Page:The further side of silence (IA furthersideofsil00clifiala).pdf/352

 away fell over the two other bodies near the mosque and there gave up the ghost.

Next a Trengganu lad named Jusup came up. armed with a spear, and To' Kaya at once attacked him, but he took shelter behind a tree. To' Kaya thereupon emptied his revolver at him missing him with all six chambers; and then, throwing away his pistol, he stabbed at him with his spear. Jusup dodged the blow which in the darkness struck the tree. Immediately To' Kâya, believing the tree to be Jusup's body, was seized with panic.

"You are invulnerable!" he cried in horror and promptly turned and fled. Jusup, meanwhile, made off in the opposite direction as fast as his legs would carry him.

Finding that he was not pursued, To' Kaya pres- ently retraced his footsteps and made his way to the house of Tingku Long Pendekar, under whom he had formerly studied fencing and other arts of war. At the alarm of fire all the men in the house had set to work to remove their effects to a place of safety, and when To' Kâya arrived. Tungku Long himself was standing without, watching their opera- tions while the others-Tungku Itam, Tungku Pa, Tungku Chik, and Che Mat Tukang-were busying themselves within doors. With the exception of Che Mat Túkang, who was a commoner, all the others were men of royal stock. Tungku Long was armed with a rattan-work shield and an ancient and very pliable native sword. As he stood gazing up- ward quite unaware that any trouble other than that