Page 101 - Malay sketches

THE ETERNAL FEMININE

their There was nothing unusual in
departure.
and a nervous person would have
that, only very
seen in so an event any cause for alarm.
simple
But even ere this, prudence would have told most
white men under similar circumstances that it would
be well to see to their arms and keep them handy.
Grant, however, took no precautions, as he had pro-
bably convinced himself that none were necessary ;
as for arms, he does not appear to have had any.
That morning, or it may have been the evening
before, three large boats and two small ones arrived
in the river close by, but kept out of sight of Grant's
and he did not know were there.
hut, probably they
They belonged to a minor chief who had no con-
nection with the Malays then in arms.
The day wore on, Grant had been out all morn-
ing looking after his work, he had returned to
breakfast, been out again, and now he was back and
had thrown himself down to rest, glad to get under
shelter from the oppressive heat. He was a busy
man and his work took him out of doors, but though
he had been about all day he had seen and heard
nothing to arouse his suspicions.
That was not
Seen nothing, certainly. strange,
it was a jungly place, and to be ten yards off in the
is as for those who seek concealment
jungle good,
85