“You’ll have to go on a trip yourself Roberts, by-and-by,” said the captain.
“Thank-ye, sir,” said Bob. “When, sir, please?”
“When the soreness about rescuing those slave girls has worn off, Master Bob Roberts,” said the captain, smiling. “I can’t afford to have one of my most promising young officers krissed.”
“All soft soap and flam,” said Bob to himself, as he went out on deck. “Promising officer, indeed. Well, he’s a promising officer, and I’ll keep him to his promise, too; and old Ali, and Tom, and I will have another day to ourselves.”
Chapter Thirty Two.
How Mr Linton believed in a Precipice.
It was a grand sight, and a stranger to the scene might have imagined that a little army was about to set off for the conquest of some petty king, instead of to attack the striped tiger in his stronghold.
The two parties from the steamer and the island were ashore before daybreak, to find an imposing gathering of the sultan’s people coming down to meet them. There were over thirty elephants, large and small, with their attendants, and the beasts were furnished with showy cloths under their rattan basket howdahs.