sent the woman rustling past the cut boughs beneath the
attap awning, to return directly and gladden the eyes of Peter with a
basket containing a heap of bananas and a couple of native-made cakes.

"Ah!" sighed Peter. "Don't they look lovely in the moonlight! Tlat!"
he added, with a hearty smack of his lips.--"No, thank you, sir. No
water, please," he continued, after a busy interval. "I never feel sure
what you might be swallowing when you have a dip out of the river. It's
all very well when the sun shines hot, but when it's the moon it don't
make you thirsty--least it don't me."

It must have been a couple of hours later, during which the occupants of
the boat had been watching the rising and falling of the fire as they
swung slowly to and fro at the end of the rope, when Minnie, who had
been speaking in a whisper to the boatman and his wife, turned to her
companions and said:

"Pahan thinks that we may risk floating down the river now. The
excitement of the fire will be pretty well over when we get abreast of
the bungalow, and we have a long journey yet; and then if he makes the
boat fast, as he says he can, at the foot of the garden, he thinks no
one will notice it. But we shall have to lie hidden, and, if necessary,
covered up with the boughs."

The covering over with boughs fell to the share of the two lads, the
shelter of the attap mats and her Malay dress seeming likely to be
sufficient for Minnie's protection if they neared any Malay boat, that
most dreaded being the naga whose occupants had been put to flight--
though even if that were encountered, the sampan was now so transformed
that it was not likely to be recognised; and once more the little party
were in motion, floating down towards the station, the Malay poling the
boat and keeping as near as possible to the farther shore.

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.

"CLOSE UP!"

"Don't you think we might make a bigger peep-hole, Mister Archie?"
whispered Peter.

"No," was the abrupt reply.

"All right, sir; you know best; only it is precious smothery. I'm as
hot as hot."

"Can't help it, Pete. We must bear it, and above all now that we are
getting so near."

"Yes, we are near; aren't we, sir?"

"Very near, Pete."

"Can you make out anything more about what is burning?"

"Yes--the Residency."

"That's bad, sir. Thought we was to retreat to there when things got
too hot at the orspittle."

Archie had been raising the boughs that concealed