CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
THE RAJAH'S RING.
Murray was anxious, unwilling, and willing altogether, as he followedthe Tumongong and a guard of the rajah's men into the lantern-litclearing before the house; and from thence they were ushered into a roomhung with mats, where water was brought in brass basins for theirablutions, before they were shown into a long dimly-lit room, where ameal was spread on mats upon the floor, while upon cushions at one endthe rajah himself was seated conversing with the doctor and the ladies.
He rose and received the rest of his guests with dignity, pointing outto them the places he wished them to occupy, and then, to the surpriseof all, he took the head of the board himself; a compliment which theEnglishmen looked upon with suspicion, as possibly meaning something,opposed as it was to his ordinary customs.
To the boys it was delightful, for everything in the dimly-lit room wasattractive: the group of guards and officials who stood behind and aboutthe rajah in their showiest silks; the chief in his native costume now,in which bright-yellow silk predominated; and as Ned gazed at him, hecould not help thinking how much better he looked in a dress whichbecame him, for he looked now like an eastern prince, and the boywhispered so to his companion.
"Yes; he don't look such an old guy now," said Frank, in the same tone."We English people can wear our clothes without looking foolish," hesaid, complacently. "They can't wear English things without beingscarecrows."
"But, I say, where are his wives? There are no ladies here," whisperedNed again.
"Locked up, put away in the cupboard. Heads chopped off, perhaps,"whispered Frank. "You didn't suppose they would be here to sit down andeat with such infidels as we are!"
"Oh, I didn't know."
"Well, I did. It's a wonder to see the old chap here. He's got somescheme in his head, or he wouldn't be so civil. I wonder what it is.You see they're all obliged to come if he gives orders. But be quiet:don't talk and ask questions. I'm hungry, and the things he gives youto eat are precious good, though often enough you don't know what theyare."
"But, I say, tell me this," whispered Ned; "and I won't ask you any morequestions. There will not be anything one don't like to eat, willthere? I mean anything queer."
"What, young crocodile fatted with niggers, pickled boa constrictor, orcurried baby?"
"Don't chaff. Tell me."
"Look here: do you want to know what to do?"
"Of course."
"Then you eat just the same as I do, and you can't be wrong."
Ned took the advice, and, like his companion, he was very soon enjoyinghimself thoroughly; too busy, in fact, to take much notice of theothers, till Frank began to make remarks.
"I say, how nice Amy Barnes looks, doesn't she! Got quite a colour."
Ned glanced at her, and saw that she was flushed and looked excited, butwas evidently doing her best to be at ease, talking readily enough withthe Resident, and letting him translate in answer to some remark made ina grave and stately way by the rajah, who scarcely ate anything, butkept on giving instructions to his attendants to take this dish or thatwine to his guests.
"What's the matter with your uncle?" said Frank, suddenly; "not poorly,is he?"
"Matter?" said Ned, looking across to where Murray was seated."Nothing; he only looks cross."
"But he is hardly eating anything. Overdid it to-day in our walk, orelse riding the elephants has made him queer. It makes some people ill,like going to sea for the first time."
Just then the rajah spoke to one of the attendants, who directly afterwent and filled Murray's cup with some kind of palm wine, and then theResident's, and the doctor's.
"The rajah will take wine with us, Murray, in the English fashion," saidMr Braine; and though Murray felt as if he would like to refuse, hetold himself that so far he had no real cause, and that such an act onhis part might mean peril to all present. So in a very distant quietway he took wine, the rajah merely putting his cup to his lips, while asMurray drank he could not help thinking how easily such a man might getrid of any one he disliked, and how little likelihood there was of hisbeing ever called to account for the murder.
These thoughts gave a bitter flavour to the by no means unpalatabledraught.
He had no time to dwell further on the thoughts which had been troublinghim ever since he had entered the place, for the rajah spoke to MrBraine, who bowed and turned to the naturalist:
"Our host is eager to know whether you have made any fresh discoveries."
Murray replied that he had only found more tin, and this was interpretedto the rajah, who scowled a little, and then spoke rather sharply to MrBraine, who again interpreted.
"His highness is disappointed," he said, "for he is sure that there isan abundance of gold, and that there are precious stones in the hills.He wishes you to go again."
"Orders me to go again, you mean," said Murray, warmly.
"For Heaven's sake, man, be careful," whispered Mr Braine; but with asmile upon his face the while. "You do not know. Our lives may be atstake. Help me, pray. The ladies. Have you a specimen of anything youfound?"
Murray glanced at Amy, who gave him an imploring look, and, drawing adeep breath, he felt ready to diplomatise, give up self, and smother hisindignation for the sake of those before him.
The rajah's eyes were fixed upon him keenly, and he met them withoutflinching, but he mastered the anger at his heart, and thrusting hishand into his jacket pocket, drew out a couple of fragments of quartz.These he passed over to Mr Braine.
"The best I could do," he said. "I searched well, but this is the onlymetal I could find."
Mr Braine took them to the rajah, whose eyes glittered with cupidity ashe saw the specimens; but as soon as he took them in his hands hereturned them with a gesture of impatience, saying something quickly toMr Braine, who bowed, looked troubled, but smiled directly, and saidaloud:
"The rajah bids me say that your last discovery of tin was ample, MrMurray, and he begs that you will start again to-morrow, makingarrangements to be away three or four days, so that you may have time topenetrate right into the hills."
"But hang it all!" began Murray; and then he stopped, for he saw afrightened look in the faces of the ladies, and he altered his tone.
"I'll see to-morrow morning," he said.
"That will not do," said Mr Braine, quickly; and Murray was consciousthat the Tumongong's eyes were fixed upon them, and that he wasevidently comprehending every word they said. "My dear fellow, I mustask you to give way, or at all events seem to give way. Pray, becareful. That chief understands what we say, and I cannot be surewhether he is an enemy or friend."
This last was in a whisper.
"But really, Mr Braine, this is getting beyond bearing."
"No. Try to bear it for all our sakes--at all events now, and we'lltalk it over later on. May I answer that you will go?"
"Yes," said Murray, bowing his head, as he uttered the monosyllableunwillingly.
Mr Braine turned to the rajah and spoke to him, his words evidentlycalming the great man's wrath, for he nodded and turned smilingly toaddress a few words to Mrs Barnes, and then to Mrs Braine, to which,with a little hesitation, they replied in the Malay tongue.
After that he turned smilingly to Amy, and evidently paid her somecompliment, for she started a little and coloured, her eyes beingdirected the next moment at Murray, as if to apologise for havinglistened to the prince's words, while the Englishman bit his lip till itbled.
Meanwhile the attendants glided about silently, plying each of theguests with wine, fruits, and sweets, to all of which Frank helpedhimself liberally; and the guards and attendants, dimly-seen in thefeebly-lit place, looked like so many statues cast in bronze.
"I say," whispered Frank, as he cut open a mangosteen, "do you noticeanything?"
"Yes. Uncle looks horribly cross. He can't bear to be ordered about."
"S'pose not. No man does. But I say, don't you notice anything else?"
> "No."
"Well, I do. Strikes me we are going to have a storm."
"Are we? Well, I want to look at the lightning."
"Nonsense! I mean a row. My father looks as if he had been gettinginto trouble with the rajah, and the ladies are all on the fidget. So'sthe doctor. I can't make it out."
"I fancied they looked as if they were not enjoying themselves."
"So did I, but then I wasn't sure, and it was such a beautiful supper,and I did enjoy it so. You did pretty well."
"Yes," said Ned, "I liked it."
"I know," whispered Frank; "they think it's time to get up and go to thedrawing-room, and leave us gentlemen to our coffee and cigars, and thereis no drawing-room that they can go to, and they daren't get up for fearof offending the grand panjandrum."
Just then the rajah, clapped his hands, and coffee was brought in,another attendant bearing a tray with some clumsy-looking cigarettes,and others bringing great pipes with water receptacles, and charcoalpans to supply lights.
The men bore pipes to the doctor and Mr Braine, and then to Murray, whotook one of the clumsy-looking cigarettes, formed by so much tobaccocrammed into the dry sheaths of a peculiar palm. Then the attendantcame on to where the two lads were seated together, and offered thempipes.
"Go on, you ugly brown-nosed animal," said Frank; "what would they sayif I tried to smoke?" Then, uttering a negative in the man's tongue, helet him pass on.
"Wasn't it tempting, Ned?" whispered the boy. "Offering a pipe to uslike that. I don't see why we should not have a try. Pass thosesweets, and let's have some more of that lemonady stuff. I want adurian, too, and I don't see any. Wonder whether old Pan would mind ifI asked for one."
Just then the Tumongong came to where they were seated, and with a gravesmile said a few words to Frank, who turned to his companion.
"The rajah says you are to come and see him to-morrow. He will send foryou to look at all his curiosities."
"But how can I come if I go with my uncle?" replied Ned.
"Says how can he come if he goes shooting and gold-hunting with hisuncle?" said Frank, in English.
The Tumongong smiled sadly, and replied in Malay.
"Tells me you're not to go with your uncle to-morrow, but to come here,"said Frank, interpreting. "Never mind; I'll go with him."
The Tumongong said a few words.
"Oh, I'm to stop too. Very well. I don't mind. I'll stay, and we'llmake the old boy give us plenty of fruit and sweets. He will, I know.Go and tell him," he continued, "that we kiss his feet."
The Tumongong smiled, patted Frank on the arm, as if he were afavourite, and returned to stand behind where his master was seated,smoking, and gazing amiably from one to the other, favouring Murrayseveral times, and each time their eyes met, the rajah raised his goldencup to his lips, and sipped a little coffee.
At last, when the patience of every one of the English party wasthoroughly exhausted, the rajah rose, which was taken as a signal fortheir dismissal; but the potentate reversed the etiquette of an Englishparting by shaking hands with the gentlemen first, and smiling almostaffectionately upon Murray, whose hand he grasped warmly, while theEnglishman's grip was cold and limp. Then turning to the ladies, hebade Mrs Braine, Mrs Greig, and Mrs Barnes good-night, after thecustom of his country, and lastly, held out his hand to Amy, who couldhardly master herself sufficiently to place hers within it.
As he grasped it firmly, he bent down and said a few words in a lowtone, which made the girl shrink away with a horrified look, whileMurray would have started forward, but for Mr Braine's restraininghand.
But the rajah retained the hand he held, and slipping a ring from hislittle finger, he placed it on one of Amy's, accompanying it with ameaning look, and then drawing back to march slowly toward the hangingmats which, divided the room from the next, and passing through followedby the chiefs and attendants; while the visitors lost no time in makingfor the veranda, below which an armed guard bearing lanterns waswaiting, ready to escort them as far as the doctor's house, and herethey salaamed and retired.
"Come in, Braine--come in, Mr Murray," said the doctor, excitedly. "Ishould like a few words with you both. Go in, my dears. Mrs Braine,please, don't leave them yet."
The ladies went hurriedly up the steps into the open veranda, and MrBraine turned to his son.
"Walk home with Ned," he said quickly. "You can stay with him till Icome with Mr Murray."
"Yes, father," replied the boy, and the two lads went off togethertoward Murray's house.
"They're going to have a confab," said Frank, "that they don't want usto hear. I was right; there's going to be a storm."
"But isn't it very strange?" said Ned, eagerly. "What does it allmean?"
"I'm regularly puzzled," cried frank. "It's impossible, of course, butit looks so like it, that I can't help thinking so."
"What do you mean?"
"That I hope I'm wrong, but it looks as if the old boy has taken a fancyto Amy."
"What--an English lady! Impossible!" cried Ned, indignantly.
"'Taint impossible here; if the rajah says he will; but if it isn't so,why did he give Amy Barnes that ring?"
"I don't know. Why did he give you that kris?"
"Oh, that was for a present. I don't understand such things, but Ibelieve when a gentleman gives a lady a ring, it's because he means tomarry her."
"But he can't; he has a wife."
"A wife!" cried Frank. "Lots. But that doesn't matter out here."
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