He now directed Ned to tell Kalong to address them, and to say that we had come with friendly intentions to trade, and to recover some countrymen who had been wrecked on their coast.
The chief, on hearing this, invited us on shore, observing that we could talk more easily there, and that he would hear what we had to say.
The Malay and our native guide talked together.
“Kalong says we had better not trust them,” observed Ned; “if we land they may shoot us for the sake of getting our goods. They don’t know how far our firearms can reach. Better give them a volley to show them.”
This Uncle Jack was unwilling to do, though we might have shot down half a dozen of them at least, had we fired as Ned proposed.
While this palaver was going forward I took a glance seaward, when what was my astonishment to see the “Iris” and “Lily” standing along the coast, under close reefed topsails, as if coming to look for us. I could judge by the way they heeled over that a pretty strong breeze was blowing in the offing.
If we were to get on board there was no time to lose; indeed, it seemed very doubtful whether we could reach either of the vessels. They were too far off to see us, and it was doubtful whether they could hear our muskets. Uncle Jack directed Blyth and me to fire at the same time, but neither the ship nor the brig altered their course. They had good reason for not wishing to approach the land, as the wind, rapidly increasing, was shifting to the north-west, and they might at any moment find themselves on a lee shore. They had also got so far from the harbour they had left that it was evident that they could not manage to get back.
“They’ll not desert us, lads, depend upon that,” said Uncle Jack, as we saw them standing away from the coast; “we can neither overtake them nor land while those fellows on shore show so unfriendly a disposition. We must try and get back to the village where we procured our guides, though I don’t know what sort of reception we shall meet with when their friends hear that we have lost one of them. It will be a long pull and a heavy one, for we shall have a head sea as soon as we get clear of this bay.”
“Why not then make for yonder island to the eastward?” I observed. “These savages, who don’t appear to have any canoes, cannot follow us there, and we shall be able to remain in safety until our friends come to take us off.”
“We may have to follow your suggestion, Harry, but we must first try to get back to the river to land our guide according to our promise. He has proved faithful, and we will supply him with goods with which he may be able to ransom his companion.”