"
"I did not think of it at the time, Davis, and it would not have
made any difference if I had; we were only in the water a couple of
minutes, and the Malays were making noise enough to frighten away
any number of sharks. You will have the job of washing out our
trousers again--we had only put them on clean half an hour before."
"That aint no matter, sir, especially if you go down and change at
once; the mud will come out easy enough if I leave them in a bucket
of fresh water for half an hour."
The two midshipmen joined the group of officers who were standing
near the doctor; the latter had, on closer examination, announced
that four of the ribs were broken. He had finished his work just
as the lads came up. News had been brought up by the steward that
the little girl had opened her eyes; while he was speaking, the
Malay conversed rapidly with the interpreter.
"What is he saying, Soh Hay?" the captain asked.
"He is asking why his daughter is not here, and if she is hurt, and
how she came to be saved," the man replied. "Me tell him she come
up to see him soon; the doctor say she no hurt."
Two minutes later the doctor reappeared, carrying the child in his
arms. She looked round fearlessly at the white faces until her eye
fell upon her father, when she slipped out of the doctor's arms
like an eel and ran to him.
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