vant safing joost at present."

"It is not that danger threatens _you_ so much as your friend the
Rajah," returned the hermit. "But if he falls, all under his protection
fall along with him. I happen to have heard of a conspiracy against him,
on so large a scale that certain destruction would follow if he were
taken by surprise, so I have come on in advance of the conspirators to
warn him in time. You know I have received much kindness from the Rajah,
so I could do no less than warn him of impending danger, and then the
fact that you were with him made me doubly anxious to reach you in
time."

While the hermit was saying this, the naturalist removed his blue
glasses, and slowly wiped them with a corner of his coat-tails.
Replacing them, he gazed intently into the grave countenance of his
friend till he had finished speaking.

"Are zee raskils near?" he asked, sternly.

"No. We have come on many days ahead of them. But we found a party at
the river's mouth awaiting their arrival."

"Ant zey cannot arrife, you say, for several veeks?"

"Probably not--even though they had fair and steady winds."

A sigh of satisfaction broke through the naturalist's moustache on
hearing this.

"Zen I vill--_ve_ vill, you and I, Mister Roy,--go after ze booterflies
to-morrow!"

"But we must push on," remonstrated Van der Kemp, "for preparations to
resist an attack cannot be commenced too soon."

"_You_ may push on, mine frond; go ahead if you vill, but I vill not
leave zee booterflies. You know veil zat I vill die--if need be--for zee
Rajah. Ve must all die vonce, at least, and I should like to die--if I
must die--in a goot cause. What cause better zan frondship? But you say
joost now zere is no dancher. Vell, I vill go ant see zee booterflies
to-morrow. After zat, I will go ant die--if it must be--vith zee Rajah."

"I heartily applaud your sentiment," said Nigel, with a laugh, as he
helped himself to some of the food which the Dyak youth and Moses had
prepared, "and if Van der Kemp will give me leave of absence I will
gladly keep you company."

"Zank you. Pass round zee victuals. My appetite is strong. It alvays vas
more or less strong. Vat say you, Van der Kemp?"

"I have no objection. Moses and I can easily take the canoe up the
river. There are no rapids, and it is not far to the Rajah's village; so
you are welcome to go, Nigel."

"Das de most 'straord'nary craze I eber know'd men inflicted wid!" said
Moses that night,