“Because I feel such a pig,” said Bob, attacking another durian. “Look here, old man, if you’ll put me up in a durian tree, I don’t want anything else thankey; you may have all the honour and glory. Oh! I say, this one’s lovely! it’s just like nectar made with custard, with an old shoe put in for flavour, and all stirred up with a paint brush. How are you getting on?”
“Bravely,” said Tom Long.
The two young officers went on eating till they caught sight of the doctor in the distance—a sight so suggestive of making themselves ill that they gave up with a sigh or two, and went away, Tom Long offering to pay liberally for the fruit, notwithstanding a hint from his companion that he should be content to accept it as a present.
Both the Malays drew back very proudly, but Bob Roberts healed the breach in etiquette by quietly taking out his case, and offering a cigar to each of the Malays in turn.
These were taken with a smile, and accompanied by a thoroughly friendly look at parting.
“They’re rum fellows, those Malays,” said Bob, “and want a lot of managing. They are gentlemen at heart, and savages at body. That’s my opinion of them.”
“And my opinion is,” said Tom Long, “that they are a precious unpleasant treacherous set of people, that it is downright cruelty to expect a gentleman to live amongst.”
Up to this point no Malay, not even a servant, had been admitted to live upon the island, though the want of natives for assistance and to supply food had been keenly felt.
During the last few days, however, the resident had begun to relax this stringent rule, and a fisherman had been permitted to set up his hut and keep his boats at the upper end of the island, with the consequence that in place of a very intermittent supply, there was plenty of fish at the mess table.
Now as soon as the young officers had gone, Abdullah and his Malay companion sought audience, basket in hand, of the resident, who, after talking to them for a time, walked down to the landing-place, saw their ample supply of fruit and flowers, and ended by granting them a site by the water’s edge, where they might set up their hut, and secure their boat, the understanding upon which the grant was made being that an ample supply was to be kept up for the use of the officers and men.