othing, and the lieutenant was about to
order the men to pull more sharply, when Bob touched his arm again.

"I'm sure that's firing, sir," he said.

"Nonsense, Roberts! absurd! Sit still and be silent. What firing could
it be? We are ten miles from the residency."

"I can't help it, sir, if we are twenty," said Bob, sharply. "I'm sure
it was firing, and there it goes again."

"Silence, sir," said the lieutenant, angrily. "Give way, my lads, give
way."

The ship's boats glided on over the smooth water, the men rowing with
muffled oars; and so steadily that the blades seemed to be dipping in
without making a splash.

The creek grew narrower, so that they had to keep right in the middle to
avoid letting the oar blades brush the reeds, and so they rowed on, but
without seeing anything resembling a prahu.

As to their direction, that they could not tell, but the shape of the
creek they believed to be that of a bow--at least so the Malays had
described it; and as the two ends of the bow must rest upon the river,
they were sure, unless they struck up some narrow tortuous way, to come
out at the other mouth and join the boats.

They went on very cautiously, with the midshipman anxious to talk to Tom
Long, who sat beside him, but forbidden now to utter so much as a
whisper. The oars dipped and rose, dipped and rose, without a sound,
and sometimes a reed or water plant rustled slightly as it brushed the
sides of the boats.

That in which the lieutenant was in command led the weird procession,
Captain Smithers being in the next, while the third, nearly full of
marines, every man with his loaded rifle between his knees, was close
behind.

Still there was no sign of the prahus, and to the lieutenant's great
annoyance, he found that in the darkness they must have turned up the
sluggish stream that flowed into the creek, and missed the continuation,
which was probably masked with reeds.

He felt ready to stamp with vexation, but controlling himself he passed
the word, and the boats backed down the stream, that in which the
officer in command was seated, naturally being the last of the three.

"Wouldn't it have been better to have brought the Malays, sir?" said
Bob.

"Yes, of course; but the cowards were afraid to come, my good lad," said
the lieutenant.

"There, sir," whispered Bob again, "isn't that firing?"

"If you say another word to me about your confounded firing," said the
lieutenant sharply, "I'll ha