end, and was
overhauled and deprived of it on his return when actually congratulating
himself on his acuteness in avoiding detection. Reshid's wrath was
principally directed against Almayer, whom he suspected of having
notified the Dutch authorities of the desultory warfare carried on by the
Arabs and the Rajah with the up-river Dyak tribes.
To Reshid's great surprise the Rajah received his complaints very coldly,
and showed no signs of vengeful disposition towards the white man. In
truth, Lakamba knew very well that Almayer was perfectly innocent of any
meddling in state affairs; and besides, his attitude towards that much
persecuted individual was wholly changed in consequence of a
reconciliation effected between him and his old enemy by Almayer's newly-
found friend, Dain Maroola.
Almayer had now a friend. Shortly after Reshid's departure on his
commercial journey, Nina, drifting slowly with the tide in the canoe on
her return home after one of her solitary excursions, heard in one of the
small creeks a splashing, as if of heavy ropes dropping in the water, and
the prolonged song of Malay seamen when some heavy pulling is to be done.
Through the thick fringe of bushes hiding the mouth of the creek she saw
the tall spars of some European-rigged sailing vessel overtopping the
summits of the Nipa palms. A brig was being hauled out of the small
creek into the main stream. The sun had set, and during the short
moments of twilight Nina saw the brig, aided by the evening breeze and
the flowing tide, head towards Sambir under her set foresail. The girl
turned her canoe out of the main river into one of the many narrow
channels amongst the wooded islets, and paddled vigorously over the black
and sleepy backwaters towards Sambir. Her canoe brushed the water-palms,
skirted the short spaces of muddy bank where sedate alligators looked at
her with lazy unconcern, and, just as darkness was setting in, shot out
into the broad junction of the two main branches of the river, where the
brig was already at anchor with sails furled, yards squared, and decks
seemingly untenanted by any human being. Nina had to cross the river and
pass pretty close to the brig in order to reach home on the low
promontory between the two branches of the Pantai. Up both branches, in
the houses built on the banks and over the water, the lights twinkled
already, reflected in the still waters below. The hum of voices, the
occasional cry of a child
|