king, which rose under the old seaman's feet, and made
Almayer cough again and again.

"Yes, I had! Twenty. And not a finger to pull a trigger. It's easy to
talk," he spluttered, his face very red.

Lingard dropped into a chair, and leaned back with one hand stretched
out at length upon the table, the other thrown over the back of his
seat. The dust settled, and the sun surging above the forest flooded
the verandah with a clear light. Almayer got up and busied himself in
lowering the split rattan screens that hung between the columns of the
verandah.

"Phew!" said Lingard, "it will be a hot day. That's right, my boy. Keep
the sun out. We don't want to be roasted alive here."

Almayer came back, sat down, and spoke very calmly--

"In the morning I went across to see Patalolo. I took the child with me,
of course. I found the water-gate barred, and had to walk round through
the bushes. Patalolo received me lying on the floor, in the dark, all
the shutters closed. I could get nothing out of him but lamentations
and groans. He said you must be dead. That Lakamba was coming now with
Abdulla's guns to kill everybody. Said he did not mind being killed,
as he was an old man, but that the wish of his heart was to make a
pilgrimage. He was tired of men's ingratitude--he had no heirs--he
wanted to go to Mecca and die there. He would ask Abdulla to let him go.
Then he abused Lakamba--between sobs--and you, a little. You prevented
him from asking for a flag that would have been respected--he was right
there--and now when his enemies were strong he was weak, and you were
not there to help him. When I tried to put some heart into him, telling
him he had four big guns--you know the brass six-pounders you left here
last year--and that I would get powder, and that, perhaps, together we
could make head against Lakamba, he simply howled at me. No matter which
way he turned--he shrieked--the white men would be the death of him,
while he wanted only to be a pilgrim and be at peace. My belief is,"
added Almayer, after a short pause, and fixing a dull stare upon
Lingard, "that the old fool saw this thing coming for a long time, and
was not only too frightened to do anything himself, but actually
too scared to let you or me know of his suspicions. Another of your
particular pets! Well! You have a lucky hand, I must say!"

Lingard struck a sudden blow on the table with his clenched hand. There
was a sharp crack of splitting wood. Almayer st