and's store and buy from them whatever they had to sell. But
suddenly, as she walked slowly along the shaded path, a man sprang out
upon her and seized her by the wrist. It was the half-caste sailor.

"Back!" he shouted warningly to the women, as they rushed towards him,
"back, I say, else do I plunge my knife into this woman's heart." And
then, releasing his hold of Letane's wrist, he swiftly clasped her round
the waist, and swung her over his shoulder with an exulting laugh. "Tell
ye the white man that his wife shall now be mine, for her beauty hath
eaten away my heart," and he ran swiftly away with his struggling
burden, who seemed too terrified even to call for assistance.

And then as the loud cries of alarm of the women sounded through the
village, Palmer sprang out from his house, pistol in hand, and darted in
pursuit. The half-caste, with a backward glance over his shoulder, saw
him coming.

Dropping the woman, who seemed to have swooned, for she lay motionless
upon the path, Porter awaited the white man, knife in hand, and laughed
fiercely as Palmer, raising his pistol, fired at him thrice. In another
instant they were struggling fiercely together, and a cry of terror
broke from the watching women when they saw the trader fall as if
stabbed or stunned, and the half-caste, leaping upon him, tear the
pistol from his hand, and, with an exultant cry, wave it triumphantly in
the air. Then he fled swiftly through the palm grove towards Ijeet.

When Palmer opened his eyes, Letane and a number of terrified women were
bending over him, all but Letane herself imagining he had been stabbed.

"Nay," he said, putting his hand to his head, "I was but stunned. Help
me into my house."

That night the whole population of Ailap came to his house and urged him
to lead them to Ijeet and slay the coward sailor who had sought to take
his life and steal from him his wife.

"Wait," he answered grimly, "wait, I pray thee, O my friends, and then
shalt thou see that which shall gladden thy hearts and mine. And let
none of ye raise his hand against the half-caste till I so bid him."

They wondered at this; but went away contented. Parma was a wise man,
they thought, and knew what was best.

When the house was in darkness, and the trader and his wife lay on their
couch of mats with their sleeping child between them, Palmer laughed to
himself.

"Why dost thou laugh, Parma?" And Letane turned her big eyes upon his
face.

"Becaus