oney." Evidently they did not, for there was only one letter more from
him saying he was ill, had found no relation living, but little else
besides. Then came a complete silence. Europe had swallowed up the
Rajah Laut apparently, and Almayer looked vainly westward for a ray of
light out of the gloom of his shattered hopes. Years passed, and the
rare letters from Mrs. Vinck, later on from the girl herself, were the
only thing to be looked to to make life bearable amongst the triumphant
savagery of the river. Almayer lived now alone, having even ceased to
visit his debtors who would not pay, sure of Lakamba's protection. The
faithful Sumatrese Ali cooked his rice and made his coffee, for he dared
not trust any one else, and least of all his wife. He killed time
wandering sadly in the overgrown paths round the house, visiting the
ruined godowns where a few brass guns covered with verdigris and only a
few broken cases of mouldering Manchester goods reminded him of the good
early times when all this was full of life and merchandise, and he
overlooked a busy scene on the river bank, his little daughter by his
side. Now the up-country canoes glided past the little rotten wharf of
Lingard and Co., to paddle up the Pantai branch, and cluster round the
new jetty belonging to Abdulla. Not that they loved Abdulla, but they
dared not trade with the man whose star had set. Had they done so they
knew there was no mercy to be expected from Arab or Rajah; no rice to be
got on credit in the times of scarcity from either; and Almayer could not
help them, having at times hardly enough for himself. Almayer, in his
isolation and despair, often envied his near neighbour the Chinaman, Jim-
Eng, whom he could see stretched on a pile of cool mats, a wooden pillow
under his head, an opium pipe in his nerveless fingers. He did not seek,
however, consolation in opium--perhaps it was too expensive--perhaps his
white man's pride saved him from that degradation; but most likely it was
the thought of his little daughter in the far-off Straits Settlements. He
heard from her oftener since Abdulla bought a steamer, which ran now
between Singapore and the Pantai settlement every three months or so.
Almayer felt himself nearer his daughter. He longed to see her, and
planned a voyage to Singapore, but put off his departure from year to
year, always expecting some favourable turn of fortune. He did not want
to meet her with empty hands and with no