Page:The further side of silence (IA furthersideofsil00clifiala).pdf/291

 As soon as the slow daylight began to make itself felt in the obscurity of the forest, investing the watchers, as it seemed, with a new and wonderful gift of sight, the raiders began to close in around their quarry. One or two of the younger Malays, who carried muskets, fired a few shots into the thick of their victims, with the object of frightening the last atom of fight out of them, and old Sem-pak rolled over on her back, with her knees drawn up against her breast, jerking spasmodically. With a cry of pain and despair, Te-U threw herself prone across the old woman's body, calling to her frantically by name, and vainly secking to pet and coax her back into life by tender words and caresses. Then the raiders rushed the camp, and for a moment or two all was noise and confusion. The Sakai broke like a herd of stampeded deer, leaving several of their number dead or wounded on the ground. A good many of the more active males made good their escape, but Laish was killed with his spear in his hand as he fought to defend Te-U, who saw him fling away his life in a vain effort to rescue her, and felt the cup of her misery to be filled to overflowing.

In all, the raiders captured Te-I and four other young women, half a dozen children, and two young men. There were also several older women who were not regarded as worth taking. It was, as sueli Things were reckoned, a highly successful expedition, and the hunting-party returned to Lâsak in grea! spirits, for the labour and risks of slave chasing was not much to their taste, and with so goodly a crowd of