e looked upon as an infidel and an intruder had
dared to offer to him, a son of the faithful, such an offence; then with
a cry of rage, he sprang at the ensign, bore him backwards to the bottom
of the boat; and as the midshipman started up, it was to see the Malay's
deadly, flame-shaped kris waving in the air.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

HOW DICK RELATED THE VISIT.

With a cry of horror Bob Roberts leaped forward, and caught the Malay's
wrist in time to avert the blow, the Kling starting forward the next
instant, and helping to hold the infuriate Asiatic; while Tom Long
struggled up and leaped ashore, where a knot of soldiers and sailors
were gathering.

"Don't say anything, Tom," cried Bob. "Here you--tell him he did not
mean to offend him," he continued to the Kling, who repeated the words;
and the Malay, who had been ready to turn on the midshipman, seemed to
calm down and sheathed his kris; while the Kling spoke to him again with
the result that the offended man sat himself down in the boat, gazing
vindictively at the young ensign ashore.

"Here, no more durian to-day, thank you," said Bob, handing the Kling a
dollar. "And look here, you sir; don't let that fellow get whipping out
his kris on any of our men, or he'll be hung to the yard-arm as sure as
he's alive."

"He much angry, sahib," said the Kling, whose swarthy visage had turned
of a dirty clay colour. "Soldier sahib hurt him much."

"Yes, but if we hadn't stopped him he'd have hurt my friend much more."

As he spoke Bob nodded shortly to the Kling, and leaped ashore. "Sahib
not take his flowers," said the latter, and dipping them in the river,
and giving them a shake, he left the boat and handed the beautiful
blossoms to the young sailor, who directly after joined Tom Long, who
looked, in spite of his sunburnt visage, rather "white about the gills,"
to use Bob's expression.

"That fellow ought to be shot. I shall report this case," cried the
ensign angrily.

"I don't think I should," said Bob quietly. "You see you did upset the
poor fellow, and they are an awfully touchy lot."

"It was all your fault for playing me that confounded trick," cried Tom
Long, passionately.

"Trick? I played no trick," said Bob, indignant to a degree at the
accusation.

"You did," cried Tom Long, "humbugging me into eating that filthy
fruit."

"Why, it was delicious," cried Bob. "I should have gone on and finished
mine if you hadn't made that upset."

"I don'