imson, while in every
damp, sun-flecked opening wondrous orchids could be seen carpeting the
earth with their strange forms and glowing colours. Pitcher-plants too,
some of huge size, dotted the ground every here and there where the
steamer passed close to the shore--so close at times that the ends of
the yards brushed the trees; and yet the vessel took no harm, for the
deep water ran in places to the banks, and though often half covered
with weedy growth, the river was canal-like in its deeper parts, where
the sluggish stream steadily flowed along to join its more rapid brother
miles below.

For some time now Lieutenant Johnson had been bitterly regretting that
he had not insisted upon bringing Private Gray, so as to have an
interpreter, for his own knowledge of the Malay tongue was almost _nil_.
And yet he was obliged to own that it would have been unjust to rob
them at the station of part of their strength, when at any moment they
might want it all.

Bob Roberts was the better Malay scholar of the two, but his vocabulary
only extended to asking for a durian, Good morning! How are you? and
the favourite Malay proverbial saying,--"_Apa boleh booat_"--It was to
be, or It couldn't be helped.

They had been progressing now for hours, and the heat was insufferable--
a heavy, moist heat, in that narrow way, shut in between two walls of
verdure, and yet there seemed to be no signs of their journey being
nearly ended. Under the circumstances Bob Roberts was set to try and
get some information out of their guide, whom he tried with "Good
morning," in the Malay tongue; and then, after a civil answer to his
remark, plunged at once into plain English with,--

"How much farther is it?"

The Malay looked hard in his eyes, and Bob repeated the question.

The Malay seemed to divine what he meant, for he raised one bare brown
arm and pointed forward along the course of the river.

It was a mute but conclusive reply, telling the middy plainly enough
that they had farther to go, and once more the attention of all was
taken up by the navigation of the narrow winding channel.

Still there was no fault to be found with Ali's message, for the water
was deep, and though the steamer seemed at times to be running right
into the bank, there was always room to turn what looked to be an ugly
curve, and onward they went through the dense jungle.

On either side the primeval forest seemed to stretch away, and where
there were changes