"What has become of the child?" Harry Parkhurst exclaimed, and he
and Dick Balderson both leaped on to the rail, throwing off their
jackets as they shouted to the men to lower a boat. Nothing could
be seen of the child until, after half a minute's suspense, a little
face suddenly appeared in the swirl of the muddy water some fifteen
yards from the vessel's side. It was gone again in an instant,
but, as it disappeared, both lads sprang from the side and with a
few strokes reached the spot where they had seen the face disappear;
then they dived under water and soon grasped her. As soon as they
came to the surface a sailor, who had seized a coil of rope, flung
it to them, and, grasping it, they were quickly by the side of the
gunboat.

A minute later some sailors, who had at once tumbled into a boat
on the alarm being given, came up. The child was first handed into
it, then the midshipmen scrambled in, and, by their directions,
two of the sailors, standing on the thwarts, lifted the child high
above their heads to the hands of the men leaning over the bulwark.

"Take the little thing to the doctor," Dick said. "Now, lads, row
on; let's pick up some of those Malay fellows."

A babel of shouts and sounds rose from the water; the bow of the
second canoe had been stove in, and she also had sunk to the water
level; a fierce fight was going on between several of the Malays;
the chief, who was being supported by two of his crew, was shouting
furiously; and others of his men, in obedience to his orders, were
diving under water. Harry turned to the gunboat, and called to the
men to bring Soh Hay, the interpreter, to the side. A minute later