n a large scale."

"How far does it extend? We will not begin shooting till we are quite
beyond his patch."

"How far?" said the doctor thoughtfully. "Ah, that is a difficult
question to answer. It was hard to say before the late encounters with
the Rajah of Padang; now the territory is more than doubled. I think
you had better send in a request. Ah, here is Braine!"

"And Mrs Braine and Mr Greig," added the doctor's lady, rising from
her chair.

This ended the conversation, just when Ned saw that his uncle was
growing annoyed at the doctor's opposition to his plans, and he glanced
round to see that his neighbour was looking at him intently.

"I thought you would not be able to go away to-day," she whispered, as
she rose and went with her mother to meet the visitors at the foot of
the steps, the doctor having made an apology and gone too.

"What did that young lady say to you, Ned?" said his uncle in a low
tone.

"She thought there would be some difficulty in our going on to-day."

"Oh, nonsense! These people lead an idle life, and they want every one
they see to stop and play with them. I don't want to be rude, but we
are not going to dawdle about here; and as for this petty chief--all
rubbish!"

At that moment a tall stern-looking man, in loose white clothes and a
pith helmet, came up the steps. His face was darkened almost to the
tint of a Malay's, and he had a quick anxious look in his eyes, which,
with his rather hollow cheeks, gave him the aspect of one who had lately
been ill. He advanced with open hand.

"Glad to meet you, Mr Murray," he said. "It is a pleasure to see a
countryman."

"That speech will do for me too," said a rather harsh voice, and a
keen-looking gentleman of about fifty, with his face deeply lined and a
quick expression and manner which at once stamped him as shrewd, now
shook hands warmly with the new arrivals, while directly after a
subdued, handsome-looking woman was led up by the doctor's lady.

"Let me introduce you two," said the hostess. "Mrs Braine is an ardent
botanist, Mr Murray, and I'm sure that you will enjoy a chat together.
She knows all our flowering plants here by heart."

"I am very pleased to meet Mr Murray," said the newcomer in a sweet sad
voice. "I hope he will let me be his guide to some of the nooks on the
river-bank, where the jungle can be penetrated."

"I should only be too glad, my dear madam," said Murray; "and I can find
no words to exp