nd which
the two lads crouched. There was a heavy crash, mingled with the
breaking of twigs, and the two lads were driven headlong into the bottom
of their boat.

Archie struggled up at once, holding his double gun on high to keep it
out of the water, with which he was drenched; and the first thing he
could make out through the wide opening torn in their shelter was the
naga and its occupants gliding rapidly by, the rowers pulling as if for
dear life, and the spearmen crouching down in the bottom, half-hidden by
the awning. Then they were gone.

Meanwhile Peter was struggling to free himself from the encumbrance of
the big Malay, who had been shot from his own vessel right upon him; and
the next thing that met Archie's eyes, as he gazed through the
crushed-down leafage driven before the lesser boat, was Peter's
bayonet-armed hand with the weapon raised dagger-wise, and beyond the
Malay, who was holding out his hands, the native boat with the Malay
woman, pole in hand, panting hard as if from exertion. Then his eye
caught the figure of the other woman, kneeling in the stern.

"Pete, look out! Quick! We must climb into this boat. She's cut us
down. Quick--before it's too dark to see!"

"Here, I don't understand, sir. This fellow knocked me down, and--"

"Understand! Can't you see we are sinking? It's deep water here."

Before he could finish he dimly made out that the big Malay had
struggled clear and seemed to be much higher as he dragged at Peter,
hoisted him right up, and jerked him behind; while at the same time the
panting woman was holding out the pole she used, at which Archie
grasped, just in time, as he felt the water was gradually bearing him
away.

The next minute he was being dragged over the side of the sampan by the
two Malays, and as they lowered him so that he lay upon his back,
Peter's head suddenly appeared between the two strangers, with the eager
question:

"Have you stuck to your gun, sir?"

"Yes; all right, Pete. What a horrible accident! Where's our boat?"

"Rotten old cocoa-nut shell," cried Peter savagely. "There's the last
on her just going down;" and he pointed to a spot a few yards away,
where, dividing the pendent branches of their shelter, was the attap
roof of their sampan. "And do you know what that means, sir?"

"Utter wreck, Pete," said Archie, breathing hard from excitement.

"Yes, sir; and my four boxes of cartridges with all them blue pills gone
to the bott