t till he has killed me."

Even as he spoke a loud shouting, mingled with shrieks and yells, was
heard at the other end of the main street. The sounds of uproar
appeared to approach, and soon a crowd of people was seen rushing
towards the market-place, uttering cries of fear in which the word
"amok" was heard. At the sound of that word numbers of people--
specially women and children--turned and fled from the scene, but many
of the men stood their ground, and all of them drew their krisses.
Among the latter of course were the white men and their native
companions.

We have already referred to that strange madness, to which the Malays
seem to be peculiarly liable, during the paroxysms of which those
affected by it rush in blind fury among their fellows, slaying right and
left. From the terrified appearance of some of the approaching crowd
and the maniac shouts in rear, it was evident that a man thus possessed
of the spirit of amok was venting his fury on them.

Another minute and he drew near, brandishing a kriss that dripped with
the gore of those whom he had already stabbed. Catching sight of the
white men he made straight for them. He was possessed of only one eye,
but that one seemed to concentrate and flash forth the fire of a dozen
eyes, while his dishevelled hair and blood-stained face and person gave
him an appalling aspect.

"It is Baderoon!" said Van der Kemp in a subdued but stern tone.

Nigel, who stood next to him, glanced at the hermit. His face was
deadly pale; his eyes gleamed with a strange almost unearthly light, and
his lips were firmly compressed. With a sudden nervous motion, unlike
his usually calm demeanour, he drew his long knife, and to Nigel's
surprise cast it away from him. At that moment a woman who came in the
madman's way was stabbed by him to the heart and rent the air with her
dying shriek as she fell. No one could have saved her, the act was so
quickly done. Van der Kemp would have leaped to her rescue, but it was
too late; besides, there was no need to do so now, for the maniac,
recognising his enemy, rushed at him with a shout that sounded like a
triumphant yell. Seeing this, and that his friend stood unarmed, as
well as unmoved, regarding Baderoon with a fixed gaze, Nigel stepped a
pace in advance to protect him, but Van der Kemp seized his arm and
thrust him violently aside. Next moment the pirate was upon him with
uplifted knife, but the hermit caught his wrist, and