"Dey velly angry," he said with a little snigger, the nearest approach to a laugh which this son of the East would indulge in. "Dey not knowee what dey do, and dey fear deir friends and what dey say. Velly soon Li and de massa have to fight plenty hard."
The prospect of hard knocks and a desperate encounter seemed to please Li Sung, for he beamed upon Tyler as though this was the happiest day in his life. "Li havee been in nasty place before dis wid de massa, and he knowee dat allee turn out right. Massa Tyler bring him allee de way through de jungle, he lead Chinee boy and de Dyaks to Paddi, and den to Sarawak with de prahus. But dat am not allee. Him save Li when de water nearly cover him, and now him lies beside him servant and helps him to make de Malays run."
"Then you think that we shall be hotly engaged before very long," said Tyler, staring down at the pirates below. "It seems to me that we are cornered, and that we shall be lucky if either of us see the Dido and Sarawak again. Not that we are going to be beaten easily, for we have a splendid position, and will make the most of it. During the day we can beat our enemies off, but at nighttime it will be a different matter. Then they will creep to the top like so many snakes, and before we can deal with them they will rush upon us. We shall have to go once the darkness falls, and it becomes a question as to how the retreat is to be carried out."
"Plenty easy to creep down de rock in de dark till near de bottom," said Li Sung thoughtfully. "De Malays climb up de hill, and we go down. Dey not knowee, and we not knowee. Dey rush to dis wall with deir krisses in deir hands, and massa and him servant slip away in de dark into de jungle. Who am to stop dem?"
"A splendid idea, and one which we will follow," exclaimed Tyler with enthusiasm. "The matter had troubled me very much, and I was wondering what we could do, for I am sure that to remain here once night has come will be to lose our lives. But this is a plan which will meet the case. They will crawl here in the hope of falling suddenly upon us, and we will slip down. If we meet, all the worse for our plan, though I fancy that in the confusion we could make good our escape. If not, we gain our object, and they reach this lair to find the birds gone. Pick up your rifle, Li, and let us teach the rogues that it is death to come close to the rock."
Determined to keep the enemy as far away as possible till evening fell, Tyler and his companion disposed themselves upon the ground, and with their weapons resting upon the piled-up boulders took steady aim at the pirates. As the three boats arrived, and were drawn up on the bank, they sent two bullets amongst the assembled natives, with the result that a couple tumbled on their faces, while the remainder separated with cries of indignation and surprise. But they were not permitted to enjoy more than a moment's peace, for very shortly another shot rang out in the still air, and a huge Malay, who seemed to occupy the post of chief, and about whom the men had been gathered, gave vent to a shriek, and, plunging forward on the edge of the river-bank, went splashing headlong into the water.
"A long shot, but I gave a little elevation, and aimed for the centre of his shoulders," said Tyler to himself. "That will give us breathing-space. Now, Li, I am hungry, and, as we always say in England that a man fights better when he has had some food, we will open that bag and see what there is to eat. We can keep a watch upon those fellows as we have our meal, and can plant a shot amongst them whenever necessary."
It was wonderful to see the calm manner in which the two sat down to their meal, the Chinaman contenting himself with some rice which they had had the forethought to have boiled before setting out on their expedition, and Tyler directing his attention to some biscuit and meat, which formed part of their store. Of water they had none, but that mattered very little at the moment, for they had been chilled by their upset in the river, and, though hot, the sun had done little more than warm them, without inducing thirst. But the lack of something with which to moisten their lips made retreat from the rock all the more essential, and as they ate they discussed the matter eagerly.
"It is our only chance," said Tyler thoughtfully. "To remain here till to-morrow will mean certain ruin, for we should be parched with thirst, and then again, our ammunition will not last long enough. That is why I have suggested keeping the enemy at bay now, and making good use of our weapons. But there is a point which we have not considered. Once we are down below, which direction are we to take? Are we to steal one of their boats or make into the jungle?"
"The last, massa," said Li Sung. "Den, later on, we steal down upon de bank, and we take one of de sampan and sail for Sarawak."