o petition the
commander to allow them three weeks in the island for this purpose.
Captain Ringgold suggested to Louis that it was rather selfish to leave
the rest of the party on the steamer, stuck in the mud of the Sarawak,
while they were on the rivers and in the woods enjoying themselves.

But the representative of the "Big Four" protested that they did not
mean anything of the sort. They did not care a straw for the temples and
other sights of Siam, Cambodia, and French Cochin-China; and while they
were exploring Borneo and shooting orang-outangs, the Guardian-Mother
should proceed to Bangkok and Saigon, and the rest of the tourists could
enjoy themselves to the full in seeing the wonders of Farther India.

It required a great deal of discussion to induce the commander, and then
the mothers of two of the explorers, to assent to this plan; but the
objections were finally overcome by the logic and the eloquence of
Louis. The Blanche, the consort of the Guardian-Mother, having on board
the owner, known as General Noury, his wife and his father-in-law, had
nothing to do with this difficult question; but the general had a
steam-launch, which he was kind enough to grant for the use of the
explorers.

The third engineer of the ship was to go with the quartette, in charge
of the engine; five of the youngest of the seamen were selected to make
the venture safer than it might otherwise have been. Achang Bakir, a
native Bornean, who had been picked up off the Nicobar Islands, after
the wreck of the dhow of which he had been in command, was to be the
guide and interpreter.

The youngsters and their assistants had taken their places on board of
the "Blanchita," as Louis had christened the craft, and she was to
accompany the two large steamers down the river. But the farewells had
all been spoken, the hugging and kissing disposed of, and the tears had
even been wiped away. The mothers had become in some degree reconciled
to the separation of three weeks.

The Guardian-Mother started her screw, and began to move very slowly
down the river, amid the cheers and salutations of the officers,
soldiers, and citizens of the town. The Blanche followed her, and both
steamers fired salutes in honor of the spectators to their departure.
The Blanchita secured a position on the starboard of the
Guardian-Mother, and for three hours kept up a communication with their
friends by signals and shouts.

Off the mouth of the Moritabas, one of