losed shutters, in the bright sunshine of the verandah, wherever
he went, whichever way he turned, he saw the small figure of a little
maiden with pretty olive face, with long black hair, her little pink robe
slipping off her shoulders, her big eyes looking up at him in the tender
trustfulness of a petted child. Ali did not see anything, but he also
was aware of the presence of a child in the house. In his long talks by
the evening fires of the settlement he used to tell his intimate friends
of Almayer's strange doings. His master had turned sorcerer in his old
age. Ali said that often when Tuan Putih had retired for the night he
could hear him talking to something in his room. Ali thought that it was
a spirit in the shape of a child. He knew his master spoke to a child
from certain expressions and words his master used. His master spoke in
Malay a little, but mostly in English, which he, Ali, could understand.
Master spoke to the child at times tenderly, then he would weep over it,
laugh at it, scold it, beg of it to go away; curse it. It was a bad and
stubborn spirit. Ali thought his master had imprudently called it up,
and now could not get rid of it. His master was very brave; he was not
afraid to curse this spirit in the very Presence; and once he fought with
it. Ali had heard a great noise as of running about inside the room and
groans. His master groaned. Spirits do not groan. His master was
brave, but foolish. You cannot hurt a spirit. Ali expected to find his
master dead next morning, but he came out very early, looking much older
than the day before, and had no food all day.

So far Ali to the settlement. To Captain Ford he was much more
communicative, for the good reason that Captain Ford had the purse and
gave orders. On each of Ford's monthly visits to Sambir Ali had to go on
board with a report about the inhabitant of "Almayer's Folly." On his
first visit to Sambir, after Nina's departure, Ford had taken charge of
Almayer's affairs. They were not cumbersome. The shed for the storage
of goods was empty, the boats had disappeared, appropriated--generally in
night-time--by various citizens of Sambir in need of means of transport.
During a great flood the jetty of Lingard and Co. left the bank and
floated down the river, probably in search of more cheerful surroundings;
even the flock of geese--"the only geese on the east coast"--departed
somewhere, preferring the unknown dangers of the bush