ly, his anger
getting the better of him, and looking at the girl as if in expectation
of some outbreak of feeling. But Nina remained apparently unmoved,
gazing dreamily into the black night outside.

"Be careful, Nina," said Almayer, after a short silence and rising from
his chair, "when you go paddling alone into the creeks in your canoe.
That Reshid is a violent scoundrel, and there is no saying what he may
do. Do you hear me?"

She was standing now, ready to go in, one hand grasping the curtain in
the doorway. She turned round, throwing her heavy tresses back by a
sudden gesture.

"Do you think he would dare?" she asked, quickly, and then turned again
to go in, adding in a lower tone, "He would not dare. Arabs are all
cowards."

Almayer looked after her, astonished. He did not seek the repose of his
hammock. He walked the floor absently, sometimes stopping by the
balustrade to think. The lamp went out. The first streak of dawn broke
over the forest; Almayer shivered in the damp air. "I give it up," he
muttered to himself, lying down wearily. "Damn those women! Well! If
the girl did not look as if she wanted to be kidnapped!"

And he felt a nameless fear creep into his heart, making him shiver
again.

CHAPTER IV.

That year, towards the breaking up of the south-west monsoon, disquieting
rumours reached Sambir. Captain Ford, coming up to Almayer's house for
an evening's chat, brought late numbers of the _Straits Times_ giving the
news of Acheen war and of the unsuccessful Dutch expedition. The
Nakhodas of the rare trading praus ascending the river paid visits to
Lakamba, discussing with that potentate the unsettled state of affairs,
and wagged their heads gravely over the recital of Orang Blanda exaction,
severity, and general tyranny, as exemplified in the total stoppage of
gunpowder trade and the rigorous visiting of all suspicious craft trading
in the straits of Macassar. Even the loyal soul of Lakamba was stirred
into a state of inward discontent by the withdrawal of his license for
powder and by the abrupt confiscation of one hundred and fifty barrels of
that commodity by the gunboat _Princess Amelia_, when, after a hazardous
voyage, it had almost reached the mouth of the river. The unpleasant
news was given him by Reshid, who, after the unsuccessful issue of his
matrimonial projects, had made a long voyage amongst the islands for
trading purposes; had bought the powder for his fri