inutes without cessation, till Eva declared that she could not
help fancying he was giving us a full explanation of all we wanted to
know. Little Nutmeg stood by, her large white eyes rolling round with
astonishment, and of course entirely believing that the story Blount had
told of my understanding the monkey's language was perfectly true. She
accordingly reported through the village that the monkey and I had been
carrying on a most animated conversation for the whole evening; and I do
not know which gained most credit,--he for being able to speak, or I for
understanding him. Some of the natives came in to hear him; and as he
happened at the time to have perched himself on the top of a roll of
matting, as we were all lying down, I was the most elevated of the
party, and Eva declared that it looked as if he was some pigmy chief,
holding a divan, and that we were his attendants and counsellors. He
most certainly seemed fully to feel his importance. When our guests had
retired, he jumped down from his throne, and coiled himself away to
sleep in a basket, which stood in the corner of the room. Eva and her
little attendant retired into an inner chamber devoted to her use, and
Blount and I continued talking over the subject which most occupied her
thoughts. We should have talked on, without arriving at any just
conclusion, till the return of daylight, had we not been startled by
hearing the bamboo window-shutter forced open, and by seeing a head
protruding itself into the room, followed by a pair of shoulders and a
body.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

Blount and I were, as may be supposed, not a little astonished at the
apparition which appeared at the window, and we both instinctively
seized the implements nearest at hand, to defend ourselves, should he
have come with any hostile intent. Just then the torch, which burned in
the centre of the room, flared up, and, as much to my satisfaction as to
my surprise, I recognised the features of Kalong the Dyak. He had on
but scanty clothing, and he looked travel-worn and weary. Before
speaking, he carefully closed the shutters, and then, rushing forward,
he took my hand and covered it with kisses. Though Blount was a
stranger to him, seeing that he was a white man, he was not alarmed.

"Kalong, is it you, indeed!" I exclaimed. "How, my friend, have you
been able to discover me?"

"It is a long story, Massa; and to tell the truth, I cannot say much
till I have eaten some