lmayer, "and I have about
eighty tons of guttah in the well. The last lot I ever will have, no
doubt," he added, bitterly.

"So, after all, there was no robbery. You've lost nothing actually.
Well, then, you must . . . Hallo! What's the matter! . . . Here! . . ."

"Robbery! No!" screamed Almayer, throwing up his hands.

He fell back in the chair and his face became purple. A little white
foam appeared on his lips and trickled down his chin, while he lay back,
showing the whites of his upturned eyes. When he came to himself he saw
Lingard standing over him, with an empty water-chatty in his hand.

"You had a fit of some kind," said the old seaman with much concern.
"What is it? You did give me a fright. So very sudden."

Almayer, his hair all wet and stuck to his head, as if he had been
diving, sat up and gasped.

"Outrage! A fiendish outrage. I . . ."

Lingard put the chatty on the table and looked at him in attentive
silence. Almayer passed his hand over his forehead and went on in an
unsteady tone:

"When I remember that, I lose all control," he said. "I told you he
anchored Abdulla's ship abreast our jetty, but over to the other shore,
near the Rajah's place. The ship was surrounded with boats. From here it
looked as if she had been landed on a raft. Every dugout in Sambir was
there. Through my glass I could distinguish the faces of people on the
poop--Abdulla, Willems, Lakamba--everybody. That old cringing scoundrel
Sahamin was there. I could see quite plain. There seemed to be much talk
and discussion. Finally I saw a ship's boat lowered. Some Arab got into
her, and the boat went towards Patalolo's landing-place. It seems
they had been refused admittance--so they say. I think myself that
the water-gate was not unbarred quick enough to please the exalted
messenger. At any rate I saw the boat come back almost directly. I
was looking on, rather interested, when I saw Willems and some more go
forward--very busy about something there. That woman was also amongst
them. Ah, that woman . . ."

Almayer choked, and seemed on the point of having a relapse, but by a
violent effort regained a comparative composure.

"All of a sudden," he continued--"bang! They fired a shot into
Patalolo's gate, and before I had time to catch my breath--I was
startled, you may believe--they sent another and burst the gate open.
Whereupon, I suppose, they thought they had done enough for a while, and
probably felt hungry, for a feast