"Come along, soldier," said Bob; "I'll eat one bit, if you will?" Tom Long looked too much disgusted to speak, but in a half-offended manner he picked up another quarter of the durian, and examined it attentively. "Phew!" ejaculated Bob, looking round. "What a horrible smell. There must be something floating down the river." They both glanced at the flowing silvery waters of the river, but nothing was in sight. "It's getting worse," said Tom Long. "Why, it's perfectly dreadful!" "It's this precious fruit," exclaimed Bob suddenly; and raising his portion to his nose, "Murder!" he cried; "how horrid!" and he pitched his piece overboard. "Why, it's a bad one," said Tom Long, sharply: and he followed the middy's suit. The Kling raised his hands in dismay; but leaning over the side, he secured the two pieces of durian before they were out of reach, and turned to his customers. "Good durian--buteful durian," he exclaimed. "Alway smell so fashion." "What!" cried Bob, "do you mean to tell me that stuff's fit to eat?" The Kling took up the fruit; and smelt it with his eyes half-closed, and then drawing in a long breath, he sighed gently, as if with regret that he might not indulge in such delicacies. "Bess durian," he said, in an exaggerated ecstatic manner. "Quite bess ripe." Bob stooped down and retook a portion of the strange fruit, smelt it cautiously, and then, taking out a knife, prepared to taste it. "You are never going to eat any of that disgusting thing, are you, sailor?" cried Tom Long. "I'm going to try it, soldier," said Bob coolly. "Come and have a taste, lad." In the most matter-of-fact way, though quite out of bravado on account of Tom Long's disgusted looks, Bob took a long sniff at the durian. "Well, it is a little high," he said, quietly. "Not unlike bad brick-kiln burning, with a dash of turpentine." "Carrion, you mean," said Tom Long. "No, not carrion," said Bob, picking out a good-sized fragment of the fruit upon his knife; "it's what the captain calls _sui generis_." "All burra sahib like durian," said the Kling, showing his white teeth. "Then the burra sahibs have got precious bad taste," said Tom Long, just as Bob put the first piece of the fruit into his mouth, rolled his eyes, and looked as if he were about to eject it into the stream, but did not; gave it a twist round, tasted it; looked less serious; began to masticate; and swallowing the piece, proceeded to take a little more. "There, it won't do, Bob Roberts," said Tom Long; "say it's horrible, like a man. You can't deceive me. What does it taste like?" "Don't know yet," said Bob trying the second piece. "What a jackass you are to torture yourself like that, to try and take me in, middy!" Bob helped himself to a little more. "Well, what does it taste like?"