With the Dyaks of Borneo: A Tale of the Head Hunters

by F. S. Brereton

"Massa keepee plenty quiet," cried Li Sung at this moment, suddenly pointing to the bank beneath. "De messenger havee come, and Li tink dat some little game be played. What for dey light de torches?"

He asked the question with a puzzled expression on his face, and pointed again with a long lean finger to some figures which could be seen flitting about amongst the jungle. That they were the pirates was perfectly clear, though for what reason they ran hither and thither, while some of their number advanced with flaring bundles of some material in their arms, was a matter of some difficulty to determine.

"I have it!" exclaimed Tyler at last, having watched them carefully. "They find that we are prepared to make a fight of it, and as you have said, the message from the other side has made them determined to try again before the darkness falls. They know that we should shoot them down when they had gained the rock, and that we have boulders ready for them, so they have thought of another way of beating us. Some fellow amongst them has his wits about him, for he has pointed out to them that though there is a clear space round this rock, yet bushes crop out from one side almost to the edge of the jungle which surrounds us. Those same bushes are continuous with the ones by which the rock is clothed, and there are sufficient here to roast us. Do you follow now?"

"And de men over deir?" demanded Li Sung thoughtfully, after having maintained silence for more than a minute as he puzzled over the matter.

"They have been cutting and collecting reeds and long, dry grass. There is no difficulty about that, for beyond a day's rain we have had very hot weather of late, and everything is dry. They have made the grass and reeds into bundles, and you can see that they are running forward with them and are tossing them down in a line from the jungle. It will require very few indeed to reach the belt of dry bushes which joins those upon the rock, and then—"

Tyler did not finish the sentence, but began to reach for his rifle, and place a pile of ammunition close to his hand.

"We must stop them," he said sternly, "or else we shall be roasted and smoked like pigs. Get your weapon, Li, and let them know that we can reach them; for I tell you that if the bushes here are set alight this place will be impossible. The flames will flare all round it, and there are sufficient leaves about to cause the densest of smoke, which would choke us."

That he had not overstated the case was abundantly clear to the wily Chinaman, and once the latter's cunning mind had grasped the meaning of the movement below, and he had become alive to the danger of the situation, he set about the defence of the rock with alacrity. Snatching at his rifle, he rested it upon a boulder, and peered amongst the stones, awaiting an opportunity for a shot. As for Tyler, his weapon spoke out almost instantly, and one of the dusky figures which was loaded with a bundle of reeds fell forward into the jungle, while those who were near at hand ran to a place of shelter with a howl of dismay.

"One," said Tyler quietly, replacing the charge. "I can see that those fellows are scared, and that they fear our guns. We have shown them that when we fire we hit the mark as a rule, and it will be disconcerting to them to discover that we have them still in range. However, I have little doubt that one of their number will pluck up courage before very long, and will make a dash forward. In that case we shall be unable to stop him."

For half an hour the pirates hidden below in the jungle, or watching the rock from a safe distance on the bank of the river, made no further movement. Then a flaring light suddenly appeared amongst the trees, attracting the attention of the defenders of the rock and occupying all their thoughts.