"I suppose," said Denham, "that if we do not disturb him, either in eating or sleeping, he would take no notice of us? If we 'nothing say to him, he'll nothing say to me,' eh?"
"Perhaps not, paya," said the man, "but there is no knowing. He may be hungry, we must be very careful."
"Pleasant," murmured Mr. Gilchrist.
"All in the day's work, sir," said Ralph cheerfully. "Hi, there!—orchids, orchids!"
"And the very ones we want!" cried Mr. Gilchrist, so delighted that he forgot the tiger forthwith.
It was not a particularly good specimen of the orchid, but the native said that there was plenty of it, as well as of other varieties, in the jungle around; they would not have to go far for them.
"There is a lot of what they call tiger-grass here, zur," said Wills; "will it be safe when we know that there is one of those gentry near at hand?"
"It may be miles away now," replied Mr. Gilchrist. "We may have passed near to him, or to another, as we have come through the jungle already. Don't let us die several deaths in fearing one."
"Just as you please, zur," said the old man.
"Are the guns loaded?"