"Paddi! You left him there! But, excuse me, I will not interrupt again."
The officer managed to repress his astonishment, and stood there staring at our hero as he detailed what had happened to himself and to John Marshall.
"And so you and the boatswain managed to get clear away from this rascal, and have arrived here with a whole tribe of Dyaks," he said at last, when Tyler had ended. "Well, I can scarcely credit the story at present, though please do not imagine for a moment that I doubt your word. But you must understand that the whole thing is so out of the common, the adventure so strange and perplexing, that I am unable to grasp its details at present. How you and this lad here managed to beat the Dutchman so often is beyond me, and your audacity in making for Paddi takes my breath away. Why, sir, I can tell you that the Rajah of Sarawak hesitates to attack the stronghold for fear of being beaten back, and also because he needs a guide. But we shall alter that now, or I am much mistaken; for if we went for no other purpose we should be bound to hunt out this rascal who murdered your friend Mr. Beverley. But we have been speaking for long, and my men will be firing into you if we are not careful, imagining that you have laid your hands on me. One moment and I will explain matters to them."
Leaving Tyler and the boatswain for a few moments, he went to the rail and called to those who manned the boats to come closer to the schooner. Then in a few hurried words he explained that those who had so suddenly appeared opposite Sarawak were friends, and were not pirates, as had at first appeared to be the case.
"And now, Mr. Richardson, I think that you should report your arrival first to Captain Keppel and then to the Rajah of Sarawak, Mr. Brooke, of whom you have heard," he continued, approaching Tyler with a friendly smile. "If you will leave the tribe to me I will see that they are housed and fed, while my men will board the prahus and take them to their moorings. As for your comrade, he had better go with you, and afterwards perhaps some post will be found for him, for we must remember that he does not belong to the royal navy, but to the merchant service."
"Then we had better look out some clothes, sir," said Tyler contrasting his own appearance with that of the smart officer who had accosted him. "Will you allow us to go below before we report ourselves? Then we shall be able to make ourselves respectable."
"By all means, Mr. Richardson," was the hearty answer, "and while you are below I will undertake to have the little girl and her nurse taken ashore. It was a gallant act to rescue them, and you will have the thanks of your captain for it. But there, I see that you do not like to have overmuch praise, so go below. I shall be here when you return, so as to give you an introduction."
Saluting him again, Tyler turned about, and, accompanied by John Marshall, slipped down to the cabin of the schooner. And here, thanks to the fact that the pirates had put off stripping their prize till the morning after their arrival at Paddi, the two were able to discover an abundance of clothing, and soon made their appearance on deck dressed in thin suits of blue.
"An excellent change," said the officer with a smile, as they went up to him. "It was no wonder that I took you for dangerous individuals when you arrived, for your disguises made you look more than fierce. But now you are like the rest of us, and are fully prepared for an interview with those who lead us. You can hop into the boat at once and come with me, and by the way, Mr. Richardson, my name is Horton, Lieutenant Wilmot Horton of the Dido."