\"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。