e Gray."

"Why, that's a different thing altogether," said Long.

"No it isn't, Mr Clevershakes. The snake's poison goes into the blood,
don't it, same as that of a kris, and the symptoms would be just the
same."

Tom Long seemed to think there was something in this, and he lay
thinking for a minute.

"How did Gray look?" he said. "I don't remember."

"Just the same as you don't look," said Bob, sharply; "so don't be a
stupid and frighten yourself worse. Malay krises are not poisoned, and
it's all a cock-and-bull story."

"What is?" said Doctor Bolter, entering the room.

"About krises being poisoned, doctor."

Doctor Bolter felt his patient's pulse.

"Have you been putting him up to thinking his wound was poisoned?" he
said, angrily.

"No, doctor," said Tom Long, quietly; "it was my idea, and I feel sure
it is."

"Tom Long," said Doctor Bolter, "you're only a boy, and if you weren't
so ill, I'd box your ears. You've been frightening yourself into a
belief that you are poisoned, and here's your pulse up, the dickens
knows how high. Now look here, sir, what's the use of your placing
yourself in the hands of a surgeon, and then pretending to know better
yourself?"

"I don't pretend, doctor."

"Yes, you do, sir. You set up a theory of your own that your blood is
poisoned, in opposition to mine that it is not."

"But are you sure it is not, doctor?"

"Am I sure? Why, by this time if that kris had been poisoned you would
have had lock-jaw."

"And Locke on the Understanding," put in Bob.

"Yes," laughed the doctor; "and been locked up altogether. There,
there, my dear boy, keep yourself quiet, and trust me to bring you
round. You, Bob Roberts, don't let him talk, and don't talk much
yourself. You'd better go to sleep, Long."

"Wound pains me too much, doctor. It throbs so. Isn't that a sign of
poison?"

"I'll go and mix you up a dose of poison that shall send you to sleep
for twelve hours, my fine fellow, if you don't stop all that nonsense.
Your wound is not poisoned, neither is that of any other man who came
back from the expedition; and if it's any satisfaction to you to know
it, you've got the ugliest dig of any man--I mean boy--amongst the
wounded."

The doctor arranged the matting-screen so as to admit more air, and
bustled towards the door--but stopped short on hearing a buzzing sound
at the open window, went back on tiptoe, and cleverly captured a large
insect.

"A splendid l