Iasked。“Well，Icouldn’tfightthewholepopulation，andIwasn’tcomingtothemasifIwereafraidofmylife，“hesaid，withjustafainthintofhisstubbornsulkinessintheglancehegaveme。Irefrainedfrompointingouttohimthattheycouldnothaveknownthechamberswereactuallyempty。
　　Hehadtosatisfyhimselfinhisownway……“Anyhowitwasn’t，“herepeated，good-humouredly，“andsoIjuststoodstillandaskedthemwhatwasthematter。Thatseemedtostrikethemdumb。Isawsomeofthesethievesgoingoffwithmybox。Thatlong-leggedoldscoundrelKassimI’llshowhimtoyouto-morrowranoutfussingtomeabouttheRajahwantingtoseeme。Isaid，`Allright’；I，too，wantedtoseetheRajah，andIsimplywalkedinthroughthegateand——and——hereIam。“Helaughed，andthenwithunexpectedemphasis，“Anddoyouknowwhat’sthebestinit？“heasked。
　　“I’lltellyou。It’stheknowledgethathadIbeenwipedoutitisthisplacethatwouldhavebeentheloser。“
　　`HespokethustomebeforehishouseonthateveningI’vementioned——afterwehadwatchedthemoonfloatawayabovethechasmbetweenthehillslikeanascendingspiritoutofagrave；itssheendescended，coldandpale，liketheghostofdeadsunlight。Thereissomethinghauntinginthelightofthemoon；ithasallthedispassionatenessofadisembodiedsoul，andsomethingofitsinconceivablemystery。Itistooursunshine，which——saywhatyoulike——isallwehavetoliveby，whattheechoistothesound：
　　misleadingandconfusingwhetherthenotebemockingorsad。Itrobsallformsofmatter——which，afterall，isourdomain——oftheirsubstance，andgivesasinisterrealitytoshadowsalone。Andtheshadowswereveryrealaroundus，butJimbymysidelookedverystalwart，asthoughnothing——noteventheoccultpowerofmoonlight——couldrobhimofhisrealityinmyeyes。Perhaps，indeed，nothingcouldtouchhimsincehehadsurvivedtheassaultofthedarkpowers。Allwassilent，allwasstill；evenontheriverthemoonbeamssleptasonapool。Itwasthemomentofhighwater，amomentofimmobilitythataccentuatedtheutterisolationofthislostcorneroftheearth。Thehousescrowdingalongthewideshiningsweepwithoutrippleorglitter，steppingintothewaterinalineofjostling，vague，grey，silveryformsmingledwithblackmassesofshadow，werelikeaspectralherdofshapelesscreaturespressingforwardtodrinkinaspectralandlifelessstream。Hereandtherearedgleamtwinkledwithinthebamboowalls，warm，likealivingspark，significantofhumanaffections，ofshelter，ofrepose。
　　`Heconfessedtomethatheoftenwatchedthesetinywarmgleamsgooutonebyone，thathelovedtoseepeoplegotosleepunderhiseyes，confidentinthesecurityofto-morrow。“Peacefulhere，eh？“heasked。
　　Hewasnoteloquent，buttherewasadeepmeaninginthewordsthatfollowed。
　　“Lookatthesehouses；there’snotonewhereIamnottrusted。Jove!I
　　toldyouIwouldhangon。Askanyman，woman，orchild……“Hepaused。
　　“Well，Iamallrightanyhow。“
　　`Iobservedquicklythathehadfoundthatoutintheend。Ihadbeensureofit，Iadded。Heshookhishead。“Wereyou？“Hepressedmyarmlightlyabovetheelbow。“Well，then——youwereright。“
　　`Therewaselationandpride，therewasawealmost，inthatlowexclamation。
　　“Jove!“hecried，“onlythinkwhatitistome。’Againhepressedmyarm。
　　“AndyouaskedmewhetherIthoughtofleaving。GoodGod!I!Wanttoleave!
　　EspeciallynowafterwhatyoutoldmeofMr。Stein’s……Leave!Why!
　　That’swhatIwasafraidof。Itwouldhavebeen——itwouldhavebeenharderthandying。No——onmyword。Don’tlaugh。Imustfeel——everyday，everytimeIopenmyeyes——thatIamtrusted——thatnobodyhasaright——don’tyouknow？Leave!Forwhere？Whatfor？Togetwhat？’
　　`IhadtoldhimindeeditwasthemainobjectofmyvisitthatitwasStein’sintentiontopresenthimatoncewiththehouseandthestockoftradinggoods，oncertaineasyconditionswhichwouldmakethetransactionperfectlyregularandvalid。Hebegantosnortandplungeatfirst。“Confoundyourdelicacy!“Ishouted。“Itisn’tSteinatall。It’sgivingyouwhatyouhadmadeforyourself。AndinanycasekeepyourremarksforM’Neil——whenyoumeethimintheotherworld。Ihopeitwon’thappensoon……“Hehadtogiveintomyarguments，becauseallhisconquests，thetrust，thefame，thefriendships，thelove——allthesethingsthatmadehimmasterhadmadehimacaptive，too。Helookedwithanowner’seyeatthepeaceoftheevening，attheriver，atthehouses，attheeverlastinglifeoftheforests，atthelifeoftheoldmankind，atthesecretsoftheland，attheprideofhisownheart：butitwastheythatpossessedhimandmadehimtheirowntotheinnermostthought，totheslighteststirofblood，tohislastbreath。
　　`Itwassomethingtobeproudof。I，too，waspround——forhim，ifnotsocertainofthefabulousvalueofthebargain。Itwaswonderful。ItwasnotsomuchofhisfearlessnessthatIthought。ItisstrangehowlittleaccountItookofit：asifithadbeensomethingtooconventionaltobeattherootofthematter。No。Iwasmorestruckbytheothergiftshehaddisplayed。Hehadprovedhisgraspoftheunfamiliarsituation，hisintellectualalertnessinthatfieldofthought。Therewashisreadiness，too!Amazing。Andallthishadcometohiminamannerlikekeenscenttoawell-bredhound。Hewasnoteloquent，buttherewasadignityinthisconstitutionalreticence，therewasahighseriousnessinhisstammerings。
　　Hehadstillhisoldtrickofstubbornblushing。Nowandthen，though，aword，asentence，wouldescapehimthatshowedhowdeeplyhowsolemnly，hefeltaboutthatworkwhichhadgivenhimthecertitudeofrehabilitation。
　　Thatiswhyheseemedtolovethelandandthepeoplewithasortoffierceegoism，withacontemptuoustenderness。’
　　iswhereIwasprisonerforthreedays，“hemurmuredtomeitwasontheoccasionofourvisittotheRajah，whileweweremakingourwayslowlythroughakindofawestruckriotofdependantsacrossTunkuAllang’scourtyard。“Filthyplace，isn’tit？AndIcouldn’tgetanythingtoeateither，unlessImadearowaboutit，andthenitwasonlyasmallplateofriceandafriedfishnotmuchbiggerthanastickleback——confoundthem!Jove!I’vebeenhungryprowlinginsidethisstinkingenclosurewithsomeofthesevagabondsshovingtheirmugsrightundermynose。I
　　hadgivenupthatfamousrevolverofyoursatthefirstdemand。Gladtogetridoftheballything。Looklikeafoolwalkingaboutwithanemptyshooting-ironinmyhand。“Atthatmomentwecameintothepresence，andhebecameunflinchinglygraveandcomplimentarywithhislatecaptor。Oh!
　　magnificent!IwanttolaughwhenIthinkofit。ButIwasimpressed，too。
　　TheolddisreputableTunkuAllangcouldnothelpshowinghisfearhewasnohero，forallthetalesofhishotyouthhewasfondoftelling；andatthesametimetherewasawistfulconfidenceinhismannertowardshislateprisoner。Note!Evenwherehewouldbemosthatedhewasstilltrusted。
　　Jim——asfarasIcouldfollowtheconversation——wasimprovingtheoccasionbythedeliveryofalecture。SomepoorvillagershadbeenwaylaidandrobbedwhileontheirwaytoDoramin’shousewithafewpiecesofgumorbeeswaxwhichtheywishedtoexchangeforrice。“ItwasDoraminwhowasathief，“burstouttheRajah。Ashakingfuryseemedtoenterthatoldfrailbody。Hewrithedweirdlyonhismat，gesticulatingwithhishandsandfeet，tossingthetangledstringsofhismop——animpotentincarnationofrage。Therewerestaringeyesanddroppingjawsallaroundus。Jimbegantospeak。Resolutely，coolly，andforsometimeheenlargeduponthetextthatnomanshouldbepreventedfromgettinghisfoodandhischildren’sfoodhonestly。Theothersatlikeatailorathisboard，onepalmoneachknee，hisheadlow，andfixingJimthroughthegreyhairthatfelloverhisveryeyes。WhenJimhaddonetherewasagreatstillness。Nobodyseemedtobreatheeven；noonemadeasoundtilltheoldRajahsighedfaintly，andlookingup，withatossofhishead，saidquickly，“Youhear，mypeople!
　　Nomoreoftheselittlegames。“Thisdecreewasreceivedinprofoundsilence。
　　Aratherheavyman，evidentlyinapositionofconfidence，withintelligenteyes，abony，broad，verydarkface，andacheerilyofficiousmannerI
　　learnedlateronhewastheexecutioner，presentedtoustwocupsofcoffeeonabrasstray，whichhetookfromthehandsofaninferiorattendant。
　　“Youneedn’tdrink，“mutteredJimveryrapidly。Ididn’tperceivethemeaningatfirst，andonlylookedathim。Hetookagoodsipandsatcomposedly，holdingthesaucerinhislefthand。InamomentIfeltexcessivelyannoyed。
　　“Whythedevil，“Iwhispered，smilingathimamiably，“doyouexposemetosuchastupidrisk？“Idrank，ofcourse，therewasnothingforit，whilehegavenosign，andalmostimmediatelyafterwardswetookourleave。Whileweweregoingdownthecourtyardtoourboat，escortedbytheintelligentandcheeryexecutioner，Jimsaidhewasverysorry。Itwasthebarestchance，ofcourse。Personallyhethoughtnothingofpoison。Theremotestchance。
　　Hewas——heassuredme——consideredtobeinfinitelymoreusefulthandangerous，andso……“ButtheRajahisafraidofyouabominably。Anybodycanseethat，“Iargued，with，Iown，acertainpeevishness，andallthetimewatchinganxiouslyforthefirsttwistofsomesortofghastlycolic。Iwasawfullydisgusted。“IfIamtodoanygoodhereandpreservemyposition，“hesaid，takinghisseatbymysideintheboat，“Imuststandtherisk：Itakeitonceeverymonth，atleast。Manypeopletrustmetodothat——forthem。
　　Afraidofme!That’sjustit。MostlikelyheisafraidofmebecauseI
　　amnotafraidofhiscoffee。“Thenshowingmeaplaceonthenorthfrontofthestockadewherethepointedtopsofseveralstakeswerebroken，“ThisiswhereIleapedoveronmythirddayinPatusan。Theyhaven’tputnewstakesthereyet。Goodleap，eh？“Amomentlaterwepassedthemouthofamuddycreek。“Thisismysecondleap。Ihadabitofarunandtookthisoneflying，butfellshort。ThoughtIwouldleavemyskinthere。Lostmyshoesstruggling。AndallthetimeIwasthinkingtomyselfhowbeastlyitwouldbetogetajabwithaballylongspearwhilestickinginthemudlikethis。IrememberhowsickIfeltwrigglinginthatslime。Imeanreallysick——asifIhadbittensomethingrotten。“
　　`That’showitwas——andtheopportunityranbyhisside，leapedoverthegap，flounderedinthemud……stillveiled。Theunexpectednessofhiscomingwastheonlything，youunderstand，thatsavedhimfrombeingatoncedispatchedwithkrisesandflungintotheriver。Theyhadhim，butitwaslikegettingholdofanapparition，awraith，aportent。Whatdiditmean？Whattodowithit？Wasittoolatetoconciliatehim？Hadn’thebetterbekilledwithoutmoredelay？Butwhatwouldhappenthen？WretchedoldAllangwentnearlymadwithapprehensionandthroughthedifficultyofmakinguphismind。Severaltimesthecouncilwasbrokenup，andtheadvisersmadeabreakhelter-skelterforthedoorandoutontotheveranda。
　　One——itissaid——evenjumpeddowntotheground——fifteenfeet，Ishouldjudge——andbrokehisleg。TheroyalgovernorofPatusanhadbizarremannerisms，andoneofthemwastointroduceboastfulrhapsodiesintoeveryarduousdiscussion，when，gettinggraduallyexcited，hewouldendbyflyingoffhisperchwithakrisinhishand。But，barringsuchinterruptions，thedeliberationsuponJim’sfatewentonnightandday。
　　`Meanwhilehewanderedaboutthecourtyard，shunnedbysome，glaredatbyothers，butwatchedbyall，andpracticallyatthemercyofthefirstcasualragamuffinwithachopper，inthere。Hetookpossessionofasmalltumble-downshedtosleepin；theeffluviaoffilthandrottenmatterincommodedhimgreatly：itseemshehadnotlosthisappetitethough，because——hetoldme——hehadbeenhungryalltheblessedtime。Nowandagain“somefussyass“deputedfromthecouncil-roomwouldcomeoutrunningtohim，andinhoneyedtoneswouldadministeramazinginterrogatories：“WeretheDutchcomingtotakethecountry？Wouldthewhitemanliketogobackdowntheriver？Whatwastheobjectofcomingtosuchamiserablecountry？TheRajahwantedtoknowwhetherthewhitemancouldrepairawatch？TheydidactuallybringouttohimanickelclockofNewEnglandmake，andoutofsheerunbearableboredomhebusiedhimselfintryingtogetthealarumtowork。Itwasapparentlywhenthusoccupiedinhisshedthatthetrueperceptionofhisextremeperildawneduponhim。Hehaddroppedthething——hesays——“likeahotpotato，“
　　andwalkedouthastily，withouttheslightestideaofwhathewould，orindeedcoulddo。Heonlyknewthatthepositionwasintolerable。Hestrolledaimlesslybeyondasortoframshacklelittlegranaryonposts，andhiseyesfellonthebrokenstakesofthepalisade；andthen——hesays——atonce，withoutanymentalprocessasitwere，withoutanystirofemotion，hesetabouthisescapeasifexecutingaplanmaturedforamonth。Hewalkedoffcarelesslytogivehimselfagoodrun，andwhenhefacedabouttherewassomedignitary，withtwospearmeninattendance，closeathiselbowreadywithaquestion。Hestartedoff“fromunderhisverynose，“wentover“likeabird，“andlandedontheothersidewithafallthatjarredallhisbonesandseemedtosplithishead。Hepickedhimselfupinstantly。