e all listened for a time and tried to pierce the darkness.

It was very quiet. Only a cry from the jungle, and a faint splash from
the river; and descending quickly, Hamet took about a dozen paces at a
run, and then stopped for the boys to overtake him.

"No one. No spears," he whispered, evidently fully convinced that his
sharp run would have in some way brought him in contact with the guard
if they had been there.

Then, going off quickly in the direction of the jetty, he turned off
when about half-way there, and led his young companions in and out among
the houses, and after passing them, away along the edge of the
rice-fields that skirted the village, the boys following in perfect
silence for about a quarter of an hour, when Frank whispered: "He's
going wrong, right away from the river."

"Hist!" whispered Hamet, and he went on again for another ten minutes,
before Frank tried to speak again.

"It's all right," he said. "I know: it isn't where I thought. There's
a creek runs right up ever so far among the rice-fields. I never went
there, but that's where he is going."

"Hist!" whispered Hamet.

"Oh bother! You need not be so particular now. We're right away from
all the houses. Nobody would be down here.--I say, Ned, how do you like
your walk?"

"It's very dark and awkward," said Ned; "but I don't mind. I should
like to be able to tell uncle where the boat is."

They had now reached a part where trees were growing pretty thickly, and
it was only by keeping close to their guide that they were able to make
their way onward; but this confusing part of their journey was soon
over, for Hamet suddenly stood fast as if puzzled, and uttered a word or
two in a tone full of vexation.

"He can't find it after all," cried Frank. "Oh, what a bother, to drag
us all this way for nothing."

"Hah!" ejaculated the Malay, and catching Ned's hand, he drew him
through the trees at right angles to their former course, and again
suddenly stopped.

"Well, which way now?" asked Ned. "Can't you find it?"

"The boat--the boat!" whispered Hamet, and drawing Ned's arm out to full
length, he made him stoop a little in the black darkness, with the
result that the boy's hand rustled among the leaves of the attap
covering.

"It's here, Frank," he said excitedly, and pressing down now with both
hands, he felt the boat yield and then stop.

"Yes, that's a boat, sure enough," said Frank, who now felt about the
top of th