The next moment Pete was upon his feet, staring in the direction of the dimly seen door.
“My!” he whispered hoarsely; and using the cane like a walking-stick, he stepped on tiptoe right to the door, and then whispered softly beneath his breath:
“Hi! Hi! Hi! I say, old ’un, you’ve forgot your spear.—Think of that, now,” he continued, half-aloud. “Why, of course; he stood it up there before he went out to fetch that precious jar. Forgot it! I say—talk about discipline in the Rajah’s army, and a chap forgetting his piece! Fancy old Tipsy, and it was me and my rifle! Plenty of water, plenty of bread and fruit, and a present of one of them spears, as will be handier than a fixed bay’net. Why isn’t Mister Archie awake to enjoy all this? Now then, if that chap will only come to-morrow night, and forget another of these sharp-pointed toothpicks for Mister Archie, I shall be very much obliged. But here am I playing the fool like this, and at any moment he may be coming back to fetch this one away. Well, if he expects he’s going to get it, poor chap, I’m sorry for him;” and obeying his first impulse, he carried the keen-pointed weapon across the floor, lowered the head, and felt gently to find where it was bare; and the next moment his lingers were playing about over what was evidently a short piece of bamboo of about the same circumference as the shaft, and which fitted tightly over the keen blade like a sheath.
Then going down upon one knee, he thrust the spear carefully in beneath the bed of leaves at the foot of the wall, behind where Archie lay. Not satisfied at once, he withdrew and thrust in the weapon again, feeling if it was well covered; and then going to the far end, and scraping up and bringing a double armful of the dried leaves, he carefully covered his treasure more deeply.
“Ah!” he ejaculated, panting a little with his exertion, “I don’t think it’s likely.—What say, sir?” he added, addressing an imaginary Malay fighting-man. “Have I seen your spear? No, sir. Haven’t set eyes upon it, honour bright.—‘Always tell the truth, Pete,’ granny used to say. Well, ain’t that the truth? Why, I don’t believe a cat could have seen it; and if I hadn’t knocked it down I shouldn’t have known it was there. Now, between ourselves, I do think I deserve something to eat after that,” muttered the poor fellow. “Here, where did I put that there piece of cake? It must be lost amongst those leaves. Dropped it when I was feeling for the spear. What! plenty more in the basket? No, I won’t. Wilful waste makes woeful want. Why, here it is in my trousers pocket all the time! So, now then, let’s have another try; and I will treat myself to a banana afterwards. No, I won’t; I’ll have two.” And hurrying to the basket, he helped himself to the fruit, and then made himself comfortable in the corner where he had knocked over the spear, and began to eat with a splendid appetite.
“Oh, don’t I wish you was here to help me, Mister Archie, sir!” he said, half-aloud and rather piteously. “Poor, dear chap! I’d feed you if I dared wake you up; but I’m sure it’s right to let you sleep. But won’t you be glad when you know about that spear? If we could only get another, and a couple of them krises, we should be regular set up if it come to a scrimmage, as it shall, as sure as my name’s Peter. We are going to escape—somehow; and if anybody stops us it’s a fight. We sha’n’t be able to throw the spears like these Malay beggars do, but me and Mister Archie can do bay’net practice with them in a way that will open some of their eyes. Oh, how good!” half-whispered the lad, as he finished his frugal supper of bread and banana. “Don’t it seem to put life in a fellow! Now, what am I going to do? Sit and think of how to escape? No hurry, lad. I want Mister Archie’s orders, and I’ll do the work. Seems to me that the first thing will be for me to get out of here somehow in the dark to go and reconnoitre, and then steal—no, it’s capture, being enemies—another spear and two krises. How? Knock down an enemy somewhere and take what he’s got. I’m game. And then—”
That was as far as Peter Pegg got, for he could not partake of so hearty a meal, after refreshing himself in a way that thoroughly quenched his thirst, without obeying Nature afterwards; and this he did, lying prone, fully stretched out, and not in the painful, cramping position of the previous night.