The captain felt disposed to resent it as a breach of discipline; but the young man’s manner was so earnest, that he nodded, and watchfully turned his head in the same direction.
“What do you think then, Gray?” said the captain. “They are only people taking an interest in what is, to them, a great sight.”
“I’m suspicious, sir, by nature,” said Gray, “and I can’t help feeling that we are living on the edge of a volcano.”
“Do you always make use of such fine language, Gray?” said Captain Smithers with a sneer.
“I beg your pardon, sir,” was the reply; “I was trying to speak respectfully to my officer,” replied Gray.
Captain Smithers frowned, and felt annoyed with himself for his meanness.
“Yes, yes, of course, Gray,” he said, hastily; “but there is nothing to fear.”
“Nothing to fear!” thought Private Gray; “and we are trusting ourselves entirely to these people, who are known to be treacherous; and the ladies and the women of the regiment are all on that island, protected by only a weak force!”
Strangely enough, Captain Smithers had very similar thoughts to these as they rambled on, in tolerable coolness now, for they were beneath the trees.
They both thought afterwards that their fears were needless; and following the guides, they soon after were formed up in front of the sultan’s house and those of his principal men, all of which, though certainly somewhat better than the sergeant’s account to Dick Dunnage, would have led any one to expect, were of an extremely simple and lowly character.