'm bleeding horribly."

At a stream close by, however, his wounds were bathed, the bleeding
checked, and then a few shots were had at the jungle-fowl, two brace of
which, a little bigger than ordinary bantams, were secured before the
little party halted in a clearing, close to the river.

Here were half-a-dozen native houses, one and all built upon bamboo
piles, so as to raise the dwellers well above the damp ground, the
possibility of flood, and out of the reach of any wild creatures that
might be wandering by night.

There was something exceedingly homelike in the appearance of the
places, each with its scrap of garden and fruit-trees; while the
occupant of the principal hut insisted upon the whole party coming to
partake of rest and refreshment before continuing their way.

"Oh! we don't want to go in," said Tom Long, peevishly.

"Well, no, I don't want to go in," said Bob, "but the old fellow will be
offended if we do not; and we want to make friends, not enemies."

Ali nodded, and they sat down in the bamboo-floored hut, through whose
open door they saw their host busy sending a Malay boy up one of his
cocoa-nut trees, the boy rapidly ascending the lofty palm by means of
nicks already cut in the tree for the purpose.

Three great nuts, in their husk-like envelopes, fell directly with a
thud, and these the friendly Malay opened and placed before his
visitors.

"This is very different to the cocoa-nut we boys used to buy at school,"
said Bob, as he revelled in the delicious sub-acid cream of the nut, and
then partook of rice, with a kind of sugary confection which was very
popular amongst the people.

Homely as the outside of the huts had appeared, both the lads could not
help noticing how similar the habits of these simple Malays in this
out-of-the-way part of the world were to those of people at home.

For instance, beneath the eaves hung a couple of cages, neatly made of
bamboo, in one of which was a pair of the little lovebird paroquets side
by side upon a perch; and in the other a minah, a starling-like bird,
that kept leaping from perch to perch, and repeating with a very clear
enunciation several Malay words.

Thoroughly rested at last, the little party set off again--their host
refusing all compensation, and once more they plunged into the thickest
of the jungle, though very little success attended their guns.

This was hardly noticed, though, for there was always something fresh to
see--huge bu