“Yes,” replied Archie thoughtfully. “I have mixed a good deal with the Rajah’s people, and they are all very civil to me, but I never feel as if they are safe, and I often think that they are waiting for a chance to use the krises they keep so carefully covered over.”
“There, Sir Charles!” said the Major, smoothing down his bristling moustache. “It’s coming.”
Archie did not seem to hear the remark, and he went on thoughtfully:
“I think as Major Knowle does, sir, that, out of sheer ignorance, they don’t believe how powerful we are. You see, they are all armed; every man has a kris; and they are going about with those nasty razor-bladed spears that they can throw so accurately. Most of them carry the point in a sheath, but it is a sheath that they slip off in a moment, and then it is a most horrible, deadly weapon.”
“Quite true,” said Sir Charles thoughtfully.
“And then it seems to me, sir, that they feel a sort of contempt for our men, who are armed when they are on duty, but as a rule go about without so much as a bayonet; and even if they did carry that by way of side-arms, it’s only a poor, blunt sort of thing that in their eyes does not compare with the kris.”
“Don’t you disparage army weapons, sir, that are sanctioned by the War Office and the wisdom of the great Department,” growled the Major.
“No, sir, I don’t wish to. But I was thinking that we ought to do something to teach these ignorant people how ready and well provided we are in case of any trouble.”
“Of course,” said the Major; “we must do something.”
“Better wait patiently,” interposed Sir Charles, “until we have real cause for using our weapons; and then I am quite for punishing them severely.”