar. Nasty brute! Making his teeth black and the corners of his mouth all red. 'Tain't as if it was a bit of decent 'bacco! Well, perhaps when he has had a good chew he will go to sleep."

"It will be impossible for you to try to get out to-night, Pete."

"Impossible, sir? I'll just show you! I'm not going to be kept shut up here like a tame hanimile in a cage, I can tell him."

"But supposing you do try to break through the thatch, he is certain to hear you."

"Suppose he does, sir! How will he know but what I'm one of them big monkeys as they send up trees to pick the cocoa-nuts, or one of the wild cat sort of things as the jungle's full of? You let me alone, sir. I mean to make a beginning. Sha'n't do much till you get stronger, sir.

Then we shall get out together, and make straight for the camp."

"But how about finding our way?"

"Well, sir, between ourselves, I have got two plans. One is, to get down to the river and find a boat. You see, once aboard that, all we have to do is to let it float down till we come to Campong Dang."

"Yes; that sounds simple and easy. But you said that you had got two plans."

"Yes, sir. That's the wet way; t'other's dry. You haven't seen because you have been too bad, but they keeps helephants here, and I know one of them."

"You know one of them?"

"Yes, sir; he's been to see me twiced."

"Are you dreaming, Pete?"

"Yes, sir--with my eyes open. I have thought it all out. I want to get him here some night, and then break a way out and get you on him--I knows how to ride like a mahout--and I'll make him take us to headquarters. What do you say to that?"

"Say to that, Pete!"

"Ah! don't you get talking like an unbelieving heathen, sir. You don't know what a lot of sense there is in one of these 'ere helephants. Once I get you on board--I don't suppose there would be a howdah, but you could hold on to his ropes--I've got a spear to guide him, though he wouldn't want no steering once I got him into one of those paths. They all lead to one or other of the campongs, and if we don't get into the right one at first we will try again."

Archie sighed.

"Ah, you think I can't do it, sir; and you are low-sperrited because you ain't strong enough."

"It all sounds so wild, Pete," said Archie faintly.

"Course it do, sir. Helephants ain't horses."

"Thank you," said Archie, with a faint scintillation of his old ideas of fun.

"They are wild beasts, and big 'uns, too, at that."

"Yes, yes; but this all sounds nonsensical."

"Course it do, sir. That's the best of it. You can't grarsp it because you have been lying there onsensible and don't know what's happened. I didn't believe it myself at first; but you remember about the review and the big Rajah's helephants?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, when I was off duty for a bit I goes and makes friends with one of the swell mahouts--him as drove the Rajah's own helephant. The mahout let me feed him, and the big beast was quite chummy with me--took me up in his trunk, and set me up astride on him."

"Well, suppose he did," said Archie peevishly; "what's that got to do with our position here? Where is your chummy friend?"

"That's what I want to tell you, sir. He found me out here, and he comes and shoves his trunk through that hole as you can't see now because it's dark. 'How are you, old man?' he says. 'Who'd have thought of seeing you here? Tuck one or two of them bananas in the end of my trunk and see me eat them, and I will show you;' and I did. Then he says, 'Give us a drink of water;' and so I did, and he played it into himself just as if he was a portable fire-engine. What do you think of that?"

"I think," said Archie faintly, "that if I was like I was in the old days, Peter, I'd punch your great, stupid head. What do you mean? Do you think I'm as weak as a child, and that you must try and please me by telling me all that flam?"

"Haw, haw!" laughed Peter Pegg softly. "I knowed you'd say that. But it's all as true as true. I don't mean to say that he talked to me like that in plain English, but he chuntered and grunted and squealed, and ate nearly all the bananas and bread, and drank up the water before he went away, and come again for more."

"Oh, I could believe that. But what makes you think it's the same elephant as the one you saw before?"

"Oh, I did doubt it at first, sir; but I am sure now."

"Why?"

"Because of his size. He's the biggest one that came to the camp; and he knowed me again by the smell."

"Bah! He smelt the fruit."

"But the smell of the fruit wouldn't make him stroke me down all over and talk to me in his way. You wait a bit till he comes next time. He will soon show you how friendly he is to me. Why, it was only yesterday, I think--though the time goes so rum here, where one sleeps so much--he come to see me, and one of the Malay chaps as was taking him to the water tried to drive him away, and, my word, you should have seen him chivy the chap off and call him a hinterfering blackguard, in helephant! He's my friend, sure enough, sir; and it will take a bit of time to settle matters, but I think I can make him understand what he's got to do, and start off some night and carry us to Campong Dang."

"Ah, if you only could, Pete!" said Archie faintly; "but it all sounds to me like a dream, and--"

There was a deep breath, and silence.

"And what, sir? What were you going to say?--Why, I'm blessed if he ain't asleep!" muttered Peter. "Well, so much the better. Now I'm going to see if I can't get out; and if that beggar hears me I must try and gammon him. Wonder whether I can come that _chicker, chicker, chick, chack, chack, chack_, like one of them big monkeys. I did manage to imitate it pretty fairly time back when I teased that one as Captain Down used to make a pet of. Well, why shouldn't I now?"