"Yes，itisveryhardtothinkthatIwhowanttotouchyoucannotmakemyselfunderstoodaswellasthey。AndyetIspeakthelanguageofyourchildhood，thelanguageofthemanforwhomthereisnohopebutinyourgenerosity。"
　　Heshookhishead。Shegazedathimanxiouslyforamoment。"Inyourmemoriesthen，"shesaidandwassurprisedbytheexpressionofprofoundsadnessthatover—spreadhisattentiveface。
　　"DoyouknowwhatIremember？"hesaid。"Doyouwanttoknow？"
　　Shelistenedwithslightlypartedlips。"Iwilltellyou。
　　Poverty，hardwork——anddeath，"hewenton，veryquietly。"AndnowI’vetoldyou，andyoudon’tknow。That’showitisbetweenus。Youtalktome——Italktoyou——andwedon’tknow。"
　　Hereyelidsdropped。
　　"WhatcanIfindtosay？"shewenton。"WhatcanIdo？Imustn’tgivein。Think！Amongstyourmemoriestheremustbesomeface——somevoice——somename，ifnothingmore。Icannotbelievethatthereisnothingbutbitterness。"
　　"There’snobitterness，"hemurmured。
　　"O！Brother，myheartisfaintwithfear，"whisperedImmada。
　　Lingardturnedswiftlytothatwhisper。
　　"Then，theyaretobesaved，"exclaimedMrs。Travers。"Ah，I
　　knew……"
　　"Bearthyfearinpatience，"saidHassim，rapidly，tohissister。
　　"Theyaretobesaved。Youhavesaidit，"Lingardpronouncedaloud，suddenly。Hefeltlikeaswimmerwho，inthemidstofsuperhumaneffortstoreachtheshore，perceivesthattheundertowistakinghimtosea。Hewouldgowiththemysteriouscurrent；hewouldgoswiftly——andseetheend，thefulfilmentbothblissfulandterrible。
　　Withthisstateofexaltationinwhichhesawhimselfinsomeincomprehensiblewayalwaysvictorious，whatevermightbefall，therewasmingledatenacityofpurpose。Hecouldnotsacrificehisintention，theintentionofyears，theintentionofhislife；
　　hecouldnomorepartwithitandexistthanhecouldcutouthisheartandlive。Theadventurerheldfasttohisadventurewhichmadehiminhisownsightexactlywhathewas。
　　Heconsideredtheproblemwithcoolaudacity，backedbyabeliefinhisownpower。Itwasnotthesetwomenhehadtosave；hehadtosavehimself！Andlookeduponinthiswaythesituationappearedfamiliar。
　　HassimhadtoldhimthetwowhitemenhadbeentakenbytheircaptorstoDaman’scamp。TheyoungRajah，leavinghissisterinthecanoe，hadlandedonthesandandhadcrepttotheveryedgeoflightthrownbythefiresbywhichtheIllanunswerecooking。
　　Damanwassittingapartbyalargerblaze。Twoprausrodeinshallowwaternearthesandbank；ontheridge，asentrywalkedwatchingthelightsofthebrig；thecampwasfullofquietwhispers。Hassimreturnedtohiscanoe，thenheandhissister，paddlingcautiouslyroundtheanchoredpraus，inwhichwomen’svoicescouldbeheard，approachedtheotherendofthecamp。Thelightofthebigblazetherefellonthewaterandthecanoeskirteditwithoutasplash，keepinginthenight。Hassim，landingforthesecondtime，creptagainclosetothefires。Eachprauhad，accordingtothecustomsoftheIllanunroverswhenonaraidingexpedition，asmallerwar—boatandthesebeinglightandmanageablewerehauleduponthesandnotfarfromthebigblaze；theysathighontheshelvingshorethrowingheavyshadows。Hassimcreptuptowardthelargestofthemandthenstandingontiptoecouldlookatthecampacrossthegunwales。
　　Theconfusedtalkingofthemenwaslikethebuzzofinsectsinaforest。Achildwailedonboardoneoftheprausandawomanhailedtheshoreshrilly。Hassimunsheathedhiskrisandhelditinhishand。
　　Verysoon——hesaid——hesawthetwowhitemenwalkingamongstthefires。Theywavedtheirarmsandtalkedtogether，stoppingfromtimetotime；theyapproachedDaman；andtheshortmanwiththehaironhisfaceaddressedhimearnestlyandatgreatlength。
　　DamansatcrossleggeduponalittlecarpetwithanopenKoranonhiskneesandchantedtheversetsswayingtoandfrowithhiseyesshut。
　　TheIllanunchiefsrecliningwrappedincloaksonthegroundraisedthemselvesontheirelbowstolookatthewhites。Whentheshortwhitemanfinishedspeakinghegazeddownatthemforawhile，thenstampedhisfoot。Helookedangrybecausenooneunderstoodhim。Thensuddenlyhelookedverysad；hecoveredhisfacewithhishands；thetallmanputhishandontheshortman’sshoulderandwhisperedintohisear。Thedrywoodofthefirescrackled，theIllanunsslept，cooked，talked，butwiththeirweaponsathand。Anarmedmanortwocameuptostareattheprisonersandthenreturnedtotheirfire。ThetwowhitessankdowninthesandinfrontofDaman。Theirclothesweresoiled，therewassandintheirhair。Thetallmanhadlosthishat；theglassintheeyeoftheshortmanglitteredverymuch；hisbackwasmuddyandonesleeveofhiscoattornuptotheelbow。
　　AllthisHassimsawandthenretreatedundetectedtothatpartoftheshorewhereImmadawaitedforhim，keepingthecanoeafloat。
　　TheIllanuns，trustingtothesea，keptverybadwatchontheirprisoners，andhadhebeenabletospeakwiththemHassimthoughtanescapecouldhavebeeneffected。Buttheycouldnothaveunderstoodhissignsandstilllesshiswords。Heconsultedwithhissister。Immadamurmuredsadly；attheirfeettheripplebrokewithamournfulsoundnolouderthantheirvoices。
　　Hassim’sloyaltywasunshaken，butnowitledhimonnotinthebrightlightofhopesbutinthedeepenedshadowofdoubt。Hewantedtoobtaininformationforhisfriendwhowassopowerfulandwhoperhapswouldknowhowtobeconstant。WhenfollowedbyImmadaheapproachedthecampagain——thistimeopenly——theirappearancedidnotexcitemuchsurprise。ItwaswellknowntotheChiefsoftheIllanunsthattheRajahforwhomtheyweretofight——ifGodsowilled——wasupontheshoalslookingoutforthecomingofthewhitemanwhohadmuchwealthandastoreofweaponsandwhowashisservant。Daman，whoaloneunderstoodtheexactrelation，welcomedthemwithimpenetrablegravity。Hassimtookhisseatonthecarpetathisrighthand。Aconsultationwasbeingheldhalf—aloudinshortandapparentlycarelesssentences，withlongintervalsofsilencebetween。Immada，nestlingclosetoherbrother，leanedonearmonhisshoulderandlistenedwithseriousattentionandwithoutwardcalmasbecameaprincessofWajoaccustomedtoconsortwithwarriorsandstatesmeninmomentsofdangerandinthehoursofdeliberation。Herheartwasbeatingrapidly，andfacingherthesilentwhitemenstaredatthesetwoknownfaces，asifacrossagulf。FourIllanunchiefssatinarow。Theiramplecloaksfellfromtheirshoulders，andlaybehindthemonthesandinwhichtheirfourlonglanceswereplantedupright，eachsupportingasmalloblongshieldofwood，carvedontheedgesandstainedadullpurple。Damanstretchedouthisarmandpointedattheprisoners。Thefacesofthewhitemenwereveryquiet。Damanlookedatthemmutelyandardently，asifconsumedbyanunspeakablelonging。
　　TheKoran，inasilkcover，hungonhisbreastbyacrimsoncord。
　　Itrestedoverhisheartand，justbelow，theplainbuffalo—hornhandleofakris，stuckintothetwistofhissarong，protrudedreadytohishand。Thecloudsthickeningoverthecampmadethedarknesspressheavilyontheglowofscatteredfires。"Thereisbloodbetweenmeandthewhites，"hepronounced，violently。TheIllanunchiefsremainedimpassive。Therewasbloodbetweenthemandallmankind。Hassimremarkeddispassionatelythattherewasonewhitemanwithwhomitwouldbewisetoremainfriendly；andbesides，wasnotDamanhisfriendalready？Damansmiledwithhalf—closedeyes。Hewasthatwhiteman’sfriend，nothisslave。
　　TheIllanunsplayingwiththeirsword—handlesgruntedassent。
　　Why，askedDaman，didthesestrangewhitestravelsofarfromtheircountry？Thegreatwhitemanwhomtheyallknewdidnotwantthem。Noonewantedthem。Evilwouldfollowintheirfootsteps。Theyweresuchmenasaresentbyrulerstoexaminetheaspectsoffar—offcountriesandtalkofpeaceandmaketreaties。Suchisthebeginningofgreatsorrows。TheIllanunswerefarfromtheircountry，wherenowhitemandaredtocome，andthereforetheywerefreetoseektheirenemiesupontheopenwaters。Theyhadfoundthesetwowhohadcometosee。Heaskedwhattheyhadcometosee？Wastherenothingtolookatintheirowncountry？
　　Hetalkedinanironicandsubduedtone。Thescatteredheapsofembersglowedadeeperred；thebigblazeofthechief’sfiresanklowandgrewdimbeforeheceased。Straight—limbedfiguresrose，sank，moved，whisperedonthebeach。Hereandthereaspear—bladecaughtaredgleamabovetheblackshapeofahead。
　　"TheIllanunsseekbootyonthesea，"criedDaman。"Theirfathersandthefathersoftheirfathershavedonethesame，beingfearlesslikethosewhoembracedeathclosely。"
　　Alowlaughwasheard。"Westrikeandgo，"saidanexultingvoice。"Weliveanddiewithourweaponsinourhands。"TheIllanunsleapedtotheirfeet。Theystampedonthesand，flourishingnakedbladesovertheheadsoftheirprisoners。A
　　tumultarose。
　　WhenitsubsidedDamanstoodupinacloakthatwrappedhimtohisfeetandspokeagaingivingadvice。
　　Thewhitemensatonthesandandturnedtheireyesfromfacetofaceasiftryingtounderstand。Itwasagreedtosendtheprisonersintothelagoonwheretheirfatewouldbedecidedbytheruleroftheland。TheIllanunsonlywantedtoplundertheship。Theydidnotcarewhatbecameofthemen。"ButDamancares，"remarkedHassimtoLingard，whenrelatingwhattookplace。"Hecares，OTuan！"
　　HassimhadlearnedalsothattheSettlementwasinastateofunrestasifontheeveofwar。Belarabwithhisfollowerswasencampedbyhisfather’stombinthehollowbeyondthecultivatedfields。Hisstockadewasshutupandnooneappearedontheverandahsofthehouseswithin。Youcouldtelltherewerepeopleinsideonlybythesmokeofthecookingfires。Tengga’sfollowersmeantimeswaggeredabouttheSettlementbehavingtyrannicallytothosewhowerepeaceable。Agreatmadnesshaddescendeduponthepeople，amadnessstrongasthemadnessoflove，themadnessofbattle，thedesiretospillblood。Astrangefearalsohadmadethemwild。ThebigsmokeseenthatmorningabovetheforestsofthecoastwassomeagreedsignalfromTenggatoDamanbutwhatitmeantHassimhadbeenunabletofindout。HefearedforJorgenson’ssafety。Hesaidthatwhileoneofthewar—boatswasbeingmadereadytotakethecaptivesintothelagoon，heandhissisterleftthecampquietlyandgotawayintheircanoe。Theflaresofthebrig，reflectedinafaintloomupontheclouds，enabledthemtomakestraightforthevesselacrossthebanks。
　　Beforetheyhadgonehalfwaytheseflameswentoutandthedarknessseemeddenserthananyhehadknownbefore。Butitwasnogreaterthanthedarknessofhismind——headded。Hehadlookeduponthewhitemensittingunmovedandsilentundertheedgeofswords；hehadlookedatDaman，hehadheardbitterwordsspoken；
　　hewaslookingnowathiswhitefriend——andtheissueofeventshecouldnotsee。Onecanseemen’sfacesbuttheirfate，whichiswrittenontheirforeheads，onecannotsee。Hehadnomoretosay，andwhathehadspokenwastrueineveryword。
　　IV
　　LingardrepeateditalltoMrs。Travers。Hercourage，herintelligence，thequicknessofherapprehension，thecolourofhereyesandtheintrepidityofherglanceevokedinhimanadmiringenthusiasm。Shestoodbyhisside！Everymomentthatfatalillusionclungclosertohissoul——likeagarmentoflight——likeanarmouroffire。
　　Hewasunwillingtofacethefacts。Allhislife——tillthatday——hadbeenawrestlewitheventsinthedaylightofthisworld，butnowhecouldnotbringhismindtotheconsiderationofhisposition。ItwasMrs。Traverswho，afterwaitingawhile，forcedonhimthepainofthoughtbywantingtoknowwhatbearingHassim’snewshaduponthesituation。
　　LingardhadnottheslightestdoubtDamanwantedhimtoknowwhathadbeendonewiththeprisoners。ThatiswhyDamanhadwelcomedHassim，andlethimhearthedecisionandhadallowedhimtoleavethecamponthesandbank。Therecouldbeonlyoneobjectinthis；tolethim，Lingard，knowthattheprisonershadbeenputoutofhisreachaslongasheremainedinhisbrig。Nowthisbrigwashisstrength。Tomakehimleavehisbrigwaslikeremovinghishandfromhissword。
　　"DoyouunderstandwhatImean，Mrs。Travers？"heasked。"TheyareafraidofmebecauseIknowhowtofightthisbrig。TheyfearthebrigbecausewhenIamonboardher，thebrigandIareone。
　　Anarmedman——don’tyousee？WithoutthebrigIamdisarmed，withoutmeshecan’tstrike。SoDamanthinks。Hedoesnotknoweverythingbutheisnotfaroffthetruth。HesaystohimselfthatifImantheboatstogoafterthesewhitesintothelagoonthenhisIllanunswillgettheyachtforsure——andperhapsthebrigaswell。IfIstopherewithmybrigheholdsthetwowhitemenandcantalkasbigashepleases。Belarabbelievesinmenodoubt，butDamantrustsnomanonearth。Hesimplydoesnotknowhowtotrustanyone，becauseheisalwaysplottinghimself。HecametohelpmeandassoonashefoundIwasnottherehebegantoplotwithTengga。Nowhehasmadeamove——aclevermove；acleverermovethanhethinks。Why？I’lltellyouwhy。BecauseI，TomLingard，haven’tasinglewhitemanaboardthisbrigIcantrust。Notone。Ionlyjustdiscoveredmymate’sgotthenotionI
　　amsomekindofpirate。Andallyouryachtpeoplethinkthesame。
　　Itisasthoughyouhadbroughtacurseonmeinyouryacht。
　　Nobodybelievesme。GoodGod！WhathaveIcometo！Eventhosetwo——lookatthem——Isaylookatthem！Byallthestarstheydoubtme！Me！……"
　　HepointedatHassimandImmada。Thegirlseemedfrightened。
　　Hassimlookedoncalmandintelligentwithinexhaustiblepatience。Lingard’svoicefellsuddenly。
　　"Andbyheavenstheymayberight。Whoknows？You？Doyouknow？
　　Theyhavewaitedforyears。Look。Theyarewaitingwithheavyhearts。DoyouthinkthatIdon’tcare？OughtItohavekeptitallin——toldnoone——noone——notevenyou？Aretheywaitingforwhatwillnevercomenow？"
　　Mrs。Traversroseandmovedquicklyroundthetable。"Canwegiveanythingtothis——thisDamanortheseothermen？Wecouldgivethemmorethantheycouldthinkofasking。I——myhusband……"
　　"Don’ttalktomeofyourhusband，"hesaid，roughly。"Youdon’tknowwhatyouaredoing。"Sheconfrontedthesombreangerofhiseyes——"ButImust，"sheassertedwithheat。——"Must，"hemused，noticingthatshewasonlyhalfaheadlesstallthanhimself。
　　"Must！Oh，yes。Ofcourse，youmust。Must！Yes。ButIdon’twanttohear。Give！Whatcanyougive？YoumayhaveallthetreasuresoftheworldforallIknow。No！Youcan’tgiveanything……"
　　"IwasthinkingofyourdifficultywhenIspoke，"sheinterrupted。Hiseyeswandereddownwardfollowingthelineofhershoulder。——"Ofme——ofme！"herepeated。
　　Allthiswassaidalmostinwhispers。Thesoundofslowfootstepswasheardondeckabovetheirheads。Lingardturnedhisfacetotheopenskylight。
　　"Ondeckthere！Anywind？"
　　Allwasstillforamoment。Somebodyaboveansweredinaleisurelytone：
　　"Asteadylittledraughtfromthenorthward。"
　　Thenafterapauseaddedinamutter：
　　"Pitchdark。"
　　"Aye，darkenough，"murmuredLingard。Hemustdosomething。Now。
　　Atonce。Theworldwaswaiting。Theworldfullofhopesandfear。
　　Whatshouldhedo？Insteadofansweringthatquestionhetracedtheungleamingcoilsofhertwistedhairandbecamefascinatedbyastraylockatherneck。Whatshouldhedo？Noonetoleavehisbrigto。ThevoicethathadansweredhisquestionwasCarter’svoice。"Heishangingaboutkeepinghiseyeonme，"hesaidtoMrs。Travers。Sheshookherheadandtriedtosmile。Themanabovecougheddiscreetly。"No，"saidLingard，"youmustunderstandthatyouhavenothingtogive。"
　　Themanondeckwhoseemedtohavelingeredbytheskylightwasheardsayingquietly，"Iamathandifyouwantme，Mrs。
　　Travers。"HassimandImmadalookedup。"Yousee，"exclaimedLingard。"WhatdidItellyou？He’skeepinghiseyeonme！Onboardmyownship。AmIdreaming？AmIinafever？Tellhimtocomedown，"hesaidafterapause。Mrs。TraversdidsoandLingardthoughthervoiceverycommandingandverysweet。
　　"There’snothingintheworldIlovesomuchasthisbrig，"hewenton。"Nothingintheworld。IfIlostherIwouldhavenostandingroomontheearthformyfeet。Youdon’tunderstandthis。Youcan’t。"
　　Cartercameinandshutthecabindoorcarefully。Helookedwithserenityateveryoneinturn。
　　"Allquiet？"askedLingard。
　　"Quietenoughifyouliketocallitso，"heanswered。"Butifyouonlyputyourheadoutsidethedooryou’llhearthemallonthequarter—decksnoringagainsteachother，asiftherewerenowivesathomeandnopiratesatsea。"
　　"Lookhere，"saidLingard。"IfoundoutthatIcan’ttrustmymate。"
　　"Can’tyou？"drawledCarter。"Iamnotexactlysurprised。ImustsayHEdoesnotsnorebutIbelieveitisbecauseheistoocrazytosleep。Hewaylaidmeonthepoopjustnowandsaidsomethingaboutevilcommunicationscorruptinggoodmanners。SeemstomeI’veheardthatbefore。Queerthingtosay。Hetriedtomakeitoutsomehowthatifhewasn’tcorruptitwasn’tyourfault。Asifthiswasanyconcernofmine。He’sasmadashe’sfat——orelseheputsiton。"Carterlaughedalittleandleanedhisshouldersagainstabulkhead。
　　LingardgazedatthewomanwhoexpectedsomuchfromhimandinthelightsheseemedtoshedhesawhimselfleadingacolumnofarmedboatstotheattackoftheSettlement。Hecouldburnthewholeplacetothegroundanddriveeverysoulofthemintothebush。Hecould！Andtherewasasurprise，ashock，avaguehorroratthethoughtofthedestructivepowerofhiswill。Hecouldgivehereversomanylives。Hehadseenheryesterday，anditseemedtohimhehadbeenallhislifewaitingforhertomakeasign。Shewasverystill。Heponderedaplanofattack。Hesawsmokeandflame——andnextmomenthesawhimselfaloneamongstshapelessruinswiththewhispers，withthesighandmoanoftheShallowsinhisears。Heshuddered，andshakinghishand：
　　"No！Icannotgiveyouallthoselives！"hecried。
　　Then，beforeMrs。Traverscouldguessthemeaningofthisoutburst，hedeclaredthatasthetwocaptivesmustbesavedhewouldgoaloneintothelagoon。Hecouldnotthinkofusingforce。"Youunderstandwhy，"hesaidtoMrs。Traversandshewhisperedafaint"Yes。"Hewouldruntheriskalone。HishopewasinBelarabbeingabletoseewherehistrueinterestlay。"IfIcanonlygetathimIwouldsoonmakehimsee，"hemusedaloud。
　　"Haven’tIkepthispowerupforthesetwoyearspast？Andheknowsit，too。Hefeelsit。"WhetherhewouldbeallowedtoreachBelarabwasanothermatter。Lingardlosthimselfindeepthought。
　　"Hewouldnotdare，"heburstout。Mrs。Traverslistenedwithpartedlips。Carterdidnotmoveamuscleofhisyouthfulandself—possessedface；onlywhenLingard，turningsuddenly，cameupclosetohimandaskedwitharedflashofeyesandinaloweredvoice，"Couldyoufightthisbrig？"somethinglikeasmilemadeastiramongstthehairsofhislittlefairmoustache。
　　"’CouldI？"hesaid。"Icouldtry，anyhow。"Hepaused，andaddedhardlyabovehisbreath，"Forthelady——ofcourse。"
　　Lingardseemedstaggeredasthoughhehadbeenhitinthechest。
　　"Iwasthinkingofthebrig，"hesaid，gently。
　　"Mrs。Traverswouldbeonboard，"retortedCarter。
　　"What！onboard。Ahyes；onboard。Whereelse？"stammeredLingard。
　　Carterlookedathiminamazement。"Fight！Youask！"hesaid，slowly。"Youjusttryme。"
　　"Ishall，"ejaculatedLingard。Heleftthecabincallingout"serang！"Athincrackedvoicewasheardimmediatelyanswering，"Tuan！"andthedoorslammedto。
　　"Youtrusthim，Mrs。Travers？"askedCarter，rapidly。
　　"Youdonot——why？"sheanswered。
　　"Ican’tmakehimout。IfhewasanotherkindofmanIwouldsayhewasdrunk，"saidCarter。"Whyishehereatall——he，andthisbrigofhis？Excusemyboldness——buthaveyoupromisedhimanything？"
　　"I——Ipromised！"exclaimedMrs。TraversinabittertonewhichsilencedCarterforamoment。
　　"Somuchthebetter，"hesaidatlast。"Lethimshowwhathecandofirstand……"
　　"Here！Takethis，"saidLingard，whore—enteredthecabinfumblingabouthisneck。Cartermechanicallyextendedhishand。
　　"What’sthisfor？"heasked，lookingatasmallbrasskeyattachedtoathinchain。
　　"Powdermagazine。Trapdoorunderthetable。ThemanwhohasthiskeycommandsthebrigwhileIamaway。Theserangunderstands。
　　Youhaveherverylifeinyourhandthere。"
　　Carterlookedatthesmallkeylyinginhishalf—openpalm。
　　"IwasjusttellingMrs。TraversIdidn’ttrustyou——notaltogether……"
　　"Iknowallaboutit，"interruptedLingard，contemptuously。"Youcarryablamedpistolinyourpockettoblowmybrainsout——don’tyou？What’sthattome？Iamthinkingofthebrig。IthinkIknowyoursort。Youwilldo。"
　　"Well，perhapsImight，"mumbledCarter，modestly。
　　"Don’tberash，"saidLingard，anxiously。"Ifyou’vegottofightuseyourheadaswellasyourhands。Ifthere’sabreezefightunderway。Iftheyshouldtrytoboardinacalm，trusttothesmallarmstoholdthemoff。Keepyourheadand——"HelookedintenselyintoCarter’seyes；hislipsworkedwithoutasoundasthoughhehadbeensuddenlystruckdumb。"Don’tthinkaboutme。
　　What’sthattoyouwhoIam？Thinkoftheship，"heburstout。
　　"Don’tlethergo！——Don’tlethergo！"Thepassioninhisvoiceimpressedhishearerswhoforatimepreservedaprofoundsilence。
　　"Allright，"saidCarteratlast。"Iwillsticktoyourbrigasthoughsheweremyown；butIwouldliketoseeclearthroughallthis。Lookhere——youaregoingoffsomewhere？Alone，yousaid？"
　　"Yes。Alone。"
　　"Verywell。Mind，then，thatyoudon’tcomebackwithacrowdofthosebrownfriendsofyours——orbytheHeavensaboveusIwon’tletyoucomewithinhailofyourownship。AmItokeepthiskey？"
　　"CaptainLingard，"saidMrs。Traverssuddenly。"Woulditnotbebettertotellhimeverything？"
　　"Tellhimeverything？"repeatedLingard。"Everything！Yesterdayitmighthavebeendone。Onlyyesterday！Yesterday，didIsay？
　　Onlysixhoursago——onlysixhoursagoIhadsomethingtotell。
　　Youheardit。Andnowit’sgone。Tellhim！There’snothingtotellanymore。"Heremainedforatimewithbowedhead，whilebeforehimMrs。Travers，whohadbegunagestureofprotest，droppedherarmssuddenly。Inamomenthelookedupagain。
　　"Keepthekey，"hesaid，calmly，"andwhenthetimecomesstepforwardandtakecharge。Iamsatisfied。"
　　"Iwouldliketoseeclearthroughallthisthough，"mutteredCarteragain。"Andforhowlongareyouleavingus，Captain？"
　　Lingardmadenoanswer。Carterwaitedawhile。"Come，sir，"heurged。"Ioughttohavesomenotion。Whatisit？Two，threedays？"Lingardstarted。
　　"Days，"herepeated。"Ah，days。Whatisityouwanttoknow？Two……three——whatdidtheoldfellowsay——perhapsforlife。"ThiswasspokensolowthatnoonebutCarterheardthelastwords。——"Doyoumeanit？"hemurmured。Lingardnodded。——"Waitaslongasyoucan——thengo，"hesaidinthesamehardlyaudiblevoice。"Gowhere？"——"Whereyoulike，nearestport，anyport。"——"Verygood。That’ssomethingplainatanyrate，"
　　commentedtheyoungmanwithimperturbablegoodhumour。
　　"Igo，OHassim！"beganLingardandtheMalaymadeaslowinclinationoftheheadwhichhedidnotraiseagaintillLingardhadceasedspeaking。HebetrayedneithersurprisenoranyotheremotionwhileLingardinafewconciseandsharpsentencesmadehimacquaintedwithhispurposetobringaboutsinglehandedthereleaseoftheprisoners。WhenLingardhadendedwiththewords：
　　"Andyoumustfindawaytohelpmeinthetimeoftrouble，O
　　RajahHassim，"helookedupandsaid：
　　"Good。Youneveraskedmeforanythingbefore。"
　　Hesmiledathiswhitefriend。Therewassomethingsubtleinthesmileandafterwardanaddedfirmnessinthereposeofthelips。
　　Immadamovedastepforward。ShelookedatLingardwithterrorinherblackanddilatedeyes。Sheexclaimedinavoicewhosevibrationstartledtheheartsofallthehearerswithanindefinablesenseofalarm，"Hewillperish，Hassim！Hewillperishalone！"
　　"No，"saidHassim。"Thyfearisasvainto—nightasitwasatsunrise。Heshallnotperishalone。"
　　Hereyelidsdroppedslowly。Fromherveiledeyesthetearsfell，vanishinginthesilence。Lingard’sforeheadbecamefurrowedbyfoldsthatseemedtocontainaninfinityofsombrethoughts。
　　"Remember，OHassim，thatwhenIpromisedyoutotakeyoubacktoyourcountryyoupromisedmetobeafriendtoallwhitemen。A
　　friendtoallwhiteswhoareofmypeople，forever。"
　　"Mymemoryisgood，OTuan，"saidHassim；"Iamnotyetbackinmycountry，butisnoteveryonetherulerofhisownheart？
　　Promisesmadebyamanofnoblebirthliveaslongasthespeakerendures。"
　　"Good—bye，"saidLingardtoMrs。Travers。"Youwillbesafehere。"Helookedallaroundthecabin。"Ileaveyou，"hebeganagainandstoppedshort。Mrs。Travers’hand，restinglightlyontheedgeofthetable，begantotremble。"It’sforyou……Yes。
　　Foryoualone……anditseemsitcan’tbe……"
　　Itseemedtohimthathewassayinggood—byetoalltheworld，thathewastakingalastleaveofhisownself。Mrs。Traversdidnotsayaword，butImmadathrewherselfbetweenthemandcried：
　　"Youareacruelwoman！Youaredrivinghimawayfromwherehisstrengthis。Youputmadnessintohisheart，O！Blind——withoutpity——withoutshame！……"
　　"Immada，"saidHassim’scalmvoice。Nobodymoved。
　　"Whatdidshesaytome？"falteredMrs。Traversandagainrepeatedinavoicethatsoundedhard，"Whatdidshesay？"
　　"Forgiveher，"saidLingard。"Herfearsareforme……"——"It’saboutyourgoing？"Mrs。Traversinterrupted，swiftly。
　　"Yes，itis——andyoumustforgiveher。"Hehadturnedawayhiseyeswithsomethingthatresembledembarrassmentbutsuddenlyhewasassailedbyanirresistiblelongingtolookagainatthatwoman。Atthemomentofpartingheclungtoherwithhisglanceasamanholdswithhishandsapricelessanddisputedpossession。ThefaintblushthatoverspreadgraduallyMrs。
　　Travers’featuresgaveherfaceanairofextraordinaryandstartlinganimation。
　　"Thedangeryourun？"sheasked，eagerly。Herepelledthesuggestionbyaslightinggestureofthehand。——"Nothingworthlookingattwice。Don’tgiveitathought，"hesaid。"I’vebeenintighterplaces。"Heclappedhishandsandwaitedtillheheardthecabindooropenbehindhisback。"Steward，mypistols。"Themulattoinslippers，apronedtothechin，glidedthroughthecabinwithunseeingeyesasthoughforhimnoonetherehadexisted……——"Isitmyheartthatachesso？"Mrs。Traversaskedherself，contemplatingLingard’smotionlessfigure。"Howlongwillthissensationofdullpainlast？Willitlastforever。