rock that ran over in a cascade towards the sea, and after rigging
up three pieces of bamboo, gypsy fashion, the kettle soon began to sing,
the coffee was measured out, a box dragged outside the hut door to act
as a table, and just as the canoes approached the shore we began upon
biscuit, a couple of toasted red herrings, of which we got a couple of
boxes at Singapore, and what seemed to me the most delicious cup of
coffee I had ever tasted.

"There," uncle said to me at last, "we are regularly launched now, Nat.
Those Malays were not savages, but people of law and order. Now we are
left alone in the wilds indeed."

"Yes, uncle, and here come the black fellows," I said with my mouth full
of biscuit.

In fact, as soon as they had run their beautiful canoes up on to the
sands they were starting in a body to come and look at us; but there was
a loud shout and some gesticulating, and we saw one tall savage
flourishing a spear, when they all went off in other directions, while
the savage with the spear came sidling towards us in a slow, awkward
way, keeping his face turned in the opposite direction, but gradually
coming nearer.

"I hope he does not mean to throw that spear at us, Nat," said my uncle.
"Where did the others go?"

"They seemed to go into the woods there," I said.

"Humph! And they might get round to the back of our hut," said my
uncle, looking rather uneasy. "But we will not show any distrust. Have
you recognised that chief this morning?"

"I think this is he, uncle," I said, "but I can't see his face."

"Well, we will soon see," said my uncle, as we went on with our
breakfast, and kept on watching the black till he came about fifty yards
away, apparently searching for something amongst the shrubs and plants
with the handle of his spear.

"Shout at him, Nat," said my uncle.

"Eh?"

The savage must have seen us from the first, but he looked up, then
down, then turned himself and _gazed_ in every direction but that in
which we were; and I shouted again, but still he would not look our way.

"He is shamming, Nat, like a very bashful boy," said Uncle Dick. "He
wants us to ask him to breakfast. Hallo! Get my rifle, Nat; I can see
a lot of heads in the trees there. No, sit still; they are only boys."

The savage evidently saw them at the same moment, for he made a rush
towards the dark figures that were stealing from tree trunk to tree
trunk, and we saw them dash away directly out of sight, af