As for hearing anything, that too was most unlikely :
the only people he could hear from were Malays, the
only means of communication the Malay language, of
which Grant knew very little, and the only condition
on which information is to be obtained from Malays
about Malays would be an intimacy with and respect
for the threatened man to which Grant could hardly
aspire. There must be some very powerful influence
at work to induce a Muhammadan, who is not per-
sonally in danger, to tell a Christian that there is
a Muhammadan plot against his life. Grant, at any
rate, if he thought about it at all, could hardly
expect that he, a new-comer, possessed friends who
would do so much for him.
He was still resting when, about 4 p.m., a party
of nearly twenty armed men suddenly appeared in
front of the house and stood some fifty yards away,
while two of them, carrying only the ordinary jungle
knives, came up to the house and asked Grant if he
wanted to buy fowls. He told the inquirers to take
them to his servant, and got up as the Malays left him.
The men had no fowls, and instead of going to

the servant's quarters they rejoined their companions,

and the whole body advanced towards the house.
