is large, and one cannot become deeply versed in
everything."

Having uttered this truism, the hermit resumed his meerschaum and
continued to gaze thoughtfully at the embers of the fire. He remained
so long silent that Nigel began to despair, but thought he would try him
once again on the same lines.

"I suppose," he said in a careless way, "that none of the islands are
big enough to contain many of the larger wild animals."

"My friend," returned Van der Kemp, with a smile of urbanity, as he
refilled his pipe, "it is evident that you do not know much about our
archipelago. Borneo, to the woods and wild animals of which I hope ere
long to introduce you, is so large that if you were to put your British
islands, including Ireland, down on it they would be engulfed and
surrounded by a sea of forests. New Guinea is, perhaps, larger than
Borneo. Sumatra is only a little smaller. France is not so large as
some of our islands. Java, Luzon, and Celebes are each about equal in
size to Ireland. Eighteen more islands are, on the average, as large as
Jamaica, more than a hundred are as large as the Isle of Wight, and the
smaller isles and islets are innumerable. In short, our archipelago is
comparable with any of the primary divisions of the globe, being full
4000 miles in length from east to west and about 1,300 in breadth from
north to south, and would in extent more than cover the whole of
Europe."

It was evident to Nigel that he had at length succeeded in opening the
flood-gates. The hermit paused for a few moments and puffed at the
meerschaum, while Moses glared at his master with absorbed interest, and
pulled at the cigarette with such oblivious vigour that he drew it into
his mouth at last, spat it out, and prepared another. Nigel sat quite
silent and waited for more.

"As to trade," continued Van der Kemp, resuming his discourse in a lower
tone, "why, of gold--the great representative of wealth--we export from
Sumatra alone over 26,000 ounces annually, and among other gold regions
we have a Mount Ophir in the Malay Peninsula from which there is a
considerable annual export."

Continuing his discourse, Van der Kemp told a great deal more about the
products of these prolific islands with considerable enthusiasm--as one
who somewhat resented the underrating of his native land.

"Were you born in this region, Van der Kemp?" asked Nigel, during a
brief pause.

"I was--in Java. My father, as my name tells,