"I must confess to being eager to go," was the reply. "It seems to me the only gentleman who does not care for the trip is Mr Linton." "My dear fellow, you never made a greater mistake in your life," said Mr Linton, laughing. "Nothing would please me better than to be off for a couple of months, with a brace of good rifles, and an elephant, with plenty of beaters. I could even manage to exist for three months without reading a report, or writing a despatch." Here there was a hearty laugh, and Mr Linton went on,--"There is one voice silent--the most important one, it seems to me. Come, doctor, what do you say? may we all go up the country and live in tents?" "Hah!" said Doctor Bolter, "now you have me on the hip. I want to go myself; horribly." "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" laughed every one in chorus. "I want to see those black monkeys like our friend Mr Bob Roberts has for a pet. I say I want to see them in their native state. I want to get a specimen of the pink rhinoceros, and some of the _Longicorns_. _Nymphalis Calydonia_ is to be found here, and I must shoot a few specimens of _Cymbirhynchus Macrorhynchus_, besides supplying my _hortus siccus_ with a complete series of _Nepenthes_." "For goodness' sake, doctor, don't go on like that," cried Captain Horton. "If you want to be cheerful to that extent, give us a recitation in pure Malay." "Ah, you may all laugh," said the doctor; "but I'm not ashamed of being a modest naturalist." "Modest!" said Major Sandars. "Do you call that modest, to talk big like that? But come, tell us, may we go safely?" "That's what I can't quite settle," said the doctor. "I don't know what to say to you. A week's hunting picnic would be very nice." "Splendid," said everybody. "And you'd have a good supply of tents? I can't have my men sleeping in the open air." "Abundance of everything," said Major Sandars. "Regular commissariat stores--mess tent, and the rest of it." "Stop a minute," said the doctor, "not so fast. You see, what I'm afraid of is fever." "We all are," said Captain Horton. "Never mind, take a barrel and keep a strong solution of quinine always on tap for us. Now then, may we go? You see if it was on duty we shouldn't study a moment, but as it's a case of pleasuring--" "And keeping up good relations with the sultan," said the resident. "And freeing the country from a pest," said Captain Horton. "Tigers are pests enough," said the doctor, "but intermittent or jungle fever is to my mind the pest of the country." "Yes, of course, doctor," said the resident; "but what do you think, may we go?" The doctor sat tapping the table with a dessert knife. "Will you all promise me faithfully not to drink a drop of water that has not been filtered?" he said. "_Yes_, yes, yes," came from all down the table. "I'll promise, doctor, not to drink any water at all," said Bob Roberts in a low voice, that was heard, though, by the doctor.