Hehadmadenosound：CaptainWhalley，however，seemedtohaveobservedthemovementsofhisSerang.
Holdinghisheadrigidly，heaskedwithamerestirofhislips——
"Goingaheadstill，Serang？"
"Stillgoingalittle，Tuan，"answeredtheMalay.
Thenaddedcasually，"Sheisover."
Theleadconfirmedhiswords;thedepthofwaterin—
creasedateverycast，andthesoulofexcitementde—
partedsuddenlyfromthelascarswunginthecanvasbeltovertheSofala’sside.CaptainWhalleyor—
deredtheleadin，settheenginesaheadwithouthaste，andavertinghiseyesfromthecoastdirectedtheSerangtokeepacourseforthemiddleoftheen—
trance.
Massybroughtthepalmofhishandwithaloudsmackagainsthisthigh.
"Yougrazedonthebar.Justlookasternandseeifyoudidn’t.Lookatthetracksheleft.Youcanseeitplainly.Uponmysoul，Ithoughtyouwould！Whatmadeyoudothat？Whatonearthmadeyoudothat？
Ibelieveyouaretryingtoscareme."
Hetalkedslowly，asitwerecircumspectly，keepinghisprominentblackeyesonhiscaptain.Therewasalsoaslightplaintivenoteinhisrisingcholer，for，primarily，itwastheclearsenseofawrongsufferedundeservedlythatmadehimhatethemanwho，forabeggarlyfivehundredpounds，claimedasixthpartoftheprofitsunderthethreeyears’agreement.Wheneverhisresent—
mentgotthebetteroftheawethepersonofCaptainWhalleyinspiredhewouldpositivelywhimperwithfury.
"Youdon’tknowwhattoinventtoplaguemylifeoutofme.Iwouldnothavethoughtthatamanofyoursortwouldcondescend"
Hepaused，halfhopefully，halftimidly，wheneverCaptainWhalleymadetheslightestmovementinthedeck—chair，asthoughexpectingtobeconciliatedbyasoftspeechorelserusheduponandhuntedoffthebridge.
"Iampuzzled，"hewentonagain，withthewatchfulunsmilingbaringofhisbigteeth."Idon’tknowwhattothink.Idobelieveyouaretryingtofrightenme.
Youverynearlyplantedheronthebarforatleasttwelvehours，besidesgettingtheengineschokedwithmud.Shipscan’taffordtolosetwelvehoursonatripnowadays——asyououghttoknowverywell，anddoknowverywelltobesure，only"
Hisslowvolubility，thesidewayscraningsofhisneck，theblackglancesoutoftheverycornersofhiseyes，leftCaptainWhalleyunmoved.Helookedatthedeckwithaseverefrown.Massywaitedforsomelittletime，thenbegantothreatenplaintively.
"Youthinkyou’vegotmeboundhandandfootinthatagreement.Youthinkyoucantormentmeinanywayyouplease.Ah！Butrememberithasanothersixweekstorunyet.There’stimeformetodismissyoubeforethethreeyearsareout.Youwilldoyetsomethingthatwillgivemethechancetodismissyou，andmakeyouwaitatwelvemonthforyourmoneybeforeyoucantakeyourselfoffandpulloutyourfivehundred，andleavemewithoutapennytogetthenewboilersforher.Yougloatoverthatidea——don’tyou？Idobe—
lieveyousitheregloating.It’sasifIhadsoldmysoulforfivehundredpoundstobeeverlastinglydamnedintheend"
Hepaused，withoutapparentexasperation，thencon—
tinuedevenly——
"Withtheboilerswornoutandthesurveyhang—
ingovermyhead，CaptainWhalley——CaptainWhalley，Isay，whatdoyoudowithyourmoney？Youmusthavestacksofmoneysomewhere——amanlikeyoumust.Itstandstoreason.Iamnotafool，youknow，CaptainWhalley——partner."
Againhepaused，asthoughhehaddoneforgood.
Hepassedhistongueoverhislips，gaveabackwardglanceattheSerangconningtheshipwithquietwhis—
persandslightsignsofthehand.Thewashofthepropellersentaswiftripple，crestedwithdarkfroth，uponalongflatspitofblackslime.TheSofalahadenteredtheriver;thetrailshehadstirredupoverthebarwasamileasternofhernow，outofsight，haddis—
appearedutterly;andthesmooth，emptyseaalongthecoastwasleftbehindintheglitteringdesolationofsun—
shine.Oneachsideofher，lowdown，thegrowthofsombertwistedmangrovescoveredthesemi—liquidbanks;
andMassycontinuedinhisoldtone，withanabruptstart，asifhisspeechhadbeengroundoutofhim，likethetuneofamusic—box，byturningahandle.
"Thoughifanybodyevergotthebestofme，itisyou.
Idon’tmindsayingthis.I’vesaidit——there！Whatmorecanyouwant？Isn’tthatenoughforyourpride，CaptainWhalley.Yougotovermefromthefirst.It’sallofapiece，whenIlookbackatit.Youallowedmetoinsertthatclauseaboutintemperancewithoutsayinganything，onlylookingverysickwhenImadeapointofitgoinginblackonwhite.HowcouldItellwhatwaswrongaboutyou.There’sgenerallysomethingwrongsomewhere.And，loandbehold！whenyoucomeonboarditturnsoutthatyou’vebeeninthehabitofdrinkingnothingbutwaterforyearsandyears."
Hisdogmaticreproachfulwhinestopped.Hebroodedprofoundly，afterthemannerofcraftyandunintelli—
gentmen.ItseemedinconceivablethatCaptainWhalleyshouldnotlaughattheexpressionofdisgustthatoverspreadtheheavy，yellowcountenance.ButCaptainWhalleyneverraisedhiseyes——sittinginhisarm—chair，outraged，dignified，andmotionless.
"Muchgooditwastome，"Massyremonstratedmonotonously，"toinsertaclausefordismissalforin—
temperanceagainstamanwhodrinksnothingbutwater.
Andyoulookedsoupset，too，whenIreadmydraftinthelawyer’sofficethatmorning，CaptainWhalley，——
youlookedsocrestfallen，thatImadesureIhadgonehomeonyourweakspot.Ashipownercan’tbetoocarefulastothesortofskipperhegets.YoumusthavebeenlaughingatmeinyoursleevealltheblessedtimeEh？Whatareyougoingtosay？"
CaptainWhalleyhadonlyshuffledhisfeetslightly.
AdullanimositybecameapparentinMassy’ssidewaysstare.
"Butrecollectthatthereareothergroundsofdis—
missal.There’shabitualcarelessness，amountingtoin—
competence——there’sgrossandpersistentneglectofduty.Iamnotquiteasbigafoolasyoutrytomakemeouttobe.Youhavebeencarelessoflate——leavingeverythingtothatSerang.Why！I’veseenyoulet—
tingthatoldfoolofaMalaytakebearingsforyou，asifyouweretoobigtoattendtoyourworkyourself.
Andwhatdoyoucallthatsillytouch—and—gomannerinwhichyoutooktheshipoverthebarjustnow？Youexpectmetoputupwiththat？"
Leaningonhiselbowagainsttheladderabaftthebridge，Sterne，themate，triedtohear，blinkingthewhilefromthedistanceatthesecondengineer，whohadcomeupforamoment，andstoodintheengine—roomcompanion.Wipinghishandsonabunchofcottonwaste，helookedaboutwithindifferencetotherightandleftattheriverbanksslippingasternoftheSofalasteadily.
Massyturnedfullatthechair.Thecharacterofhiswhinebecameagainthreatening.
"Takecare.Imayyetdismissyouandfreezetoyourmoneyforayear.Imay"
Butbeforethesilent，rigidimmobilityofthemanwhosemoneyhadcomeinthenickoftimetosavehimfromutterruin，hisvoicediedoutinhisthroat.
"NotthatIwantyoutogo，"heresumedafterasi—
lence，andinanabsurdlyinsinuatingtone."Iwantnothingbetterthantobefriendsandrenewtheagree—
ment，ifyouwillconsenttofindanothercoupleofhun—
dredtohelpwiththenewboilers，CaptainWhalley.
I’vetoldyoubefore.Shemusthavenewboilers;youknowitaswellasIdo.Haveyouthoughtthisover？"
Hewaited.Theslenderstemofthepipewithitsbulkylumpofabowlattheendhungdownfromhisthicklips.Ithadgoneout.Suddenlyhetookitfrombetweenhisteethandwrunghishandsslightly.
"Don’tyoubelieveme？"Hethrustthepipebowlintothepocketofhisshinyblackjacket.
"It’slikedealingwiththedevil，"hesaid."Whydon’tyouspeak？AtfirstyouweresohighandmightywithmeIhardlydaredtocreepaboutmyowndeck.
NowIcan’tgetawordfromyou.Youdon’tseemtoseemeatall.Whatdoesitmean？Uponmysoul，youterrifymewiththisdeafanddumbtrick.What’sgo—
ingoninthatheadofyours？Whatareyouplottingagainstmetheresohardthatyoucan’tsayaword？
Youwillnevermakemebelievethatyou——you——don’tknowwheretolayyourhandsonacoupleofhundred.
YouhavemademecursethedayIwasborn"
"Mr.Massy，"saidCaptainWhalleysuddenly，with—
outstirring.
Theengineerstartedviolently.
"IfthatissoIcanonlybegyoutoforgiveme."
"Starboard，"mutteredtheSerangtothehelmsman;
andtheSofalabegantoswingroundthebendintothesecondreach.
"Ough！"Massyshuddered."Youmakemybloodruncold.Whatmadeyoucomehere？Whatmadeyoucomeaboardthateveningallofasudden，withyourhightalkandyourmoney——temptingme？Ialwayswonderedwhatwasyourmotive？Youfastenedyourselfonmetohaveeasytimesandgrowfatonmylifeblood，Itellyou.Wasthatit？Ibelieveyouarethegreatestmiserintheworld，orelsewhy"
"No.Iamonlypoor，"interruptedCaptainWhalley，stonily.
"Steady，"murmuredtheSerang.Massyturnedawaywithhischinonhisshoulder.
"Idon’tbelieveit，"hesaidinhisdogmatictone.
CaptainWhalleymadenomovement."Thereyousitlikeagorgedvulture——exactlylikeavulture."
Heembracedthemiddleofthereachandboththebanksinoneblankunseeingcircularglance，andleftthebridgeslowly.
IX
OnturningtodescendMassyperceivedtheheadofSternethemateloitering，withhisslyconfidentsmile，hisredmustachesandblinkingeyes，atthefootoftheladder.
SternehadbeenajuniorinoneofthelargershippingconcernsbeforejoiningtheSofala.Hehadthrownuphisberth，hesaid，"ongeneralprinciples."Thepro—
motionintheemploywasveryslow，hecomplained，andhethoughtitwastimeforhimtotryandgetonabitintheworld.Itseemedasthoughnobodywouldeverdieorleavethefirm;theyallstuckfastintheirberthstilltheygotmildewed;hewastiredofwaiting;andhefearedthatwhenavacancydidoccurthebestservantswerebynomeanssureofbeingtreatedfairly.Besides，thecaptainhehadtoserveunder——CaptainProvost——
wasanunaccountablesortofman，and，hefancied，hadtakenadisliketohimforsomereasonorother.Fordoingrathermorethanhisbaredutyaslikelyasnot.
Whenhehaddoneanythingwronghecouldtakeatalkingto，likeaman;butheexpectedtobetreatedlikeamantoo，andnottobeaddressedinvariablyasthoughhewereadog.HehadaskedCaptainProvostplumpandplaintotellhimwherehewasatfault，andCaptainProvost，inamostscornfulway，hadtoldhimthathewasaperfectofficer，andthatifhedislikedthewayhewasbeingspokentotherewasthegangway——
hecouldtakehimselfoffashoreatonce.ButeverybodyknewwhatsortofmanCaptainProvostwas.Itwasnouseappealingtotheoffice.CaptainProvosthadtoomuchinfluenceintheemploy.Allthesame，theyhadtogivehimagoodcharacter.Hemadeboldtosaytherewasnothingintheworldagainsthim，and，ashehadhappenedtohearthatthemateoftheSofalahadbeentakentothehospitalthatmorningwithasun—
stroke，hethoughttherewouldbenoharminseeingwhetherhewouldnotdo
HehadcometoCaptainWhalleyfreshlyshaved，red—
faced，thin—flanked，throwingouthisleanchest;andhadrecitedhislittletalewithanopenandmanlyas—
surance.Nowandthenhiseyelidsquiveredslightly，hishandwouldstealuptotheendoftheflamingmus—
tache;hiseyebrowswerestraight，furry，ofachestnutcolor，andthedirectnessofhisfrankgazeseemedtotrembleonthevergeofimpudence.CaptainWhalleyhadengagedhimtemporarily;then，theothermanhav—
ingbeenorderedhomebythedoctors，hehadremainedforthenexttrip，andthenthenext.Hehadnowat—
tainedpermanency，andtheperformanceofhisdutieswasmarkedbyanairofserious，single—mindedappli—
cation.Directlyhewasspokento，hebegantosmileattentively，withagreatdeferenceexpressedinhiswholeattitude;buttherewasintherapidwinkingwhichwentonallthetimesomethingquizzical，asthoughhehadpossessedthesecretofsomeuniversaljokecheatingallcreationandimpenetrabletoothermortals.
GraveandsmilinghewatchedMassycomedownstepbystep;whenthechiefengineerhadreachedthedeckheswungabout，andtheyfoundthemselvesfacetoface.
Matchedastoheightandutterlydissimilar，theycon—
frontedeachotherasiftherehadbeensomethingbe—
tweenthem——somethingelsethanthebrightstripofsunlightthat，fallingthroughthewidelacingoftwoawnings，cutcrosswisethenarrowplankingofthedeckandseparatedtheirfeetasitwereastream;somethingprofoundandsubtleandincalculable，likeanunex—
pressedunderstanding，asecretmistrust，orsomesortoffear.
AtlastSterne，blinkinghisdeep—seteyesandstickingforwardhisscraped，clean—cutchin，ascrimsonastherestofhisface，murmured——
"You’veseen？Hegrazed！You’veseen？"
Massy，contemptuous，andwithoutraisinghisyellow，fleshycountenance，repliedinthesamepitch——
"Maybe.Butifithadbeenyouwewouldhavebeenstuckfastinthemud."
"Pardonme，Mr.Massy.Ibegtodenyit.Ofcourseashipownermaysaywhathejollywellpleasesonhisowndeck.That’sallright;butIbegto"
"Getoutofmyway！"
Theotherhadaslightstart，theimpulseofsuppressedindignationperhaps，butheldhisground.Massy’sdownwardglancewanderedrightandleft，asthoughthedeckallroundSternehadbeenbestrewnwitheggsthatmustnotbebroken，andhehadlookedirritablyforplaceswherehecouldsethisfeetinflight.Intheendhetoodidnotmove，thoughtherewasplentyofroomtopasson.
"Iheardyousayupthere，"wentonthemate——"andaveryjustremarkitwastoo——thatthere’salwayssomethingwrong"
"Eavesdroppingiswhat’swrongwithYOU，Mr.
Sterne."
"Now，ifyouwouldonlylistentomeforamoment，Mr.Massy，sir，Icould"
"Youareasneak，"interruptedMassyinagreathurry，andevenmanagedtogetsofarastorepeat，"acommonsneak，"beforethematehadbrokeninargu—
mentatively——
"Now，sir，whatisityouwant？Youwant"
"Iwant——Iwant，"stammeredMassy，infuriatedandastonished——"Iwant.HowdoyouknowthatIwantanything？Howdareyou？Whatdoyoumean？Whatareyouafter——you"
"Promotion."Sternesilencedhimwithasortofcandidbravado.Theengineer’sroundsoftcheeksquiv—
eredstill，buthesaidquietlyenough——
"Youareonlyworryingmyheadoff，"andSternemethimwithaconfidentlittlesmile.
"AchapinbusinessIknow（wellupintheworldheisnow）usedtotellmethatthiswastheproperway.
’Alwayspushontothefront，’hewouldsay.’Keepyourselfwellbeforeyourboss.Interferewheneveryougetachance.Showhimwhatyouknow.Worryhimintoseeingyou.’Thatwashisadvice.NowIknownootherbossthanyouhere.Youaretheowner，andnooneelsecountsforTHATmuchinmyeyes.See，Mr.
Massy？Iwanttogeton.ImakenosecretofitthatIamoneofthesortthatmeanstogeton.Thesearethementomakeuseof，sir.Youhaven’tarrivedatthetopofthetree，sir，withoutfindingthatout——I
daresay."
"Worryyourbossinordertogeton，"mumbledMassy，asifawestruckbytheirreverentoriginalityoftheidea."Ishouldn’twonderifthiswasjustwhattheBlueAnchorpeoplekickedyououtoftheemployfor.
Isthatwhatyoucallgettingon？Youshallgetoninthesamewayhereifyouaren’tcareful——Icanpromiseyou."
AtthisSternehunghishead，thoughtful，perplexed，winkinghardatthedeck.Allhisattemptstoenterintoconfidentialrelationswithhisownerhadledoflatetonothingbetterthanthesedarkthreatsofdismissal;
andathreatofdismissalwouldcheckhimatonceintoahesitatingsilenceasthoughhewerenotsurethatthepropertimefordefyingithadcome.Onthisocca—
sionheseemedtohavelosthistongueforamoment，andMassy，gettinginmotion，heavilypassedhimbywithanabortiveattemptatshouldering.Sternedefeateditbysteppingaside.Heturnedthenswiftly，openinghismouthverywideasiftoshoutsomethingaftertheengineer，butseemedtothinkbetterofit.
Always——ashewasreadytoconfess——onthelookoutforanopeningtogeton，ithadbecomeaninstinctwithhimtowatchtheconductofhisimmediatesuperiorsforsomething"thatonecouldlayholdof."Itwashisbeliefthatnoskipperintheworldwouldkeephiscom—
mandforadayifonlytheownerscouldbe"madetoknow."Thisromanticandnaivetheoryhadledhimintotroublemorethanonce，butheremainedincorrigi—
ble;andhischaracterwassoinstinctivelydisloyalthatwheneverhejoinedashiptheintentionofoustinghiscommanderoutoftheberthandtakinghisplacewasalwayspresentatthebackofhishead，asamatterofcourse.Itfilledtheleisureofhiswakinghourswiththereveriesofcarefulplansandcompromisingdiscov—
eries——thedreamsofhissleepwithimagesofluckyturnsandfavorableaccidents.Skippershadbeenknowntosickenanddieatsea，thanwhichnothingcouldbebettertogiveasmartmateachanceofshowingwhathe’smadeof.Theyalsowouldtumbleoverboardsometimes：hehadheardofoneortwosuchcases.
OthersagainBut，asitwereconstitutionally，hewasfaithfultothebeliefthattheconductofnosingleoneofthemwouldstandthetestofcarefulwatchingbyamanwho"knewwhat’swhat"andwhokepthiseyes"skinnedprettywell"allthetime.
AfterhehadgainedapermanentfootingonboardtheSofalaheallowedhisperennialhopetorisehigh.
Tobeginwith，itwasagreatadvantagetohaveanoldmanforcaptain：thesortofmanbesideswhointhenatureofthingswaslikelytogiveupthejobbeforelongfromonecauseoranother.Sternewasgreatlychagrined，however，tonoticethathedidnotseemany—
waynearbeingpasthisworkyet.Still，theseoldmengotopiecesallatoncesometimes.Thentherewastheowner—engineercloseathandtobeimpressedbyhiszealandsteadiness.Sterneneverforamomentdoubtedtheobviousnatureofhisownmerits（hewasreallyanex—
cellentofficer）;only，nowadays，professionalmeritalonedoesnottakeamanalongfastenough.Achapmusthavesomepushinhim，andmustkeephiswitsatworktootohelphimforward.Hemadeuphismindtoinheritthechargeofthissteamerifitwastobedoneatall;notindeedestimatingthecommandoftheSofalaasaverygreatcatch，butforthereasonthat，outEastespecially，tomakeastartiseverything，andonecommandleadstoanother.
Hebeganbypromisinghimselftobehavewithgreatcircumspection;Massy’ssomberandfantastichumorsintimidatedhimasbeingoutsideone’susualseaexperi—
ence;buthewasquiteintelligentenoughtorealizeal—
mostfromthefirstthathewasthereinthepresenceofanexceptionalsituation.Hispeculiarpryingimagina—
tionpenetrateditquickly;thefeelingthattherewasinitanelementwhicheludedhisgraspexasperatedhisimpatiencetogeton.Andsoonetripcametoanend，thenanother，andhehadbegunhisthirdbeforehesawanopeningbywhichhecouldstepinwithanysortofeffect.Ithadallbeenveryqueerandveryobscure;
somethinghadbeengoingonnearhim，asifseparatedbyachasmfromthecommonlifeandtheworkingroutineoftheship，whichwasexactlylikethelifeandtheroutineofanyothercoastingsteamerofthatclass.
Thenonedayhemadehisdiscovery.
Itcametohimafteralltheseweeksofwatchfulob—
servationandpuzzledsurmises，suddenly，likethelong—
soughtsolutionofariddlethatsuggestsitselftothemindinaflash.Notwiththesameauthority，however.
Greatheavens！Coulditbethat？Andafterremain—
ingthunderstruckforafewsecondshetriedtoshakeitoffwithself—contumely，asthoughithadbeentheproductofanunhealthybiastowardstheIncredible，theInexplicable，theUnheard—of——theMad！
This——theilluminatingmoment——hadoccurredthetripbefore，onthereturnpassage.TheyhadjustleftaplaceofcallonthemainlandcalledPangu;theyweresteamingstraightoutofabay.Totheeastamassiveheadlandclosedtheview，withthetiltededgesoftherockystratashowingthroughitsraggedclothingofrankbushesandthornycreepers.Thewindhadbeguntosingintherigging;theseaalongthecoast，greenandasifswollenalittleabovethelineofthehorizon，seemedtopouritselfover，timeaftertime，withaslowandthunderingfall，intotheshadowoftheleewardcape;andacrossthewideopeningthenearestofagroupofsmallislandsstoodenvelopedinthehazyyellowlightofabreezysunrise;stillfartheroutthehummockytopsofotherisletspeepedoutmotionlessabovethewaterofthechannelsbetween，scouredtumultuouslybythebreeze.
TheusualtrackoftheSofalabothgoingandreturn—
ingoneverytripledherforafewmilesalongthisreef—
infestedregion.Shefollowedabroadlaneofwater，droppingastern，oneafteranother，thesecrumbsoftheearth’scrustresemblingasquadronofdismastedhulksrunindisorderuponafoulgroundofrocksandshoals.
Someofthesefragmentsoflandappeared，indeed，nobiggerthanastrandedship;others，quiteflat，layawashlikeanchoredrafts，likeponderous，blackraftsofstone;several，heavilytimberedandroundatthebase，emergedinsquatdomesofdeepgreenfoliagethatshuddereddarklyallovertotheflyingtouchofcloudshadowsdrivenbythesuddengustsofthesquallysea—
son.Thethunderstormsofthecoastbrokefrequentlyoverthatcluster;itturnedthenshadowyinitswholeextent;itturnedmoredark，andasifmorestillintheplayoffire;asifmoreimpenetrablysilentinthepealsofthunder;itsblurredshapesvanished——dissolvingut—
terlyattimesinthethickrain——toreappearclear—cutandblackinthestormylightagainstthegraysheetofthecloud——scatteredontheslatyroundtableofthesea.Unscathedbystorms，resistingtheworkofyears，unfrettedbythestrifeoftheworld，thereitlayunchangedasonthatday，fourhundredyearsago，whenfirstbeheldbyWesterneyesfromthedeckofahigh—poopedcaravel.
Itwasoneofthesesecludedspotsthatmaybefoundonthebusysea，asonlandyoucomesometimesupontheclusteredhousesofahamletuntouchedbymen’srest—
lessness，untouchedbytheirneed，bytheirthought，andasifforgottenbytimeitself.Thelivesofuncountedgenerationshadpasseditby，andthemultitudesofsea—
fowl，urgingtheirwayfromallthepointsofthehorizontosleepontheouterrocksofthegroup，unrolledtheconvergingevolutionsoftheirflightinlongsomberstreamersupontheglowofthesky.Thepalpitatingcloudoftheirwingssoaredandstoopedoverthepinna—
clesoftherocks，overtherocksslenderlikespires，squatlikemartellotowers;overthepyramidalheapslikefallenruins，overthelinesofbaldbowldersshowinglikeawallofstonesbatteredtopiecesandscorchedbylightning——
withthesleepy，clearglimmerofwaterineverybreach.
Thenoiseoftheircontinuousandviolentscreamingfilledtheair.
ThisgreatnoisewouldmeettheSofalacomingupfromBatuBeru;itwouldmeetheronquietevenings，apiti—
lessandsavageclamorenfeebledbydistance，theclamorofseabirdssettlingtorest，andstrugglingforafootingattheendoftheday.Noonenoticeditespeciallyonboard;itwasthevoiceoftheirship’sun—
erringlandfall，endingthesteadystretchofahundredmiles.Shehadmadegoodhercourse，shehadrunherdistancetillthepunctualisletsbegantoemergeonebyone，thepointsofrocks，thehummocksofearth
andthecloudofbirdshovered——therestlesscloudemit—
tingastridentandcrueluproar，thesoundofthefa—
miliarscene，thelivingpartofthebrokenlandbeneath，oftheoutspreadsea，andofthehighskywithoutaflaw.
ButwhentheSofalahappenedtoclosewiththelandaftersunsetshewouldfindeverythingverystillthereunderthemantleofthenight.Allwouldbestill，dumb，almostinvisible——butfortheblottingoutofthelowconstellationsoccultedinturnsbehindthevaguemassesoftheisletswhosetrueoutlineseludedtheeyeamongstthedarkspacesoftheheaven：andtheship’sthreelights，resemblingthreestars——theredandthegreenwiththewhiteabove——herthreelights，likethreecompanionstarswanderingontheearth，heldtheirunswervingcourseforthepassageatthesouthernendofthegroup.
Sometimestherewerehumaneyesopentowatchthemcomenearer，travelingsmoothlyinthesombervoid;theeyesofanakedfishermaninhiscanoefloatingoverareef.Hethoughtdrowsily："Ha！Thefire—shipthatonceineverymoongoesinandcomesoutofPangubay."Morehedidnotknowofher.Andjustashehaddetectedthefaintrhythmofthepropellerbeatingthecalmwateramileandahalfaway，thetimewouldcomefortheSofalatoalterhercourse，thelightswouldswingoffhimtheirtriplebeam——anddisappear.
Afewmiserable，half—nakedfamilies，asortofoutcasttribeoflong—haired，lean，andwild—eyedpeople，strovefortheirlivinginthislonelywildernessofislets，lyinglikeanabandonedoutworkofthelandatthegatesofthebay.Withintheknotsandloopsoftherocksthewaterrestedmoretransparentthancrystalundertheircrookedandleakycanoes，scoopedoutofthetrunkofatree：theformsofthebottomundulatedslightlytothedipofapaddle;andthemenseemedtohangintheair，theyseemedtohanginclosedwithinthefibersofadark，soddenlog，fishingpatientlyinastrange，un—
steady，pellucid，greenairabovetheshoals.
Theirbodiesstalkedbrownandemaciatedasifdriedupinthesunshine;theirlivesranoutsilently;thehomeswheretheywereborn，wenttorest，anddied——
flimsyshedsofrushesandcoarsegrassekedoutwithafewraggedmats——werehiddenoutofsightfromtheopensea.Noglowoftheirhouseholdfireseverkindledforaseamanaredsparkupontheblindnightofthegroup：andthecalmsofthecoast，theflaminglongcalmsoftheequator，theunbreathing，concentratedcalmslikethedeepintrospectionofapassionatenature，broodedawfullyfordaysandweekstogetherovertheunchangeableinheritanceoftheirchildren;tillatlastthestones，hotlikeliveembers，scorchedthenakedsole，tillthewaterclungwarm，andsickly，andasifthick—
ened，aboutthelegsofleanmenwithgirdedloins，wad—
ingthigh—deepinthepaleblazeoftheshallows.AnditwouldhappennowandthenthattheSofala，throughsomedelayinoneoftheportsofcall，wouldheaveinsightmakingforPangubayaslateasnoonday.
Onlyablurringcloudatfirst，thethinmistofhersmokewouldarisemysteriouslyfromanemptypointontheclearlineofseaandsky.Thetaciturnfishermenwithinthereefswouldextendtheirleanarmstowardstheoffing;andthebrownfiguresstoopingonthetinybeaches，thebrownfiguresofmen，women，andchildrengrubbinginthesandinsearchofturtles’eggs，wouldriseup，crookedelbowaloftandhandovertheeyes，towatchthismonthlyapparitionglidestraighton，swerveoff——andgoby.Theirearscaughtthepantingofthatship;theireyesfollowedhertillshepassedbetweenthetwocapesofthemainlandgoingatfullspeedasthoughshehopedtomakeherwayuncheckedintotheverybosomoftheearth.
Onsuchdaystheluminousseawouldgivenosignofthedangerslurkingonbothsidesofherpath.Every—
thingremainedstill，crushedbytheoverwhelmingpowerofthelight;andthewholegroup，opaqueinthesun—
shine，——therocksresemblingpinnacles，therocksresem—
blingspires，therocksresemblingruins;theformsofisletsresemblingbeehives，resemblingmole—hills，theisletsrecallingtheshapesofhaystacks，thecontoursofivy—cladtowers，——wouldstandreflectedtogetherupsidedownintheunwrinkledwater，likecarvedtoysofebonydisposedonthesilveredplate—glassofamirror.
Thefirsttouchofblowingweatherwouldenvelopthewholeatonceinthespumeofthewindwardbreakers，asifinasuddencloudlikeburstofsteam;andtheclearwaterseemedfairlytoboilinallthepassages.Theprovokedseaoutlinedexactlyinadesignofangryfoamthewidebaseofthegroup;thesubmergedlevelofbrokenwasteandrefuseleftoverfromthebuildingofthecoastnearby，projectingitsdangerousspurs，allawash，farintothechannel，andbristlingwithwickedlongspitsoftenamilelong：withdeadlyspitsmadeoffrothandstones.
Andevennothingmorethanabriskbreeze——asonthatmorning，thevoyagebefore，whentheSofalaleftPangubayearly，andMr.Sterne’sdiscoverywastoblossomoutlikeaflowerofincredibleandevilaspectfromthetinyseedofinstinctivesuspicion，——evensuchabreezehadenoughstrengthtoteartheplacidmaskfromthefaceofthesea.ToSterne，gazingwithindif—
ference，ithadbeenlikearevelationtobeholdforthefirsttimethedangersmarkedbythehissinglividpatchesonthewaterasdistinctlyasontheengravedpaperofachart.Itcameintohismindthatthiswasthesortofdaymostfavorableforastrangerattempt—
ingthepassage：aclearday，justwindyenoughfortheseatobreakoneveryledge，buoying，asitwere，thechannelplainlytothesight;whereasduringacalmyouhadnothingtodependonbutthecompassandthepracticedjudgmentofyoureye.Andyetthesuc—
cessivecaptainsoftheSofalahadhadtotakeherthroughatnightmorethanonce.Nowadaysyoucouldnotaffordtothrowawaysixorsevenhoursofasteamer’stime.Thatyoucouldn’t.Butthenuseiseverything，andwithpropercareThechannelwasbroadandsafeenough;themainpointwastohitupontheentrancecorrectlyinthedark——forifamangothimselfinvolvedinthatstretchofbrokenwateroveryonderhewouldnevergetoutwithawholeship——
ifheevergotoutatall.
ThiswasSterne’slasttrainofthoughtindependentofthegreatdiscovery.Hehadjustseentothesecur—
ingoftheanchor，andhadremainedforwardidlingawayamomentortwo.Thecaptainwasinchargeonthebridge.Withaslightyawnhehadturnedawayfromhissurveyoftheseaandhadleanedhisshouldersagainstthefishdavit.
These，properlyspeaking，weretheverylastmomentsofeasehewastoknowonboardtheSofala.Alltheinstantsthatcameafterweretobepregnantwithpur—
poseandintolerablewithperplexity.Nomoreidle，randomthoughts;thediscoverywouldputthemontherack，tillsometimeshewishedtogoodnesshehadbeenfoolenoughnottomakeitatall.Andyet，ifhischancetogetonrestedonthediscoveryof"somethingwrong，"hecouldnothavehopedforagreaterstrokeofluck.
X
Theknowledgewastoodisturbing，really.Therewas"somethingwrong"withavengeance，andthemoralcertitudeofitwasatfirstsimplyfrightfultocontem—
plate.Sternehadbeenlookingaftinamoodsoidle，thatforoncehewasthinkingnoharmofanyone.Hiscaptainonthebridgepresentedhimselfnaturallytohissight.Howinsignificant，howcasualwasthethoughtthathadstartedthetrainofdiscovery——likeanaccidentalsparkthatsufficestoignitethechargeofatremendousmine！
Caughtunderbythebreeze，theawningsofthefore—
deckbelliedupwardsandcollapsedslowly，andabovetheirheavyflappingthegraystuffofCaptainWhalley’sroomycoatflutteredincessantlyaroundhisarmsandtrunk.Hefacedthewindinfulllight，withhisgreatsilverybeardblownforciblyagainsthischest;theeye—
browsoverhungheavilytheshadowswhencehisglanceappearedtobestaringaheadpiercingly.Sternecouldjustdetectthetwingleamofthewhitesshiftingundertheshaggyarchesofthebrow.Atshortrangetheseeyes，foralltheman’saffablemanner，seemedtolookyouthroughandthrough.Sternenevercoulddefendhimselffromthatfeelingwhenhehadoccasiontospeakwithhiscaptain.Hedidnotlikeit.Whatabigheavymanheappearedupthere，withthatlittleshrimpofaSerangincloseattendance——aswasusualinthisextraordinarysteamer！Confoundedabsurdcus—
tomthat.Heresentedit.Surelytheoldfellowcouldhavelookedafterhisshipwithoutthatloafingnativeathiselbow.Sternewriggledhisshoulderswithdis—
gust.Whatwasit？Indolenceorwhat？
Thatoldskippermusthavebeengrowinglazyforyears.TheyallgrewlazyoutEasthere（Sternewasveryconsciousofhisownunimpairedactivity）;theygotslackallover.Buthetoweredveryerectonthebridge;andquitelowbyhisside，asyouseeasmallchildlookingovertheedgeofatable，thebatteredsofthatandthebrownfaceoftheSerangpeepedoverthewhitecanvasscreenoftherail.
NodoubttheMalaywasstandingback，nearertothewheel;butthegreatdisparityofsizeincloseassocia—
tionamusedSterneliketheobservationofabizarrefactinnature.Theywereasqueerfishoutoftheseaasanyinit.
HesawCaptainWhalleyturnhisheadquicklytospeaktohisSerang;thewindwhippedthewholewhitemassofthebeardsideways.Hewouldbedirectingthechaptolookatthecompassforhim，orwhatnot.Ofcourse.Toomuchtroubletostepoverandseeforhim—
self.Sterne’sscornforthatbodilyindolencewhichovertakeswhitemenintheEastincreasedonreflection.
Someofthemwouldbeutterlylostiftheyhadn’tallthesenativesattheirbeckandcall;theygrewperfectlyshamelessaboutittoo.Hewasnotofthatsort，thankGod！Itwasn’tinhimtomakehimselfdependentforhisworkonanyshriveled—uplittleMalaylikethat.Asifonecouldevertrustasillynativeforanythingintheworld！Butthatfineoldmanthoughtdifferently，itseems.Theretheyweretogether，neverfarapart;
apairofthem，recallingtothemindanoldwhaleat—
tendedbyalittlepilot—fish.
Thefancifulnessofthecomparisonmadehimsmile.
Awhalewithaninseparablepilot—fish！That’swhattheoldmanlookedlike;foritcouldnotbesaidhelookedlikeashark，thoughMr.Massyhadcalledhimthatveryname.ButMr.Massydidnotmindwhathesaidinhissavagefits.Sternesmiledtohimself——andgraduallytheideasevokedbythesound，bytheim—
aginedshapeofthewordpilot—fish;theideasofaid，ofguidanceneededandreceived，cameuppermostinhismind：thewordpilotawakenedtheideaoftrust，ofdependence，theideaofwelcome，clear—eyedhelpbroughttotheseamangropingforthelandinthedark：gropingblindlyinfogs：feelingtheirwayinthethickweatherofthegalesthat，fillingtheairwithasaltmistblownupfromthesea，contracttherangeofsightonallsidestoashrunkenhorizonthatseemswithinreachofthehand.
Apilotseesbetterthanastranger，becausehislocalknowledge，likeasharpervision，completestheshapesofthingshurriedlyglimpsed;penetratestheveilsofmistspreadoverthelandbythestormsofthesea;de—
fineswithcertitudetheoutlinesofacoastlyingunderthepalloffog，theformsoflandmarkshalfburiedinastarlessnightasinashallowgrave.Herecognizesbe—
causehealreadyknows.Itisnottohisfar—reachingeyebuttohismoreextensiveknowledgethatthepilotlooksforcertitude;forthiscertitudeoftheship’sposi—
tiononwhichmaydependaman’sgoodfameandthepeaceofhisconscience，thejustificationofthetrustdepositedinhishands，withhisownlifetoo，whichisseldomwhollyhistothrowaway，andthehumblelivesofothersrootedindistantaffections，perhaps，andmadeasweightyasthelivesofkingsbytheburdenoftheawaitingmystery.Thepilot’sknowledgebringsreliefandcertitudetothecommanderofaship;theSerang，however，inhisfancifulsuggestionofapilot—fishat—
tendingawhale，couldnotinanywaybecreditedwithasuperiorknowledge.Whyshouldhehaveit？Thesetwomenhadcomeonthatruntogether——thewhiteandthebrown——onthesameday：andofcourseawhitemanwouldlearnmoreinaweekthanthebestnativewouldinamonth.Hewasmadetosticktotheskipperasthoughhewereofsomeuse——asthepilot—fish，theysay，istothewhale.Buthow——itwasverymarked——how？
Apilot—fish——apilot——aButifnotsuperiorknowledgethen
Sterne’sdiscoverywasmade.Itwasrepugnanttohisimagination，shockingtohisideasofhonesty，shockingtohisconceptionofmankind.Thisenormityaffectedone’soutlookonwhatwaspossibleinthisworld：itwasasifforinstancethesunhadturnedblue，throwinganewandsinisterlightonmenandnature.Reallyinthefirstmomenthehadfeltsickish，asthoughhehadgotablowbelowthebelt：forasecondtheverycoloroftheseaseemedchanged——appearedqueertohiswan—
deringeye;andhehadapassing，unsteadysensationinallhislimbsasthoughtheearthhadstartedturningtheotherway.
Averynaturalincredulitysucceedingthissenseofupheavalbroughtameasureofrelief.Hehadgasped;
itwasover.Butafterwardsduringallthatdaysuddenparoxysmsofwonderwouldcomeoverhiminthemidstofhisoccupations.Hewouldstopandshakehishead.
Therevoltofhisincredulityhadpassedawayalmostasquickasthefirstemotionofdiscovery，andforthenexttwenty—fourhourshehadnosleep.Thatwouldneverdo.Atmeal—times（hetookthefootofthetablesetupforthewhitemenonthebridge）hecouldnothelplosinghimselfinafascinatedcontemplationofCaptainWhalleyopposite.Hewatchedthedeliberateupwardmovementsofthearm;theoldmanputhisfoodtohislipsasthoughheneverexpectedtofindanytasteinhisdailybread，asthoughhedidnotknowanythingaboutit.Hefedhimselflikeasomnambulist."It’sanawfulsight，"thoughtSterne;andhewatchedthelongperiodofmournful，silentimmobility，withabigbrownhandlyinglooselyclosedbythesideoftheplate，tillhenoticedthetwoengineerstotherightandleftlook—
ingathiminastonishment.Hewouldclosehismouthinahurrythen，andloweringhiseyes，winkrapidlyathisplate.Itwasawfultoseetheoldchapsittingthere;itwasevenawfultothinkthatwiththreewordshecouldblowhimupsky—high.Allhehadtodowastoraisehisvoiceandpronounceasingleshortsentence，andyetthatsimpleactseemedasimpossibletoattemptasmovingthesunoutofitsplaceinthesky.Theoldchapcouldeatinhisterrificmechanicalway;butSterne，frommentalexcitement，couldnot——notthatevening，atanyrate.
Hehadhadampletimesincetogetaccustomedtothestrainofthemeal—hours.Hewouldneverhavebelievedit.Butthenuseiseverything;onlytheverypotencyofhissuccesspreventedanythingresemblingelation.
Hefeltlikeamanwho，inhislegitimatesearchforaloadedguntohelphimonhiswaythroughtheworld，chancestocomeuponatorpedo——uponalivetorpedowithashatteringchargeinitsheadandapressureofmanyatmospheresinitstail.Itisthesortofweapontomakeitspossessorcarewornandnervous.Hehadnomindtobeblownuphimself;andhecouldnotgetridofthenotionthattheexplosionwasboundtodamagehimtooinsomeway.
Thisvagueapprehensionhadrestrainedhimatfirst.
Hewasablenowtoeatandsleepwiththatfearfulweaponbyhisside，withtheconvictionofitspoweralwaysinmind.Ithadnotbeenarrivedatbyanyreflectiveprocess;butoncetheideahadenteredhishead，theconvictionhadfollowedoverwhelminglyinamultitudeofobservedlittlefactstowhichbeforehehadgivenonlyalanguidattention.Theabruptandfalter—
ingintonationsofthedeepvoice;thetaciturnityputonlikeanarmor;thedeliberate，asifguarded，move—
ments;thelongimmobilities，asifthemanhewatchedhadbeenafraidtodisturbtheveryair：everyfamiliargesture，everywordutteredinhishearing，everysighoverheard，hadacquiredaspecialsignificance，acon—
firmatoryimport.
EverydaythatpassedovertheSofalaappearedtoSternesimplycrammedfullwithproofs——withincon—
trovertibleproofs.Atnight，whenoffduty，hewouldstealoutofhiscabininpyjamas（formoreproofs）andstandafullhour，perhaps，onhisbarefeetbelowthebridge，asabsolutelymotionlessastheawningstanchioninitsdecksocketnearby.Onthestretchesofeasynavigationitisnotusualforacoastingcaptaintore—
mainondeckallthetimeofhiswatch.TheSerangkeepsitforhimasamatterofcustom;inopenwater，onastraightcourse，heisusuallytrustedtolookaftertheshipbyhimself.Butthisoldmanseemedincapableofremainingquietlydownbelow.Nodoubthecouldnotsleep.Andnowonder.Thiswasalsoaproof.
Suddenlyinthesilenceoftheshippantinguponthestill，darksea，Sternewouldhearalowvoiceabovehimexclaimingnervously——
"Serang！"
"Tuan！"
"Youarewatchingthecompasswell？"
"Yes，Iamwatching，Tuan."
"Theshipismakinghercourse？"
"Sheis，Tuan.Verystraight."
"Itiswell;andremember，Serang，thattheorderisthatyouaretomindthehelmsmenandkeepalook—
outwithcare，thesameasifIwerenotondeck."
Then，whentheSeranghadmadehisanswer，thelowtonesonthebridgewouldcease，andeverythingroundSterneseemedtobecomemorestillandmoreprofoundlysilent.Slightlychilledandwithhisbackachingalittlefromlongimmobility，hewouldstealawaytohisroomontheportsideofthedeck.Hehadlongsincepartedwiththelastvestigeofincredulity;oftheoriginalemotions，setintoatumultbythediscovery，sometraceofthefirstawealoneremained.Nottheaweofthemanhimself——hecouldblowhimupsky—highwithsixwords——ratheritwasanawestruckindignationattherecklessperversityofavarice（whatelsecoulditbe？），atthemadandsomberresolutionthatforthesakeofafewdollarsmoreseemedtosetatnaughtthecommonruleofconscienceandpretendedtostruggleagainsttheverydecreeofProvidence.
Youcouldnotfindanothermanlikethisoneinthewholeroundworld——thankGod.Therewassomethingdevilishlydauntlessinthecharacterofsuchadeceptionwhichmadeyoupause.
Otherconsiderationsoccurringtohisprudencehadkepthimtongue—tiedfromdaytoday.Itseemedtohimnowthatitwouldyethavebeeneasiertospeakoutinthefirsthourofdiscovery.Healmostregrettednothavingmadearowatonce.Butthentheverymon—
strosityofthedisclosureWhy！Hecouldhardlyfaceithimself，letalonepointingitouttosomebodyelse.Moreover，withadesperadoofthatsortoneneverknew.Theobjectwasnottogethimout（thatwasaswellasdonealready），buttostepintohisplace.
Bizarreasthethoughtseemedhemighthaveshownfight.Afellowuptoworkingsuchafraudwouldhaveenoughcheekforanything;afellowthat，asitwere，stoodupagainstGodAlmightyHimself.Hewasahorridmarvel——that’swhathewas：hewasperfectlycapableofbrazeningouttheaffairscandalouslytillhegothim（Sterne）kickedoutoftheshipandeverlast—
inglydamagedhisprospectsinthispartoftheEast.
Yetifyouwanttogetonsomethingmustberisked.AttimesSternethoughthehadbeenundulytimidoftakingactioninthepast;andwhatwasworse，ithadcometothis，thatinthepresenthedidnotseemtoknowwhatactiontotake.
Massy’ssavagemorosenesswastoodisconcerting.Itwasanincalculablefactorofthesituation.Youcouldnottellwhattherewasbehindthatinsultingferocity.
Howcouldonetrustsuchatemper;itdidnotputSterneinbodilyfearforhimself，butitfrightenedhimexceedinglyastohisprospects.
Thoughofcourseinclinedtocredithimselfwithex—
ceptionalpowersofobservation，hehadbynowlivedtoolongwithhisdiscovery.Hehadgoneonlookingatnothingelse，tillatlastonedayitoccurredtohimthatthethingwassoobviousthatnoonecouldmissseeingit.TherewerefourwhitemeninallonboardtheSofala.Jack，thesecondengineer，wastoodulltonoticeanythingthattookplaceoutofhisengine—room.
RemainedMassy——theowner——theinterestedperson——
nearlygoingmadwithworry.Sternehadheardandseenmorethanenoughonboardtoknowwhatailedhim;
buthisexasperationseemedtomakehimdeaftocau—
tiousovertures.Ifhehadonlyknownit，therewastheverythinghewanted.Buthowcouldyoubargainwithamanofthatsort？Itwaslikegoingintoatiger’sdenwithapieceofrawmeatinyourhand.Hewasaslikelyasnottorendyouforyourpains.Infact，hewasalwaysthreateningtodothatverything;andtheurgencyofthecase，combinedwiththeimpossibilityofhandlingitwithsafety，madeSterneinhiswatchesbelowtossandmutteropen—eyedinhisbunk，forhours，asthoughhehadbeenburningwithfever.
Occurrenceslikethecrossingofthebarjustnowwereextremelyalarmingtohisprospects.Hedidnotwanttobeleftbehindbysomeswiftcatastrophe.Massybe—
ingonthebridge，theoldmanhadtobracehimselfupandmakeashow，hesupposed.Butitwasgettingverybadwithhim，verybadindeed，now.EvenMassyhadbeenemboldenedtofindfaultthistime;Sterne，listen—
ingatthefootoftheladder，hadheardtheother’swhimperingandartlessdenunciations.Luckilythebeastwasverystupidandcouldnotseethewhyofallthis.However，smallblametohim;ittookaclevermantohituponthecause.Nevertheless，itwashightimetodosomething.Theoldman’sgamecouldnotbekeptupformanydaysmore.
"Imayyetlosemylifeatthisfooling——letalonemychance，"Sternemumbledangrilytohimself，afterthestoopingbackofthechiefengineerhaddisappearedroundthecorneroftheskylight.Yes，nodoubt——hethought;buttoblurtouthisknowledgewouldnotad—
vancehisprospects.Onthecontrary，itwouldblastthemutterlyaslikelyasnot.Hedreadedanotherfailure.Hehadavagueconsciousnessofnotbeingmuchlikedbyhisfellowsinthispartoftheworld;inex—
plicablyenough，forhehaddonenothingtothem.
Envy，hesupposed.Peoplewerealwaysdownonacleverchapwhomadenobonesabouthisdeterminationtogeton.TodoyourdutyandcountonthegratitudeofthatbruteMassywouldbesheerfolly.Hewasabadlot.Unmanly！Aviciousman！Bad！Bad！Abrute！
Abrutewithoutasparkofanythinghumanabouthim;
withoutsomuchassimplecuriosityeven，orelsesurelyhewouldhaverespondedinsomewaytoallthesehintshehadbeengivenSuchinsensibilitywasalmostmysterious.Massy’sstateofexasperationseemedtoSternetohavemadehimstupidbeyondtheordinarysillinessofshipowners.
Sterne，meditatingontheembarrassmentsofthatstu—
pidity，forgothimselfcompletely.Hisstony，unwink—
ingstarewasfixedontheplanksofthedeck.
Theslightquiveragitatingthewholefabricoftheshipwasmoreperceptibleinthesilentriver，shadedandstilllikeaforestpath.TheSofala，glidingwithanevenmotion，hadpassedbeyondthecoast—beltofmudandmangroves.Theshoresrosehigher，infirmslop—
ingbanks，andtheforestofbigtreescamedowntothebrink.Wheretheearthhadbeencrumbledbythefloodsitshowedasteepbrowncut，denudingamassofrootsintertwinedasifwrestlingunderground;andintheair，theinterlacedboughs，boundandloadedwithcreepers，carriedonthestruggleforlife，mingledtheirfoliageinonesolidwallofleaves，withhereandtheretheshapeofanenormousdarkpillarsoaring，oraraggedopening，asiftornbytheflightofacannon—
ball，disclosingtheimpenetrablegloomwithin，thesecularinviolableshadeofthevirginforest.Thethumpoftheenginesreverberatedregularlylikethestrokesofametronomebeatingthemeasureofthevastsilence，theshadowofthewesternwallhadfallenacrosstheriver，andthesmokepouringbackwardsfromthefunneleddieddownbehindtheship，spreadathinduskyveiloverthesomberwater，which，checkedbytheflood—tide，seemedtoliestagnantinthewholestraightlengthofthereaches.
Sterne’sbody，asifrootedonthespot，trembledslightlyfromtoptotoewiththeinternalvibrationoftheship;
fromunderhisfeetcamesometimesasuddenclangofiron，thenoisyburstofashoutbelow;totherighttheleavesofthetree—topscaughttheraysofthelowsun，andseemedtoshinewithagoldengreenlightoftheirownshimmeringaroundthehighestboughswhichstoodoutblackagainstasmoothblueskythatseemedtodroopoverthebedoftheriverliketheroofofatent.
ThepassengersforBatuBeru，kneelingontheplanks，wereengagedinrollingtheirbeddingofmatsbusily;
theytiedupbundles，theysnappedthelocksofwoodenchests.Apockmarkedpeddlerofsmallwaresthrewhisheadbacktodrainintohisthroatthelastdropsoutofanearthenwarebottlebeforeputtingitawayinarollofblankets.Knotsoftravelingtradersstandingaboutthedeckconversedinlowtones;thefollowersofasmallRajahfromdownthecoast，broad—faced，simpleyoungfellowsinwhitedrawersandroundwhitecottoncapswiththeircoloredsarongstwistedacrosstheirbronzeshoulders，squattedontheirhamsonthehatch，chewingbetelwithbrightredmouthsasiftheyhadbeentastingblood.Theirspears，lyingpileduptogetherwithinthecircleoftheirbaretoes，resembledacasualbundleofdrybamboos;athin，lividChinaman，withabulkypackagewrappedupinleavesalreadythrustunderhisarm，gazedaheadeagerly;awanderingKlingrubbedhisteethwithabitofwood，pouringoverthesideabrightstreamofwateroutofhislips;thefatRajahdozedinashabbydeck—chair，——andattheturnofeverybendthetwowallsofleavesreappearedrunningparallelalongthebanks，withtheirimpenetrablesolidityfadingatthetoptoavaporousmistinessofcountlessslendertwigsgrowingfree，ofyoungdelicatebranchesshootingfromthetopmostlimbsofhoarytrunks，offeatheryheadsofclimberslikedelicatesilverspraysstandingupwithoutaquiver.Therewasnotasignofaclearinganywhere;notatraceofhumanhabita—
tion，exceptwheninoneplace，onthebareendofalowpointunderanisolatedgroupofslendertree—ferns，thejagged，tangledremnantsofanoldhutonpilesap—
pearedwiththatpeculiaraspectofruinedbamboowallsthatlookasifsmashedwithaclub.Fartheron，halfhiddenunderthedroopingbushes，acanoecontainingamanandawoman，togetherwithadozengreencocoa—
nutsinaheap，rockedhelplesslyaftertheSofalahadpassed，likeanavigatingcontrivanceofventuresomeinsects，oftravelingants;whiletwoglassyfoldsofwaterstreamingawayfromeachbowofthesteameracrossthewholewidthoftheriverranwithherupstreamsmoothly，frettingtheirouterendsintoabrownwhisperingtumbleoffrothagainstthemiryfootofeachbank.
"Imust，"thoughtSterne，"bringthatbruteMassytohisbearings.It’sgettingtooabsurdintheend.
Here’stheoldmanupthereburiedinhischair——hemayjustaswellbeinhisgraveforalltheusehe’lleverbeintheworld——andtheSerang’sincharge.Becausethat’swhatheis.Incharge.Intheplacethat’sminebyrights.Imustbringthatsavagebrutetohisbear—
ings.I’lldoitatonce，too"
Whenthematemadeanabruptstart，alittlebrownhalf—nakedboy，withlargeblackeyes，andthestringofawrittencharmroundhisneck，becamepanic—struckatonce.Hedroppedthebananahehadbeenmunch—
ing，andrantothekneeofagravedarkArabinflow—