"Isentwordofittotheofficers’quartersintheSailors’
Home，"hecontinued，whilethelimpinhisgaitseemedtogrowmoreaccentuatedwiththeincreasingirritationofhisvoice."Place’sfullofthem.Twiceasmanymenasthereareberthsgoinginthelocaltrade.Allhungryforaneasyjob.Twiceasmany——and——Whatd’youthink，Whalley？"
Hestoppedshort;hishandsclenchedandthrustdeeplydownwards，seemedreadytoburstthepocketsofhisjacket.AslightsighescapedCaptainWhalley.
"Hey？Youwouldthinktheywouldbefallingovereachother.Notabitofit.Frightenedtogohome.
Niceandwarmoutheretolieaboutaverandawaitingforajob.Isitandwaitinmyoffice.Nobody.Whatdidtheysuppose？ThatIwasgoingtosittherelikeadummywiththeConsul—General’scablebeforeme？
Notlikely.SoIlookedupalistofthemIkeepbymeandsentwordforHamilton——theworstloaferofthemall——andjustmadehimgo.Threatenedtoin—
structthestewardoftheSailors’Hometohavehimturnedoutneckandcrop.Hedidnotthinktheberthwasgoodenough——if——you——please.’I’veyourlittlerecordsbyme，’saidI.’Youcameashorehereeighteenmonthsago，andyouhaven’tdonesixmonths’worksince.YouareindebtforyourboardnowattheHome，andIsupposeyoureckontheMarineOfficewillpayintheend.Eh？Soitshall;butifyoudon’ttakethischance，awayyougotoEngland，assistedpassage，bythefirsthomewardsteamerthatcomesalong.Youarenobetterthanapauper.Wedon’twantanywhitepaupershere.’Iscaredhim.Butlookatthetroubleallthisgaveme."
"Youwouldnothavehadanytrouble，"CaptainWhal—
leysaidalmostinvoluntarily，"ifyouhadsentforme."
CaptainEliottwasimmenselyamused;heshookwithlaughterashewalked.Butsuddenlyhestoppedlaugh—
ing.Avaguerecollectionhadcrossedhismind.Hadn’thehearditsaidatthetimeoftheTravancoreandDeccansmashthatpoorWhalleyhadbeencleanedoutcom—
pletely."Fellow’shardup，byheavens！"hethought;
andatoncehecastasidelongupwardglanceathiscompanion.ButCaptainWhalleywassmilingausterelystraightbeforehim，withacarriageoftheheadincon—
ceivableinapennilessman——andhebecamereassured.
Impossible.Couldnothavelosteverything.Thatshiphadbeenonlyahobbyofhis.Andthereflectionthatamanwhohadconfessedtoreceivingthatverymorningapresumablylargesumofmoneywasnotlikelytospringuponhimademandforasmallloanputhimentirelyathiseaseagain.Therehadcomealongpauseintheirtalk，however，andnotknowinghowtobeginagain，hegrowledoutsoberly，"Weoldfellowsoughttotakearestnow."
"Thebestthingforsomeofuswouldbetodieattheoar，"CaptainWhalleysaidnegligently.
"Come，now.Aren’tyouabittiredbythistimeofthewholeshow？"mutteredtheothersullenly.
"Areyou？"
CaptainEliottwas.Infernallytired.Heonlyhungontohisberthsolonginordertogethispensiononthehighestscalebeforehewenthome.Itwouldbenobetterthanpoverty，anyhow;still，itwastheonlythingbe—
tweenhimandtheworkhouse.Andhehadafamily.
Threegirls，asWhalleyknew.Hegave"Harry，oldboy，"tounderstandthatthesethreegirlswereasourceofthegreatestanxietyandworrytohim.Enoughtodriveamandistracted.
"Why？Whathavetheybeendoingnow？"askedCaptainWhalleywithasortofamusedabsent—minded—
ness.
"Doing！Doingnothing.That’sjustit.Lawn—
tennisandsillynovelsfrommorningtonight"
Ifoneofthematleasthadbeenaboy.Butallthree！
And，asill—luckwouldhaveit，theredidnotseemtobeanydecentyoungfellowsleftintheworld.Whenhelookedaroundintheclubhesawonlyalotofconceitedpopinjaystooselfishtothinkofmakingagoodwomanhappy.Extremeindigencestaredhiminthefacewithallthatcrowdtokeepathome.Hehadcherishedtheideaofbuildinghimselfalittlehouseinthecountry——
inSurrey——toendhisdaysin，buthewasafraiditwasoutofthequestion，andhisstaringeyesrolledupwardswithsuchapatheticanxietythatCaptainWhal—
leycharitablynoddeddownathim，restrainingasortofsickeningdesiretolaugh.
"Youmustknowwhatitisyourself，Harry.Girlsaretheverydevilforworryandanxiety."
"Ay！Butmineisdoingwell，"CaptainWhalleypro—
nouncedslowly，staringtotheendoftheavenue.
TheMaster—Attendantwasgladtohearthis.Uncom—
monlyglad.Herememberedherwell.Aprettygirlshewas.
CaptainWhalley，steppingoutcarelessly，assentedasifinadream.
"Shewaspretty."
Theprocessionofcarriageswasbreakingup.
Oneafteranothertheyleftthefiletogooffatatrot，animatingthevastavenuewiththeirscatteredlifeandmovement;butsoontheaspectofdignifiedsolitudere—
turnedandtookpossessionofthestraightwideroad.
AsyceinwhitestoodattheheadofaBurmahponyhar—
nessedtoavarnishedtwo—wheelcart;andthewholethingwaitingbythecurbseemednobiggerthanachild’stoyforgottenunderthesoaringtrees.CaptainEliottwaddleduptoitandmadeasiftoclamberin，butre—
frained;andkeepingonehandrestingeasilyontheshaft，hechangedtheconversationfromhispension，hisdaughters，andhispovertybackagaintotheonlyothertopicintheworld——theMarineOffice，themenandtheshipsoftheport.
Heproceededtogiveinstancesofwhatwasexpectedofhim;andhisthickvoicedrowsedinthestillairliketheobstinatedroningofanenormousbumble—bee.Cap—
tainWhalleydidnotknowwhatwastheforceortheweaknessthatpreventedhimfromsayinggood—nightandwalkingaway.Itwasasthoughhehadbeentootiredtomaketheeffort.Howqueer.MorequeerthananyofNed’sinstances.Orwasitthatoverpoweringsenseofidlenessalonethatmadehimstandthereandlistentothesestories.NothingveryrealhadevertroubledNedEliott;andgraduallyheseemedtodetectdeepin，asifwrappedupinthegrosswheezyrumble，somethingoftheclearheartyvoiceoftheyoungcaptainoftheRingdove.Hewonderedifhetoohadchangedtothesameextent;anditseemedtohimthatthevoiceofhisoldchumhadnotchangedsoverymuch——thatthemanwasthesame.Notabadfellowthepleasant，jollyNedEliott，friendly，welluptohisbusiness——andalwaysabitofahumbug.Herememberedhowheusedtoamusehispoorwife.Shecouldreadhimlikeanopenbook.WhentheCondorandtheRingdovehappenedtobeinporttogether，shewouldfrequentlyaskhimtobringCaptainEliotttodinner.Theyhadnotmetoftensincethoseolddays.Notonceinfiveyears，perhaps.
Heregardedfromunderhiswhiteeyebrowsthismanhecouldnotbringhimselftotakeintohisconfidenceatthisjuncture;andtheotherwentonwithhisintimateoutpourings，andasremotefromhishearerasthoughhehadbeentalkingonahill—topamileaway.
HewasinabitofaquandarynowastothesteamerSofala.Ultimatelyeveryhitchintheportcameintohishandstoundo.Theywouldmisshimwhenhewasgoneinanothereighteenmonths，andmostlikelysomeretirednavalofficerhadbeenpitchforkedintotheap—
pointment——amanthatwouldunderstandnothingandcareless.ThatsteamerwasacoastingcrafthavingasteadytradeconnectionasfarnorthasTenasserim;butthetroublewasshecouldgetnocaptaintotakeheronherregulartrip.Nobodywouldgoinher.Hereallyhadnopower，ofcourse，toorderamantotakeajob.Itwasallverywelltostretchapointonthedemandofaconsul—general，but
"What’sthematterwiththeship？"CaptainWhalleyinterruptedinmeasuredtones.
"Nothing’sthematter.Soundoldsteamer.Herownerhasbeeninmyofficethisafternoontearinghishair."
"Isheawhiteman？"askedWhalleyinaninterestedvoice.
"Hecallshimselfawhiteman，"answeredtheMaster—
Attendantscornfully;"butifso，it’sjustskin—deepandnomore.Itoldhimthattohisfacetoo."
"Butwhoishe，then？"
"He’sthechiefengineerofher.SeeTHAT，Harry？"
"Isee，"CaptainWhalleysaidthoughtfully."Theengineer.Isee."
Howthefellowcametobeashipowneratthesametimewasquiteatale.Hecameoutthirdinahomeshipnearlyfifteenyearsago，CaptainEliottremem—
bered，andgotpaidoffafterabadsortofrowbothwithhisskipperandhischief.Anyway，theyseemedjollygladtogetridofhimatallcosts.Clearlyamu—
tinoussortofchap.Well，heremainedouthere，aper—
fectnuisance，everlastinglyshippedandunshipped，un—
abletokeepaberthverylong;prettynighwentthrougheveryengine—roomafloatbelongingtothecolony.Thensuddenly，"Whatdoyouthinkhap—
pened，Harry？"
CaptainWhalley，whoseemedlostinamentaleffortasofdoingasuminhishead，gaveaslightstart.Hereallycouldn’timagine.TheMaster—Attendant’svoicevibrateddullywithhoarseemphasis.ThemanactuallyhadthelucktowinthesecondprizeintheManillalot—
tery.Alltheseengineersandofficersofshipstookticketsinthatgamble.Itseemedtobeaperfectmaniawiththemall.
Everybodyexpectednowthathewouldtakehimselfoffhomewithhismoney，andgotothedevilinhisownway.Notatall.TheSofala，judgedtoosmallandnotquitemodernenoughforthesortoftradeshewasin，couldbegotforamoderatepricefromherowners，whohadorderedanewsteamerfromEurope.Herushedinandboughther.Thismanhadnevergivenanysignsofthatsortofmentalintoxicationthemerefactofgettingholdofalargesumofmoneymaypro—
duce——nottillhegotashipofhisown;butthenhewentoffhisbalanceallatonce：camebouncingintotheMarineOfficeonsometransferbusiness，withhishathangingoverhislefteyeandswitchingalittlecaneinhishand，andtoldeachoneoftheclerksseparatelythat"Nobodycouldputhimoutnow.Itwashisturn.
Therewasnooneoverhimonearth，andthereneverwouldbeeither."Heswaggeredandstruttedbetweenthedesks，talkingatthetopofhisvoice，andtremblinglikealeafallthewhile，sothatthecurrentbusinessoftheofficewassuspendedforthetimehewasinthere，andeverybodyinthebigroomstoodopen—mouthedlookingathisantics.Afterwardshecouldbeseenduringthehottesthoursofthedaywithhisfaceasredasfirerushingalongupanddownthequaystolookathisshipfromdifferentpointsofview：heseemedinclinedtostopeverystrangerhecameacrossjusttoletthemknow"thattherewouldbenolongeranyoneoverhim;hehadboughtaship;nobodyonearthcouldputhimoutofhisengine—roomnow."
Goodbargainasshewas，thepriceoftheSofalatookupprettynearallthelottery—money.Hehadlefthim—
selfnocapitaltoworkwith.Thatdidnotmattersomuch，forthesewerethehalcyondaysofsteamcoastingtrade，beforesomeofthehomeshippingfirmshadthoughtofestablishinglocalfleetstofeedtheirmainlines.These，whenonceorganized，tookthebiggestslicesoutofthatcake，ofcourse;andby—and—byasquadofconfoundedGermantrampsturnedupeastofSuezCanalandsweptupallthecrumbs.Theyprowledonthecheaptoandfroalongthecoastandbetweentheislands，likealotofsharksinthewaterreadytosnapupanythingyouletdrop.Andthenthehigholdtimeswereoverforgood;foryearstheSofalahadmadenomore，hejudged，thanafairliving.CaptainEliottlookeduponitashisdutyineverywaytoassistanEnglishshiptoholdherown;anditstoodtoreasonthatifforwantofacaptaintheSofalabegantomisshertripsshewouldverysoonlosehertrade.Therewasthequandary.Themanwastooimpracticable."Toomuchofabeggaronhorsebackfromthefirst，"heex—
plained."Seemedtogrowworseasthetimewenton.
Inthelastthreeyearshe’srunthroughelevenskippers;
hehadtriedeverysinglemanhere，outsideoftheregu—
larlines.Ihadwarnedhimbeforethatthiswouldnotdo.Andnow，ofcourse，noonewilllookattheSofala.
Ihadoneortwomenupatmyofficeandtalkedtothem;but，astheysaidtome，whatwasthegoodoftakingtheberthtoleadaregulardog’slifeforamonthandthengetthesackattheendofthefirsttrip？
Thefellow，ofcourse，toldmeitwasallnonsense;therehasbeenaplothatchingforyearsagainsthim.Andnowithadcome.Allthehorridsailorsintheporthadconspiredtobringhimtohisknees，becausehewasanengineer."
CaptainEliottemittedathroatychuckle.
"Andthefactis，thatifhemissesacouplemoretripsheneednevertroublehimselftostartagain.Hewon’tfindanycargoinhisoldtrade.There’stoomuchcom—
petitionnowadaysforpeopletokeeptheirstufflyingaboutforashipthatdoesnotturnupwhenshe’sex—
pected.It’sabadlookoutforhim.Heswearshewillshuthimselfonboardandstarvetodeathinhiscabinratherthansellher——evenifhecouldfindabuyer.Andthat’snotlikelyintheleast.NoteventheJapswouldgiveherinsuredvalueforher.Itisn’tlikesellingsailing—ships.SteamersDOgetoutofdate，besidesget—
tingold."
"Hemusthavelaidbyagoodbitofmoneythough，"
observedCaptainWhalleyquietly.
TheHarbor—masterpuffedouthispurplecheekstoanamazingsize.
"Notastiver，Harry.Not——a——single——sti—ver."
Hewaited;butasCaptainWhalley，strokinghisbeardslowly，lookeddownonthegroundwithoutaword，hetappedhimontheforearm，tiptoed，andsaidinahoarsewhisper——
"TheManillalotteryhasbeeneatinghimup."
Hefrownedalittle，noddingintinyaffirmativejerks.
Theyallweregoinginforit;athirdofthewagespaidtoships’officers（"inmyport，"hesnorted）wenttoManilla.Itwasamania.ThatfellowMassyhadbeenbittenbyitliketherestofthemfromthefirst;
butafterwinningonceheseemedtohavepersuadedhimselfhehadonlytotryagaintogetanotherbigprize.Hehadtakendozensandscoresofticketsforeverydrawingsince.Whatwiththisviceandhisig—
noranceofaffairs，eversincehehadimprovidentlyboughtthatsteamerhehadbeenmoreorlessshortofmoney.
This，inCaptainEliott’sopinion，gaveanopeningforasensiblesailor—manwithafewpoundstostepinandsavethatfoolfromtheconsequencesofhisfolly.
Itwashiscrazetoquarrelwithhiscaptains.Hehadhadsomereallygoodmentoo，whowouldhavebeentoogladtostayifhewouldonlyletthem.Butno.Heseemedtothinkhewasnoownerunlesshewaskickingsomebodyoutinthemorningandhavingarowwiththenewmanintheevening.Whatwaswantedforhimwasamasterwithacoupleofhundredorsototakeaninterestintheshiponproperconditions.Youdon’tdischargeamanfornofault，onlybecauseofthefunoftellinghimtopackuphistrapsandgoashore，whenyouknowthatinthatcaseyouareboundtobuybackhisshare.Ontheotherhand，afellowwithaninterestintheshipisnotlikelytothrowuphisjobinahuffaboutatrifle.HehadtoldMassythat.Hehadsaid：
"’Thiswon’tdo，Mr.Massy.WearegettingverysickofyouhereintheMarineOffice.Whatyoumustdonowistotrywhetheryoucouldgetasailortojoinyouaspartner.Thatseemstobetheonlyway.’Andthatwassoundadvice，Harry."
CaptainWhalley，leaningonhisstick，wasperfectlystillallover，andhishand，arrestedintheactofstrok—
ing，graspedhiswholebeard.Andwhatdidthefellowsaytothat？
ThefellowhadtheaudacitytoflyoutattheMaster—
Attendant.Hehadreceivedtheadviceinamostim—
pudentmanner."Ididn’tcomeheretobelaughedat，"
hehadshrieked."IappealtoyouasanEnglishmanandashipownerbroughttothevergeofruinbyanillegalconspiracyofyourbeggarlysailors，andallyoucondescendtodoformeistotellmetogoandgetapartner！"Thefellowhadpresumedtostampwithrageontheflooroftheprivateoffice.Wherewashegoingtogetapartner？Washebeingtakenforafool？Notasingleoneofthatcontemptiblelotashoreatthe"Home"hadtwopenceinhispockettoblesshimselfwith.Theverynativecursinthebazaarknewthatmuch"Andit’strueenough，Harry，"rum—
bledCaptainEliottjudicially."TheyaremuchmorelikelyoneandalltoowemoneytotheChinameninDenhamRoadfortheclothesontheirbacks.’Well，’
saidI，’youmaketoomuchnoiseoveritformytaste，Mr.Massy.Goodmorning.’Hebangedthedoorafterhim;hedaredtobangmydoor，confoundhischeek！"
TheheadoftheMarinedepartmentwasoutofbreathwithindignation;thenrecollectinghimselfasitwere，"I’llendbybeinglatetodinner——yarningwithyouherewifedoesn’tlikeit."
Heclamberedponderouslyintothetrap;leanedoutsideways，andonlythenwonderedwheezilywhatonearthCaptainWhalleycouldhavebeendoingwithhimselfoflate.Theyhadhadnosightofeachotherforyearsandyearstilltheotherdaywhenhehadseenhimunexpectedlyintheoffice.
Whatonearth
CaptainWhalleyseemedtobesmilingtohimselfinhiswhitebeard.
"Theearthisbig，"hesaidvaguely.
Theother，asiftotestthestatement，staredallroundfromhisdriving—seat.TheEsplanadewasveryquiet;
onlyfromafar，fromveryfar，alongwayfromthesea—
shore，acrossthestretchesofgrass，throughthelongrangesoftrees，camefaintlythetoot——toot——tootofthecablecarbeginningtorollbeforetheemptyperistyleofthePublicLibraryonitsthree—milejourneytotheNewHarborDocks.
"Doesn’tseemtobesomuchroomonit，"growledtheMaster—Attendant，"sincetheseGermanscamealongshoulderingusateveryturn.Itwasnotsoinourtime."
Hefellintodeepthought，breathingstertorously，asthoughhehadbeentakinganapopen—eyed.Perhapshetoo，onhisside，haddetectedinthesilentpilgrim—
likefigure，standingtherebythewheel，likeanarrestedwayfarer，theburiedlineamentsofthefeaturesbelong—
ingtotheyoungcaptainoftheCondor.Goodfellow——
HarryWhalley——neververytalkative.Youneverknewwhathewasupto——abittoooff—handwithpeopleofconsequence，andapttotakeawrongviewofafel—
low’sactions.Factwashehadatoogoodopinionofhimself.Hewouldhavelikedtotellhimtogetinanddrivehimhometodinner.Butoneneverknew.Wifewouldnotlikeit.
"Andit’sfunnytothink，Harry，"hewentoninabig，subdueddrone，"thatofallthepeopleonitthereseemsonlyyouandIlefttorememberthispartoftheworldasitusedtobe"
Hewasreadytoindulgeinthesweetnessofasenti—
mentalmoodhaditnotstruckhimsuddenlythatCap—
tainWhalley，unstirringandwithoutaword，seemedtobeawaitingsomething——perhapsexpectingHegatheredthereinsatonceandburstoutinbluff，heartygrowls——
"Ha！Mydearboy.Themenwehaveknown——theshipswe’vesailed——ay！andthethingswe’vedone"
Theponyplunged——thesyceskippedoutoftheway.
CaptainWhalleyraisedhisarm.
"Good—by."
VI
Thesunhadset.Andwhen，afterdrillingadeepholewithhisstick，hemovedfromthatspotthenighthadmasseditsarmyofshadowsunderthetrees.Theyfilledtheeasternendsoftheavenuesasifonlywaitingthesignalforageneraladvanceupontheopenspacesoftheworld;theyweregatheringlowbetweenthedeepstone—facedbanksofthecanal.TheMalayprau，half—
concealedunderthearchofthebridge，hadnotaltereditspositionaquarterofaninch.ForalongtimeCap—
tainWhalleystareddownovertheparapet，tillatlastthefloatingimmobilityofthatbeshroudedthingseemedtogrowuponhimintosomethinginexplicableandalarming.Thetwilightabandonedthezenith;itsre—
flectedgleamslefttheworldbelow，andthewaterofthecanalseemedtoturnintopitch.CaptainWhalleycrossedit.
Theturningtotheright，whichwashiswaytohishotel，wasonlyaveryfewstepsfarther.Hestoppedagain（allthehousesofthesea—frontwereshutup，thequaysidewasdeserted，butforoneortwofiguresofnativeswalkinginthedistance）andbegantoreckontheamountofhisbill.Somanydaysinthehotelatsomanydollarsaday.Tocountthedaysheusedhisfingers：plungingonehandintohispocket，hejingledafewsilvercoins.Allrightforthreedaysmore;andthen，unlesssomethingturnedup，hemustbreakintothefivehundred——Ivy’smoney——investedinherfather.
Itseemedtohimthatthefirstmealcomingoutofthatreservewouldchokehim——forcertain.Reasonwasofnouse.Itwasamatteroffeeling.Hisfeelingshadneverplayedhimfalse.
Hedidnotturntotheright.Hewalkedon，asiftherestillhadbeenashipintheroadsteadtowhichhecouldgethimselfpulledoffintheevening.Faraway，beyondthehouses，ontheslopeofanindigopromontoryclosingtheviewofthequays，theslimcolumnofafactory—chimneysmokedquietlystraightupintotheclearair.AChinaman，curleddowninthesternofoneofthehalf—dozensampansfloatingofftheendofthejetty，caughtsightofabeckoninghand.
Hejumpedup，rolledhispigtailroundhisheadswiftly，tuckedintworapidmovementshiswidedarktrousershighuphisyellowthighs，andbyasingle，noiseless，fin—
likestiroftheoars，sheeredthesampanalongsidethestepswiththeeaseandprecisionofaswimmingfish.
"Sofala，"articulatedCaptainWhalleyfromabove;
andtheChinaman，anewemigrantprobably，staredupwardswithatenseattentionasifwaitingtoseethequeerwordfallvisiblyfromthewhiteman’slips.
"Sofala，"CaptainWhalleyrepeated;andsuddenlyhisheartfailedhim.Hepaused.Theshores，theislets，thehighground，thelowpoints，weredark：thehorizonhadgrownsomber;andacrosstheeasternsweepoftheshorethewhiteobelisk，markingthelanding—placeofthetelegraph—cable，stoodlikeapaleghostonthebeachbeforethedarkspreadofunevenroofs，intermingledwithpalms，ofthenativetown.CaptainWhalleybe—
ganagain.
"Sofala.SaveeSo—fa—la，John？"
ThistimetheChinamanmadeoutthatbizarresound，andgruntedhisassentuncouthly，lowdowninhisbarethroat.Withthefirstyellowtwinkleofastarthatap—
pearedliketheheadofapinstabbeddeepintothesmooth，pale，shimmeringfabricofthesky，theedgeofakeenchillseemedtocleavethroughthewarmairoftheearth.Atthemomentofsteppingintothesam—
pantogoandtryforthecommandoftheSofalaCap—
tainWhalleyshiveredalittle.
WhenonhisreturnhelandedonthequayagainVenus，likeachoicejewelsetlowonthehemofthesky，castafaintgoldtrailbehindhimupontheroadstead，aslevelasafloormadeofonedarkandpolishedstone.
Theloftyvaultsoftheavenueswereblack——allblackoverhead——andtheporcelainglobesonthelamp—postsresembledegg—shapedpearls，giganticandluminous，displayedinarowwhosefartherendseemedtosinkinthedistance，downtothelevelofhisknees.Heputhishandsbehindhisback.Hewouldnowconsidercalmlythediscretionofitbeforesayingthefinalwordto—morrow.Hisfeetscrunchedthegravelloudly——thediscretionofit.Itwouldhavebeeneasiertoappraisehadtherebeenaworkablealternative.Thehonestyofitwasindubitable：hemeantwellbythefellow;andperiodicallyhisshadowleapedupintensebyhissideonthetrunksofthetrees，tolengthenitself，obliqueanddim，faroverthegrass——repeatinghisstride.
Thediscretionofit.Wasthereachoice？Heseemedalreadytohavelostsomethingofhimself;tohavegivenuptoahungryspectersomethingofhistruthanddig—
nityinordertolive.Buthislifewasnecessary.Letpovertydoitsworstinexactingitstollofhumiliation.
ItwascertainthatNedEliotthadrenderedhim，with—
outknowingit，aserviceforwhichitwouldhavebeenimpossibletoask.HehopedNedwouldnotthinktherehadbeensomethingunderhandinhisaction.Hesup—
posedthatnowwhenheheardofithewouldunderstand——orperhapshewouldonlythinkWhalleyaneccentricoldfool.Whatwouldhavebeenthegoodoftellinghim——anymorethanofblurtingthewholetaletothatmanMassy？Fivehundredpoundsreadytoinvest.Lethimmakethebestofthat.Lethimwonder.Youwantacaptain——Iwantaship.That’senough.B—r—r—r—r.
Whatadisagreeableimpressionthatempty，dark，echoingsteamerhadmadeuponhim
Alaid—upsteamerwasadeadthingandnomistake;
asailing—shipsomehowseemsalwaysreadytospringintolifewiththebreathoftheincorruptibleheaven;
butateamer，thoughtCaptainWhalley，withherfiresout，withoutthewarmwhiffsfrombelowmeetingyouonherdecks，withoutthehissofsteam，theclangsofironinherbreast——liesthereascoldandstillandpulselessasacorpse.
Inthesolitudeoftheavenue，allblackaboveandlightedbelow，CaptainWhalley，consideringthedis—
cretionofhiscourse，met，asitwereincidentally，thethoughtofdeath.Hepusheditasidewithdislikeandcontempt.Healmostlaughedatit;andintheun—
quenchablevitalityofhisageonlythoughtwithakindofexultationhowlittleheneededtokeepbodyandsoultogether.Notabadinvestmentforthepoorwomanthissolidcarcassofherfather.Andfortherest——incaseofanything——theagreementshouldbeclear：thewholefivehundredtobepaidbacktoherintegrallywithinthreemonths.Integrally.Everypenny.Hewasnottoloseanyofhermoneywhateverelsehadtogo——alittledignity——someofhisself—respect.Hehadneverbeforeallowedanybodytoremainunderanysortoffalseimpressionastohimself.Well，letthatgo——forhersake.Afterall，hehadneverSAIDany—
thingmisleading——andCaptainWhalleyfelthimselfcorrupttothemarrowofhisbones.Helaughedalittlewiththeintimatescornofhisworldlyprudence.
Clearly，withafellowofthatsort，andinthepeculiarrelationtheyweretostandtoeachother，itwouldnothavedonetoblurtouteverything.Hedidnotlikethefellow.Hedidnotlikehisspellsoffawningloquacityandburstsofresentfulness.Intheend——apoordevil.
Hewouldnothavelikedtostandinhisshoes.Menwerenotevil，afterall.Hedidnotlikehissleekhair，hisqueerwayofstandingatrightangles，withhisnoseintheair，andglancingalonghisshoulderatyou.No.
Onthewhole，menwerenotbad——theywereonlysillyorunhappy.
CaptainWhalleyhadfinishedconsideringthediscre—
tionofthatstep——andtherewasthewholelongnightbeforehim.Inthefulllighthislongbeardwouldglistenlikeasilverbreastplatecoveringhisheart;inthespacesbetweenthelampshisburlyfigurepassedlessdistinct，loomedverybig，wandering，andmysterious.
No;therewasnotmuchrealharminmen：andallthetimeashadowmarchedwithhim，slantingonhislefthand——whichintheEastisapresageofevil
"Canyoumakeouttheclumpofpalmsyet，Serang？"
askedCaptainWhalleyfromhischaironthebridgeoftheSofalaapproachingthebarofBatuBeru.
"No，Tuan.By—and—bysee."TheoldMalay，inabluedungareesuit，plantedonhisbonydarkfeetunderthebridgeawning，puthishandsbehindhisbackandstaredaheadoutoftheinnumerablewrinklesatthecornersofhiseyes.
CaptainWhalleysatstill，withoutliftinghisheadtolookforhimself.Threeyears——thirty—sixtimes.Hehadmadethesepalmsthirty—sixtimesfromthesouth—
ward.Theywouldcomeintoviewatthepropertime.
ThankGod，theoldshipmadehercoursesanddistancestripaftertrip，ascorrectasclockwork.Atlasthemur—
muredagain——
"Insightyet？"
"Thesunmakesaverygreatglare，Tuan."
"Watchwell，Serang."
"Ya，Tuan."
Awhitemanhadascendedtheladderfromthedecknoiselessly，andhadlistenedquietlytothisshortcol—
loquy.Thenhesteppedoutonthebridgeandbegantowalkfromendtoend，holdingupthelongcherry—
woodstemofapipe.Hisblackhairlayplasteredinlonglankywispsacrossthebaldsummitofhishead;
hehadafurrowedbrow，ayellowcomplexion，andathickshapelessnose.Ascantygrowthofwhiskerdidnotconcealthecontourofhisjaw.Hisaspectwasofbroodingcare;andsuckingatacurvedblackmouth—
piece，hepresentedsuchaheavyoverhangingprofilethateventheSerangcouldnothelpreflectingsometimesupontheextremeunlovelinessofsomewhitemen.
CaptainWhalleyseemedtobracehimselfupinhischair，butgavenorecognitionwhatevertohispresence.
Theotherpuffedjetsofsmoke;thensuddenly——
"IcouldneverunderstandthatnewmaniaofyoursofhavingthisMalayhereforyourshadow，partner."
CaptainWhalleygotupfromthechairinallhisim—
posingstatureandwalkedacrosstothebinnacle，hold—
ingsuchanunswervingcoursethattheotherhadtobackawayhurriedly，andremainedasifintimidated，withthepipetremblinginhishand."Walkovermenow，"hemutteredinasortofastoundedanddis—
comfitedwhisper.Thenslowlyanddistinctlyhesaid——
"I——am——not——dirt."Andthenaddeddefiantly，"Asyouseemtothink."
TheSerangjerkedout——
"Seethepalmsnow，Tuan."
CaptainWhalleystrodeforwardtotherail;buthiseyes，insteadofgoingstraighttothepoint，withtheassuredkeenglanceofasailor，wanderedirresolutelyinspace，asthoughhe，thediscovererofnewroutes，hadlosthiswayuponthisnarrowsea.
Anotherwhiteman，themate，cameuponthebridge.
Hewastall，young，lean，withamustachelikeatrooper，andsomethingmaliciousintheeye.Hetookupapositionbesidetheengineer.CaptainWhalley，withhisbacktothem，inquired——
"What’sonthelog？"
"Eighty—five，"answeredthematequickly，andnudgedtheengineerwithhiselbow.
CaptainWhalley’smuscularhandssqueezedtheironrailwithanextraordinaryforce;hiseyesglaredwithanenormouseffort;heknittedhiseyebrows，theper—
spirationfellfromunderhishat，——andinafaintvoicehemurmured，"Steadyher，Serang——whensheisontheproperbearing."
ThesilentMalaysteppedback，waitedalittle，andliftedhisarmwarninglytothehelmsman.Thewheelrevolvedrapidlytomeettheswingoftheship.Againthemadenudgedtheengineer.ButMassyturneduponhim.
"Mr.Sterne，"hesaidviolently，"letmetellyou——
asashipowner——thatyouarenobetterthanacon—
foundedfool."
VII
Sternewentdownsmirkingandapparentlynotatalldisconcerted，buttheengineerMassyremainedonthebridge，movingaboutwithuneasyself—assertion.
Everybodyonboardwashisinferior——everyonewith—
outexception.Hepaidtheirwagesandfoundthemintheirfood.Theyatemoreofhisbreadandpocketedmoreofhismoneythantheywereworth;andtheyhadnocareintheworld，whilehealonehadtomeetallthedifficultiesofshipowning.Whenhecontemplatedhispositioninallitsmenacingentirety，itseemedtohimthathehadbeenforyearsthepreyofabandofpara—
sites：andforyearshehadscowledateverybodycon—
nectedwiththeSofalaexcept，perhaps，attheChinesefiremenwhoservedtogetheralong.Theirusewasmanifest：theywereanindispensablepartofthema—
chineryofwhichhewasthemaster.
Whenhepassedalonghisdecksheshoulderedthosehecameacrossbrutally;buttheMalaydeckhandshadlearnedtododgeoutofhisway.Hehadtobringhim—
selftotoleratethembecauseofthenecessarymanuallaboroftheshipwhichmustbedone.HehadtostruggleandplanandschemetokeeptheSofalaafloat——andwhatdidhegetforit？Notevenenoughrespect.
Theycouldnothavegivenhimenoughofthatifalltheirthoughtsandalltheiractionshadbeendirectedtothatend.Thevanityofpossession，thevaingloryofpower，hadpassedawaybythistime，andtherere—
mainedonlythematerialembarrassments，thefearoflosingthatpositionwhichhadturnedoutnotworthhaving，andananxietyofthoughtwhichnoabjectsub—
servienceofmencouldrepay.
Hewalkedupanddown.Thebridgewashisownafterall.Hehadpaidforit;andwiththestemofthepipeinhishandhewouldstopshortattimesasiftolistenwithaprofoundandconcentratedattentiontothedeadenedbeatoftheengines（hisownengines）
andtheslightgrindingofthesteeringchainsuponthecontinuouslowwashofwateralongside.Butforthesesounds，theshipmighthavebeenlyingasstillasifmooredtoabank，andassilentasifabandonedbyeverylivingsoul;onlythecoast，thelowcoastofmudandmangroveswiththethreepalmsinabunchattheback，grewslowlymoredistinctinitslongstraightline，with—
outasinglefeaturetoarrestattention.ThenativepassengersoftheSofalalayaboutonmatsundertheawnings;thesmokeofherfunnelseemedtheonlysignofherlifeandconnectedwithherglidingmotioninamysteriousmanner.
CaptainWhalleyonhisfeet，withapairofbinocularsinhishandandthelittleMalaySerangathiselbow，likeanoldgiantattendedbyawizenedpigmy，wastak—
ingherovertheshallowwaterofthebar.
Thissubmarineridgeofmud，scouredbythestreamoutofthesoftbottomoftheriverandheapedupfaroutonthehardbottomofthesea，wasdifficulttogetover.Thealluvialcoasthavingnodistinguishingmarks，thebearingsofthecrossing—placehadtobetakenfromtheshapeofthemountainsinland.Theguidanceofaformflattenedandunevenatthetoplikeagrindertooth，andofanothersmooth，saddle—backedsummit，hadtobesearchedforwithinthegreatun—
cloudedglarethatseemedtoshiftandfloatlikeadryfierymist，fillingtheair，ascendingfromthewater，shroudingthedistances，scorchingtotheeye.Inthisveiloflightthenearedgeoftheshorealonestoodoutalmostcoal—blackwithanopaqueandmotionlesssolidity.Thirtymilesawaytheserratedrangeoftheinteriorstretchedacrossthehorizon，itsoutlinesandshadesofblue，faintandtremulouslikeabackgroundpaintedonairygossameronthequiveringfabricofanimpalpablecurtainletdowntotheplainofalluvialsoil;
andtheopeningsoftheestuaryappeared，shiningwhite，likebitsofsilverletintothesquarepiecessnippedcleanandsharpoutofthebodyofthelandborderedwithmangroves.
Ontheforepartofthebridgethegiantandthepigmymutteredtoeachotherfrequentlyinquiettones.Be—
hindthemMassystoodsidewayswithanexpressionofdisdainandsuspenseonhisface.Hisglobulareyeswereperfectlymotionless，andheseemedtohavefor—
gottenthelongpipeheheldinhishand.
Onthefore—deckbelowthebridge，steeplyroofedwiththewhiteslopesoftheawnings，ayounglascarseamanhadclamberedoutsidetherail.Headjustedquicklyabroadbandofsailcanvasunderhisarmpits，andthrowinghischestagainstit，leanedoutfaroverthewater.Thesleevesofhisthincottonshirt，cutoffclosetotheshoulder，baredhisbrownarmoffullroundedformandwithasatinyskinlikeawoman’s.Heswungitrigidlywiththerotaryandmenacingactionofaslinger：the14—lb.weighthurtledcirclingintheair，thensuddenlyflewaheadasfarasthecurveofthebow.
Thewetthinlineswishedlikescratchedsilkrunningthroughthedarkfingersoftheman，andtheplungeoftheleadclosetotheship’ssidemadeavanishingsilveryscaruponthegoldenglitter;thenafteranintervalthevoiceoftheyoungMalayupliftedandlong—drawnde—
claredthedepthofthewaterinhisownlanguage.
"Tigastengah，"hecriedaftereachsplashandpause，gatheringthelinebusilyforanothercast."Tigastengah，"whichmeansthreefathomandahalf.Foramileorsofromseawardtherewasauniformdepthofwaterrightuptothebar."Half—three.Half—
three.Half—three，"——andhismodulatedcry，returnedleisurelyandmonotonous，liketherepeatedcallofabird，seemedtofloatawayinsunshineanddisappearinthespacioussilenceoftheemptyseaandofalifelessshorelyingopen，northandsouth，eastandwest，with—
outthestirofasinglecloud—shadoworthewhisperofanyothervoice.
Theowner—engineeroftheSofalaremainedverystillbehindthetwoseamenofdifferentrace，creed，andcolor;theEuropeanwiththetime—defyingvigorofhisoldframe，thelittleMalay，old，too，butslightandshrunkenlikeawitheredbrownleafblownbyachancewindunderthemightyshadowoftheother.Verybusylookingforwardattheland，theyhadnotaglancetospare;andMassy，glaringatthemfrombehind，seemedtoresenttheirattentiontotheirdutylikeaper—
sonalslightuponhimself.
Thiswasunreasonable;buthehadlivedinhisownworldofunreasonableresentmentsformanyyears.Atlast，passinghismoistpalmovertherarelankywispsofcoarsehaironthetopofhisyellowhead，hebegantotalkslowly.
"Aleadsman，youwant！Isupposethat’syourcor—
rectmail—boatstyle.Haven’tyouenoughjudgmenttotellwhereyouarebylookingattheland？Why，beforeIhadbeenatwelvemonthinthetradeIwasuptothattrick——andIamonlyanengineer.Icanpointtoyoufromherewherethebaris，andIcouldtellyoubesidesthatyouareaslikelyasnottostickherinthemudinaboutfiveminutesfromnow;onlyyouwouldcallitinterfering，Isuppose.Andthere’sthatwrittenagreementofours，thatsaysImustn’tinterfere."
Hisvoicestopped.CaptainWhalley，withoutrelax—
ingthesetseverityofhisfeatures，movedhislipstoaskinaquickmumble——
"Hownear，Serang？"
"Verynearnow，Tuan，"theMalaymutteredrapidly.
"Deadslow，"saidtheCaptainaloudinafirmtone.
TheSerangsnatchedatthehandleofthetelegraph.
Agongclangeddownbelow.Massywithascornfulsniggerwalkedoffandputhisheaddowntheengine—
roomskylight.
"Youmayexpectsomerarefoolingwiththeengines，Jack，"hebellowed.Thespaceintowhichhestaredwasdeepandfullofgloom;andthegraygleamsofsteeldownthereseemedcoolaftertheintenseglareoftheseaaroundtheship.Theair，however，cameupclammyandhotonhisface.Ashorthootonwhichitwouldhavebeenimpossibletoputanysortofinterpretationcamefromthebottomcavernously.Thiswasthewayinwhichthesecondengineeransweredhischief.
Hewasamiddle—agedmanwithaninattentiveman—
ner，andapparentlywrappedupinsuchataciturncon—
cernforhisenginesthatheseemedtohavelosttheuseofspeech.Whenaddresseddirectlyhisonlyanswerwouldbeagruntorahoot，accordingtothedistance.
ForalltheyearshehadbeenintheSofalahehadneverbeenknowntoexchangeasmuchasafrankGood—morn—
ingwithanyofhisshipmates.Hedidnotseemawarethatmencameandwentintheworld;hedidnotseemtoseethematall.Indeedheneverrecognizedhisshipmatesonshore.Attable（thefourwhitemenoftheSofalamessedtogether）hesatlookingintohisplatedispassionately，butattheendofthemealwouldjumpupandboltdownbelowasifasuddenthoughthadim—
pelledhimtorushandseewhethersomebodyhadnotstolentheengineswhilehedined.Inportattheendofthetriphewentashoreregularly，butnooneknewwherehespenthiseveningsorinwhatmanner.ThelocalcoastingfleethadpreservedawildandincoherenttaleofhisinfatuationforthewifeofasergeantinanIrishinfantryregiment.Theregiment，however，haddoneitsturnofgarrisondutythereagesbefore，andwasgonesomewheretotheothersideoftheearth，outofmen’sknowledge.Twiceorperhapsthreetimesinthecourseoftheyearhewouldtaketoomuchtodrink.
Ontheseoccasionshereturnedonboardatanearlierhourthanusual;ranacrossthedeckbalancinghimselfwithhisspreadarmslikeatight—ropewalker;andlockingthedoorofhiscabin，hewouldconverseandarguewithhimselfthelivelongnightinanamazingvarietyoftones;storm，sneer，andwhinewithaninex—
haustiblepersistence.Massyinhisberthnextdoor，raisinghimselfonhiselbow，woulddiscoverthathissecondhadrememberedthenameofeverywhitemanthathadpassedthroughtheSofalaforyearsandyearsback.Herememberedthenamesofmenthathaddied，thathadgonehome，thathadgonetoAmerica：herememberedinhiscupsthenamesofmenwhosecon—
nectionwiththeshiphadbeensoshortthatMassyhadalmostforgottenitscircumstancesandcouldbarelyre—
calltheirfaces.Theinebriatedvoiceontheothersideofthebulkheadcommenteduponthemallwithanex—
traordinaryandingeniousvenomofscandalousinven—
tions.Itseemstheyhadalloffendedhiminsomeway，andinreturnhehadfoundthemallout.Hemuttereddarkly;helaughedsardonically;hecrushedthemoneafteranother;butofhischief，Massy，hebabbledwithanenviousandnaiveadmiration.Cleverscoundrel！
Don’tmeetthelikesofhimeveryday.Justlookathim.Ha！Great！Shipofhisown.Wouldn’tcatchHIMgoingwrong.Nofear——thebeast！AndMassy，afterlisteningwithagratifiedsmiletotheseartlesstributestohisgreatness，wouldbegintoshout，thump—
ingatthebulkheadwithbothfists——
"Shutup，youlunatic！Won’tyouletmegotosleep，youfool！"
Butahalfsmileofpridelingeredonhislips;outsidethesolitarylascartoldofffornightdutyinharbor，perhapsayouthfreshfromaforestvillage，wouldstandmotionlessintheshadowsofthedecklisteningtotheendlessdrunkengabble.Hisheartwouldbethumpingwithbreathlessaweofwhitemen：thearbitraryandobstinatemenwhopursueinflexiblytheirincompre—
hensiblepurposes，——beingswithweirdintonationsinthevoice，movedbyunaccountablefeelings，actuatedbyin—
scrutablemotives.
VIII
Forawhileafterhissecond’sansweringhootMassyhungovertheengine—roomgloomily.CaptainWhal—
ley，who，bythepoweroffivehundredpounds，hadkepthiscommandforthreeyears，mighthavebeensuspectedofneverhavingseenthatcoastbefore.Heseemedun—
abletoputdownhisglasses，asthoughtheyhadbeengluedunderhiscontractedeyebrows.Thissettledfrowngavetohisfaceanairofinvincibleandjustseverity;buthisraisedelbowtrembledslightly，andtheperspirationpouredfromunderhishatasifasecondsunhadsuddenlyblazedupatthezenithbythesideoftheardentstillglobealreadythere，inwhoseblindingwhiteheattheearthwhirledandshonelikeamoteofdust.
Fromtimetotime，stillholdinguphisglasses，heraisedhisotherhandtowipehisstreamingface.Thedropsrolleddownhischeeks，felllikerainuponthewhitehairsofhisbeard，andbrusquely，asifguidedbyanuncontrollableandanxiousimpulse，hisarmreachedouttothestandoftheengine—roomtelegraph.
Thegongclangeddownbelow.Thebalancedvibra—
tionofthedead—slowspeedceasedtogetherwitheverysoundandtremorintheship，asifthegreatstillnessthatreigneduponthecoasthadstoleninthroughhersidesofironandtakenpossessionofherinnermostre—
cesses.Theillusionofperfectimmobilityseemedtofalluponherfromtheluminousbluedomewithoutastainarchingoveraflatseawithoutastir.Thefaintbreezeshehadmadeforherselfexpired，asifallatoncetheairhadbecometoothicktobudge;eventheslighthissofthewateronherstemdiedout.Thenar—
row，longhull，carryingitswaywithoutaripple，seemedtoapproachtheshoalwaterofthebarbystealth.Theplungeoftheleadwiththemournful，mechanicalcryofthelascarcameatlongerandlongerintervals;andthemenonherbridgeseemedtoholdtheirbreath.TheMalayatthehelmlookedfixedlyatthecompasscard，theCaptainandtheSerangstaredatthecoast.
Massyhadlefttheskylight，and，walkingflat—footed，hadreturnedsoftlytotheveryspotonthebridgehehadoccupiedbefore.Aslow，lingeringgrinexposedhissetofbigwhiteteeth：theygleamedevenlyintheshadeoftheawninglikethekeyboardofapianoinaduskyroom.
Atlast，pretendingtotalktohimselfinexcessiveas—
tonishment，hesaidnotveryloud——
"Stoptheenginesnow.Whatnext，Iwonder？"
Hewaited，stoopingfromtheshoulders，hisheadbowed，hisglanceoblique.Thenraisinghisvoiceashade——
"IfIdaredmakeanabsurdremarkIwouldsaythatyouhaven’tthestomachto"
Butayellingspiritofexcitement，likesomefranticsoulwanderingunsuspectedinthevaststillnessofthecoast，hadseizeduponthebodyofthelascaratthelead.
Thelanguidmonotonyofhissing—songchangedtoaswift，sharpclamor.Theweightflewafterasinglewhir，thelinewhistled，splashfollowedsplashinhaste.
Thewaterhadshoaled，andtheman，insteadofthedrowsytaleoffathoms，wascallingoutthesoundingsinfeet.
"Fifteenfeet.Fifteen，fifteen！Fourteen，four—
teen"
CaptainWhalleyloweredthearmholdingtheglasses.
Itdescendedslowlyasifbyitsownweight;nootherpartofhistoweringbodystirred;andtheswiftcrieswiththeireagerwarningnotepassedhimbyasthoughhehadbeendeaf.
Massy，verystill，andturninganattentiveear，hadfastenedhiseyesuponthesilvery，close—croppedbackofthesteadyoldhead.Theshipherselfseemedtobearrestedbutforthegradualdecreaseofdepthunderherkeel.
"ThirteenfeetThirteen！Twelve！"criedtheleadsmananxiouslybelowthebridge.AndsuddenlythebarefootedSerangsteppedawaynoiselesslytostealaglanceovertheside.
Narrowofshoulder，inasuitoffadedbluecotton，anoldgrayfelthatrammeddownonhishead，withahollowinthenapeofhisdarkneck，andwithhisslenderlimbs，heappearedfromthebacknobiggerthanaboyoffourteen.Therewasachildlikeimpulsivenessinthecuriositywithwhichhewatchedthespreadofthevoluminous，yellowishconvolutionsrollingupfrombe—
lowtothesurfaceofthebluewaterlikemassivecloudsdrivingslowlyupwardsontheunfathomablesky.Hewasnotstartledatthesightintheleast.Itwasnotdoubt，butthecertitudethatthekeeloftheSofalamustbestirringthemudnow，whichmadehimpeepovertheside.
Hispeeringeyes，setaslantinafaceoftheChinesetype，alittleoldface，immovable，asifcarvedinoldbrownoak，hadinformedhimlongbeforethattheshipwasnotheadedatthebarproperly.PaidofffromtheFairMaid，togetherwiththerestofthecrew，afterthecompletionofthesale，hehadhung，inhisfadedbluesuitandfloppygrayhat，aboutthedoorsoftheHarborOffice，tilloneday，seeingCaptainWhalleycomingalongtogetacrewfortheSofala，hehadputhimselfquietlyintheway，withhisbarefeetinthedustandanupwardmuteglance.Theeyesofhisoldcom—
manderhadfallenonhimfavorably——itmusthavebeenanauspiciousday——andinlessthanhalfanhourthewhitemeninthe"Ofiss"hadwrittenhisnameonadocumentasSerangofthefire—shipSofala.Sincethattimehehadrepeatedlylookedatthatestuary，uponthatcoast，fromthisbridgeandfromthissideofthebar.Therecordofthevisualworldfellthroughhiseyesuponhisunspeculatingmindasonasensitizedplatethroughthelensofacamera.Hisknowledgewasabsoluteandprecise;nevertheless，hadhebeenaskedhisopinion，andespeciallyifquestionedinthedown—
right，alarmingmannerofwhitemen，hewouldhavedisplayedthehesitationofignorance.Hewascertainofhisfacts——butsuchacertitudecountedforlittleagainstthedoubtwhatanswerwouldbepleasing.
Fiftyyearsago，inajunglevillage，andbeforehewasadayold，hisfather（whodiedwithouteverseeingawhiteface）hadhadhisnativitycastbyamanofskillandwisdominastrology，becauseinthearrange—
mentofthestarsmaybereadthelastwordofhumandestiny.Hisdestinyhadbeentothrivebythefavorofvariouswhitemenonthesea.Hehadsweptthedecksofships，hadtendedtheirhelms，hadmindedtheirstores，hadrisenatlasttobeaSerang;andhisplacidmindhadremainedasincapableofpenetratingthesim—
plestmotivesofthoseheservedastheythemselveswereincapableofdetectingthroughthecrustoftheearththesecretnatureofitsheart，whichmaybefireormaybestone.ButhehadnodoubtwhateverthattheSofalawasoutofthepropertrackforcrossingthebaratBatuBeru.
Itwasaslighterror.Theshipcouldnothavebeenmorethantwiceherownlengthtoofartothenorth—
ward;andawhitemanatalossforacause（sinceitwasimpossibletosuspectCaptainWhalleyofblunder—
ingignorance，ofwantofskill，orofneglect）wouldhavebeeninclinedtodoubtthetestimonyofhissenses.
ItwassomesuchfeelingthatkeptMassymotionless，withhisteethlaidbarebyananxiousgrin.NotsotheSerang.Hewasnottroubledbyanyintellectualmis—
trustofhissenses.Ifhiscaptainchosetostirthemuditwaswell.Hehadknowninhislifewhitemenindulgeinoutbreaksequallystrange.Hewasonlygenuinelyinterestedtoseewhatwouldcomeofit.Atlast，appar—
entlysatisfied，hesteppedbackfromtherail.