gratify his
highness.

There used to be hearty laughter amongst the officers at the quaintness
of the presents, and sometimes Tom Long would have been glad to evade
his duty had he dared; for, he confided to Bob Roberts--

"It is so confoundedly ridiculous, you know. I don't mind taking him up
a little case of a dozen champagne pints, but what do you think I had to
take yesterday?"

"I don't know," said Bob, laughing; "a pound of candles, perhaps."

"No, not yesterday," cried Tom Long; "but I did have to take him a
packet of composite candles, one day. Only fancy, you know, an officer
in Her Majesty's service marching with a fatigue party, up to a
palm-thatched barn, to take a coffee-coloured savage a packet of candles
for a present!"

"Mustn't look a gift horse in the mouth," said Bob, philosophically.
"Present's a present, whether it's a pound of candles or a gold chain."

"Bah! It's disgusting," said Tom Long. "It's enough to make a man want
to part with his commission."

"What'll you take for it, Tom Long? I think I should like a change. Or
come, I'll swap with you. I'll turn ensign, and you take a go at the
sea?"

"Don't be absurd."

"Certainly not; but come, you didn't tell me what you took up
yesterday."

"No," exclaimed Tom Long, flushing with annoyance; "but I will tell you,
for it's a scandal and a disgrace to the service, and Mr Linton ought
to be informed against. I actually, sir, had to march those men all
along through that jungle with a box."

"Box of what?" said Bob; "dominoes?"

"No, sir," cried Tom Long. "A box containing two bottles of pickles."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" roared Bob. "What were they? Walnuts, or onions?"

"Neither," said Tom, with great dignity; "one was piccalilli, and the
other mixed."

"Well, I dare say he was very glad of them," said Bob. "I consider a
good bottle of pickles, out in this benighted place, one of the greatest
luxuries one could have."

"Yes," said Tom Long, who had on a supercilious fit that day, "I suppose
it would satisfy you."

"All right, my noble friend," thought Bob to himself; "I'll take you
down for that some day."

They strolled out and about the fort together for a time, and then out
to the upper end of the island; for though longing to go to the lower
portion where the residency stood, both of them carefully avoided that
part. But it so happened that soon after, when they directed their
steps towards the landing-place, they f