\"You’llsoongetused——\"mutteredLingard，swinginginhisrapidwalkpasthismate。Thenheturnedround，cameback，andaskedsharply。
\"Yousaidtherewasnothingafloatinsightbeforedark？Hey？\"
\"NotthatIcouldsee，sir。WhenItookthedeckagainateight，Iaskedthatserangwhethertherewasanythingabout；andI
understoodhimtosaytherewasnomoreaswhenIwentbelowatsix。Thisisalonelyseaattimes——ain’tit，sir？Now，onewouldthinkatthistimeoftheyearthehomeward—boundersfromChinawouldbeprettythickhere。\"
\"Yes，\"saidLingard，\"wehavemetveryfewshipssinceweleftPedraBrancaoverthestern。Yes；ithasbeenalonelysea。Butforallthat，Shaw，thissea，iflonely，isnotblind。Everyislandinitisaneye。Andnow，sinceoursquadronhasleftfortheChinawaters——\"
Hedidnotfinishhissentence。Shawputhishandsinhispockets，andproppedhisbackagainstthesky—light，comfortably。
\"TheysaythereisgoingtobeawarwithChina，\"hesaidinagossipingtone，\"andtheFrencharegoingalongwithusastheydidintheCrimeafiveyearsago。Itseemstomewe’regettingmightygoodfriendswiththeFrench。I’venotmuchofanopinionaboutthat。Whatdoyouthink，CaptainLingard？\"
\"Ihavemettheirmen—of—warinthePacific，\"saidLingard，slowly。\"Theshipswerefineandthefellowsinthemwerecivilenoughtome——andverycuriousaboutmybusiness，\"headdedwithalaugh。\"However，Iwasn’ttheretomakewaronthem。Ihadarottenoldcutterthen，fortrade，Shaw，\"hewentonwithanimation。
\"Hadyou，sir？\"saidShawwithoutanyenthusiasm。\"Nowgivemeabigship——aship，Isay，thatonemay——\"
\"Andlateron，someyearsago，\"interruptedLingard，\"IchummedwithaFrenchskipperinAmpanam——beingtheonlytwowhitemeninthewholeplace。Hewasagoodfellow，andfreewithhisredwine。HisEnglishwasdifficulttounderstand，buthecouldsingsongsinhisownlanguageaboutah—moor——Ah—moormeanslove，inFrench——Shaw。\"
\"Soitdoes，sir——soitdoes。WhenIwassecondmateofaSunderlandbarque，inforty—one，intheMediterranean，Icouldpayouttheirlingoaseasyasyouwouldafive—inchwarpoveraship’sside——\"
\"Yes，hewasaproperman，\"pursuedLingard，meditatively，asifforhimselfonly。\"Youcouldnotfindabetterfellowforcompanyashore。HehadanaffairwithaBaligirl，whooneeveningthrewaredblossomathimfromwithinadoorway，asweweregoingtogethertopayourrespectstotheRajah’snephew。Hewasagood—lookingFrenchman，hewas——butthegirlbelongedtotheRajah’snephew，anditwasaseriousmatter。TheoldRajahgotangryandsaidthegirlmustdie。Idon’tthinkthenephewcaredparticularlytohaveherkrissed；buttheoldfellowmadeagreatfussandsentoneofhisownchiefmentoseethethingdone——andthegirlhadenemies——herownrelationsapproved！Wecoulddonothing。Mind，Shaw，therewasabsolutelynothingelsebetweenthembutthatunluckyflowerwhichtheFrenchmanpinnedtohiscoat——andafterward，whenthegirlwasdead，woreunderhisshirt，hungroundhisneckinasmallbox。Isupposehehadnothingelsetoputitinto。\"
\"Wouldthosesavageskillawomanforthat？\"askedShaw，incredulously。
\"Aye！Theyareprettymoralthere。ThatwasthefirsttimeinmylifeInearlywenttowaronmyownaccount，Shaw。Wecouldn’ttalkthosefellowsover。Wecouldn’tbribethem，thoughtheFrenchmanofferedthebesthehad，andIwasreadytobackhimtothelastdollar，tothelastragofcotton，Shaw！Nouse——theywerethatblamedrespectable。So，saystheFrenchmantome：’Myfriend，iftheywon’ttakeourgunpowderforagiftletusburnittogivethemlead。’Iwasarmedasyouseenow；sixeight—poundersonthemaindeckandalongeighteenontheforecastle——andIwantedtotry’em。Youmaybelieveme！However，theFrenchmanhadnothingbutafewoldmuskets；andthebeggarsgottowindwardofusbyfairwords，tillonemorningaboat’screwfromtheFrenchman’sshipfoundthegirllyingdeadonthebeach。Thatputanendtoourplans。Shewasoutofhertroubleanyhow，andnoreasonablemanwillfightforadeadwoman。Iwasnevervengeful，Shaw，and——afterall——shedidn’tthrowthatfloweratme。ButitbroketheFrenchmanupaltogether。Hebegantomope，didnobusiness，andshortlyafterwardsailedaway。I
clearedagoodmanypenceoutofthattrip，Iremember。\"
Withthesewordsheseemedtocometotheendofhismemoriesofthattrip。Shawstifledayawn。
\"Womenarethecauseofalotoftrouble，\"hesaid，dispassionately。\"IntheMorayshire，Iremember，wehadonceapassenger——anoldgentleman——whowastellingusayarnaboutthemold—timeGreeksfightingfortenyearsaboutsomewoman。TheTurkskidnappedher，orsomething。Anyway，theyfoughtinTurkey；
whichImaywellbelieve。ThemGreeksandTurkswerealwaysfighting。Myfatherwasmaster’smateonboardoneofthethree—deckersatthebattleofNavarino——andthatwaswhenwewenttohelpthoseGreeks。Butthisaffairaboutawomanwaslongbeforethattime。\"
\"Ishouldthinkso，\"mutteredLingard，hangingovertherail，andwatchingthefleetinggleamsthatpasseddeepdowninthewater，alongtheship’sbottom。
\"Yes。Timesarechanged。Theywereunenlightenedinthoseolddays。Mygrandfatherwasapreacherand，thoughmyfatherservedinthenavy，Idon’tholdwithwar。Sinfultheoldgentlemancalledit——andIthinkso，too。UnlesswithChinamen，orniggers，orsuchpeopleasmustbekeptinorderandwon’tlistentoreason；havingnotsenseenoughtoknowwhat’sgoodforthem，whenit’sexplainedtothembytheirbetters——missionaries，andsuchlikeau—tho—ri—ties。Buttofighttenyears。Andforawoman！\"
\"Ihavereadthetaleinabook，\"saidLingard，speakingdownoverthesideasifsettinghiswordsgentlyafloatuponthesea。
\"Ihavereadthetale。Shewasverybeautiful。\"
\"Thatonlymakesitworse，sir——ifanything。Youmaydependonitshewasnogood。Thosepagantimeswillnevercomeback，thankGod。Tenyearsofmurderandunrighteousness！Andforawoman！
Wouldanybodydoitnow？Wouldyoudoit，sir？Wouldyou——\"
ThesoundofabellstrucksharplyinterruptedShaw’sdiscourse。
Highaloft，somedryblocksentoutascreech，shortandlamentable，likeacryofpain。Itpiercedthequietnessofthenighttotheverycore，andseemedtodestroythereservewhichithadimposeduponthetonesofthetwomen，whospokenowloudly。
\"Throwthecoveroverthebinnacle，\"saidLingardinhisdutyvoice。\"Thethingshineslikeafullmoon。Wemustn’tshowmorelightsthanwecanhelp，whenbecalmedatnightsoneartheland。
Nouseinbeingseenifyoucan’tseeyourself——isthere？Bearthatinmind，Mr。Shaw。Theremaybesomevagabondspryingabout——\"
\"Ithoughtallthiswasoveranddonefor，\"saidShaw，busyinghimselfwiththecover，\"sinceSirThomasCochranesweptalongtheBorneocoastwithhissquadronsomeyearsago。Hedidararelotoffighting——didn’the？WeheardaboutitfromthechapsofthesloopDianathatwasrefittinginCalcuttawhenIwasthereintheWarwickCastle。Theytooksomeking’stownupariverhereabouts。Thechapswerefullofit。\"
\"SirThomasdidgoodwork，\"answeredLingard，\"butitwillbealongtimebeforetheseseasareassafeastheEnglishChannelisinpeacetime。Ispokeaboutthatlightmoretogetyouinthewayofthingstobeattendedtointheseseasthanforanythingelse。Didyounoticehowfewnativecraftwe’vesightedforallthesedayswehavebeendriftingabout——onemaysay——inthissea？\"
\"Ican’tsayIhaveattachedanysignificancetothefact，sir。\"
\"It’sasignthatsomethingisup。Oncesetarumourafloatinthesewaters，anditwillmakeitswayfromislandtoisland，withoutanybreezetodriveitalong。\"
\"Beingmyselfadeep—watermansailingsteadilyoutofhomeportsnearlyallmylife，\"saidShawwithgreatdeliberation，\"Icannotpretendtoseethroughthepeculiaritiesofthemout—of—the—wayparts。ButIcankeepalookoutinanordinaryway，andIhavenoticedthatcraftofanykindseemedscarce，forthelastfewdays：consideringthatwehadlandaboardofus——onesideoranother——nearlyeveryday。\"
\"Youwillgettoknowthepeculiarities，asyoucallthem，ifyouremainanytimewithme，\"remarkedLingard，negligently。
\"IhopeIshallgivesatisfaction，whetherthetimebelongorshort！\"saidShaw，accentuatingthemeaningofhiswordsbythedistinctnessofhisutterance。\"Amanwhohasspentthirty—twoyearsofhislifeonsaltwatercansaynomore。IfbeinganofficerofhomeshipsforthelastfifteenyearsIdon’tunderstandtheheathenwaysofthemtheresavages，inmattersofseamanshipandduty，youwillfindmeallthere，CaptainLingard。\"
\"Except，judgingfromwhatyousaidalittlewhileago——exceptinthematteroffighting，\"saidLingard，withashortlaugh。
\"Fighting！Iamnotawarethatanybodywantstofightme。Iamapeaceableman，CaptainLingard，butwhenputtoit，Icouldfightaswellasanyofthemflat—nosedchapswehavetomakeshiftwith，insteadofapropercrewofdecentChristians。Fighting！\"
hewentonwithunexpectedpugnacityoftone，\"Fighting！Ifanybodycomestofightme，hewillfindmeallthere，Iswear！\"
\"That’sallright。That’sallright，\"saidLingard，stretchinghisarmsabovehisheadandwrigglinghisshoulders。\"Myword！I
dowishabreezewouldcometoletusgetawayfromhere。Iamratherinahurry，Shaw。\"
\"Indeed，sir！Well，Ineveryetmetathoroughseafaringmanwhowasnotinahurrywhenacon—demnedspellofcalmhadhimbytheheels。Whenabreezecomes……justlistentothis，sir！\"
\"Ihearit，\"saidLingard。\"Tide—rip，Shaw。\"
\"SoIpresume，sir。Butwhatafussitmakes。Seldomheardsucha——\"
Onthesea，uponthefurthestlimitsofvision，appearedanadvancingstreakofseethingfoam，resemblinganarrowwhiteribbon，drawnrapidlyalongthelevelsurfaceofthewaterbyitstwoends，whichwerelostinthedarkness。Itreachedthebrig，passedunder，stretchingoutoneachside；andoneachsidethewaterbecamenoisy，breakingintonumerousandtinywavelets，amimicryofanimmenseagitation。Yetthevesselinthemidstofthissuddenandlouddisturbanceremainedasmotionlessandsteadyasifshehadbeensecurelymooredbetweenthestonewallsofasafedock。Inafewmomentsthelineoffoamandripplerunningswiftlynorthpassedatoncebeyondsightandearshot，leavingnotraceontheunconquerablecalm。
\"Nowthisisverycurious——\"beganShaw。
Lingardmadeagesturetocommandsilence。Heseemedtolistenyet，asifthewashoftheripplecouldhavehadanechowhichheexpectedtohear。Andaman’svoicethatwasheardforwardhadsomethingoftheimpersonalringofvoicesthrownbackfromhardandloftycliffsupontheemptydistancesofthesea。ItspokeinMalay——faintly。
\"What？\"hailedShaw。\"Whatisit？\"
Lingardputarestraininghandforamomentonhischiefofficer’sshoulder，andmovedforwardsmartly。Shawfollowed，puzzled。Therapidexchangeofincomprehensiblewordsthrownbackwardandforwardthroughtheshadowsofthebrig’smaindeckfromhiscaptaintothelookoutmanandbackagain，madehimfeelsadlyoutofit，somehow。
Lingardhadcalledoutsharply——\"Whatdoyousee？\"Theanswerdirectandquickwas——\"Ihear，Tuan。Ihearoars。\"
\"Whereabouts？\"
\"Thenightisallaroundus。Ihearthemnear。\"
\"Portorstarboard？\"
Therewasashortdelayinanswerthistime。Onthequarter—deck，underthepoop，barefeetshuffled。Somebodycoughed。Atlastthevoiceforwardsaiddoubtfully：
\"Kanan。\"
\"Calltheserang，Mr。Shaw，\"saidLingard，calmly，\"andhavethehandsturnedup。Theyarealllyingaboutthedecks。Looksharpnow。There’ssomethingnearus。It’sannoyingtobecaughtlikethis，\"headdedinavexedtone。
Hecrossedovertothestarboardside，andstoodlistening，onehandgraspingtheroyalback—stay，hisearturnedtothesea，buthecouldhearnothingfromthere。Thequarter—deckwasfilledwithsubduedsounds。Suddenly，along，shrillwhistlesoared，reverberatedloudlyamongsttheflatsurfacesofmotionlesssails，andgraduallygrewfaintasifthesoundhadescapedandgoneaway，runninguponthewater。HajiWasubwasondeckandreadytocarryoutthewhiteman’scommands。Thensilencefellagainonthebrig，untilShawspokequietly。
\"Iamgoingforwardnow，sir，withthetindal。We’reallatstations。\"
\"Aye，Mr。Shaw。Verygood。Mindtheydon’tboardyou——butIcanhearnothing。Notasound。Itcan’tbemuch。\"
\"Thefellowhasbeendreaming，nodoubt。Ihavegoodears，too，and——\"
Hewentforwardandtheendofhissentencewaslostinanindistinctgrowl。Lingardstoodattentive。Onebyonethethreeseacanniesoffdutyappearedonthepoopandbusiedthemselvesaroundabigchestthatstoodbythesideofthecabincompanion。
Arattleandclinkofsteelweaponsturnedoutonthedeckwasheard，butthemendidnotevenwhisper。Lingardpeeredsteadilyintothenight，thenshookhishead。
\"Serang！\"hecalled，halfaloud。
Thespareoldmanranuptheladdersosmartlythathisbonyfeetdidnotseemtotouchthesteps。Hestoodbyhiscommander，hishandsbehindhisback；afigureindistinctbutstraightasanarrow。
\"Whowaslookingout？\"askedLingard。
\"Badroon，theBugis，\"saidWasub，inhiscrisp，jerkymanner。
\"Icanhearnothing。Badroonheardthenoiseinhismind。\"
\"Thenighthidestheboat。\"
\"Haveyouseenit？\"
\"Yes，Tuan。Smallboat。Beforesunset。Bytheland。Nowcominghere——near。Badroonheardhim。\"
\"Whydidn’tyoureportit，then？\"askedLingard，sharply。
\"Malimspoke。Hesaid：’Nothingthere，’whileIcouldsee。HowcouldIknowwhatwasinhismindoryours，Tuan？\"
\"Doyouhearanythingnow？\"
\"No。Theystoppednow。Perhapslosttheship——whoknows？Perhapsafraid——\"
\"Well！\"mutteredLingard，movinghisfeetuneasily。\"Ibelieveyoulie。Whatkindofboat？\"
\"Whitemen’sboat。Afour—menboat，Ithink。Small。Tuan，Ihearhimnow！There！\"
Hestretchedhisarmstraightout，pointingabeamforatime，thenhisarmfellslowly。
\"Comingthisway，\"headdedwithdecision。
FromforwardShawcalledoutinastartledtone：
\"Somethingonthewater，sir！Broadonthisbow！\"
\"Allright！\"calledbackLingard。
Alumpofblackerdarknessfloatedintohisview。FromitcameoverthewaterEnglishwords——deliberate，reachinghimonebyone；asifeachhadmadeitsowndifficultwaythroughtheprofoundstillnessofthenight。
\"What——ship——is——that——pray？\"
\"Englishbrig，\"answeredLingard，afterashortmomentofhesitation。
\"Abrig！Ithoughtyouweresomethingbigger，\"wentonthevoicefromtheseawithatingeofdisappointmentinitsdeliberatetone。\"Iamcomingalongside——if——you——please。\"
\"No！youdon’t！\"calledLingardback，sharply。Theleisurelydrawloftheinvisiblespeakerseemedtohimoffensive，andwokeupahostilefeeling。\"No！youdon’tifyoucareforyourboat。
Wheredoyouspringfrom？Whoareyou——anyhow？Howmanyofyouarethereinthatboat？\"
Aftertheseemphaticquestionstherewasanintervalofsilence。
Duringthattimetheshapeoftheboatbecamealittlemoredistinct。Shemusthavecarriedsomewayonheryet，forsheloomedupbiggerandnearlyabreastofwhereLingardstood，beforetheself—possessedvoicewasheardagain：
\"Iwillshowyou。\"
Then，afteranothershortpause，thevoicesaid，lessloudbutveryplain：
\"Strikeonthegunwale。Strikehard，John！\"andsuddenlyabluelightblazedout，illuminatingwithalividflamearoundpatchinthenight。Inthesmokeandsplutterofthatghastlyhaloappearedawhite，four—oaredgigwithfivemensittinginherinarow。Theirheadswereturnedtowardthebrigwithastrongexpressionofcuriosityontheirfaces，which，inthisglare，brilliantandsinister，tookonadeathlikeaspectandresembledthefacesofinterestedcorpses。Thenthebowmandroppedintothewaterthelightheheldabovehisheadandthedarkness，rushingbackattheboat，swalloweditwithaloudandangryhiss。
\"Fiveofus，\"saidthecomposedvoiceoutofthenightthatseemednowdarkerthanbefore。\"Fourhandsandmyself。Webelongtoayacht——aBritishyacht——\"
\"Comeonboard！\"shoutedLingard。\"Whydidn’tyouspeakatonce？
IthoughtyoumighthavebeensomemasqueradingDutchmenfromadodginggunboat。\"
\"DoIspeaklikeablamedDutchman？Pullastroke，boys——oars！
Tendbow，John。\"
Theboatcamealongsidewithagentleknock，andaman’sshapebegantoclimbatonceupthebrig’ssidewithakindofponderousagility。Itpoiseditselfforamomentontherailtosaydownintotheboat——\"Sheeroffalittle，boys，\"thenjumpedondeckwithathud，andsaidtoShawwhowascomingaft：\"Goodevening……Captain，sir？\"
\"No。Onthepoop！\"growledShaw。
\"Comeuphere。Comeup，\"calledLingard，impatiently。
TheMalayshadlefttheirstationsandstoodclusteredbythemainmastinasilentgroup。Notawordwasspokenonthebrig’sdecks，whilethestrangermadehiswaytothewaitingcaptain。
Lingardsawapproachinghimashort，dapperman，whotouchedhiscapandrepeatedhisgreetinginacooldrawl：
\"Goodevening……Captain，sir？\"
\"Yes，Iamthemaster——what’sthematter？Adriftfromyourship？
Orwhat？\"
\"Adrift？No！Weleftherfourdaysago，andhavebeenpullingthatgiginacalm，nearlyeversince。Mymenaredone。Soisthewater。LuckythingIsightedyou。\"
\"Yousightedme！\"exclaimedLingard。\"When？Whattime？\"
\"Notinthedark，youmaybesure。We’vebeenknockingaboutamongstsomeislandstothesouthward，breakingourheartstuggingattheoarsinonechannel，theninanother——tryingtogetclear。Wegotroundanislet——abarrenthing，inshapelikealoafofsugar——andIcaughtsightofavesselalongwayoff。I
tookherbearinginahurryandwebuckledto；butanotherofthemcurrentsmusthavehadholdofus，foritwasalongtimebeforewemanagedtoclearthatislet。Isteeredbythestars，and，bytheLordHarry，IbegantothinkIhadmissedyousomehow——becauseitmusthavebeenyouIsaw。\"
\"Yes，itmusthavebeen。Wehadnothinginsightallday，\"
assentedLingard。\"Where’syourvessel？\"heasked，eagerly。
\"Hardandfastonmiddlingsoftmud——Ishouldthinkaboutsixtymilesfromhere。Wearethesecondboatsentoffforassistance。
WepartedcompanywiththeotheronTuesday。Shemusthavepassedtothenorthwardofyouto—day。ThechiefofficerisinherwithorderstomakeforSingapore。Iamsecond，andwassentofftowardtheStraitshereonthechanceoffallinginwithsomeship。Ihavealetterfromtheowner。Ourgentryaretiredofbeingstuckinthemudandwishforassistance。\"
\"Whatassistancedidyouexpecttofinddownhere？\"
\"Theletterwilltellyouthat。MayIask，Captain，foralittlewaterforthechapsinmyboat？AndImyselfwouldthankyouforadrink。Wehaven’thadamouthfulsincethisafternoon。Ourbreakerleakedoutsomehow。\"
\"Seetoit，Mr。Shaw，\"saidLingard。\"Comedownthecabin，Mr。——\"
\"Carterismyname。\"
\"Ah！Mr。Carter。Comedown，comedown，\"wentonLingard，leadingthewaydownthecabinstairs。
Thestewardhadlightedtheswinginglamp，andhadputadecanterandbottlesonthetable。Thecuddylookedcheerful，paintedwhite，withgoldmouldingsroundthepanels。Oppositethecurtainedrecessofthesternwindowstherewasasideboardwithamarbletop，and，aboveit，alooking—glassinagiltframe。Thesemicircularcouchroundthesternhadcushionsofcrimsonplush。
ThetablewascoveredwithablackIndiantableclothembroideredinvividcolours。Betweenthebeamsofthepoop—deckwerefittedracksformuskets，thebarrelsofwhichglintedinthelight。
Thereweretwenty—fourofthembetweenthefourbeams。Asmanysword—bayonetsofanoldpatternencircledthepolishedteakwoodoftherudder—casingwithadoublebeltofbrassandsteel。Allthedoorsofthestate—roomshadbeentakenoffthehingesandonlycurtainsclosedthedoorways。TheyseemedtobemadeofyellowChinesesilk，andflutteredalltogether，thefourofthem，asthetwomenenteredthecuddy。
Cartertookinallataglance，buthiseyeswerearrestedbyacircularshieldhungslantingabovethebrasshiltsofthebayonets。Onitsredfield，inreliefandbrightlygilt，wasrepresentedasheafofconventionalthunderboltsdartingdownthemiddlebetweenthetwocapitalsT。L。Lingardexaminedhisguestcuriously。Hesawayoungman，butlookingstillmoreyouthful，withaboyishsmoothfacemuchsunburnt，twinklingblueeyes，fairhairandaslightmoustache。Henoticedhisarrestedgaze。
\"Ah，you’relookingatthatthing。It’sapresentfromthebuilderofthisbrig。Thebestmanthateverlaunchedacraft。
It’ssupposedtobetheship’snamebetweenmyinitials——flashoflightning——d’yousee？Thebrig’snameisLightningandmineisLingard。\"
\"Veryprettythingthat：showsthecabinoffwell，\"murmuredCarter，politely。
Theydrank，noddingateachother，andsatdown。
\"Nowfortheletter，\"saidLingard。
Carterpasseditoverthetableandlookedabout，whileLingardtooktheletteroutofanopenenvelope，addressedtothecommanderofanyBritishshipintheJavaSea。Thepaperwasthick，hadanembossedheading：\"Schooner—yachtHermit\"andwasdatedfourdaysbefore。ThemessagesaidthatonahazynighttheyachthadgoneashoreuponsomeoutlyingshoalsoffthecoastofBorneo。Thelandwaslow。Theopinionofthesailing—masterwasthatthevesselhadgoneashoreatthetopofhighwater，springtides。Thecoastwascompletelydesertedtoallappearance。
Duringthefourdaystheyhadbeenstrandedtheretheyhadsightedinthedistancetwosmallnativevessels，whichdidnotapproach。Theownerconcludedbyaskinganycommanderofahomeward—boundshiptoreporttheyacht’spositioninAnjeronhiswaythroughSundaStraits——ortoanyBritishorDutchman—of—
warhemightmeet。Theletterendedbyanticipatorythanks，theoffertopayanyexpensesinconnectionwiththesendingofmessagesfromAnjer，andtheusualpoliteexpressions。
Foldingthepaperslowlyintheoldcreases，Lingardsaid——\"IamnotgoingtoAnjer——noranywherenear。\"
\"Anyplacewilldo，Ifancy，\"saidCarter。
\"NottheplacewhereIamboundto，\"answeredLingard，openingtheletteragainandglancingatituneasily。\"Hedoesnotdescribeverywellthecoast，andhislatitudeisveryuncertain，\"hewenton。\"Iamnotclearinmymindwhereexactlyyouarestranded。AndyetIknoweveryinchofthatland——overthere。\"
Carterclearedhisthroatandbegantotalkinhisslowdrawl。Heseemedtodoleoutfacts，todisclosewithsparingwordsthefeaturesofthecoast，buteverywordshowedtheminutenessofhisobservation，theclearvisionofaseamanabletomasterquicklytheaspectofastrangelandandofastrangesea。Hepresented，withconciselucidity，thepictureofthetangleofreefsandsandbanks，throughwhichtheyachthadmiraculouslyblunderedinthedarkbeforeshetooktheground。
\"Theweatherseemsclearenoughatsea，\"heobserved，finally，andstoppedtodrinkalongdraught。Lingard，bendingoverthetable，hadbeenlisteningwitheagerattention。Carterwentoninhiscurtanddeliberatemanner：
\"InoticedsomehightreesonwhatItaketobethemainlandtothesouth——andwhoeverhasbusinessinthatbightwassmartenoughtowhitewashtwoofthem：oneonthepoint，andanotherfartherin。Landmarks，Iguess……What’sthematter，Captain？\"
Lingardhadjumpedtohisfeet，butCarter’sexclamationcausedhimtositdownagain。