"No, no," he shouted; "be English. Pull your blacking-brushes—so."
The men grinned, and gave a tug at what would have been their forelocks if they had not been cropped short.
"Skin the snake very carefully, Sree," said Mr. Kenyon quietly, after liberally rewarding the men, whose gloom gave place to the exuberance of satisfaction.
"Yes, Sahib; there shall not be a tear in the skin," cried the old hunter eagerly.
"Where shall they do it, father?" said Harry. "It will make such a mess here."
"Let them drag it down to the landing-stage, my boy, and they can sluice the bamboo flooring afterwards, and then peg out the skin to dry on the side. You will stay and see it done?"
"Yes, father," replied the boy, and he turned to Phra.
"Will you stop?"
"Of course. I came to stay," was the reply; "didn't you see that I sent the boatmen back?"