ere
and there. Mahmat says--those were his very words: 'I saw her standing
holding the pistol that fires many times and pointing it all over the
campong. I was afraid--lest she might shoot me, and jumped on one side.
Then I saw the white man coming at her swiftly. He came like our master
the tiger when he rushes out of the jungle at the spears held by men.
She did not take aim. The barrel of her weapon went like this--from side
to side, but in her eyes I could see suddenly a great fear. There was
only one shot. She shrieked while the white man stood blinking his eyes
and very straight, till you could count slowly one, two, three; then
he coughed and fell on his face. The daughter of Omar shrieked without
drawing breath, till he fell. I went away then and left silence behind
me. These things did not concern me, and in my boat there was that other
woman who had promised me money. We left directly, paying no attention
to her cries. We are only poor men--and had but a small reward for our
trouble!' That's what Mahmat said. Never varied. You ask him yourself.
He's the man you hired the boats from, for your journey up the river."

"The most rapacious thief I ever met!" exclaimed the traveller, thickly.

"Ah! He is a respectable man. His two brothers got themselves
speared--served them right. They went in for robbing Dyak graves. Gold
ornaments in them you know. Serve them right. But he kept respectable
and got on. Aye! Everybody got on--but I. And all through that scoundrel
who brought the Arabs here."

"De mortuis nil ni . . . num," muttered Almayer's guest.

"I wish you would speak English instead of jabbering in your own
language, which no one can understand," said Almayer, sulkily.

"Don't be angry," hiccoughed the other. "It's Latin, and it's wisdom. It
means: Don't waste your breath in abusing shadows. No offence there. I
like you. You have a quarrel with Providence--so have I. I was meant to
be a professor, while--look."

His head nodded. He sat grasping the glass. Almayer walked up and down,
then stopped suddenly.

"Yes, they all got on but I. Why? I am better than any of them. Lakamba
calls himself a Sultan, and when I go to see him on business sends that
one-eyed fiend of his--Babalatchi--to tell me that the ruler is
asleep; and shall sleep for a long time. And that Babalatchi! He is the
Shahbandar of the State--if you please. Oh Lord! Shahbandar! The pig! A
vagabond I wouldn't let come up these steps when he