"
They agreed to keep awake by turns, and accordingly lay down as soon
as it became dark, the Malays, as usual, squatting at a distance
of a couple of paces each side of them. It was about two o'clock
in the morning when Dick, who was awake, saw, as he supposed, one
of the crew standing up a few yards away; he was not sure, for just
at that moment the figure disappeared.
"What on earth could that fellow want to stand up for and lie down
again? for I can swear he was not there half a minute ago. There
is another farther on." He pinched himself to make sure that he
was awake. Figure after figure seemed to flit along the deck and
disappear. One of the guard rose and stretched his arms; put a
fresh bit of some herb that he was chewing into his mouth; moved
close to the prisoners to see if they were asleep; and then resumed
his former position. During the time that he was on his feet,
Dick noticed that the phenomenon which had so puzzled him ceased.
A quarter of an hour later it began again. He touched Harry, keeping
his hand on his lips as a warning to be silent. Suddenly a wild
yell broke on the still air, and in an instant the deck was alive
with men; and as the two Malay watchers rose to their feet, both
were cut down.
There were sounds of heavy blows, screams and yells, a short and
confused struggle, and the fall of heavy bodies, while from the
little village there were also sounds of conflict.
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