emitting the
proceeds home to my old friend, Mr Richards, in part liquidation of my
debt to him.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

THE CHIEF MATE HAS A PRESENTIMENT.

Nothing further of importance occurred during our passage across the
Indian Ocean, which was accomplished under exceptionally pleasant
circumstances; the weather being gloriously fine, and the wind, if not
absolutely fair, always favourable enough to permit of our laying our
course.

Java Head was made just before sunset, under a clear sky, with a light
air breathing out from the north-west--so light an air, indeed, that
when the sun rose next morning the headland was still on our starboard
bow. Some two hours later, however, we got a strong breeze out from the
north-east, under the influence of which we worked up toward the mouth
of the straits in fine style, until noon--by which time we were fairly
within the straits--when the wind softened down, finally dwindling away
to nothing about an hour before sunset.

We had sighted several sail during the day, three of them being
European, bound to the westward, while the rest were country craft--
small coasters and fishing vessels for the most part. The Malays have
probably, next to the Chinese, the worst reputation in the world for
honesty; but it is only just to say that, with one solitary exception,
all the native craft we had that day fallen in with had behaved in a
manner that left no room whatever for suspicion. The exception was in
the case of a large proa that had passed us closely, running out before
the wind toward the mouth of the straits during the forenoon, but which,
having run to leeward of us for a distance of some six miles, had then
hauled her wind and stretched in toward the southern shore, on reaching
which she had lowered her canvas, thrown out her sweeps, and made her
way to windward with the aid of the latter alone. It was not so much
this circumstance, however, though it had a somewhat incomprehensible
look about it, as the fact that she pulled twelve sweeps of a side--
proving her to be heavily manned--that caused us to regard her and her
movements with a certain amount of doubt and suspicion. We were now in
waters that, from the numerous acts of piracy that have been committed
within them, have acquired a more sinister reputation than is borne by
any other spot of ocean of similar area in the whole world; and it was
therefore only natural that the fact of our being becalmed in such a
sp