With a loud shout the Malay, hitherto apparently impassive, called upon them to hold back.

They obeyed, seeing that he intended to act, and had already taken his measures for rescuing the girl.

They could not tell what these were, and only guessed at them by what they saw in his hands.

It was nothing that could be called a weapon--only a piece of bamboo, pointed at one end, which he had taken from among the embers of last night's fire and sharpened with his knife, when he went off in search of the Singapore oysters.

It was the same stick he had been using to probe for them under the sand.