etch valuables they may have left
behind, or to see whether we are still here. They may come tonight,
or they may come some time tomorrow, crawling through the plantations
behind the houses. At any rate, I will wait here a day or two on the
chance."

"Whom shall I send with the men, sir?"

"You had better send Parkhurst and Balderson; they will have more
authority among the men than the younger midshipmen. The men better take
three days' cooked provisions on shore and ten small kegs of water, one
for each hut. I will give Parkhurst his instructions before he lands."

"Now, Mr. Parkhurst," he said, when the boat was lowered soon after
dark, "you must bear in mind that the greatest vigilance will be
necessary. Choose ten huts close together. One man in each hut must be
always awake; there must be no talking above a whisper; and during
the daytime no one must leave his hut on any account whatever. After
nightfall you and Mr. Balderson will move from hut to hut, to see that a
vigilant watch is kept. You must, of course, take watch and watch, night
and day. You must remember that not only is it most important that a
native should be captured, but you must be on your guard against an
attack on yourselves. It is quite conceivable that a party may come down
to see if there are any of us in the village.

"In case of attack, you must gather in one hut, and fire three shots as
a signal to us; a musket shot will be fired in return. When you hear it,
every man must throw himself down, for the guns will be already loaded
with grape, and I shall fire a broadside towards the spot where I have
heard your signal.

"As soon as the broadside is fired, make down to the shore, occupy a
house close to the water, and keep the Malays off till the boats come
ashore to fetch you off. Your crew has been very carefully picked. I
have consulted the warrant officers, and they have selected the most
taciturn men in the ship. There is to be no smoking; of course the men
can chew as much as they like; but the smell of tobacco smoke would at
once deter any native from entering a hut. If a Malay should come in and
try to escape, he must be fired on as he runs away; but the men are to
aim at his legs."

The instructions were carried out. A small hole was bored in the back
of each of the huts, so that a constant watch could be kept up unseen
by the closest observer in the forest, a hundred yards behind. The night
passed off quietly, as did the next d