boat, and returned with a basket full of delicious fruit,
which he offered Tom Long with a bow; and then, finding they were
accepted, he stood smiling with his head bent, while Bob went on
devouring durian at a terrible rate.

"I say, Tom Long," said Bob, making a very unpleasant noise with his
mouth.

"What is it?" said the ensign, who was deep in the mysterious flavour of
the delicious mangosteen.

"I never believed in old Darwin, and his development, and evolution, and
that sort of thing, till now."

"Why now?" said Tom Long.

"Because I feel such a pig," said Bob, attacking another durian. "Look
here, old man, if you'll put me up in a durian tree, I don't want
anything else, thankey; you may have all the honour and glory. Oh! I
say, this one's lovely! it's just like nectar made with custard, with an
old shoe put in for flavour, and all stirred up with a paint brush. How
are you getting on?"

"Bravely," said Tom Long.

The two young officers went on eating till they caught sight of the
doctor in the distance--a sight so suggestive of making themselves ill,
that they gave up with a sigh or two, and went away, Tom Long offering
to pay liberally for the fruit, notwithstanding a hint from his
companion that he should be content to accept it as a present.

Both the Malays drew back very proudly, but Bob Roberts healed the
breach in etiquette by quietly taking out his case, and offering a cigar
to each of the Malays in turn.

These were taken with a smile, and accompanied by a thoroughly friendly
look at parting.

"They're rum fellows, those Malays," said Bob, "and want a lot of
managing. They are gentlemen at heart, and savages at body. That's my
opinion of them."

"And my opinion is," said Tom Long, "that they are a precious unpleasant
treacherous set of people, that it is downright cruelty to expect a
gentleman to live amongst."

Up to this point no Malay, not even a servant, had been admitted to live
upon the island, though the want of natives for assistance and to supply
food had been keenly felt.

During the last few days, however, the resident had begun to relax this
stringent rule, and a fisherman had been permitted to set up his hut,
and keep his boats, at the upper end of the island, with the consequence
that in place of a very intermittent supply, there was plenty of fish at
the mess table.

Now as soon as the young officers had gone, Abdullah and his Malay
companion sought audience, ba