The men turned to their leader, who was frowning and looking as if he had not heard, gazing the while down stream.
"Do you hear me?" cried the young officer angrily. "Pull all of you, pull."
But the Malays sat perfectly still, looking gloomy and sullen, while Beecher's eyes began to flash with resentment.
"Steady, boy," growled Hollins. "This is a trap."
"A trap! What do you mean?"
"Look behind you, my lad, and don't jump out of your skin."
"Another prahu!" ejaculated the young officer, between his teeth, as he saw a vessel which looked to be fellow to the one gliding down stream, coming rapidly up from some five hundred yards below. "Why, where did that come from?"
"Some tree-curtained inlet, I suppose," growled Hollins. "What are we going to do?"
"Go on shooting; they're nothing to do with us."