The latter proved to be the case, for after the two prisoners had partaken of an evening meal—Archie making no opposition now—Peter Pegg peered out from time to time, to see that the sentry had drawn nearer to the door; and there he was, plain enough, till it grew too dark to distinguish anything a few yards away, when at last the silence became so profound that the lad began to hope that the watch was given up. He whispered his belief to his fellow-prisoner, and said that he was going to see whether it would be possible to creep out by way of the roof, when his hopes were dashed by a cough; but on peering out he could see nothing, and, full of disappointment, he walked slowly to where Archie lay, and whispered to him again.
“I can’t see anything,” he said, “but I have watched him so often that I could make it all out. He’s been taking a bit of one of them betel-nuts out of a bag, and then taking a sirih-leaf from a sort of book, and laying it on his hand before he opened his little brass box full of that wet lime. Then he smeared some of the lime over the leaf, laid the bit of nut on it, rolled the leaf up into a quid, and tucked it in his cheek, just like a Jack-tar. Nasty brute! Making his teeth black and the corners of his mouth all red. ’Tain’t as if it was a bit of decent ’bacco! Well, perhaps when he has had a good chew he will go to sleep.”
“It will be impossible for you to try to get out to-night, Pete.”
“Impossible, sir? I’ll just show you! I’m not going to be kept shut up here like a tame hanimile in a cage, I can tell him.”
“But supposing you do try to break through the thatch, he is certain to hear you.”
“Suppose he does, sir! How will he know but what I’m one of them big monkeys as they send up trees to pick the cocoa-nuts, or one of the wild cat sort of things as the jungle’s full of? You let me alone, sir. I mean to make a beginning. Sha’n’t do much till you get stronger, sir. Then we shall get out together, and make straight for the camp.”
“But how about finding our way?”
“Well, sir, between ourselves, I have got two plans. One is, to get down to the river and find a boat. You see, once aboard that, all we have to do is to let it float down till we come to Campong Dang.”
“Yes; that sounds simple and easy. But you said that you had got two plans.”
“Yes, sir. That’s the wet way; t’other’s dry. You haven’t seen because you have been too bad, but they keeps helephants here, and I know one of them.”