Phra nodded, and went across the garden on his way to the palace, while Harry went back into the house, Mike waiting till his young master's back was turned and then handing the gun he was finishing to the old hunter.
"You may as well do this, Sree," he said; "you clean guns so much better than I can."
The old hunter smiled, as he waited to examine the points of the spears his men had been polishing, and then good-humouredly took the gun to finish after his own fashion, for there was a good deal of truth in what Mike Dunning had said.
CHAPTER VII
THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO
The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
"Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
"Nothing serious, I hope?"
"No—yes. It may be either," replied the doctor. "I would not say anything before the boys, for it might make Phra uneasy."
"And Harry?" said Mr. Kenyon.