roosevelt edition volume 7 the chronicles of america series allen johnson editor gerhard h. lomer charles w. jefferys assistant editors * * * * * [frontispiece: lower broadway in 1650. from the painting by c. w. jefferys] dutch and english on the hudson a chronicle of colonial new york by maud wilder goodwin new haven: yale university press toronto: glasgow, brook & co. london: humphrey milford oxford university press 1921 _copyright, 1919, by yale university press_ {vii} contents i. up the great river page 1 ii. traders and settlers " 17 iii. patroons and lords of the manor " 32 iv. the directors " 51 v. domines and school-teachers " 83 vi. the burghers " 102 vii. the neighbors of new netherland " 123 viii. the early english governors " 137 ix. leisler " 150 x. privateers and pirates " 165 xi. colonial government in the eighteenth century " 180 xii. the zenger trial " 193 xiii. the negro plots " 206 xiv. sir william johnson " 218 bibliographical note " 231 index " 235 {ix} illustrations lower broadway in 1650 from the painting by c. w. jefferys. _frontispiece_ the hudson river region, 1609-1770 map by w. l. g. joerg, american geographical society. _facing page 12_ {1} dutch and english on the hudson chapter i up the great river geography is the maker of history. the course of dutch settlement in america was predetermined by a river which runs its length of a hundred and fifty miles from the mountains to the sea through the heart of a fertile country and which offers a natural highway for transportation of merchandise and for communication between colonies. no man, however, could foresee the development of the empire state when, on that memorable september day in 1609, a small dutch yacht named the _halve maene_ or _half moon_, under the command of captain henry hudson, slipped in past the low hook of sand in front of the navesink heights, and sounded her way to an {2} anchorage in what is now the outer harbor of new york. robert juet of limehouse, one of the adventurers sailing with hudson, writes in his journal: at three of the clock in the afternoone we came to three great rivers, so we stood along to the northermost, thinking to have gone into it; but we found it to have a very shoald barre before it, for we had but ten foot water; then wee cast about to the southward and found two fathoms, three fathoms, and three and a quarter, till we came to the souther side of them; then we had five and sixe fathoms and anchored. so wee sent in our boate to sound and they found no lesse water than foure, five, six, and seven fathoms and returned in an hour and a half. so wee weighed and went in and rode in five fathoms, oozie ground, and saw many salmons, mullets and rayes very great. so quietly is chronicled one of the epoch-making events of history, an event which opened a rich territory and gave to the united netherlands their foothold in the new world, where spain, france, and england had already established their claims. let us try to call to our minds the picture of the _half moon_ as she lies there in harbor, a quaint, clumsily built boat of forty lasts, or eighty tons, burden. from her bow projects a beakhead, a sort of gallery, painted and carved, and used as a {3} place of rest or of punishment for the sailors. at the tip of the beakhead is the figurehead, a red lion with a golden mane. the ship's bow is green, with ornaments of sailors' heads painted red and yellow. both forecastle and poop are high, the latter painted a blue mottled with white clouds. the stern below is rich in color and carving. its upper panels show a blue ground picked out with stars and set in it a crescent holding a profile of the traditional man in the moon. the panel below bears the arms of the city of amsterdam and the letters v.o.c. forming the monogram of the dutch east india company--vereenigde oost-indische compagnie. five carved heads uphold the stern, above which hangs one of those ornate lanterns which the dutch love so well. to add to all this wealth of color, flags are flying from every masthead. at the foretop flutters the tricolor of red, white, and black, with the arms of amsterdam in a field of white. at the maintop flames the flag of the seven provinces of the netherlands, emblazoned with a red lion rampant, bearing in his paws a sword and seven arrows. the bowsprit bears a small flag of orange, white, and blue, while from the stern flies the dutch east india company's {4} special banner. it is no wonder that such an apparition causes the simple natives ashore to believe first that some marvelous bird has swept in from the sea, and then that a mysterious messenger from the great spirit has appeared in all his celestial robes. if hudson's object had been stage-setting for the benefit of the natives, he could not have arranged his effects better. the next day, when the ship had moved to a good harbor, the people of the country were allowed to come aboard to barter "greene tabacco" for knives and beads. hudson probably thought that the savages might learn a lesson in regard to the power of the newcomers by an inspection of the interior of the ship. the cannon which protruded their black noses amidships held their threat of destruction even when they were not belching thunder and lightning. the forecastle with its neatly arranged berths must have seemed a strange contrast to the bare ground on which the savages were accustomed to sleep, and the brightness of polished and engraved brass tablets caught the untutored eyes which could not decipher the inscriptions. there were three of these tablets, the mottoes of which, being translated, read: _honor thy father and thy mother_! _do {5} not fight without cause_! _good advice makes the wheels run smoothly_! perhaps the thing which interested the indians most was the great wooden block fastened to the deck behind the mainmast. this strange object was fashioned in the shape of a man's head, and through it passed the ropes used to hoist the yards. it was called sometimes "the silent servant," sometimes "the knighthead." to the indians it must have seemed the final touch of necromancy, and they were prepared to bow down in awe before a race of beings who could thus make blocks of wood serve them. trusting, no doubt, to the impression which he had made on the minds of the natives, hudson decided to go ashore. the indians crowded around him and "sang in their fashion"--a motley horde, as strange to the ship's crew as the _half moon_ and its company seemed marvelous to the aborigines. men, women, and children, dressed in fur or tricked out with feathers, stood about or floated in their boats hewn from solid logs, the men carrying pipes of red copper in which they smoked that precious product, tobacco--the consolation prize offered by the new world to the old in lieu of the hoped-for passage to cathay. {6} everything seemed to breathe assurance of peaceful relations between the red man and the white; but if the newcomers did not at the moment realize the nature of the indians, their eyes were opened to possibilities of treachery by the happenings of the next day. john colman and a boat's crew were sent out to take further soundings before the _half moon_ should proceed on her journey. as the boat was returning to report a safe course ahead, the crew, only five in number, were set upon by two war-canoes filled with indians, whose volley of arrows struck terror to their hearts. colman was mortally wounded in the throat by an arrow, and two of his companions were seriously, though not fatally, hurt. keeping up a running fight, the survivors escaped under cover of darkness. during the night, as they crouched with their dead comrade in the boat, the sailors must have thought the minutes hours and the hours days. to add to their discomfort rain was falling, and they drifted forlornly at the mercy of the current. when at last dawn came, they could make out the ship at a great distance; but it was ten o'clock in the morning before they reached her safe shelter. so ended the brief dream of ideal friendship and confidence between the red men and the whites. {7} after colman had been buried in a grave by the side of the beautiful sheet of water which he had known for so short a time, the _half moon_ worked her way cautiously from the lower bay through the narrows to the inner harbor and reached the tip of the island which stands at its head. what is now a bewildering mass of towers and palaces of industry, looking down upon a far-extended fleet of steam and sailing vessels, was then a point, wooded to the water's edge, with a scattered indian village nestling among the trees. a moravian missionary, writing at the beginning of the nineteenth century, set down an account from the red man's point of view of the arrival of the _half moon_. this account he claimed to have received from old indians who held it as part of their tribal traditions. as such it is worth noting and quoting, although as history it is of more than doubtful authenticity. the tradition runs that the chiefs of the different tribes on sighting the _half moon_ supposed it to be a supernatural visitor and assembled on "york island" to deliberate on the manner in which they should receive this manito on his arrival. plenty of meat was provided for a sacrifice, a grand dance was arranged, and the medicine-men were set to work to determine the {8} meaning of this phenomenon. the runners sent out to observe and report declared it certain that it was the great manito, "but other runners soon after arriving, declare it a large house of various colors, full of people yet of quite a different color than they [the indians] are of. that they were also dressed in a different manner from them and that one in particular appeared altogether red, which must be the mannitto himself." the strange craft stopped and a smaller boat drew near. while some stayed behind to guard the boat, the red-clothed man with two others advanced into a large circle formed by the indian chiefs and wise men. he saluted them and they returned the salute. a large hock-hack [indian for gourd or bottle] is brought forward by the supposed mannitto's servants and from this a substance is poured out into a small cup or glass and handed to the mannitto. the expected mannitto drinks, has the glass filled again and hands it to the chief next him to drink. the chief receives the glass but only smelleth at it and passes it on to the next chief who does the same. the glass then passes through the circle without the contents being tasted by anyone, and is upon the point of being returned again to the red-clothed man when one of their number, a spirited man and a great warrior jumps up and harangues the assembly on the impropriety of returning the glass with {9} the contents in it--that the same was handed them by the mannitto in order that they should drink it as he himself had done before them--that this would please him; but that to return it might provoke him and be the cause of their being destroyed by him. he then took the glass and bidding the assembly a farewell, drank it up. every eye was fixed on their resolute companion to see what an effect this would have upon him and he soon beginning to stagger about and at last dropping to the ground they bemoan him. he falls into a sleep and they saw him as expiring. he awakes again, jumps up and declares that he never felt himself before so happy as after he had drank the cup. wishes for more. his wish is granted and the whole assembly soon join him and become intoxicated. the delawares, as the missionary points out further, call new york island "mannahattanik," "the place where we were all drunk." with this picturesque account let us contrast the curt statement of robert juet: "this morning at our first rode in the river there came eight and twenty canoes full of men, women and children to betray us; but we saw their intent and suffered none of them to come aboord of us. at twelve of the clocke they departed. they brought with them oysters and beanes whereof we bought some." if there had been any such striking scene as the missionary's chronicle reports, juet would probably {10} have recorded it; but in addition to his silence in the matter we must recall the fact that this love-feast is supposed to have occurred only a few days after the killing of colman and the return of the terror-stricken crew. this makes it seem extremely improbable that hudson would have taken the risk of going ashore among hostile natives and proffering the hospitalities which had been so ill requited on his previous landing. let us therefore pass by the reverend john heckwelder's account as "well found, but not well founded," and continue to follow the cruise of the _half moon_ up the great river. the days now were fair and warm, and hudson, looking around him when the autumn sun had swept away the haze from the face of the water, declared it as fair a land as could be trodden by the foot of man. he left manhattan island behind, passed the site of yonkers, and was carried by a southeasterly wind beyond the highlands till he reached what is now west point. in this region of the catskills the dutch found the natives friendly, and, having apparently recovered from their first suspicious attitude, the explorers began to open barter and exchange with such as wished to come aboard. on at least one occasion hudson {11} himself went ashore. the early dutch writer, de laet, who used hudson's last journal, quotes at length hudson's description of this landing, and the quotation, if genuine, is probably the longest description of his travels that we have from the pen of the great navigator. he says that he sailed to the shore in one of their canoes, with an old man who was chief of a tribe. there he found a house of oak bark, circular in shape, apparently well built, and with an arched roof. on our coming near the house, two mats were spread to sit upon and immediately some food was served in well-made red wooden bowls; two men were also dispatched at once with bows and arrows in quest of game, who soon after brought a pair of pigeons which they had shot. they likewise killed at once a fat dog and skinned it in great haste, with shells which they get out of the water.... the natives are a very good people, for when they saw that i would not remain, they supposed that i was afraid of their bows, and taking the arrows they broke them in pieces and threw them into the fire. so the _half moon_ drifted along "_the river of the steep hills_," through the golden autumnal weather, now under frowning cliffs, now skirting low sloping shores and fertile valleys, till at length the shoaling water warned hudson that he could not penetrate much farther. he knew now that he had failed to {12} find the northwest passage to cathay which had been the object of his expedition; but he had explored one of the world's noblest rivers from its mouth to the head of its navigable waters. it is a matter of regret to all students that so little is known of this great adventurer. sober history tells us that no authentic portrait of him is extant; but i like to figure him to myself as drawn by that mythical chronicler, diedrich knickerbocker, who was always ready to help out fact with fiction and both with humor. he pictures henry hudson as "a short, brawny old gentleman with a double chin, a mastiff mouth and a broad copper nose which was supposed in those days to have acquired its fiery hue from the constant neighborhood of his tobacco pipe. he wore a true andrea ferrara, tucked in a leathern belt, and a commodore's cocked hat on one side of his head. he was remarkable for always jerking up his breeches when he gave his orders and his voice sounded not unlike the brattling of a tin trumpet, owing to the number of hard northwesters which he had swallowed in the course of his sea-faring." this account accords with our idea of this doughty navigator far better than the popular picture of the forlorn white-bearded old gentleman {13} amid the arctic ice-floes. the cause of the fiery nose seems more likely to have been spirits than tobacco, for hudson was well acquainted with the effects of strong waters. at one stage of his journey he was responsible for an incident which may perhaps have given rise to the indian legend of the mysterious potations attending the first landing of the white men. hudson invited certain native chiefs to the ship and so successfully plied them with brandy that they were completely intoxicated. one fell asleep and was deserted by his comrades, who, however, returned next day and were rejoiced to find the victim professing great satisfaction over his experience. [illustration: the hudson river region, 1609-1770] the ship had now reached the northernmost bounds of her exploration and anchored at a point not exactly determined but not far below albany. hudson sent an exploring boat a little farther, and on its return he put the helm of the _half moon_ about and headed the red lion with the golden mane southward. on this homeward course, the adventurers met with even more exciting experiences than had marked their progress up the river. at a place near the mouth of haverstraw bay at stony point the _half moon_ was becalmed and a party of mountain indians came off in canoes to {14} visit the ship. here they showed the cunning and the thieving propensities of which hudson accused them, for while some engaged the attention of the crew on deck, one of their number ran his canoe under the stern and contrived to climb by the aid of the rudder-post into the cabin. to understand how this theft was carried out it is necessary to remember the build of the seventeenth century dutch sailing-vessels in which the forecastle and poop rose high above the waist of the ship. in the poop were situated the cabins of the captain and the mate. of hudson's cabin we have a detailed description. its height was five feet three inches. it was provided with lockers, a berth, a table, and a bench with four divisions, a most desirable addition when the vessel lurched suddenly. under the berth were a box of books and a medicine-chest, besides such other equipment as a globe, a compass, a silver sun-dial, a cross staff, a brass tinder-box, pewter plates, spoons, a mortar and pestle, and the half-hour glass which marked the different watches on deck. doubtless the savage intruder would have been glad to capture some of this rich booty; but it must have been the mate's cabin into which he stumbled, for he obtained only a pillow and a couple of shirts, {15} for which he sold his life. the window in the stern projecting over the water was evidently standing open in order to admit the soft september air, and the indian saw his chance. into this window he crept and from it started to make off with the stolen goods; but the mate saw the thief, shot, and killed him. then all was a scene of wild confusion. the savages scattered from the ship, some taking to their canoes, some plunging into the river. the small boat was sent in pursuit of the stolen goods, which were soon recovered; but, as the boat returned, a red hand reached up from the water to upset it, whereupon the ship's cook, seizing a sword, cut off the hand as it gripped the gunwale, and the wretched owner sank never to reappear. on the following day hudson and his men came into conflict with more than a hundred savages, who let loose a flight of arrows. but one of the ship's cannon was trained upon them, and one shot followed by a discharge of musketry quickly ended the battle. the mariners thereupon made their way without molestation to the mouth of the river, whence they put to sea on a day in early october, only a month after their entrance into the bay. hudson was destined never again to see the {16} country from which he set out on this quest, never again to enter the river which he had explored. but he had achieved immortal fame for himself and had secured a new empire for the netherlands. the cabots possibly, and verrazano almost certainly, had visited the locality of "the great river" before him; but hudson was in the truest sense its discoverer, and history has accorded him his rights. today the replica of the _half moon_ lies in a quiet backwater of the hudson river at the foot of bear mountain--stripped of her gilding, her sails, and her gay pennants. she still makes a unique appeal to our imagination as we fancy the tiny original buffeting the ocean waves and feeling her way along uncharted waters to the head of navigation. to see even the copy is to feel the thrill of adventure and to realize the boldness of those early mariners whom savages could not affright nor any form of danger daunt.[1] [1] for further details of the appearance of the _half moon_, see e. h. hall's paper on _henry hudson and the discovery of the hudson river_, published by the american scenic and historic preservation society (1910). {17} chapter ii traders and settlers as he was returning to holland from his voyage to america, hudson was held with his ship at the port of dartmouth, on the ground that, being an englishman by birth, he owed his services to his country. he did not again reach the netherlands, but he forwarded to the dutch east india company a report of his discoveries. immediately the enthusiasm of the dutch was aroused by the prospect of a lucrative fur trade, as spain had been set aflame by the first rumors of gold in mexico and peru; and the united provinces, whose independence had just been acknowledged, thereupon laid claim to the new country. to a seafaring people like the dutch, the ocean which lay between them and their american possessions had no terrors, and the twelve-year truce just concluded with spain set free a vast energy to be applied to commerce and oversea {18} trading. within a year after the return of the _half moon_, dutch merchants sent out a second ship, the crew of which included several sailors who had served under hudson and of which the command was given, in all probability, to hudson's former mate. the vessel was soon followed by the _fortune_, the _tiger_, the _little fox_, and the _nightingale_. by this time the procession of vessels plying between the netherlands old and new was fairly set in motion. but the aim of all these voyages was commerce rather than colonization. shiploads of tobacco and furs were demanded by the promoters, and to obtain these traders and not farmers were needed. the chronicle of these years is melancholy reading for lovers of animals, for never before in the history of the continent was there such a wholesale, organized slaughter of the unoffending creatures of the forest. beavers were the greatest sufferers. their skins became a medium of currency, and some of the salaries in the early days of the colony were paid in so many "beavers." the manifest of one cargo mentions 7246 beavers, 675 otters, 48 minks, and 36 wildcats. in establishing this fur trade with the savages, the newcomers primarily required trading-posts {19} guarded by forts. late in 1614 or early in 1615, therefore, fort nassau was planted on a small island a little below the site of albany. here the natives brought their peltries and the traders unpacked their stores of glittering trinkets, knives, and various implements of which the indians had not yet learned the use. in 1617 fort nassau was so badly damaged by a freshet that it was allowed to fall into ruin, and later a new stronghold and trading-post known as fort orange was set up where the city of albany now stands. meanwhile in 1614 the states-general of the united netherlands had granted a charter to a company of merchants of the city of amsterdam, authorizing their vessels "exclusively to visit and navigate" the newly discovered region lying in america between new france and virginia, now first called new netherland. this monopoly was limited to four voyages, commencing on the first of january, 1615, or sooner. if any one else traded in this territory, his ship and cargo were liable to confiscation and the owners were subject to a heavy fine to be paid to the new netherland company. the company was chartered for only three years, and at the expiration of the time a renewal of the charter was refused, although the {20} company was licensed to trade in the territory from year to year. in 1621 this haphazard system was changed by the granting of a charter which superseded all private agreements and smaller enterprises by the incorporation of "that great armed commercial association," the dutch west india company. by the terms of the charter the states-general engaged to secure to the company freedom of traffic and navigation within prescribed limits, which included not only the coast and countries of africa from the tropic of cancer to the cape of good hope but also the coasts of america. within these vague and very extended bounds the company was empowered to make contracts and alliances, to build forts, to establish government, to advance the peopling of fruitful and unsettled parts, and to "do all that the service of those countries and the profit and increase of trade shall require." for these services the states-general agreed to grant a subsidy of a million guilders, or about half a million dollars, "provided that we with half the aforesaid million of guilders, shall receive and bear profit and risk in the same manner as the other members of this company." in case of war, which {21} was far from improbable at this time, when the twelve years' truce with spain was at an end, the company was to be assisted, if the situation of the country would in any wise admit of it, "with sixteen warships and four yachts, fully armed and equipped, properly mounted, and provided in all respects both with brass and other cannon and a proper quantity of ammunition, together with double suits of running and standing rigging, sails, cables, anchors, and other things thereto belonging, such as are proper to be used in all great expeditions." these ships were to be manned, victualed, and maintained at the expense of the company, which in its turn was to contribute and maintain sixteen like ships of war and four yachts. the object of forming this great company with almost unlimited power was twofold, at once political and commercial. its creators planned the summoning of additional military resources to confront the hostile power of spain and also the more thorough colonization and development of new netherland. in these purposes they were giving expression to the motto of the house of nassau: "i will maintain." two years elapsed between the promulgation of the charter and the first active operations of the {22} west india company; but throughout this period the air was electric with plans for occupying and settling the new land beyond the sea. finally in march, 1623, the ship _nieu nederlandt_ sailed for the colony whose name it bore, under the command of cornelis jacobsen may, of hoorn, the first director-general. with him embarked some thirty families of walloons, who were descendants of protestant refugees from the southern provinces of the netherlands, which, being in general attached to the roman catholic church, had declined to join the confederation of northern provinces in 1579. sturdy and industrious artisans of vigorous protestant stock, the walloons were a valuable element in the colonization of new nether land. after a two months' voyage the ship _nieu nederlandt_ reached the mouth of the hudson, then called the mauritius in honor of the stadholder, prince maurice, and the leaders began at once to distribute settlers with a view to covering as much country as was defensible. some were left in manhattan, several families were sent to the south river, now the delaware, others to fresh river, later called the connecticut, and others to the western shore of long island. the remaining colonists, led by adriaen joris, voyaged up the {23} length of the mauritius, landed at fort orange, and made their home there. thus the era of settlement as distinguished from trade had begun. the description of the first settlers at wiltwyck, on the western shore of the great river, may be applied to all the pioneer dutch colonists. "most of them could neither read nor write. they were a wild, uncouth, rough, and most of the time a drunken crowd. they lived in small log huts, thatched with straw. they wore rough clothes, and in the winter were dressed in skins. they subsisted on a little corn, game, and fish. they were afraid of neither man, god, nor the devil. they were laying deep the foundation of the empire state."[1] the costume of the wife of a typical settler usually consisted of a single garment, reaching from neck to ankles. in the summer time she went bareheaded and barefooted. she was rough, coarse, ignorant, uncultivated. she helped her husband to build their log hut, to plant his grain, and to gather his crops. if indians appeared in her husband's absence, she grasped the rifle, gathered her children about her, and with a {24} dauntless courage defended them even unto death. this may not be a romantic presentation of the forefathers and foremothers of the state, but it bears the marks of truth and shows us a stalwart race strong to hold their own in the struggle for existence and in the establishment of a permanent community. from the time of the founding of settlements, outward-bound ships from the netherlands brought supplies for the colonists and carried back cargoes of furs, tobacco, and maize. in april, 1625, there was shipped to the new settlements a valuable load made up of one hundred and three head of live stock--stallions, mares, bulls, and cows--besides hogs and sheep, all distributed in two ships with a third vessel as convoy. the chronicler, nicholaes janszoon van wassenaer, gives a detailed account of their disposal which illustrates the traditional dutch orderliness and cleanliness. he tells us that each animal had its own stall, and that the floor of each stall was covered with three feet of sand, which served as ballast for the ship. each animal also had its respective servant, who knew what his reward was to be if he delivered his charge alive. beneath the cattle-deck were stowed three hundred tuns of {25} fresh water, which was pumped up for the live stock. in addition to the load of cattle, the ship carried agricultural implements and "all furniture proper for the dairy," as well as a number of settlers. the year 1625 marked an important event, the birth of a little daughter in the household of jan joris rapaelje, the "first-born christian daughter in new netherland." her advent was followed by the appearance of a steadily increasing group of native citizens, and dutch cradles multiplied in the cabins of the various settlements from fort orange to new amsterdam. the latter place was established as a fortified post and the seat of government for the colony in 1626 by peter minuit, the third director-general, who in this year purchased manhattan island from the indians. the colony was now thriving, with the whole settlement "bravely advanced" and grain growing as high as a man. but across this bright picture fell the dark shadow of negro slavery, which, it is said, the dutch were the first to introduce upon the mainland of north america in 1625 or 1626. among the first slaves were simon congo, anthony portuguese, john francisco, paul d'angola--names {26} evidently drawn from their native countries--and seven others. two years later came three slave women. in a letter dated august 11, 1628, and addressed to his "kind friend and well beloved brother in christ the reverend, learned and pious mr. adrianus smoutius," we learn with regret that domine michaelius, having two small motherless daughters, finds himself much hindered and distressed because he can find no competent maid servants "and the angola slave women are thievish, lazy, and useless trash." let us leave it to those who have the heart and the nerves to dwell upon the horrors of the middle passage and the sufferings of the poor negroes as set down in the log-books of the slavers, the _st. john_ and the _arms of amsterdam_. it is comforting to the more soft-hearted of us to feel that after reaching the shores of new netherland, the blacks were treated in the main with humanity. the negro slave was of course a chattel, but his fate was not without hope. several negroes with their wives were manumitted on the ground of long and faithful service. they received a grant of land; but they were obliged to pay for it annually twenty-two and a half bushels of corn, wheat, pease, or beans, and a hog worth eight dollars in {27} modern currency. if they failed in this payment they lost their recently acquired liberty and returned to the status of slaves. meanwhile, their children, already born or yet to be born, remained under obligation to serve the company. apparently the dutch were conscious of no sense of wrong-doing in the importation of the blacks. a chief justice of the king's bench in england expressed the opinion that it was right that pagans should be slaves to christians, because the former were bondsmen of satan while the latter were servants of god. even this casuist, however, found difficulty in explaining why it was just that one born of free and christian parents should remain enslaved. but granting that the problems which the settlers were creating in these early days were bound to cause much trouble later both to themselves and to the whole country, there is no doubt that slave labor contributed to the advancement of agriculture and the other enterprises of the colony. free labor was scarce and expensive, owing both to the cost of importing it from europe and to the allurements of the fur trade, which drew off the _boer-knecht_ from farming. slave labor was therefore of the highest value in exploiting the resources of the new country. {28} these resources were indeed abundant. the climate was temperate, with a long season of crops and harvests. grape-vines produced an abundant supply of wines. the forests contained a vast variety of animals. innumerable birds made the wilderness vocal. turkeys and wild fowl offered a variety of food. the rivers produced fish of every kind and oysters which the letters of the colonists describe as a foot long, though this is somewhat staggering to the credulity of a later age. de vries, one of the patroons, or proprietors, whose imagination was certainly of a lively type, tells us that he had seen a new netherlander kill eighty-four thrushes or maize-birds at one shot. he adds that he has noticed crabs of excellent flavor on the flat shores of the bay. "their claws," he says naã¯vely, "are of the color of our prince's flag, orange, white and blue, so that the crabs show clearly enough that we ought to people the country and that it belongs to us." when the very crabs thus beckoned to empire, how could the netherlander fail to respond to their invitation? the newly discovered river soon began to be alive with sail, high-pooped vessels from over sea, and smaller _vlie booten_ (anglicized into "flyboats"), {29} which plied between new amsterdam and fort orange, loaded with supplies and household goods. tying the prow of his boat to a tree at the water's edge, the enterprising skipper turned pedler and opened his packs of beguiling wares for the housewife at the farm beside the river. together with the goods in his pack, he doubtless also opened his budget of news from the other settlements and told the farmer's wife how the houses about the fort at manhattan had increased to thirty, how the new director was strengthening the fort, and how all promised well for the future of new netherland. for the understanding of these folk, who, with their descendants, have left an indelible impression on new york as we know it today, we must leave the thread of narrative in america, abandon the sequence of dates, and turn back to the holland of some years earlier. remembering that those who cross the sea change their skies but not their hearts, we may be sure that the same qualities which marked the inhabitants of the netherlands showed themselves in the emigrants to the colony on the banks of the mauritius. when the truce with spain was announced, a few months before hudson set sail for america, {30} it was celebrated throughout holland by the ringing of bells, the discharge of artillery, the illumination of the houses, and the singing of hymns of thanksgiving in all the churches. the devout people knelt in every cathedral and village _kerk_ to thank their god that the period of butchery and persecution was over. but no sooner had the joy-bells ceased ringing and the illuminations faded than the king of spain began plotting to regain by diplomacy what he had been unable to hold by force. the dutch, however, showed themselves as keenly alive as the spanish to the value of treaties and alliances. they met cunning with caution, as they had met tyranny with defiance, and at last, as the end of the truce drew near, they flung into the impending conflict the weight of the dutch west india company. they were shrewd and sincere people, ready to try all things by the test of practical experience. one of their great statesmen at this period described his fellow-countrymen as having neither the wish nor the skill to deceive others, but on the other hand as not being easy to be deceived themselves. motley says of the dutch republic that "it had courage, enterprise, intelligence, faith in itself, the instinct of self-government and self-help, {31} hatred of tyranny, the disposition to _domine_er, aggressiveness, greediness, inquisitiveness, insolence, the love of science, of liberty, and of money." as the state is only a sum of component parts, its qualities must be those of its citizens, and of these citizens our colonists were undoubtedly typical. we may therefore accept this description as picturing their mental and spiritual qualities in the pioneer days of their venture in the new world. [1] see the monograph by augustus h. van buren in the _proceedings of the new york historical society_, vol. xi, p. 133. {32} chapter iii patroons and lords of the manor their high mightinesses, the states-general of the united netherlands, as we have seen, granted to the dutch west india company a charter conveying powers nearly equaling and often overlapping those of the states themselves. the west india company in turn, with a view to stimulating colonization, granted to certain members known as patroons manorial rights frequently in conflict with the authority of the company. and for a time it seemed as though the patroonship would be the prevailing form of grant in new netherland. the system of patroonships seems to have been suggested by kiliaen van rensselaer, one of the directors of the west india company and a lapidary of amsterdam, who later became the most successful of the patroons. a shrewd, keen, far-seeing man, he was one of the first of the west india company to perceive that the building up of {33} new netherland could not be carried on without labor, and that labor could not be procured without permanent settlers. "open up the country with agriculture: that must be our first step," was his urgent advice; but the dwellers in the netherlands, finding themselves prosperous in their old homes, saw no reason for emigrating, and few offered themselves for the overseas settlements. the west india company was not inclined to involve itself in further expense for colonization, and matters threatened to come to a halt, when someone, very likely the shrewd kiliaen himself, evolved the plan of granting large estates to men willing to pay the cost of settling and operating them. from this suggestion the scheme of patroonship was developed. the list of "privileges and exemptions" published by the west india company in 1629 declared that all should be acknowledged patroons of new netherland who should, within the space of four years, plant there a colony of fifty souls upwards of fifteen years old. "the island of the manhattes" was reserved for the company. the patroons, it was stipulated, must make known the situation of their proposed settlements, but they were allowed to change should their first location prove {34} unsatisfactory. the lands were to extend sixteen miles along the shore on one side of a navigable river, or eight miles on both sides of a river, and so far into the country as the situation of the colonies and their settlers permitted. the patroons were entitled to dispose of their grants by will, and they were free to traffic along the coast of new netherland for all goods except furs, which were to be the special perquisite of the west india company. they were forbidden to allow the weaving of linen, woolen, or cotton cloth on their estates, the looms in holland being hungry for raw material. the company agreed that it would not take any one from the service of the patroon during the years for which the servant was bound, and any colonist who should without written permission enter the service of another patroon or "betake himself to freedom" was to be proceeded against with all the available force of the law. the escaped servant would fare ill if his case came before the courts, since it was one of the prerogatives of a patroon to administer high, middle, and low justice--that is, to appoint magistrates and erect courts which should deal with all grades of crimes committed within the limits of the manor and also with breaches of the civil law. in civil cases, {35} disputes over contracts, titles, and such matters, where the amount in litigation exceeded twenty dollars, as well as in criminal cases affecting life and limb, it was possible to appeal to the director and council at fort amsterdam; but the local authorities craftily evaded this provision by compelling their colonists to promise not to appeal from the tribunal of the manor. the _scherprechter_, or hangman, was included with the superintendent, the _schout fiscaal_, or sheriff, and the magistrates as part of the manorial court system. one such _scherprechter_ named jan de neger, perhaps a freed negro, is named among the dwellers at rensselaerswyck and we find him presenting a claim for thirty-eight florins ($15.00) for executing wolf nysen. no man in the manorial colony was to be deprived of life or property except by sentence of a court composed of five people, and all accused persons were entitled to a speedy and impartial trial. as we find little complaint of the administration of justice in all the records of disputes, reproaches, and recriminations which mark the records of those old manors, we must assume that the processes of law were carried on in harmony with the spirit of fairness prevailing in the home country. {36} even before the west india company had promulgated its charter, a number of rich merchants had availed themselves of the opportunity to secure lands under the offered privileges and exemptions. godyn and blommaert, in association with captain david de vries and others, took up a large territory on delaware bay, and here they established a colony called "swannendael," which was destroyed by the indians in 1632. myndert myndertsen established his settlement on the mainland behind staten island, and his manor extended from achter kul, or newark bay, to the tappan zee. one of the first patents recorded was granted to michiel pauw in 1630. in the documentary record the director and council of new netherland, under the authority of their high mightinesses, the lords states-general and the west india company department of amsterdam, testify to the bargain made with the natives, who are treated throughout with legal ceremony as if they were high contracting parties and fully capable of understanding the transaction in which they were engaged. these original owners of the soil appeared before the council and declared that in consideration of {37} certain merchandise, they agreed to "transfer, cede, convey and deliver for the benefit of the honorable mr. michiel paauw" as true and lawful freehold, the land at hobocan hackingh, opposite manhattan, so that "he or his heirs may take possession of the aforesaid land, live on it in peace, inhabit, own and use it ... without that they, the conveying party shall have or retain the least pretension, right, power or authority either concerning ownership or sovereignty; but herewith they desist, abandon, withdraw and renounce in behalf of aforesaid now and forever totally and finally." it must have been a pathetic and yet a diverting spectacle when the simple red men thus swore away their title to the broad acres of their fathers for a consideration of beads, shells, blankets, and trinkets; but, when they listened to the subtleties of dutch law as expounded by the dogberrys at fort amsterdam, they may have been persuaded that their simple minds could never contend with such masters of language and that they were on the whole fortunate to secure something in exchange for their land, which they were bound to lose in any event. it has been the custom to ascribe to the dutch and quakers the system of paying for lands taken {38} from the indians. but fiske points out that this conception is a mistake and he goes on to state that it was a general custom among the english and that not a rood of ground in new england was taken from the savages without recompense, except when the pequots began a war and were exterminated. the "payment" in all cases, however, was a mere farce and of value only in creating good feeling between savages and settlers. as to the ethics of the transaction, much might be said on both sides. the red men would be justified in feeling that they had been kept in ignorance of the relative importance of what they gave and what they received, while the whites might maintain that they created the values which ensued upon their purchase and that, if they had not come, lands along the great river would have remained of little account. in any case the recorded transaction did not prove a financial triumph for the purchaser, as the enterprise cost much in trouble and outlay and did not meet expenses. the property was resold to the company seven years later--at a price, however, of twenty-six thousand guilders, which represented a fair margin of profit over the "certain merchandise" paid to the original owners eight years earlier. {39} very soon after the purchase of the land on the west shore of the north river, pauw bought, under the same elaborate legal forms, the whole of staten island, so called in honor of the staaten or states-general. to the estate he gave the title of pavonia, a latinized form of his own name. staten island was subsequently purchased from pauw by the company and transferred (with the exception of the _bouwerie_ of captain de vries) to cornelis melyn, who was thus added to the list of patroons. other regions also were erected into patroonships; but almost all were either unsuccessful from the beginning or short-lived. the patroonship most successful, most permanent, and most typical was rensselaerswyck, which offers the best opportunity for a study of the dutch colonial system. van rensselaer, though he did not apparently intend to make a home for himself in new netherland, was one of the first to ask for a grant of land. he received, subject to payment to the indians, a tract of country to the north and south of fort orange, but not including that trading-post, which like the island of manhattan remained under the control of the west india company. by virtue of this grant and later purchases van rensselaer acquired a {40} tract comprising what are now the counties of albany and rensselaer with part of columbia. of this tract, called rensselaerswyck, van rensselaer was named patroon, and five other men, godyn, blommaert, de laet, bissels, and moussart, whom he had been forced to conciliate by taking into partnership, were named codirectors. later the claims of these five associates were bought out by the van rensselaer family. in 1630 the first group of emigrants for this new colony sailed on the ship _eendragt_ and reached fort orange at the beginning of june. how crude was the settlement which they established we may judge from the report made some years later by father jogues, a jesuit missionary, who visited rensselaerswyck in 1643. he speaks of a miserable little fort built of logs and having four or five pieces of breteuil cannon. he describes also the colony as composed of about a hundred persons, "who reside in some twenty-five or thirty houses built along the river as each found most convenient." the patroon's agent was established in the principal house, while in another, which served also as a church, was domiciled the _domine_, the reverend johannes megapolensis, jr. the houses he describes as built of boards and roofed with {41} thatch, having no mason-work except in the chimneys. the settlers had found some ground already cleared by the natives and had planted it with wheat and oats in order to provide beer and horse-fodder; but being hemmed in by somewhat barren hills, they had been obliged to separate in order to obtain arable land. the settlements, therefore, spread over two or three leagues. the fear of raids from the savages prompted the patroon to advise that, with the exception of the brewers and tobacco planters who were obliged to live on their plantations, no other settlers should establish themselves at any distance from the church, which was the village center; for, says the prudent van rensselaer, "every one residing where he thinks fit, separated far from others, would be unfortunately in danger of their lives in the same manner as sorrowful experience has taught around the manhattans." our sympathy goes out to those early settlers who lived almost as serfs under their patroon, the women forbidden to spin or weave, the men prohibited from trading in the furs which they saw building up fortunes around them. they sat by their lonely hearths in a little clearing of the forest, listening to the howl of wolves and fearing to see a savage face at the {42} window. this existence was a tragic change indeed from the lively social existence along the canals of amsterdam or on the stoops of rotterdam. nor can we feel that these tenants were likely to be greatly cheered by the library established at rensselaerswyck, unless there were hidden away a list of more interesting books than those described in the patroon's invoice as sent in an _oosterse_, or oriental, box. these volumes include a scripture concordance, the works of calvin, of livy, and of ursinus, the friend of melanchthon, _a treatise on arithmetic_ by adrian metius, _the history of the holy land_, and a work on natural theology. as all the titles are in latin, it is to be presumed that the body of the text was written in the same language, and we may imagine the light and cheerful mood which they inspired in their readers after a day of manual toil. i suspect, however, that the evening hours of these tenants at rensselaerswyck were spent in anxious keeping of accounts with a wholesome fear of the patroon before the eyes of the accountants. life on the _bouweries_ was by no means inexpensive, even according to modern standards. bearing in mind that a stiver was equivalent to two cents of {43} our currency and a florin to forty cents, it is easy to calculate the cost of living in the decade between 1630 and 1640 as set down in the accounts of rensselaerswyck. a blanket cost eight florins, a hat ten florins, an iron anvil one hundred florins, a musket and cartouche box nineteen florins, a copper sheep's bell one florin and six stivers. on the other hand all domestic produce was cheap, because the tenant and patroon preferred to dispose of it in the settlements rather than by transporting it to new amsterdam. we learn with envy that butter was only eight stivers or sixteen cents per pound, a pair of fowl two florins, a beaver twenty-five florins. how hard were the terms on which the tenants held their leases is apparent from a report written by the guardians and tutors of jan van rensselaer, a later patroon of rensselaerswyck. the patroon reserved to himself the tenth of all grains, fruits, and other products raised on the _bouwerie_. the tenant was bound, in addition to his rent of five hundred guilders or two hundred dollars, to keep up the roads, repair the buildings, cut ten pieces of oak or fir wood, and bring the same to the shore; he must also every year give to the patroon three days' service with his horses and wagon; {44} each year he was to cut, split, and bring to the waterside two fathoms of firewood; and he was further to deliver yearly to the director as quit-rent two bushels of wheat, twenty-five pounds of butter, and two pairs of fowls. it was the difficult task of the agent of the colony to harmonize the constant hostilities between the patroon and his "people." van curler's letter to kiliaen van rensselaer begins: "laus deo! at the manhattans this 16th june, 1643, most honorable, wise, powerful, and right discreet lord, my lord patroon--." after which propitiatory beginning it embarks at once on a reply to the reproaches which the honorable, wise, and powerful lord has heaped upon his obedient servant. van curler admits that the accounts and books have not been forwarded to holland as they should have been; but he pleads the difficulty of securing returns from the tenants, whom he finds slippery in their accounting. "everything they have laid out on account of the lord patroon they well know how to specify for what was expended. but what has been laid out for their private use, that they know nothing about." if the patroon's relations with his tenants were thorny, he had no less trouble in his dealings with {45} the director-general at new amsterdam. it is true, peter minuit, the first important director, was removed in 1632 by the company for unduly favoring the patroons, and van twiller, another director and a nephew of van rensselaer by marriage, was not disposed to antagonize his relative; but when van twiller was replaced by kieft, and he in turn by stuyvesant, the horizon at rensselaerswyck grew stormy. in 1643 the patroon ordered nicholas coorn to fortify beeren or bears island, and to demand a toll of each ship, except those of the west india company, that passed up and down the river. he also required that the colors on every ship be lowered in passing rensselaer's stein or castle rensselaer, as the fort on the steep little island was named. govert loockermans, sailing down the river one day on the ship _good hope_, failed to salute the flag, whereupon a lively dialogue ensued to the following effect, and not, we may be assured, carried on in low or amicable tones: _coorn_: "lower your colors!" _loockermans_: "for whom should i?" _coorn_: "for the staple-right of rensselaerswyck." _loockermans_: "i lower my colors for no one {46} except the prince of orange and the lords my masters." the practical result of this interchange of amenities was a shot which tore the mainsail of the _good hope_, "perforated the princely flag," and so enraged the skipper that on his arrival at new amsterdam he hastened to lay his grievance before the council, who thereupon ordered coorn to behave with more civility. the patroon system was from the beginning doomed to failure. as we study the old documents we find a sullen tenantry, an obsequious and careworn agent, a dissatisfied patroon, an impatient company, a bewildered government--and all this in a new and promising country where the natives were friendly, the transportation easy, the land fertile, the conditions favorable to that conservation of human happiness which is and should be the aim of civilization. the reason for the discontent which prevailed is not far to seek, and all classes were responsible for it, for they combined in planting an anachronistic feudalism in a new country, which was dedicated by its very physical conditions to liberty and democracy. the settlers came from a nation which had battled {47} through long years in the cause of freedom. they found themselves in a colony adjoining those of englishmen who had braved the perils of the wilderness to establish the same principles of liberty and democracy. no sane mind could have expected the dutch colonists to return without protest to a medieval system of government. when the english took possession of new netherland in 1664, the old patroonships were confirmed as manorial grants from england. as time went on, many new manors were erected until, when the province was finally added to england in 1674, "the lords of the manor" along the hudson had taken on the proportions of a landed aristocracy. on the lower reaches of the river lay the van cortlandt and philipse manors, the first containing 85,000 acres and a house so firmly built that it is still standing with its walls of freestone, three feet thick. the philipse manor, at tarrytown, represented the remarkable achievement of a self-made man, born in the old world and a carpenter by trade, who rose in the new world to fortune and eminence. by dint of business acumen and by marrying two heiresses in succession he achieved wealth, and built "castle philipse" and the picturesque little church at sleepy hollow, {48} still in use. farther up the river lay the livingston manor. in 1685 robert livingston was granted by governor dongan a patent of a tract half way between new york and rensselaerswyck, across the river from the catskills and covering many thousand acres. but the estate of which we know most, thanks to the records left by mrs. grant of laggan in her _memoirs of an american lady_, written in the middle of the eighteenth century, is that belonging to the schuylers at "the flats" near albany, which runs along the western bank of the hudson for two miles and is bordered with sweeping elm trees. the mansion consisted of two stories and an attic. through the middle of the house ran a wide passage from the front to the back door. at the front door was a large _stoep_, open at the sides and with seats around it. one room was open for company. the other apartments were bedrooms, a drawing-room being an unheard-of luxury. "the house fronted the river, on the brink of which, under shades of elm and sycamore, ran the great road toward saratoga, stillwater, and the northern lakes." adjoining the orchard was a huge barn raised from the ground by beams which rested on stone and held up a massive oak {49} floor. on one side ran a manger. cattle and horses stood in rows with their heads toward the threshing-floor. "there was a prodigious large box or open chest in one side built up, for holding the corn after it was threshed, and the roof which was very lofty and spacious was supported by large cross beams. from one to the other of these was stretched a great number of long poles so as to form a sort of open loft, on which the whole rich crop was laid up." altogether it is an attractive picture of peace and plenty, of hospitality and simple luxury, that is drawn by this visitor to the schuyler homestead. we see through her eyes its carpeted winter rooms, its hall covered with tiled oilcloth and hung with family portraits, its vine-covered _stoeps_, provided with ledges for the birds, and affording "pleasant views of the winding river and the distant hills." such a picture relieves pleasantly the arid waste of historical statistics. but the reader who dwells too long on the picturesque aspects of manors and patroonships is likely to forget that new netherland was peopled for the most part by colonists who were neither patroons nor lords of manors. it was the small proprietors who eventually predominated on western {50} long island, on staten island, and along the hudson. "in the end," it has been well said, "this form of grant played a more important part in the development of the province than did the larger fiefs for which such detailed provision was made." {51} chapter iv the directors the first director-general of the colony, captain cornelis may, was removed by only a generation from those "beggars of the sea" whom the spaniard held in such contempt; but this mendicant had begged to such advantage that the sea granted him a noble river to explore and a cape at its mouth to preserve his name to posterity. it is upon his discoveries along the south river, later called the delaware, and not upon his record as director of new netherland, that his title to fame must rest. associated with him was tienpont, who appears to have been assigned to the north river while may assumed personal supervision of the south. may acted as the agent of the west india company for one year only (1624-1625), and was followed in office by verhulst (1625-1626), who bequeathed his name to verhulsten island, in the delaware river, and then quietly passed out of history. {52} neither of these officials left any permanent impress on the history of the colony. it was therefore a day of vast importance to the dwellers on the north river, and especially to the little group of settlers on manhattan island, when the _meeuwken_ dropped her anchor in the harbor in may, 1626, and her small boat landed peter minuit, director-general of new netherland, a governor who had come to govern. minuit, though registered as "of wesel," germany, was of huguenot ancestry, and is reported to have spoken french, dutch, german, and english. he proved a tactful and efficient ruler, and the new system of government took form under the director and council, the _koopman_, who was commercial agent and secretary, and a _schout_ who performed the duties of sheriff and public prosecutor. van wassenaer, the son of a _domine_ in amsterdam, gives us a report of the colony as it existed under minuit. he writes of a counting-house built of stone and thatched with reeds, of thirty ordinary houses on the east side of the river, and a horse-mill yet unfinished over which is to be constructed a spacious room to serve as a temporary church and to be decorated with bells captured at the sack of san juan de porto rico in 1625 by the dutch fleet. {53} according to this chronicler, every one in new netherland who fills no public office is busy with his own affairs. one trades, one builds houses, another plants farms. each farmer pastures the cows under his charge on the _bouwerie_ of the company, which also owns the cattle; but the milk is the property of the farmer, who sells it to the settlers. "the houses of settlers," he says, "are now outside the fort; but when that is finished they will all remove within, in order to garrison it and be safe from sudden attack." one of minuit's first acts as director was the purchase of manhattan island, covering some twenty-two thousand acres, for merchandise valued at sixty guilders or twenty-four dollars. he thus secured the land at the rate of approximately ten acres for one cent. a good bargain, peter minuit! the transaction was doubly effective in placating the savages, or the _wilden_, as the settlers called them, and in establishing the dutch claim as against the english by urging rights both of discovery and of purchase. in spite of the goodwill manifested by the natives, the settlers were constantly anxious lest some conspiracy might suddenly break out. van wassenaer, reporting the news from the colony as {54} it reached him in amsterdam, wrote in 1626 that pieter barentsen was to be sent to command fort orange, and that the families were to be brought down the river, sixteen men without women being left to garrison the fort. two years later he wrote that there were no families at fort orange, all having been brought down the river. only twenty-five or twenty-six traders remained and krol, who had been vice-director there since 1626. minuit showed true statesmanship by following conciliation with a show of strength against hostile powers on every hand. he had brought with him a competent engineer, kryn frederycke, or fredericksen, who had been an officer in the army of prince maurice. with his help minuit laid out fort amsterdam on what was then the tip of manhattan island, the green park which forms the end of the island today being then under water. fredericksen found material and labor so scarce that he could plan at first only a blockhouse surrounded by palisades of red cedar strengthened with earthworks. the fort was completed in 1626, and at the close of the year a settlement called new amsterdam had grown up around it and had been made the capital of new netherland. during the building of the fort there occurred {55} an episode fraught with serious consequences. a friendly indian of the weckquaesgeeck tribe came with his nephew to traffic at fort amsterdam. three servants of minuit fell upon the indian, robbed him, and murdered him. the nephew, then but a boy, escaped to his tribe and vowed a vengeance which he wreaked in blood nearly a score of years later. minuit's preparations for war were not confined to land fortification. in 1627 the hearts of the colonists were gladdened by a great victory of the dutch over the spanish, when, in a battle off san salvador, peter heyn demolished twenty-six spanish warships. on the 5th of september the same bold sailor captured the whole of the spanish silver-fleet with spoils amounting to twelve million guilders. in the following year the gallant commander, then a lieutenant-admiral, died in battle on the deck of his ship. the states-general sent to his old peasant mother a message of condolence, to which she replied: "ay, i thought that would be the end of him. he was always a vagabond; but i did my best to correct him. he got no more than he deserved." it was perhaps the echo of naval victories like these which prompted minuit to embark upon a {56} shipbuilding project of great magnitude for that time. two belgian shipbuilders arrived in new amsterdam and asked the help of the director in constructing a large vessel. minuit, seeing the opportunity to advertise the resources of the colony, agreed to give his assistance and the result was that the _new netherland_, a ship of eight hundred tons carrying thirty guns, was built and launched. this enterprise cost more than had been expected and the bills were severely criticized by the west india company, already dissatisfied with minuit on the ground that he had favored the interests of the patroons, who claimed the right of unrestricted trade within their estates, as against the interests of the company. urged by many complaints, the states-general set on foot an investigation of the director, the patroons, and the west india company itself, with the result that in 1632 minuit was recalled and the power of the patroons was limited. new netherland had not yet seen the last of peter minuit, however. angry and embittered, he entered the service of sweden and returned later to vex the dutch colony. in the interval between minuit's departure and the arrival of van twiller, the reins of authority {57} were held by sebastian krol, whose name is memorable chiefly for the fact that he had been influential in purchasing the domain of rensselaerswyck for its patroon (1630) and the tradition that the cruller, _crolyer_ or _krolyer_, was so called in his honor. the company's selection of a permanent successor to minuit was not happy. wouter van twiller, nephew of kiliaen van rensselaer, must have owed his appointment as director to family influence, since neither his career nor his reputation justified the choice. david de vries, writing on april 16, 1633, notes that on arriving about noon before fort amsterdam he found there a ship called the _soutbergh_ which had brought over the new governor, wouter van twiller, a former clerk in the west india house at amsterdam. de vries gives his opinion of van twiller in no uncertain terms. he expressed his own surprise that the west india company should send fools into this country who knew nothing except how to drink, and quotes an englishman as saying that he could not understand the unruliness among the officers of the company and that a governor should have no more control over them. for the personal appearance of this "walter {58} the doubter," we must turn again to the testimony of knickerbocker, whose mocking descriptions have obtained a quasi-historical authority: this renowned old gentleman arrived at new amsterdam in the merry month of june.... he was exactly five feet six inches in height and six feet five inches in circumference. his head was a perfect sphere and of such stupendous dimensions that dame nature, with all her sex's ingenuity would have been puzzled to construct a neck capable of supporting it: wherefore she wisely declined the attempt and settled it firmly on the top of his backbone just between the shoulders.... his legs were short but sturdy in proportion to the weight they had to sustain so that when erect he had not a little the appearance of a beer barrel on skids. his face, that infallible index of the mind, presented a vast expanse, unfurrowed by any of those lines which disfigure the human countenance with what is termed expression.... his habits were regular. he daily took his four stated meals, appropriating exactly an hour to each; he smoked and doubted eight hours, and he slept the remaining twelve of the four-and-twenty. a later historian, taking up the cudgels in behalf of the director, resents knickerbocker's impeachment and protests that "so far from being the aged, fat and overgrown person represented in caricature van twiller was youthful and inexperienced, and his faults were those of a young {59} man unused to authority and hampered by his instructions."[1] in his new office van twiller was confronted with questions dealing with the encroachment of the patroons from within and of the english from without, the unwelcome visit of eelkens, of whom we shall hear later, and massacres by the indians on the south river. such problems might well have puzzled a wiser head and a more determined character than van twiller's. we cannot hold him wholly blameworthy if he dealt with them in a spirit of doubt and hesitation. what we find harder to excuse is his shrewd advancement of his own interests and his lavish expenditure of the company's money. the cost of building the fort {60} was more than justifiable. to have neglected the defenses would have been culpable; and the barracks built for the hundred and four soldiers whom he had brought over from the fatherland may also be set down as necessary. but when the company was groaning under the expenses of the colony, it was, to say the least, lacking in tact to build for himself the most elaborate house in new netherland, besides erecting on one of the company's _bouweries_ a house, a barn, a boathouse, and a brewery, to say nothing of planting another farm with tobacco, working it with slave labor at the company's expense, and appropriating the profits. in the year 1688, after he had been five years in office, the outcry against van twiller for misfeasance, malfeasance, and especially nonfeasance, grew too loud to be ignored, and he was recalled; but before he left new netherland he bought nooten or nut island, since called governor's island, and also two other islands in the east river. at the time of his marriage in 1643, van twiller was in command of a competence attained at the expense of the west india company, and there is much excuse for the feeling of his employers that he had been more active in his own affairs than in theirs. {61} the principal service which he had rendered to the company in his term of office was the establishment of "staple right" at new amsterdam, compelling all ships trading on the coast or the north river to pay tolls or unload their cargoes on the company's property. but on the reverse side of the account we must remember that he allowed the fort to fall into such decay that when kieft arrived in 1638 he found the defenses, which had been finished only three years before, already in a shamefully neglected condition, the guns dismounted, the public buildings inside the walls in ruins, and the walls of the fort itself so beaten down that any one might enter at will, "save at the stone point." the hopes of the colonists rose again with the coming of a new governor; but the appointment of kieft reflected as little credit as that of van twiller upon the sagacity of the west india company. the man now chosen to rule new netherland was a narrow-minded busybody, eager to interfere in small matters and without the statesmanship required to conduct large affairs. some of his activities, it is true, had practical value. he fixed the hours at which the colonists should go to bed and ordered the curfew to be rung at nine o'clock; {62} he established two annual fairs to be held on the present bowling green, one in october for cattle and one in november for hogs; and he built a new stone church within the fort, operated a brewery, founded a hostelry, and planted orchards and gardens. but on the other side of the account he was responsible for a bloody war with the indians which came near to wrecking the colony. his previous record held scant promise for his success as a governor. he had failed as a merchant in rochelle, for which offense his portrait had been affixed to a gallows. such a man was a poor person to be put in control of the complicated finances of new netherland and of the delicate relations between the colonists and the indians--relations calling for infinite tact, wisdom, firmness, and forbearance. the natives in the region of new amsterdam were increasingly irritated by the encroachments of the whites. they complained that stray cows spoiled their unfenced cornfields and that various other depredations endangered their crops. to add to this irritation kieft proposed to tax the natives for the protection afforded them by the fort, which was now being repaired at large expense. the situation, already bad enough, was {63} further complicated by kieft's clumsy handling of an altercation on staten island. some pigs were stolen, by servants of the company as appeared later; but the offense was charged to the raritan indians. without waiting to make investigations kieft sent out a punitive expedition of seventy men, who attacked the innocent natives, killed a number of them, and laid waste their crops. this stupid and wicked attack still further exasperated the indians, who in the high tide of mid-summer saw their lands laid bare and their homes desolated by the wanton hand of the intruders. some months later the trouble between the whites and the red men was brought to a head by an unforeseen tragedy. a savage came to claes smits, _radenmaker_ or wheelwright, to trade beaver for duffel cloth. as claes stooped down to take out the duffel from a chest, the indian seized an axe which chanced to stand near by and struck the wheelwright on the neck, killing him instantly. the murderer then stole the goods from the chest and fled to the forest. when kieft sent to the tribe of the weckquaesgeecks to inquire the cause of this murder and to demand the slayer, the indian told the chief that he had seen his uncle robbed and killed at the fort {64} while it was being built; that he himself had escaped and had vowed revenge; and that the unlucky claes was the first white man upon whom he had a chance to wreak vengeance. the chief then replied to the director that he was sorry that twenty christians had not been killed and that the indian had done only a pious duty in avenging his uncle. in this emergency kieft called a meeting at which the prominent burghers chose a committee of twelve to advise the director. this took place in 1641. the council was headed by captain david de vries, whose portrait with its pointed chin, high forehead, and keen eyes, justifies his reputation as the ablest man in new netherland. he insisted that it was inadvisable to attack the indians--not to say hazardous. besides, the company had warned them to keep peace. it is interesting to speculate on what would have been the effect on the colony if the company's choice had fallen upon de vries instead of on kieft as director. although restrained for the time, kieft never relinquished his purpose. on february 24, 1643, he again announced his intention of making a raid upon the indians, and in spite of further {65} remonstrance from de vries he sent out his soldiers, who returned after a massacre which disgraced the director, enraged the natives, and endangered the colony. kieft was at first proud of his treachery; but as soon as it was known every algonquin tribe around new amsterdam started on the warpath. from new jersey to the connecticut every farm was in peril. the famous and much-persecuted anne hutchinson perished with her family; towns were burned; and men, women, and children fled in panic. on the approach of spring, when the indians had to plant their corn or face famine, sachems of the long island indians sought a parley with the dutch. de vries and olfertsen volunteered to meet the savages. in the woods near rockaway they found nearly three hundred indians assembled. the chiefs placed the envoys in the center of the circle, and one among them, who had a bundle of sticks, laid down one stick at a time as he recounted the wrongs of his tribe. this orator told how the red men had given food to the settlers and were rewarded by the murder of their people, how they had protected and cherished the traders, and how they had been abused in return. at length de vries, like the practical man that he was, {66} suggested that they all adjourn to the fort, promising them presents from the director. the chiefs consented to meet the director and eventually were persuaded to make a treaty of peace; but kieft's gifts were so niggardly that the savages went away with rancor still in their hearts, and the war of the races continued its bloody course. it is no wonder that when de vries left the governor on this occasion, he told kieft in plain terms of his guilt and predicted that the shedding of so much innocent blood would yet be avenged upon his own head. this prophecy proved a strangely true one. when recalled by the states-general in 1647, kieft set out for holland on the ship _princess_, carrying with him the sum of four hundred thousand guilders. the ship was wrecked in the bristol channel and kieft was drowned. the evil that kieft did lived after him and the good, if interred with his bones, would not have occupied much space in the tomb. the only positive advance during his rule--and that was carried through against his will--was the appointment of an advisory committee of the twelve men, representing the householders of the colony, who were called together in the emergency following {67} the murder of claes smits, and in 1643 of a similar board of eight men, who protested against his arbitrary measures and later procured his recall. after the departure of kieft the most picturesque figure of the period of dutch rule in america appeared at new amsterdam, petrus or pieter stuyvesant. we have an authentic portrait in which the whole personality of the man is writ large. the dominant nose, the small, obstinate eyes, the close-set, autocratic mouth, tell the character of the man who was come to be the new and the last director-general of new netherland. as director of the west india company's colony at curaã§ao, stuyvesant had undertaken the task of reducing the portuguese island of st. martin and had lost a leg in the fight. this loss he repaired with a wooden leg, of which he professed himself prouder than of all his other limbs together and which he had decorated with silver bands and nails, thus earning for him the sobriquet of "old silver nails." still, so the legend runs, peter stuyvesant's ghost at night "stumps to and fro with a shadowy wooden leg through the aisles of st. mark's church near the spot where his bones lie buried." but many events were to happen {68} before those bones were laid in the family vault of the chapel on his _bouwerie_. when stuyvesant reached the country over which he was to rule, it was noted by the colonists that his bearing was that of a prince. "i shall be as a father over his children," he told the burghers of new amsterdam, and in this patriarchal capacity he kept the people standing with their heads uncovered for more than an hour, while he wore his hat. how he bore out this first impression we may gather from _the representation of new netherland_, an arraignment of the director, drawn up and solemnly attested in 1650 by eleven responsible burghers headed by adrian van der donck, and supplemented by much detailed evidence. the witnesses express the earnest wish that stuyvesant's administration were at an end, for they have suffered from it and know themselves powerless. whoever opposes the director "hath as much as the sun and moon against him." in the council he writes an opinion covering several pages and then adds orally: "this is my opinion. if any one have aught to object to it, let him express it!" if any one ventures to make any objection, his honor flies into a passion and rails in language better fitted to the fish-market than to the council-hall. {69} when two burghers, kuyter and melyn, who had been leaders of the opposition to kieft, petitioned stuyvesant to investigate his conduct, stuyvesant supported his predecessor on the ground that one director should uphold another. at kieft's instigation he even prosecuted and convicted kuyter and melyn for seditious attack on the government. when melyn asked for grace till his case could be presented in the fatherland, he was threatened, according to his own testimony, in language like this: "if i knew, melyn, that you would divulge our sentence [that of fine and banishment] or bring it before their high mightinesses, i would cause you to be hanged at once on the highest tree in new netherland." in another case the director said: "it may during my administration be contemplated to appeal; but if anyone should do it, i will make him a foot shorter, and send the pieces to holland and let him appeal in that way." an answer to this arraignment by the burghers of new netherland was written by van tienhoven, who was sent over to the netherlands to defend stuyvesant; but its value is impaired by the fact that he was _schout fiscaal_ and interested in the acquittal of stuyvesant, whose tool he was, {70} and also by the fact that he was the subject of bitter attack in the _representation_ by adrian van der donck, who accused van tienhoven of continually shifting from one side to another and asserted that he was notoriously profligate and untrustworthy. one passage in his reply amounted to a confession. who, he asks, are they who have complained about the haughtiness of the director, and he answers that they are "such as seek to live without law or rule." "no one," he goes on to say, "can prove that director stuyvesant has used foul language to or railed at as clowns any respectable persons who have treated him decently. it may be that some profligate person has given the director, _if he has used any bad words to him_, cause to do so." it has been the fashion in popular histories to allude to stuyvesant as a doughty knight of somewhat choleric temper, "a valiant, weather beaten, leathern-sided, lion-hearted, generous-spirited, old governor"; but i do not so read his history. i find him a brutal tyrant, as we have seen in the affair of kieft _versus_ melyn; a narrow-minded bigot, as we shall see later in his dealing with the quakers at flushing; a bully when his victims were completely in his power; and a loser {71} in any quarrel when he was met with blustering comparable to his own. in support of the last indictment let us take his conduct in a conflict with the authorities at rensselaerswyck. in 1646 stuyvesant had ordered that no building should be erected within cannon-shot of fort orange. the superintendent of the settlement denied stuyvesant's right to give such an order and pointed to the fact that his trading-house had been for a long time on the border of the fort. to the claim that a clear space was necessary to the fort's efficiency, van slichtenhorst, van rensselaer's agent, replied that he had spent more than six months in the colony and had never seen a single person carrying a sword, musket, or pike, nor had he heard a drum-beat except on the occasion of a visit from the director and his soldiers in the summer. stuyvesant rejoined by sending soldiers and sailors to tear down the house which van slichtenhorst was building near fort orange, and the commissary was ordered to arrest the builder if he resisted; but the commissary wrote that it would be impossible to carry out the order, as the settlers at rensselaerswyck, reã«nforced by the indians, outnumbered his troops. stuyvesant then recalled his soldiers and ordered van {72} slichtenhorst to appear before him, which the agent refused to do. in 1652 stuyvesant ordered dyckman, then in command at fort orange, not to allow any one to build a house near the fort or to remain in any house already built. in spite of proclamations and other bluster this order proved fruitless and on april 1, 1653, stuyvesant came in person to fort orange and sent a sergeant to lower the patroon's flag. the agent refusing to strike the patroon's colors, the soldiers entered, lowered the flag, and discharged their guns. stuyvesant declared that the region staked out by posts should be known as beverwyck and instituted a court there. van slichtenhorst tore down the proclamation, whereupon stuyvesant ordered him to be imprisoned in the fort. later the director transported the agent under guard to new amsterdam. stuyvesant's arbitrary character also appears in his overriding of the measure of local self-government decreed by the states-general in 1653. van der donck and his fellows had asked three things of their high mightinesses, the states-general: first, that they take over the government of new netherland; second, that they establish a better city government in new amsterdam; and third, {73} that they clearly define the boundaries of new netherland. the first of these requests, owing to the deeply intrenched interest of the west india company, could not be granted, the last still less. but the states-general urged that municipal rights should be given to new amsterdam, and in 1652 the company yielded. the charter limited the number of _schepens_ or aldermen to five and the number of burgomasters to two, and also ordained that they as well as the _schout_ should be elected by the citizens; but stuyvesant ignored this provision and proceeded to appoint men of his own choosing. the stone tavern built by kieft at the head of coenties slip was set apart as a _stadt-huys_, or city hall, and here stuyvesant's appointees, supposed to represent the popular will, held their meetings. it was something that they did hold meetings and nominally at least in the interest of the people. another concession followed. in 1658 stuyvesant yielded so far to the principles of popular government as to concede to the _schepens_ and burgomasters of new amsterdam the right to nominate double the number of candidates for office, from whom the director was to make a choice. in 1655, during the absence of stuyvesant on the south river, the indians around manhattan {74} appeared with a fleet of sixty-four war canoes, attacked and looted new amsterdam, then crossed to hoboken and continued their bloody work in pavonia and on staten island. in three days a hundred men, women, and children were slain, and a hundred and fifty-two were taken captive, and the damage to property was estimated at two hundred thousand guilders--approximately eighty thousand dollars. as usual the dutch had been the aggressors, for van dyck, formerly _schout fiscaal_, had shot and killed an old indian woman who was picking peaches in his orchard. it must be set down to stuyvesant's credit that on his return he acted toward the indians in a manner that was kind and conciliating, and at the same time provided against a repetition of the recent disaster by erecting blockhouses at various points and by concentrating the settlers for mutual defense. by this policy of mingled diplomacy and preparation against attack stuyvesant preserved peace for a period of three years. but trouble with the indians continued to disturb the colonies on the river and centered at esopus, where slaughters of both white and red men occurred. eight white men were burned at the stake in revenge for shots fired by dutch soldiers, and an indian chief was {75} killed with his own tomahawk. in 1660 a treaty of peace was framed; but three years later we find the two races again embroiled. thus indian wars continued down to the close of dutch rule. in spite of these troubles in the more outlying districts, new amsterdam continued to grow and thrive. in stuyvesant's time the thoroughfares of new amsterdam were laid out as streets and were named. the line of houses facing the fort on the eastern side was called the marckveldt, or marketfield, taking its name from the green opposite, which had been the site of the city market. de heere straat, the principal street, ran north from the fort through the gate at the city wall. de hoogh straat ran parallel with the east river from the city bridge to the water gate and on its line stood the _stadt-huys_. 't water ran in a semi-circular line from the point of the island and was bordered by the east river. de brouwer straat took its name from the breweries situated on it and was probably the first street in the town to be regulated and paved. de brugh straat, as the name implies, led to the bridge crossing. de heere graft, the principal canal, was a creek running deep into the island from the east river and protected {76} by a siding of boards. an official was appointed for the care of this canal with orders to see "that the newly made _graft_ was kept in order, that no filth was cast into it, and that the boats, canoes, and other vessels were laid in order." the new city was by this time thoroughly cosmopolitan. one traveler speaks of the use of eighteen different languages, and the forms of faith were as varied as the tongues spoken. seven or eight large ships came every year from amsterdam. the director occupied a fine house on the point of the island. on the east side of the town stood the _stadt-huys_ protected by a half-moon of stone mounted with three small brass cannon. in the fort stood the governor's house, the church, the barracks, the house for munitions, and the long-armed windmills. everything was prospering except the foundation on which all depended. there was no adequate defense for all this property. here we must acquit stuyvesant from responsibility, since again and again he had warned the company against the weakness of the colony; but they would not heed the warnings, and the consequences which might have been averted suddenly overtook the dutch possessions. the war which broke out in 1652 between {77} england and the netherlands, once leagued against catholic spain but now parted by commercial rivalries, found an immediate echo on the shores of the hudson. with feverish haste the inhabitants of new amsterdam began to fortify. across the island at the northern limit of the town, on the line of what is now wall street, they built a wall with stout palisades backed by earthworks. they hastily repaired the fort, organized the citizens as far as possible to resist attack, and also strengthened fort orange. the new england colonies likewise began warlike preparations; but, perhaps owing to the prudence of stuyvesant in accepting the treaty of hartford, peace between the dutch and english in the new world continued for the present, though on precarious terms; and, the immediate threat of danger being removed by the treaty between england and holland in 1654, the new netherlander relaxed their vigilance and curtailed the expense of fortifications. meanwhile stuyvesant had alienated popular sympathy and lessened united support by his treatment of a convention of delegates from new amsterdam, flushing, breuckelen, hempstead, amersfort, middleburgh, flatbush, and gravesend who had gathered to consider the defense and {78} welfare of the colonies. the english of the long island towns were the prime movers in this significant gathering. there is an unmistakable english flavor in the contention of _the humble remonstrance_ adopted by the convention, that "'tis contrary to the first intentions and genuine principles of every well regulated government, that one or more men should arrogate to themselves the exclusive power to dispose, at will, of the life and property of any individual." as a people "not conquered or subjugated, but settled here on a mutual covenant and contract entered into with the lord patroons, with the consent of the natives," they protested against the enactment of laws and the appointment of magistrates without their consent or that of their representatives. stuyvesant replied with his usual bigotry and in a rage at being contradicted. he asserted that there was little wisdom to be expected from popular election when naturally "each would vote for one of his own stamp, the thief for a thief, the rogue, the tippler and the smuggler for his brother in iniquity, so that he may enjoy more latitude in vice and fraud." finally stuyvesant ordered the delegates to disperse, declaring: "we derive our authority from god and the company, not from a {79} few ignorant subjects, and we alone can call the inhabitants together." with popular support thus alienated and with appeals for financial and military aid from the states-general and the west india company denied or ignored, the end of new netherland was clearly in sight. in 1663 stuyvesant wrote to the company begging them to send him reã«nforcements. "otherwise," he said, "it is wholly out of our power to keep the sinking ship afloat any longer." this year was full of omens. the valley of the hudson was shaken by an earthquake followed by an overflow of the river, which ruined the crops. smallpox visited the colony, and on top of all these calamities came the appalling indian massacre at esopus. the following year, 1664, brought the arrival of the english fleet, the declaration of war, and the surrender of the dutch province. for many years the english had protested against the dutch claims to the territory on the north and south rivers. their navigators had tried to contest the trade in furs, and their government at home had interfered with vessels sailing to and from new amsterdam. now at length charles ii was ready to appropriate the dutch possessions. he did not {80} trouble himself with questions of international law, still less with international ethics; but, armed with the flimsy pretense that cabot's visit established england's claim to the territory, he stealthily made preparations to seize the defenseless colony on the river which had begun to be known as the hudson. five hundred veteran troops were embarked on four ships, under command of colonel richard nicolls, and sailed on their expedition of conquest. stuyvesant's suspicions, aroused by rumors of invasion, were so far lulled by dispatches from holland that he allowed several ships at new amsterdam to sail for curaã§ao ladened with provisions, while he himself journeyed to rensselaerswyck to quell an indian outbreak. while he was occupied in this task, a messenger arrived to inform him that the english fleet was hourly expected in the harbor of new amsterdam. stuyvesant made haste down the river; but on the day after he arrived at manhattan island, he saw ships flying the flag of england in the lower harbor, where they anchored below the narrows. colonel nicolls demanded the surrender of the "towns situate on the island commonly known by the name of manhattoes, with all the forts thereunto belonging." {81} although the case of new amsterdam was now hopeless, stuyvesant yet strove for delay. he sent a deputation to nicolls to carry on a parley; but nicolls was firm. "when may we visit you again?" the deputation asked. nicolls replied with grim humor that he would speak with them at manhattan. "friends are welcome there," answered stuyvesant's representative diplomatically; but nicolls told them bluntly that he was coming with ships and soldiers. "hoist a white flag at the fort," he said, "and i may consider your proposals." colonel nicolls was as good as his word and, to the consternation of the dwellers in new amsterdam, the fleet of english frigates, under full sail and with all guns loaded, appeared before the walls of the useless old fort amsterdam. stuyvesant stood on one of the angles of the fort and the gunners with lighted matches awaited his command to fire. the people entreated him to yield. "resistance is not soldiership," said one of them. "it is sheer madness." stuyvesant, who with all his faults was a brave soldier, felt to the quick the humiliation; but he saw also that resistance meant only useless bloodshed. at last he submitted, and the english vessels sailed on their way unmolested, {82} while stuyvesant groaned, "i would much rather be carried to my grave." without firing a shot the english thus took possession of the rich country which the states-general had not thought worth defending, and new netherland became new york. [1] van twiller's advocate, w. e. griffis, quotes the nijkerk records in proof that van twiller was born on may 22, 1606, which would fix his age at twenty-seven when he was sent out to the colony. the editor of the van rensselaer-bowier manuscript states that kiliaen van rensselaer was born in 1580, that his sister, maria, married richard, or ryckaert, van twiller and that the wouter of our chronicles was their son and therefore van rensselaer's nephew. we are the more inclined to accept the year 1606 as the true date of van twiller's birth because the year 1580, previously accepted by historians, would have been the same as that of the birth of kiliaen van rensselaer himself, and because, according to the author of the _story of new netherland_, maria van rensselaer was betrothed in 1605. otherwise we should find it almost beyond credence that a youth of twenty-seven should have been so suddenly promoted from the counting-house at amsterdam to the responsible post of director of new netherland. {83} chapter v domines and school-teachers because the netherlander were not, like the new englanders, fugitives from persecution at the hands of their fellow-countrymen, the dutch colonization in america is often spoken of as a purely commercial venture; but in reality the founding of new netherland marked a momentous epoch in the struggle for the freedom of conscience. established between the long contest with the inquisition in spain and the thirty years' war for religious liberty in germany, this plantation along the hudson offered protection in america to those rights of free conscience for which so much blood had been shed and so much treasure spent in europe. the dutch colonists were deeply religious, with no more bigotry than was inseparable from the ideas of the seventeenth century. they were determined to uphold the right to worship god in {84} their own way; and to say that their own way of worship was as dear to them as their beliefs is not strikingly to differentiate them from the rest of mankind. they brought with them from the home country a tenacious reverence for their fathers' method of worship and for the calvinistic polity of the dutch reformed church. they looked with awe upon the _synod_, the final tribunal in holland for ecclesiastical disputes. they regarded with respect the _classis_, composed of ministers and elders in a certain district; but their hearts went out in a special affection to the _consistory_, which was made up of the ministers and elders of the single local _kerk_. this at least they could reproduce in the crude conditions under which they labored, and it seemed a link with the home which they had left so far behind them. they had no intention, however, of forcing this church discipline on those who could not conscientiously accept it. the devout wish of william the silent that all his countrymen might dwell together in amity regardless of religious differences was fulfilled among the early settlers in new netherland. their reputation for tolerance was spread abroad early in the history of the colony, and huguenots, lutherans, presbyterians, {85} moravians, and anabaptists lived unmolested in new netherland till the coming of director peter stuyvesant in 1647. the religious tyranny which marked stuyvesant's rule must be set down to his personal discredit, for almost every instance of persecution was met by protest from the settlers themselves, including his coreligionists. he deported to holland a lutheran preacher; he revived and enforced a dormant rule of the west india company which forbade the establishment of any church other than the dutch reformed; and he imprisoned parents who refused to have their children baptized in that faith. but it was in his dealings with the quakers that his bigotry showed itself in its most despotic form. robert hodgson, a young quaker, was arrested in hempstead, long island, and was brought to new amsterdam. after he had been kept in prison for several days, the magistrate condemned him either to pay a fine of a hundred guilders or to work with a wheelbarrow for two years in company with negroes. he declined to do either. after two or three days he was whipped on his bare back and warned that the punishment would be repeated if he persisted in his obstinacy. this treatment is recorded by the {86} domines megapolensis and drisius in a letter to the _classis_ of amsterdam, not only without protest but with every sign of approbation. yet in the end public opinion made itself felt and mrs. bayard, stuyvesant's sister (or sister-in-law, as some authorities say) procured the release of his victim. in another case, a resident of flushing ventured to hold quaker meetings at his home. he was sentenced to pay a fine or submit to be flogged and banished; but the town officers refused to carry out the decree. a letter, signed by a number of prominent townsfolk of flushing, declared that the law of love, peace, and liberty was the true glory of holland, that they desired not to offend one of christ's little ones under whatever name he appeared, whether presbyterian, independent, baptist, or quaker. "should any of these people come in love among us therefore," said they, "we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them." this letter immediately brought down upon the writers the despotic rage of stuyvesant. the sheriff of flushing was cashiered and fined; the town clerk was imprisoned; and penalties of varying degree were imposed on all the signers. when accounts of stuyvesant's proceedings {87} reached amsterdam, however, he received from the chamber a letter of stinging rebuke, informing him that "the consciences of men ought to be free and unshackled, so long as they continue moderate, inoffensive, and not hostile to government." the chamber, after reminding the director that toleration in old amsterdam had brought the oppressed and persecuted of all countries to that city as to an asylum, recommended stuyvesant to follow in the same course. herewith ended the brief period of religious persecution in new netherland. the amiable domine megapolensis who acquiesced in these persecutions came over to the colony of rensselaerswyck in 1642 in the service of kiliaen van rensselaer. he was to have a salary of forty guilders per month and a fit dwelling that was to be provided for him. so the "reverend, pious, and learned dr. johannes megapolensis, junior," set sail for america "to proclaim christ to christians and heathens in such distant lands." his name, by the way, like that of erasmus, melanchthon, ã�colampadius, dryander, and other worthies of the reformation, was a classical form of the homely dutch patronymic to which he had been born. apparently the reverend johannes was more {88} successful in his mission to the heathen than in that to the christians, for he learned the mohawk language, wrote a valuable account of the tribe, and understood them better than he understood the lutherans and quakers of new amsterdam and long island. in 1664 when stuyvesant was in the mood to fire on the british fleet and take the consequences, megapolensis, so tradition runs, dissuaded him with the argument: "of what avail are our poor guns against that broadside of more than sixty? it is wrong to shed innocent blood." one wonders if the _domine_ had any room in his mind for thoughts of the useless sufferings which had been inflicted on hodgson and townsend and the lutheran preachers while he stood by consenting. when megapolensis arrived at new netherland he found the reverend everardus bogardus already installed as minister of the gospel at fort amsterdam, his predecessor michaelius having returned to holland. from the beginning bogardus proved a thorn in the side of the government. he came to blows with van twiller and wrote a letter to the director in which he called him a child of the devil, a villain whose bucks were better than he, to whom he should give such a {89} shake from the pulpit the following sabbath as would make him shudder. the difficulties which bogardus had with van twiller, however, were as the breath of may zephyrs compared to his stormy quarrels with kieft. this director had taken bogardus to task for having gone into the pulpit intoxicated, and had also accused him of defending the greatest criminals in the country and of writing in their defense. the fighting parson promptly countered on this attack. "what," he asked from the pulpit, "are the great men of the country but receptacles of wrath, fountains of woe and trouble? nothing is thought of but to plunder other people's property--to dismiss--to banish--to transport to holland." kieft, realizing that he had raised up a fighter more unsparing than himself and, unable to endure these harangues from the pulpit, ceased to attend the _kerk_; but the warlike _domine_ continued to belabor him till kieft prepared an indictment, beginning: "whereas your conduct stirs the people to mutiny and rebellion when they are already too much divided, causes schisms and abuses in the church, and makes us a scorn and a laughing stock to our neighbors, all which cannot be tolerated in a country where justice is {90} maintained, therefore our sacred duty imperatively requires us to prosecute you in a court of justice." the quarrel was never fought to a finish but was allowed to die out, and the episode ended without credit to either party. like everything else in the colony of new netherland, the original meeting-places for worship were of the simplest type. domine megapolensis held services in his own house, and bogardus conducted worship in the upper part of the horse-mill at fort amsterdam, where before his arrival sebastian jansen krol and jan huyck had read from the scriptures on sunday. these men had been appointed _ziekentroosters_ or _krankenbesoeckers_ (_i.e._, consolers of the sick), whose business it was, in addition to their consolatory functions, to hold sunday services in the absence of a regularly ordained clergyman. in time these rude gathering-places gave way to buildings of wood or stone, modeled, as one would expect, on similar buildings in the old country, with a pulpit built high above the congregation, perhaps with intent to emphasize the authority of the church. the clerk, or _voorleser_, standing in the baptistery below the pulpit, opened the services by reading from the bible and leading in the singing of {91} a psalm. the _domine_, who had stood in silent prayer during the psalm, afterward entered the pulpit, and then laid out his text and its connection with the sermon to follow--a part of the service known as the _exordium remotum_. during this address the deacons stood facing the pulpit, alms-bag in hand. the deacons collected the contribution by thrusting in front of each row of seats the _kerk sacjes_ of cloth or velvet suspended from the end of a long pole. sometimes a bell hung at the bottom of the bag to call the attention of the slothful or the niggardly to the contribution, and while the bags were passed the _domine_ was wont to dwell upon the necessities of the poor and to invoke blessings upon those who gave liberally to their support. when the sermon commenced, the _voorsinger_ turned the hour-glass which marked the length of the discourse. the sermon ended, the _voorleser_ rose and, with the aid of a long rod cleft in the end, handed to the _domine_ in the pulpit the requests for prayers or thanksgiving offered by members of the congregation. when these had been read aloud, another psalm was sung and the people then filed out in an orderly procession. the principle of competitive giving for the church was evidently well understood in new {92} amsterdam. de vries has left us an account of a conversation held in 1642 between himself and kieft in which he told the director that there was great need of a church, that it was a scandal when the english came that they should see only a mean barn for public worship, that the first thing built in new england after the dwellings was a church, and that there was the less excuse for the dutch as they had fine wood, good stone, and lime made from oyster shells, close at hand. the director admitted the justice of the plea but asked who would undertake the work. "those who love the reformed religion," de vries answered. kieft replied adroitly that de vries must be one of them, as he had proposed the plan, and that he should give a hundred guilders. de vries craftily observed that kieft as commander must be the first giver. kieft bethought himself that he could use several thousand guilders from the company's funds. not only was he as good as his word, but later he contrived to extort private subscriptions on the occasion of the marriage of bogardus's step-daughter. as usual when the _domine_ was present, the wine flowed freely. "the director thought this a good time for his purpose, and set to work after the fourth or fifth drink; and he himself {93} setting a liberal example, let the wedding-guests sign whatever they were disposed to give towards the church. each, then, with a light head, subscribed away at a handsome rate, one competing with the other; and although some heartily repented it when their senses came back, they were obliged nevertheless to pay." in view of this story it was perhaps a fine irony which inspired the inscription placed on the church when it was finished: "ao. do. mdcxlii. w. kieft dr. gr. _heeft de gemeente desen tempel doen bouwen_," _i.e._, "william kieft, the director-general, has caused the congregation to build this church." the correct interpretation, however, probably read: "william kieft being director-general, the congregation has caused this church to be built."[1] evidently religion prospered better than education in the colony, for the same lively witness who reports the bogardus affair and the generosity stimulated by the flowing wine says also: "the bowl has been passed around a long time for a common school which has been built with words, for as yet the first stone is not laid; some materials only have been provided. however the money {94} given for the purpose has all disappeared and is mostly spent, so that it falls somewhat short; and nothing permanent has as yet been effected for this purpose." the first schoolmaster sent to new netherland arrived in 1633 at the same time as bogardus, and represented the cause of education even less creditably than did the bibulous _domine_ that of religion. adam roelantsen was twenty-seven years old when he took up his duties as instructor of youth in the colony, and he was as precious a scoundrel as ever was set to teach the young. he eked out his slender income in the early days by taking in washing or by establishing a bleachery, which must be noted as one of the most creditable items in his scandalous career. he was constantly before the local courts of new amsterdam, sometimes as plaintiff, sometimes as defendant, and finally he appeared as a malefactor charged with so grave an offense that the court declared that, as such deeds could not be tolerated, "therefore we condemn the said roelantsen to be brought to the place of execution and there flogged and banished forever out of this country." apparently, on the plea of having four motherless children, he escaped the infliction of punishment and continued alternately {95} to amuse and to outrage the respectable burghers of new amsterdam. he was succeeded in order by jan stevensen, jan cornelissen, william verstius, sometimes written vestens, johannes morice de la montagne, harmanus van hoboocken, and evert pietersen. in addition to these there were two teachers of a latin school and several unofficial instructors. the duties of these early teachers were by no means light, especially in proportion to their scanty wage. we learn in one case that school began at eight in the morning and lasted until eleven, when there was a two-hour recess, after which it began again at one and closed at four o'clock. it was the duty of the teacher to instruct the children in the catechism and common prayer. the teacher was ordered to appear at the church on wednesdays with the children entrusted to his care, to examine his scholars "in the presence of the reverend ministers and elders who may be present, what they in the course of the week, do remember of the christian commands and catechism, and what progress they have made; after which the children shall be allowed a decent recreation." besides his duties as instructor, the official schoolmaster was pledged "to promote religious {96} worship, to read a portion of the word of god to the people, to endeavor, as much as possible to bring them up in the ways of the lord, to console them in their sickness, and to conduct himself with all diligence and fidelity in his calling, so as to give others a good example as becometh a devout, pious and worthy consoler of the sick, church-clerk, precenter and school master." throughout the history of new netherland we find the church and school closely knit together. frequently the same building served for secular instruction on week-days and for religious service on sundays. in a letter written by van curler to his patroon, he says: "as for the church it is not yet contracted for, nor even begun.... that which i intend to build this summer in the pine grove (or green wood) will be thirty-four feet long by nineteen wide. it will be large enough for the first three or four years to preach in and can afterwards always serve for the residence of the sexton or for a school." how small were the assemblies of the faithful in the early days we may gather from a letter of michaelius, the first _domine_ of the colony, incidentally also one of the most lovable and spiritually minded of these men. in his account of the {97} condition of the church at manhattan he observes that at the first communion fifty were present. the number of walloons and french-speaking settlers was so small that the _domine_ did not think it worth while to hold a special service for them, but once in four months he contented himself with administering the communion and preaching a sermon in french. this discourse he found it necessary to commit to writing, as he could not trust himself to speak extemporaneously in that language. there is something beautiful and pathetic in the picture of this little group of half a hundred settlers in the wilderness, gathered in the upper room of the grist-mill, surrounded by the sacks of grain, and drinking from the _avondmaalsbeker_, or communion cup, while the rafters echoed to the solemn sounds of the liturgy which had been familiar in their old homes across the sea. there is the true ring of a devout and simple piety in all the utterances of the settlers on the subject of their church. the pioneers were ready to spend and be spent in its service and they gave freely out of their scanty resources for its support. in the matter of education their enthusiasm, as we have seen, was far less glowing, and the reasons for this coolness are a subject for curious {98} consideration. the dutch in europe were a highly cultivated people, devoted to learning and reverencing the printed book. why then were their countrymen in the new world willing to leave the education of their children in the hands of inferior teachers and to delay so long the building of suitable schoolhouses? we must remember that the colonists in the early days were drawn from a very simple class. their church was important to them as a social center as well as a spiritual guide. for this church they were willing to make any sacrifice; but that done, they must pause and consider the needs of their daily life. children old enough to attend school were old enough to lend a helping hand on the _bouwerie_, in the dairy, or by the side of the cradle. money if plentiful might well be spent on salaries and schoolhouses; but if scarce, it must be saved for bread and butter, clothing, warmth, and shelter. in short, reading, writing, and figuring could wait; but souls must be saved first; and after that eating and drinking were matters of pressing urgency. fortunately, however, not all education is bound up in books, and, in the making of sturdy and efficient colonists, the rude training of hardships and privation when combined with a {99} first-hand knowledge of nature and of the essential industries provided a fair substitute for learning. on the other side of the picture we must consider what type of men would naturally be drawn to cross the sea and settle in the new colony as schoolmasters. many of the clergymen came urged by the same zeal for the conversion of the savages which fired john eliot in new england and the jesuit fathers in the canadian missions. for the schoolmasters there was not this incentive, and they naturally looked upon the question of emigration as a business enterprise or a chance of professional advancement. as a first consideration they must have realized that they were leaving a country where education and educators were held in high respect. "there was hardly a netherlander," says motley, "man, woman or child, that could not read and write. the school was the common property of the people, paid for among the municipal expenses in the cities as well as in the rural districts. there were not only common schools but classical schools. in the burgher families it was rare to find boys who had not been taught latin or girls unacquainted with french." from this atmosphere of scholastic enthusiasm, from the opportunities of the libraries {100} and contact with the universities, the pedagogue was invited to turn to a rude settlement in the primeval forest, where the bible, the catechism, and the concordance formed the greater part of the literary wealth at his disposal, and to take up the multiple duties of sexton, bell-ringer, precentor, schoolmaster, consoler of the sick, and general understudy for the _domine_. in return for this he was to receive scanty wages in either cash or public esteem. what hardships were experienced by these early schoolmasters in new netherland we may understand by reading the _reverential request_ written by harmanus van hoboocken to the burgomasters and _schepens_ that he may be allowed the use of the hall and side-chamber of the _stadt-huys_ to accommodate his school and as a residence for his family, as he has no place to keep school in or to live in during the winter, for it is necessary that the rooms should be made warm, and that cannot be done in his own house. the burgomasters and _schepens_ replied that "whereas the room which petitioner asks for his use as a dwelling and schoolroom is out of repair and moreover is wanted for other uses it cannot be allowed to him. but as the town youth are doing so uncommon well now, it is thought {101} proper to find a convenient place for their accommodation and for that purpose petitioner is granted one hundred guilders yearly." can we wonder that new netherland did not secure a particularly learned and distinguished type of pedagogue in the early days? in 1658 the burgomasters and _schepens_ of new amsterdam with a view to founding an academy petitioned the west india company for a teacher of latin, and alexander carolus curtius was sent over to be the classical teacher in the new academy; but he was so disheartened by the smallness of his salary and by the roughness of the youthful burghers that he shortly returned to holland, and his place was taken by ã�gidius luyck, who, though only twenty-two years old, established such discipline and taught so well that the reputation of the academy spread far and wide, and dutch boys were no longer sent to new england to learn their classics. [1] brodhead, _history of the state of new york_, vol. 1, p. 337 (note). {102} chapter vi the burghers in the earliest days of new netherland there were no burgers because, as the name implies, burghers are town-dwellers, and for a number of years after the coming of the dutch nothing worthy to be called a town existed in the colony. in the middle of the seventeenth century a traveler wrote from new netherland that there were only three towns on the hudson--fort orange, rondout, and new amsterdam--and that the rest were mere villages or settlements. these centers were at first trading-posts, and it is as idle to judge of the manners, customs, and dress prevailing in them by those of holland at the same epoch, as to judge san francisco in the mining days of 1849 by boston and new york at the same date. these early traders and settlers brought with them the character and traditions of home; but their way of life was perforce modified by the {103} crude conditions into which they plunged. the picturesque farmhouses of long island and the crow-gables of new amsterdam were not built in a day. savages must be subdued and land cleared and planted before the evolution of the dwelling could fairly begin. primitive community life lingered long even on manhattan island. as late as 1649 the farmers petitioned for a free pasturage between their plantation of schepmoes and the fence of the great bowerie number one. the city hall park region bounded by broadway, nassau, ann, and chambers streets continued very late to be recognized as village commons where the cattle were pastured. the cowherd drove the cows afield and home again at milking-time, and it was his business to sound his horn at every gate announcing the safe return of the cows. correspondingly in the morning the harsh summons called the cattle from every yard to join the procession toward the meadows. when tienhoven, stuyvesant's secretary, sent out information for the benefit of those planning to take up land in new netherland, he suggested that those who had not means to build at first might shelter themselves by digging a pit six or seven feet deep as large as needed, covering the {104} floor and walls with timber and placing over it a roof of spars covered with bark or green sods. even with this rude housing he suggests planting at once a garden with all sorts of pot-herbs and maize, or indian corn, which might serve as food for man and beast alike. naturally these pioneer conditions of living lasted longer in the farming region than at new amsterdam, where as early as 1640 we see simple but comfortable little houses clustered in the shelter of the fort, and gathered close about the stone tavern, the west india company's stores, and the church of st. nicholas. the gallows and pillory, in full view, seemed to serve notice that law and order had asserted themselves and that settlers might safely solidify their houses and holdings. in 1648 the building of wooden chimneys was forbidden, and roofs of reed were replaced with more solid and less inflammable material. the constant threat of fire led to drastic regulations for the cleaning of chimneys. it was ordered that "if anyone prove negligent he shall, whenever the firewardens find the chimneys foul, forthwith without any contradiction, pay them a fine of three guilders for every flue found on examination to be dirty, to be expended for fire ladders, hooks and {105} buckets, which shall be procured and provided at the earliest and most convenient opportunity." the early settlers found much difficulty in enforcing public sanitation, for, in spite of the world-wide reputation of the dutch for indoor cleanliness, we find the burghers in 1658 bitterly reproached for throwing their rubbish, filth, dead animals, and the like into the streets "to the great inconvenience of the community and dangers arising from it." the burgomasters and _schepens_ ordained that all such refuse be brought to dumping-grounds near the city hall and the gallows or to other designated places. failure to observe this rule was punishable by fines or severer penalties. as prosperity increased, all conditions of living improved. many ships from holland brought loads of brick and tiles as ballast, and the houses began to assume the typical dutch aspect. they were still built chiefly of wood, but with a gable end of brick facing the street. the steep roofs seldom had eave-troughs, at least in the early days, and mention is made in deeds of "free-drip." the house was supplied, as the chronicler tells us, with "an abundance of large doors and small windows on every floor, the date of its erection was curiously designated by iron figures on the front, {106} and on the top of the roof was perched a fierce little weather-cock to let the family into the important secret which way the wind blew." the front doors were usually divided, as in the old houses in holland, into an upper and lower half hung on heavy hinges. the door opened with a latch, and bore a brass knocker wrought frequently in the device of an animal's head. only on formal occasions was this door thrown open or the fore-room to which it gave access used, for the life of the family, as in all primitive communities, was centered in the kitchen. here in winter roared the great fires up the wide-throated chimneys. here children and negro servants gathered in groups and told stories of the old home and the new. here the women knit their stockings and here the burghers smoked when the day's work was done. but the fore-room, or _voorhuis_, though seldom occupied, was dear to the soul of the vrouw of new netherland. here stood all the treasures too valuable or too fragile for daily use: the least, or chest, stored with household linen, the cabinet filled with delft plates from holland, and generally the carved four-poster covered with feather beds of prime goose-feathers and hung with gay chintz. {107} a shrewd observer has said that luxury implies waste while comfort lives in thrift. we are safe in assuming that comfort rather than luxury prevailed in new netherland and that the highly colored pictures of elegant life on the shores of the hudson represent a very late phase, when the dutch influence still prevailed under english protection. the earlier settlers were a far simpler people, whose floors were scrubbed and sanded instead of carpeted, who used hour-glasses instead of clocks, and who set their four-poster beds in the rooms where visitors were formally received. it was of course the "great burghers" who set the social as well as the official tone in new amsterdam.[1] it was they who owned the finest houses, {108} who imported tables and chests of ebony inlaid with ivory. it was they whose wives were bravely fitted out with petticoats, over which an upper garment was looped to display the velvet, cloth, silk, or satin which marked the social position and material wealth of the wearer. the burgher himself went clad, according to his wealth, in cloaks of cloth or velvet, embroidered or silk-lined; but he always wore wide boots and wide breeches and a coat adorned with an abundance of buttons, the whole topped by a broad-brimmed hat adorned with buckles and feathers and seldom removed in the house. the dress of the farmers was simpler than that of the town-dwellers or burghers. it consisted generally of wide breeches, a _hemdrok_ or shirt-coat made of wool or cotton, an overfrock called a _paltsrok_, a low flat collar, the usual wide-brimmed hat, and shoes of leather on sundays, and of wood on week-days for work on the _bouwerie_. the children of burghers and farmers alike were clad in miniature copies of the garb of their elders, doubtless in many cases wearing the same garments {109} made over by removing the outworn portions. it was a question of warmth rather than fashion which confronted the settlers and their children. to those of us who believe that the state exists for the protection of the home and the home for the protection of the child, it is neither futile nor frivolous to consider at some length what life had to offer to the small colonists. little sarah rapaelje, "the first-born christian daughter in new netherland," was soon surrounded by a circle of boys and girls. cornelis maasen and his wife came over in 1631, and their first child was born on the voyage. following this little hendrick came martin, maas, steyntje, and tobias. we have already noted the two little motherless daughters of domine michaelius who were so hard put to it for a nurse. a little later came domine megapolensis with his children hellegond, dirrick, jan, and samuel, running from eight to fourteen years in age. the patroon had directed that they be furnished with clothing "in such small and compact parcels as can be properly stowed away on the ship." with the era of permanent settlers in new netherland, cradles came to be in demand. in the region of new amsterdam the familiar hooded variety was brought from holland, while farther {110} up the river and especially among the poorer folk birch bark was fashioned into a sleeping-place for the babies. for the older children trundle-beds fitting under the big four-posters of the elders and rolled out at night were much in use, since the difficulty of heating made economy of bedroom-space a necessity. this _treke-bed_ and its protecting four-poster, however, probably came later than the built-in _sloep-bank_, little more than a bunk in the side of the wall concealed by a curtain and softened by thick feather-beds. however rude the sleeping-place of the babies, the old home lullabies soothed them to slumber. dearest and most familiar was the following: trip a trop a tronjes, de varken in de boonjes, de koejes in de klaver, de paaden in de haver, de eenjes in de water plas, de kalver in de lang gras, so goed myn klein poppetje was. thus to pictures of pigs in the bean patch and cows in the clover, ducks in the water and calves in the meadow, the little ones fell peacefully to sleep, oblivious of the wild beasts and wilder men lurking in the primeval forests around the little {111} clearing where the pioneers were making a home for themselves and their children. when the babies' eyelids unclosed in the morning they opened on a busy scene, for whatever anxious vigils the father and mother might have kept through the night, toil began with the dawn. the boys were set to gathering firewood and drawing water, while the _goede vrouw_ was busily preparing a substantial morning meal of suppawn and sausage before her husband began the day's work of loading beaver-skins or tilling the ground or hewing timber. a pioneer life means hard work for children as well as for their elders, and in the early years there was little time for play on the part of the youthful new netherlander. as prosperity advanced and as negro servants were introduced, the privileges of childhood were extended and we find accounts of their sliding on their _slees_ or sleds down the hills of fort orange and skating at new amsterdam on the collect pond, which took its name from the dutch _kalk_, or lime, and was so called from the heaps of oyster-shells accumulated by the indians. the skates were of the type used in holland, very long with curves at the front and rear, and, when metal could not be obtained, formed of ox-bone. {112} with an appetite bred of out-of-door work and play, and a breakfast hour at five or six in the morning, the children were hungry for the homely and substantial dinner when it eventually appeared at early noon. whatever social visits were planned took place at the supper, which occurred between three o'clock and six. the tea-table, the chronicler tells us, was crowned with a huge earthen dish, well stored with slices of fat pork and fried trout, cut up into morsels and swimming in gravy. the company, being seated round the genial board and each furnished with a fork, evinced their dexterity in launching at the fattest pieces in this mighty dish in much the same manner as sailors harpoon porpoises at sea, or our indians spear salmon in the lakes. sometimes the table was graced with immense apple pies, or saucers full of preserved peaches or pears; but it was always sure to boast an enormous dish of balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat and called doughnuts or _olykoeks_.... the tea was served out of a majestic delft tea-pot ornamented with paintings of fat little dutch shepherds and shepherdesses tending pigs, with boats sailing in the air and houses built in the clouds.... to sweeten the beverage a lump of sugar was laid beside each cup and the company alternately nibbled and sipped with great decorum. in the houses of the richer colonists, as prosperity advanced, shell-shaped silver boxes for sugar, called {113} "bite and stir" boxes, were set on the table and, according to one authority, the lumps of sugar were of the nature of toffy with molasses added to the sugar. the feast ended, the young folk went their homeward way lighted by the moon, or, late in the century, on dark nights by a lantern hung on a pole from every seventh house. when the curfew rang from the belfry "eight o'clock," lights were put out and all was made fast for the night, while the children's minds were set at rest by the tramp of the _klopperman_, who shook his rattle at each door as he passed from house to house through the dark hours, assuring the burghers that all was well and that no marauders were about. if winter offered sports and pastimes, spring, summer, and autumn had each its own pleasures, fishing and clam digging, shooting and trapping, games with ball and slings, berry picking, and the gathering of peaches which fell so thickly that the very hogs refused them. the market days in new amsterdam offered a long procession of delights to the young colonists. but merriest of all were the holidays which were observed in new netherland after much the same fashion as in the old home. {114} i do not know how to account for the fact that while the struggle of the dutch people with the papacy had been as bitter as that of england and the throwing off of the yoke by the dutch fully as decided, they still retained the holidays which the puritans eschewed as dangerous remnants of superstition. perhaps it was on the principle of robbing satan of his hoofs and horns but keeping his cheerful scarlet costume, or perhaps they thought, as rowland hill remarked, that "it was poor policy to leave all the good times to the devil." in any case it was all grist to the children's mill. on the 1st of january all was arranged for the greeting of the new year. mighty bowls of punch were brewed, cordials prepared from long-cherished family recipes were brought out, and the women, in their best apparel, seated themselves in the seldom-used _ontvangkamer_, where wine was handed to their callers to be received with the wish of a "happy new year!" while these stately ceremonies were in progress the young people amused themselves with turkey-shooting, sleigh-riding, skating, and dancing. after new year's day the most characteristic national and local holiday was _pinkster_, coming in the seventh week after _paasch_, or easter, and {115} falling generally in late may or early june. the orchards were then white with blossoms and the grass thick with dandelions and spring flowers. children set out early to gather boughs from the green woods. these boughs they sprinkled with water and left over the doors of late sleepers that the sluggards might be drenched on opening the door. at first all was innocent merriment, gathering of pinkster flowers, and picnicking; but for some unexplained reason this festival was gradually relegated to the negroes. apple-jack was freely consumed, barbaric dances began, and fun so far degenerated into license that the white people and their children shunned the festivity. the _kermis_, an old world festival, was one of those early introduced at new amsterdam. it originated centuries before and had taken its name from the _kerk mis_ or church mass. in the olden days it was celebrated with pomp and solemnity, but it early developed a more festive character. booths and stalls were erected for a market, and dances and processions were organized. the first stroke of the clock at noon opened at the same moment the market and the first dance. the last stroke saw white crosses nailed on all the bridges across the canal and on the market place. it was {116} indeed a festive appearance that the market presented, with its double stalls filled with eggs and gherkins, its booths hung with dried fish, its _poffertjeskraam_ dispensing the tempting batter-cakes, and its _wafelkraamen_ offering the more costly and aristocratic waffles. the youths and maidens were given full license to parade arm in arm along the streets singing "hossen, hossen, hossen!" and making the town ring with their mirth and laughter. the first _kermis_ held at new amsterdam was in october, 1659. booths were arranged on the parade ground, and barter and sale and merrymaking went on gaily for six weeks, to the unspeakable joy of the little hendricks and jans and annetjes who wandered from booth to booth. but keen as the delight of the dutch children may have been, there was in their minds the hope of even better things to come a few weeks later, at their own especial, particular, undisputed feast of st. nicholas, the beloved santa claus, patron saint of children in general and of young netherlanders in particular. the 6th of december was the day dedicated to this genial benefactor, and on the eventful night a white sheet was spread on the floor. around this stood the children singing {117} songs of welcome, of which the most popular was the familiar saint nicholaes, goed heilig man, trekt uw'besten tabbard aan, en reist daamee naar amsterdam, von amsterdam naar spanje. if the saint would ride forth thus accoutered and if he would do what they asked of him, the children explained that they would be his good friends, as for that matter they always had been, and would serve him as long as they lived. at last the fateful moment arrived. a shower of sweets was hurled through the open door and amid the general scramble appeared the saint in full vestments attended by a servant known as _knecht ruprecht_, and, after the dutch settlements in america, a black man, who added much to the fascination and excitement of the occasion. he held in one hand an open sack into which to put particularly ill-behaved children, while in the other hand he carried a bunch of rods, which he shook vigorously from time to time. the good saint meanwhile smilingly distributed to the children the parcels that he had brought, and, after these had all been opened and the presents had been sufficiently {118} admired, the children dropped into their trundle-beds to dream of all the glories of the day. when the dust-sheet and litter of wrappings had been removed, the older people gathered around a table spread with a white cloth and set out with chocolate punch and a dish of steaming hot chestnuts, while the inevitable pipe, ornamented with a head of st. nicholas, made its appearance and the evening ended with dancing and song in honor of the "goed heilig man." besides these stated anniversaries, home life had its more intimate festivities such as those celebrating the birth of a child, whose christening was made quite a solemn event. every church owned its _doop-becken_ or dipping bowl from which the water was taken to be dropped on the baby's head. one beautiful bowl of silver dating from the year 1695 is still in existence in a new york church. about a week after the birth of the little new netherlander, the neighbors were summoned to rejoice with the proud father and mother. in the early days of the colony and in the farming region, these gatherings were as rude and simple as they were under similar conditions in holland. the men were invited at noon to partake of a long pipe and a bottle of gin and bitters. the women arrived {119} later to find spread for their entertainment dishes of rusks spread with aniseed and known as muisjes or mice, accompanied by eggnog. as society grew more sophisticated in the colony, these simple gatherings gave place to the elaborate caudle parties, where the caudle was served in silver bowls hung about with spoons that each guest might ladle out for himself into a china cup the rich compound of lemons, raisins, and spiced wine. it is evident that there was no lack of material good cheer among the colonists of new netherland, and we may be sure that the boys and girls secured their share of substantials and dainties. i fear they were rather rough and rude, these young burghers, for all the reports which we have of them show them always in conflict with law and order. the boys especially, owing to deficient schooling facilities, were quite out of hand. they set dogs upon the night watchman at new amsterdam and shouted "indians!" to frighten him in his rounds. they tore the clothes from each other's backs in the schoolroom where the unfortunate master was striving to keep order. in fort orange sliding became so fast and furious that the legislators were obliged to threaten the confiscation of the _slees_, and it was no doubt with a keen realization of the {120} behavior of their offspring that the inhabitants of flatbush inserted these words in the articles of agreement with the new schoolmaster: "he shall demean himself patient and friendly towards the children and be active and attentive to their improvement." however little learning from books entered into the lives of the young colonists, much that was stimulating to the imagination came to them by word of mouth from the _wilden_, from the negroes, and from their elders as they sat about the blazing fire in the twilight, or _schemerlicht_. then the tales were told of phantom ships, of ghosts walking on the cliffs of the highlands, and of the unlucky wight who found his death in the river where he had sworn to plunge in spite of the devil, a spot which still bears the name of spuyten duyvil in memory of the rash boast. we may find it hard to reconcile the reputation of the dutch as a phlegmatic and unimaginative people with the fact that they and their children endowed the hudson with more glamour, more of the supernatural and of elfin lore than haunts any other waterway in america. does the explanation perhaps lie in the fact that the dutch colonists, coming from a small country situated on a level {121} plain where the landscape was open as far as the eye could see, and left no room for mystery, were suddenly transplanted to a region shut in between overhanging cliffs where lightning flashed and thunder rolled from mountain wall to mountain wall, where thick forests obscured the view, and strange aboriginal savages hid in the underbrush? was it not the sense of wonder springing from this change in their accustomed surroundings that peopled the dim depths of the _hinterland_ with shapes of elf and goblin, of demons and super-human presences? at any rate the spirit of mystery lurked on the outskirts of the dutch settlements, and the youthful burghers along the hudson were fed full on tales, mostly of a terrifying nature, drawn from the folklore of three races, the dutch, the indians, and the africans, with some few strands interwoven from local legend and tradition that had already grown up along the banks of the hudson. it was a simple but by no means a pitiable life that was led in those days by burghers and farmers alike on the shores of this great river. never does the esteemed diedrich knickerbocker come nearer the truth than when he says: "happy would it have been for new amsterdam could it always {122} have existed in this state of blissful ignorance and lowly simplicity; but alas! the days of childhood are too sweet to last. cities, like men, grow out of them in time and are doomed alike to grow into the bustle, the cares and the miseries of the world." [1] in 1657 the burgomasters and _schepens_ were authorized to create a great _burger-recht_ the members of which should be in a sense a privileged class. it was set forth that "whereas in all beginnings some thing or person must be the first so that afterward a distinction may take place, in like manner it must be in establishing the great and small citizenship." for which reason the line of great burghers was drawn as follows: first, those who had been members of the supreme government; second, the burgomasters and _schepens_ of the city past and present; third, ministers of the gospel; fourth, officers of the militia from the staff to the ensign included. the privileges of this caste were open to the male descendants of each class; but as they could be secured by others outside the sacred circle on payment of fifty guilders it is difficult to understand wherein the exclusiveness lay. the small burghers were decreed to be those who had lived in the city for a year and six weeks and had kept fire and light, those born within the town, and those who had married the daughters of citizens. a payment of twenty guilders was exacted of all such. this effort to promote class distinctions was soon abandoned. in 1668 the distinction was abolished and every burgher, on payment of fifty guilders, was declared entitled to all burgher privileges. {123} chapter vii the neighbors of new netherland machiavelli observed that to the wise ruler only two courses were open--to conciliate or to crush. the history of the dutch in america illustrates by application the truth of this view. the settlers at fort orange conciliated the indians and by this means not only lived in peace with the native tribes but established a bulwark between themselves and the french. under stuyvesant the settlers at fort amsterdam took a determined stand against the swedes and crushed their power in america. toward the english, however, the dutch adopted a course of feeble aggression unbacked by force. because they met english encroachments with that most fatal of all policies, protest without action, the empire of the united netherlands in america was blotted from the map. the neighbors of the dutch in america were the indians, the french, the swedes, and the english. {124} the earliest, most intimate, and most continuous relations of the dutch settlers were with the indians. these people were divided into a number of independent tribes or nations. the valley of the north river was shared by the mohawks, who inhabited the region along the west side of its upper waters, and the mohegans, or mahicans, as the dutch called them, who lived on either side of the banks of its lower reaches, with various smaller tribes scattered between. the warlike manhattans occupied the island called by their name, while the mohegans raised their wigwams also on the eastern shore of the upper river opposite the mohawks, and ranged over the land reaching to the connecticut river. the mohawks, with the oneidas, the onondagas, the cayugas, and the senecas, formed the famous five nations, generally known as the iroquois. their territory was bounded on the north by lake ontario and the st. lawrence river, on the east by lake champlain and the north river, on the west by lake erie and the niagara river, and on the south by the region occupied by the lenni lenape, or delaware tribes. but their power extended far beyond these limits over dependent tribes. they were in a constant state of warfare {125} with their algonquin neighbors on the north and east, who had been enabled to offer a formidable resistance by the use of firearms furnished them by the french. when, therefore, the white men appeared among the mohawks, bearing these strange weapons which had been used with such dire effect against the iroquois by the algonquins, the mohawks eagerly sought the friendship of the newcomers, hoping to secure the same power which had made their enemies triumphant. the dutch were intelligent enough to make instant use of these friendly sentiments on the part of the natives and hastened to make a treaty with the iroquois, the mohegans, and the lenni lenapes. this treaty, which is said to have been signed on the banks of norman's kill in the neighborhood of albany, was concluded with all formalities. each tribe was represented by its chief. the calumet was smoked, the hatchet was buried, and everlasting friendship was sworn between the old inhabitants and the new. by this agreement the dutch secured not only peace with the neighboring indians--a peace never broken in the north, whatever broils disturbed the lower waters of the river--but at the same time a guard between {126} them and any encroachments of the french and algonquins in canada. on the other boundaries and outskirts of their possessions, the dutch were less fortunate. they had always claimed all the territory from the south or delaware river to the fresh or connecticut river, but their pretensions were early challenged by the english on the ground of prior discovery and by the swedes on the argument of non-occupation of the land. the reports of the wealth to be acquired from the fur trade had quickly spread from holland to sweden, and as early as 1624, gustavus adolphus, encouraged by william usselinx, a dutchman and promoter of the dutch west india company, was planning expeditions to the new world. but the entrance of sweden into the thirty years' war in 1630 put a stop to this plan, and the funds were applied to war purposes. gustavus adolphus fell at lã¼tzen in 1632, leaving the kingdom to his little daughter christina. her government was conducted by oxenstiern, a statesman trained in the great traditions of gustavus, who felt with him that an american colony would be "the jewel of his kingdom." an instrument for his purpose presented itself in peter minuit, who had returned {127} to holland in 1632, smarting under his dismissal as director of new netherland. he offered his services to sweden for the establishment of a new colony, and they were accepted. in the opening of 1638, he arrived in what is now delaware bay with two ships, the _griffin_ and the _key of kalmar_. from the indians he bought large tracts of land in what is now the state of delaware, and on the site of the present city of wilmington he planted a fort named christina. when news was brought to kieft that minuit had sailed up the south river and planned to raise the swedish flag on a fort upon its shores, the director promptly dispatched the following letter: i, willem kieft, director-general of new netherland, residing in the island of manhattan, in the fort amsterdam, under the government of the high and mighty states-general of the united netherlands and the west india company, privileged by the senate chamber in amsterdam, make known to thee, peter minuit, who stylest thyself commander in the service of her majesty, the queen of sweden, that the whole south river of new netherland, both upper and lower, has been our property for many years, occupied with our forts, and sealed by our blood, which also was done when thou wast in the service of new netherland, and is therefore well known to thee. but as thou art come between our forts to erect a fort to our damage and injury, which we {128} will never permit, as we also believe her swedish majesty hath not empowered thee to erect fortifications on our coasts and rivers, or to settle people on the lands adjoining or to undertake any other thing to our prejudice; now therefore we protest against all such encroachments and all the evil consequences from the same, as bloodshed, sedition and whatever injury our trading company may suffer, and declare that we shall protect our rights in every manner that may be advisable. this blustering protest minuit treated with contempt and continued building his fort. the swedish colony soon grew so rapidly as to be a serious menace to the dutch in spite of their stronger fortifications. in 1642 johan printz, a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry, was sent over as governor of new sweden with instructions to maintain friendly relations with the dutch, but to yield no foot of ground. he established several other settlements on the south or delaware river. so tactlessly, however, did he perform his duties, that conflicts with the dutch grew more and more frequent. he built two forts on opposite sides of the river and ordered that every ship entering the waters should strike her colors and await permission to pass. the first vessel on which the new orders were tried carried {129} as a passenger david de vries. the skipper asked his advice about lowering his colors. "if it were my ship," de vries asserts that he answered, "i would not lower to these intruders." but peace at any price prevailed, the skipper lowered his colors, and the ship passed on to new gottenburg, the capital of the colony. here de vries was welcomed by governor printz, whom the traveler describes as "a brave man of brave size." the evening was spent in talk over a jug of rhenish wine. such friendly intercourse and the aggressions of the english against both dutch and swedes led to the temporary alliance of these latter in 1651. indians called in council confirmed the dutch title to all lands except the site of the swedish fort planted by minuit, and a peace which lasted for three years was declared between the dutch and the swedes. in endeavoring to understand the relations between the settlements of the different nations in america in the seventeenth century we must realize that the colonies were only pawns in the great game being played in europe between spain and the papacy on the one hand and the protestant countries, england, sweden, and the united netherlands on the other. once apprehending {130} this, we can easily understand why the governor of each colony, though instructed to seize and hold every foot of land which could be occupied, was advised not to antagonize the other friendly nations and thus weaken the alliance against the common enemy. as the power of spain declined, however, and the estimate of the value of the american colonies increased, the friction in the new world became more acute and the instructions from the home governments grew imperative. affairs then came to an open rupture between new netherland and new sweden. in 1651 governor stuyvesant inaugurated a more aggressive policy against the swedes by building fort casimir near what is now new castle, delaware, not far from the swedish fort. three years later fort casimir fell into the hands of the swedes. the dutch government now commanded stuyvesant to drive the swedes from the river or compel their submission. as a result the director and his fleet sailed into the delaware in september, 1655, and captured one fort after another, till rysing, the last of the swedish governors, was completely defeated. though the colonists were promised security in possession of their lands, the power of {131} new sweden was ended, and the jurisdiction of the dutch was for a time established. new netherland had, however, other neighbors more powerful, more persistent, and with more at stake than the french, the indians, and the swedes. these were the english colonists, pressing northward from the virginias and southward from new england. from the beginning of the dutch colonization, england had looked askance at the wedge thus driven between her own settlements. she had stubbornly refused to recognize the sovereignty of the states-general in the region of new netherland while at the same time she vainly sought a pretext for the establishment of her own. england put forward the apocryphal claim of discovery by cabot; but here she was stopped by the doctrine announced in a previous century that in order to give title to a new country, discovery must be followed by occupation. when england maintained that, since hudson was an englishman, the title to his discovery must pass to his native land, she was reminded that cabot was a genoese, and that genoa might as well claim title to virginia as england to new netherland. the plymouth company particularly was concerned at the dutch occupation of this middle {132} region to which the charter granted by king james gave it a claim. it formally protested in 1621 against these "dutch intruders." whereupon king james i directed sir dudley carleton, his ambassador at the hague, to protest against the dutch settlements; but nothing was accomplished, both parties having their hands too full with european quarrels to carry these transatlantic matters to extremities. the tension, however, was constantly increased on both sides by a series of encroachments and provocations. in april, 1633, for example, the ship _william_ arrived at fort amsterdam under command of captain trevor, with jacob eelkens as supercargo. eelkens had been dismissed by the west india company from the post of commissary at fort orange, and was now in the service of some london merchants, in whose behalf he had come, as he told the director, to buy furs on henry hudson's river. "don't talk to me of henry hudson's river!" replied van twiller, "it is the river mauritius." he then called for the commission of eelkens, who refused to show it, saying that he was within the dominions of the english king, and a servant of his majesty, and asking the dutch council what {133} commission they themselves had to plant in the english dominion. whereupon van twiller replied that it was not fitting that eelkens should proceed up the river, as the whole of that country belonged to the prince of orange and not to the king of england. after this exchange of amenities, eelkens returned to his ship, which remained at anchor for several days. at the end of the time, he presented himself again at the fort to ask if the director would consent in a friendly way to his going up the river; otherwise, he would proceed if it cost his life. in reply, van twiller ordered the dutch flag to be run up at the fort and three pieces of ordnance fired in honor of the prince of orange. eelkens on his part ordered the english flag to be hoisted on the _william_ and a salute fired in honor of king charles. van twiller warned eelkens that the course which he was pursuing might cost him his neck; but the supercargo weighed anchor and proceeded calmly on his way. van twiller then assembled all his forces before his door, brought out a cask of wine, filled a bumper, and cried out that those who loved the prince of orange and him should follow his example and protect him from the outrages of the englishman; {134} eelkens, by this time, was out of sight sailing up the river. the people drank, but only laughed at their governor, and de vries told him that he had been very foolish. "if it were my affair," he said, "i would have helped him away from the fort with beans from the eight-pounders." the _william_, meanwhile, journeyed up the river and eelkens, who knew the country well, landed with his crew about a mile below fort orange and set up a tent where he displayed the wares which he hoped to exchange with the natives for beaver-skins. very soon reports of this exploit reached the ears of the commissary at fort orange, who at once embarked with a trumpeter on a shallop decorated with green boughs. the dutch landed close beside the english and set up a rival tent; but the indians preferred to deal with eelkens, whom they had known years before and who spoke their language. in the high tide of success, however, eelkens was rudely ordered to depart by a dutch officer who had come up the river in charge of three vessels, a pinnace, a caravel, and a hoy. to enforce the commands came soldiery from both dutch forts, armed with muskets, half-pikes, swords, and other weapons, and ordered eelkens {135} to strike his flag. they pulled down the tent, sent the goods on board ship, and sounded their trumpets in the boat "in disgrace of the english." the dutch boarded the _william_, weighed her anchor, and convoyed her down the river with their fleet, and finally dismissed her at the mouth of the river. the troubles of the dutch with their english neighbors, however, did not end with these aggressions on the hudson and similar acts on the delaware. in the year 1614, adriaen block, a great navigator whose name deserves to rank with that of hudson, had sailed through the east river, and putting boldly across long island sound, had discovered the housatonic and connecticut rivers. he also discovered and gave his own name to block island and explored narragansett bay, whence he took his course to cape cod. these discoveries reported to the states-general of the united netherlands caused their high mightinesses at once to lay claim to the new lands; but before they could secure enough colonists to occupy the country, restless pioneers of english stock planted towns in the connecticut valley, along the sound, and on the shore of long island. these were uncomfortable neighbors with aggressive {136} manners which quite upset the placid dutch of new amsterdam. inevitable boundary disputes followed, which reached no adjustment until, in 1650, stuyvesant went to hartford to engage in a conference with commissioners of the united colonies of new england. the director began as usual with bravado; but presently he consented to leave the question of boundaries to a board of four arbitrators. this board decided that the boundary between the dutch and english possessions should run on long island from oyster bay south to the atlantic, and that on the mainland it should run north from greenwich bay, but never approach within ten miles of the hudson river. the dutch in new netherland were amazed and disgusted at the decision; but though stuyvesant is said to have exclaimed in dramatic fashion that he had been betrayed, he found it hopeless to struggle against the superior force arrayed against him. {137} chapter viii the early english governors the english government was fortunate in its first representative after the surrender of stuyvesant. colonel richard nicolls, who had enforced the surrender with all the energy of a soldier, afterward displayed all the tact and wisdom of a statesman. it is true that the towns and forts were rechristened, and new amsterdam, fort amsterdam, and fort orange became respectively new york, fort james, and albany in honor of the king's brother, james, duke of york and albany, to whom as lord proprietor the new english province was now granted; but the dutch were not interfered with in their homes, their holdings, or their religion, and for nearly a year the city government at new amsterdam went on as of old under the control of burgomasters, _schepens_, and _schouts_. in the following year nicolls, according to instructions from the duke of york, abolished "the {138} form of government late in practice," appointed a mayor, aldermen, and a sheriff to rule new york, and directed the new officials to swear allegiance to the duke. he continued the commercial rights of the freeman who represented the burghers of the dutch period, and he also introduced trial by jury, which placated the dwellers at new york and along the hudson. on long island and in westchester where new englanders had settled, nicolls proceeded with greater vigor. this section together with staten island was erected into the district of yorkshire, where "the duke's laws" were proclaimed and the machinery of english county government was put in operation. with its three ridings, its courts of sessions, and its court of assizes, yorkshire soon had an unmistakable english character even though dutch inhabitants were numerous in western long island and in staten island. the duke's laws were compiled mainly from the laws of the new england colonies, though they departed in many particulars from new england traditions. in the dutch towns _schouts_ and _schepens_ gave place to overseers and constables. the characteristic form of town government in the province was that in which freeholders elected {139} a board of eight overseers and a constable for one year. little by little english law and english institutions were to crowd out dutch law and dutch political institutions in the conquered province. by his wise policy, his magnetic personality, his scholarly tastes, and his social geniality, nicolls seems to have won all hearts. maverick, his colleague, wrote lord arlington that it was wonderful how this man could harmonize things in a world so full of strife. entrusted by the duke of york with practically unlimited power, he used it with the utmost discretion and for the good of the province. when he resigned his post after four years of service, new york was deeply regretful over his departure and cornelis steenwyck, the dutch mayor of the city, gave a farewell banquet in his honor. his successor, colonel francis lovelace, was a favorite at court and a gallant cavalier who had been loyal to the king throughout his adversity. with far less ability than nicolls, lovelace was at one with him in desire to benefit and unify the colony. he established a club where english, french, and dutch were spoken, and he offered prizes to be run for on the long island race-course. under his rule shipping increased and trade {140} flourished. merchants began to hold weekly meetings, thus laying the foundations of the merchants' exchange. but his most notable achievement was the establishment of the first mail service on the american continent. in spite of all the sea commerce and trading up and down the river by sloops, pinks, flyboats, ketches, and canoes, the colonies of new york and new england demanded swifter and more frequent means of communication, and governor lovelace began to consider how the bonds could be drawn closer. in 1671 one john archer bought part of van der donck's old estate and built a village "near unto the passage commonly called spiting devil" on "the road for passengers to go to and fro from the main as well as for mutual intercourse with the neighboring colony." lovelace consented to make the village an enfranchised town by the name of fordham manor, provided its inhabitants should forward to the next town all public packets and letters coming to or going from new york. the scheme evidently proved a success, for lovelace shortly decided on a wider extension of communication, and the year 1673 was celebrated by the setting out of the first post between new york and new england. it was to have started on new {141} year's day, but was delayed by waiting for news from albany. on the arrival of communications from albany the carrier was sworn into office, instructed "to behave civily," to inquire of the new england authorities as to the best post-road, and to mark it for the benefit of other travelers. the message which lovelace sent to governor winthrop of massachusetts on this occasion ran as follows: i here present you with two rarities, a pacquett of the latest intelligence i could meet withal, and a post. by the first, you will see what has been acted on the stage of europe; by the latter you will meet with a monthly fresh supply; so that if it receive but the same ardent inclinations from you as at first it hath from myself, by our monthly advises all publique occurrences may be transmitted between us, together with severall other great conveniencys of publique importance, consonant to the commands laid upon us by his sacred majestie, who strictly injoins all his american subjects to enter into a close correspondency with each other. this i look upon as the most compendious means to beget a mutual understanding; and that it may receive all the countenance from you for its future duration, i shall acquaint you with the model i have proposed; and if you please but to make an addition to it, or subtraction, or any other alteration, i shall be ready to comply with you. this person that has undertaken the imployment i conceaved most proper, being both active, stout, and {142} indefatigable. he is sworne as to his fidelity. i have affixt an annuall sallery on him, which, together with the advantage of his letters and other small portable packes, may afford him a handsome livelyhood. hartford is the first stage i have designed him to change his horse, where constantly i expect he should have a fresh one lye. all the letters outward shall be delivered gratis with a signification of _post payd_ on the superscription; and reciprocally, we expect all to us free. each first monday of the month he sets out from new york, and is to return within the month from boston to us againe. the maile has divers baggs, according to the townes the letters are designed to, which are all sealed up till their arrivement, with the scale of the secretarie's office, whose care it is on saturday night to seale them up. only by-letters are in an open bag, to dispense by the wayes. thus you see the scheme i have drawne to promote a happy correspondence. i shall only beg of you your furtherance to so universall a good work. by trail, road, and waterway the colonists were thus drawing nearer to each other and steadily increasing their facilities for trade, when all was interrupted by the reassertion of dutch sovereignty and the reconquest of the english colony by the dutch under much the same circumstances as had marked the surrender of stuyvesant in 1664. the old habit of unpreparedness survived under the english as under the dutch; and the third war between england and holland, begun in 1672 and {143} ended in 1674, found the strategic points on the hudson again unprotected. one august day in 1673 a powerful dutch fleet appeared off staten island. on the next day it sailed up through the narrows, and manhattan saw a repetition, with a difference, of the scene of 1664. after a brief exchange of volleys between the strong fleet and the weak fortress, the garrison recognized that resistance was hopeless, new york surrendered to admiral evertsen, and the flag of the dutch republic floated once more over the fortress, which changed its name to fort willem hendrick while new york became new orange. governor lovelace was absent from the city at the moment, and the blame of the surrender fell upon manning, a subordinate, who was tried for neglect of duty, cowardice, and treachery. his sword was broken over his head and he was pronounced ineligible for any office of trust. but no governor could have saved the situation, as nothing was ready for defense. when the dutch took possession, captain anthony colve was appointed governor. he proceeded with energy to put the fort into condition for defense, and for a time it seemed as if the dutch might at last hold their rich heritage along the hudson. at the close of hostilities, however, a {144} treaty which was signed at westminster in february, 1674, and proclaimed at the city hall of new orange in july of the same year, stipulated that new netherland should again become an english province. thus for the third time, a national flag was lowered at the fort on manhattan island without serious effort at opposition. the treaty did not restore new york to the duke whose name it bore but handed it over directly to charles ii, who, however, again granted it to his brother james. edmund andros, a major in prince rupert's regiment of dragoons, was sent out to take control of the province, which had now changed hands for the last time. his character was probably neither so white nor so black as it has been painted; but it is certain that he lacked the tact of nicolls, and he brought to his task the habits of a soldier rather than an administrator. he never succeeded in winning the complete confidence of the people. from the beginning andros showed himself hostile to popular liberty and loyal to the interests of his patron as he saw them. but the difficulties of his position, it must be admitted, were very great. james, duke of york, brother of charles ii, and, in the absence of legitimate children of {145} the king, the heir to the throne, had, as we have seen, been granted all rights in the conquered territory of new netherland in 1664. part of this territory he promptly gave to two court favorites, lord berkeley and sir george carteret. the sagacious nicolls protested that this partition which surrendered to a divided ownership the rich lands of new jersey--so called in honor of carteret's gallant defense of the island of jersey during the civil wars--was a menace to the well-being of new york. his warning, which might not have been heeded in any case, did not reach england until the transfer was completed. with the dutch occupation all titles were canceled, but under the new treaty, james, although by this time thoroughly informed of the complications involved, with the usual fatuity of the stuarts now made a grant of the eastern part of new jersey to carteret in severally, taking no notice of the western part, which berkeley had already sold for the sum of a thousand pounds. by this grant to carteret many questions were at once raised. was sir george carteret a lord proprietor like the duke himself, responsible only to the king, or was he only a lord of the manor responsible to his master the duke? was east jersey a {146} part of new york, or was it an independent province? as usual the importance of the questions was based on commercial considerations. if new jersey were a separate entity then it might trade directly with england; if it were dependent on new york it could trade only by permission of the duke's representative. philip carteret, a kinsman of sir george, whom the latter had appointed governor of his share of new jersey, and who went to america in the same ship as andros in 1674, determined to test the matter by declaring elizabethtown a free port, while andros demanded that all ships bound to or from any port in the original new netherland must enter and clear at new york. with equal pertinacity andros asserted the duke's authority in west jersey, haling fenwick, one of the claimants under the original grant of 1674, to court in new york. fenwick's land titles, however, were sustained, and andros then released him upon his explicit promise that he would not meddle with the government of west jersey. taking advantage of the death of sir george carteret in 1680, andros next arrested and imprisoned governor philip carteret on the ground that he now had no authority, and then himself assumed the {147} governorship of east jersey. but carteret was acquitted, the assembly of east jersey sustained their governor, and the towns refused to submit. meanwhile, charges of corruption had been brought against andros in new york, where his imperious manner and arbitrary conduct had made enemies. he was recalled to england in 1681 to answer these charges, and in consequence of the disaffection which he had stirred up he was removed from office. colonel thomas dongan, the governor chosen to succeed andros, was a younger son of an irish baronet and a roman catholic. the laws of england forbade a catholic to hold office in that country; but there was not the same barrier in the province subject to a lord proprietor. james, being of the catholic faith, was therefore glad to appoint people of that religion in the new world. realizing, however, that the feeling against catholicism was strong in the colony, the duke gilded the pill by granting more liberal laws and a more popular form of government than had previously been permitted. at the time of his appointment dongan received instructions from the duke of york to call a representative assembly of not more than eighteen members to be chosen by the {148} freeholders of the province. this assembly met in october, 1683, and passed some fifteen laws, the first and most memorable of which was the so-called _charter of liberties and privileges_. the most notable provisions of the charter were those establishing the principles of popular representation and religious liberty, and those reciting the guarantees of civil rights familiar to all englishmen. before this charter could be finally ratified by the duke of york, charles ii died from a stroke of apoplexy, and james became king. after fifteen minutes in his closet, where he had retired to give "full scope to his tears," he emerged to work for three years his bigoted will on the affairs of the realm. james the king took a different view of many things from james the duke. the status of new york was similarly changed from a ducal proprietorship to a royal province. the new charter recognized a lord proprietor. but that lord proprietor had now become king of england, and this king found some of the enactments of the charter so objectionable to his majesty that he disallowed the charter. moreover, james did away with the assembly which he had previously allowed to be summoned. but the seed of popular government had been planted in the western {149} hemisphere and within the next century it was ripe for the harvesting. in 1688 new york and new jersey were united with the eastern colonies under title of "the dominion of new england," and sir edmund andros was appointed governor-general of a territory of imperial dimensions. but the year of his arrival in new york marked the departure of his royal master from england. bigotry and tyranny had overshot the mark and the english people had determined to dethrone james. on the invitation of the protestant nobility, james's son-in-law, william of orange, landed at torbay in november, 1688, and rapidly won popular support. after beginning negotiations with him, james became alarmed and took flight to france at the close of the year. william of orange and his wife, james's daughter mary, then became king and queen of england (february 13, 1689) and new york once more passed under the control of a dutch sovereign. {150} chapter ix leisler the story of the so-called leisler rebellion illustrates the difficulty of sifting conflicting historical testimony. among the earlier chroniclers of new netherland there is the widest difference of opinion about the chief actor in the drama. leisler was "an illiterate german," says one authority. another says: "he was the son of a french clergyman driven into exile, and making his home in frankfort where the little jacob was born. the boy was taught to write and speak dutch, french, and german; but being unskilled in the english tongue he was unjustly charged with illiteracy." by one party he was branded as a vulgar demagogue ready to ally himself with the mob against the conservative citizenry. by another he was acclaimed as the champion of the people's rights and religion when they were threatened with invasion by the minions of the perfidious stuarts. {151} in regard to the main events of this troubled time there is, fortunately, little dispute, although they are so complicated that they require close attention. when james ii fled from england at the end of the year 1688 and was succeeded by william and mary, the affairs of the american provinces were thrown into a state of chaos. the change of government was not known in massachusetts until march, 1689. the immediate result of the news was to fan the popular wrath against sir edmund andros, then in boston, into such a flame that the governor was seized and thrown into prison before he was able to make his escape to new york. his imprisonment left lieutenant-governor nicholson, andros's deputy at new york, in a difficult position. andros was still governor and nicholson was unable to communicate with him. some people held that nicholson thus became acting governor; others claimed that the whole existing machinery of government was swept away by the abdication of james and that the provinces were free to govern themselves till they could learn the will of the new sovereigns. nicholson was a weak man, and his vacillation produced the impression that he might be engaged in a conspiracy to bring back the rule of james. {152} three years before, in the king's camp, he had knelt when mass was celebrated. who knew what catholic designs might lurk behind this significant act? rumor grew into suspicion, and suspicion turned to panic. at length nicholson fell into an altercation with an officer on guard at fort james who asserted his authority. in the course of the argument the lieutenant-governor remarked angrily: "i would rather see the city on fire than commanded by an impudent fellow like him." next morning word had spread far and wide through the town that nicholson had threatened to burn new york, and all was in an uproar. a crowd of citizens appeared at the house of leisler, who was an officer in the train-band, a citizen well known for honesty, a stanch, even bigoted protestant, and withal a man of firm purpose, and they begged him to act as their leader in a determined effort to preserve their liberties and hold new york for william and mary. it is easy to see on looking back over two centuries that the dangers of conspiracy were greatly exaggerated; but we must remember that these men really believed that they themselves and all that they held sacred were in jeopardy. the possibility of war with france was indeed not remote; and fear {153} of an invasion from canada with all the horrors of an indian war haunted the minds of every frontier family. leisler invited the people of the towns and counties of new york to choose delegates to a convention to be held at fort james on june 25, 1689, to consider what was best to be done under existing conditions. ulster, albany, and most of the towns in queens county refused to send delegates. the others responded, however, and the delegates formed themselves into a committee of safety. they appointed leisler "captain of the fort at new york until orders shall be received from their majesties," and leisler accepted the responsibilities of government. massachusetts and connecticut congratulated him on his conduct, and in the province of new york he was generally approved; but he had the misfortune to be opposed by the roman catholics and the landed gentry. the former were few in number and, after the establishment of the protestant succession, a negligible danger, though in view of the assertion made by james to the pope that "it was his full purpose to have set up roman catholic religion in the english plantations of america," we can scarcely call it bigotry on {154} leisler's part to fear their influence. unfortunately for the leislerians "the gentry" made common cause with the catholics against the new government. albany, which was preã«minently dutch and held the reformed church in reverence, was also aristocratic in sympathy and resented the rule of leisler as the representative of the common people. even so, had leisler shown more tact and less obstinacy there might still have been a chance to placate the opposing factions; but by his fanatical attacks on all catholics and his open defiance of such prominent citizens as nicholas bayard, stephanus van cortlandt, frederick philipse, peter schuyler, and robert livingston, he fomented the strife until conciliation became impossible. in the beginning of january, 1689, leisler committed a grievous strategical error in permitting nicholson to leave for england to render an account of the state of affairs, while the leislerians depended upon communications written in dubious english and carried by a bearer who was of inferior social standing. meanwhile leisler won a temporary victory over his opponents. in december dispatches arrived from the privy council and the king and queen of england, addressed to "our lieutenant-governor {155} and commander-in-chief of our province of new york, or in his absence to such as for the time being take care to keep the peace and administer the laws," and authorizing him to take the reins of government, calling to his assistance "in the administration thereof the principal freeholders and inhabitants of the same, or so many of them as you shall think fit." nicholson having departed for england, the messenger was in some doubt as to the proper recipient of the message. bayard and his faction strove to obtain possession of it; but it was finally delivered to leisler. he appointed a council of eight men, all reputable citizens and by no means representing the rabble, as his enemies charged. in this procedure he was acting in strict conformity with the letter from the privy council. leisler assumed the title of lieutenant-governor and, much to the chagrin of his foes, took his seat in the governor's pew at church. it was his moment of triumph; but troubles were already darkening the horizon. in november leisler sent to albany his deputy, an englishman named milborne, to demand the recognition of his government; but the mandate being opposed by schuyler, livingston, and bayard, all well known and highly {156} esteemed in albany and representing the aristocratic faction, that town refused entrance to milborne and his escort and refused likewise to recognize leisler as governor. the albany records for november, 1689, describe the incident as follows: "three sloops neared albany bearing troops under jacob milborne and immediately captain wendell and blucker, johannes cuyler and reymier barents go aboard to learn the object of his visit. jacob milborne asks: 'is the fort open to receive me and my men?' the reply is: 'no, the mayor is in command and will hold it.'" on the receipt of this inhospitable message, reã«nforced by military demonstrations, milborne wisely withdrew his inadequate force and returned to new york to report the failure of his mission. three months after milborne's rejection, in the bitter february weather of 1690, the village of schenectady, at that time a western frontier post, was burned and its inhabitants were massacred in a french and indian raid. once more leisler sent his deputy at the head of a body of troops to the assistance of the albanians, and this time milborne was not denied entrance to the town. having thus gained control of the province, leisler summoned {157} a convention of delegates from massachusetts and connecticut to meet at new york on may 1, 1690, in order to discuss the defense of the colonies. meanwhile the leislerians and their opponents were bombarding the new king and queen with their conflicting claims. in 1690, captain blagge, congratulating their majesties on "the late happy revolution in england" asked their majesties' approbation for leisler on the ground that "nicholson, like col. dongan, had neglected to repair the fortifications of the city, which excited suspicions against his loyalty, and he was disaffected towards the late happy revolution in england." hence jacob leisler had been chosen, "with a committee, to make such repairs and to administer the government until william's pleasure could be known." the memorial goes on to say: shortly after, their majesties' proclamation arrived by which william and mary were to be proclaimed king and queen of england. notice was given to the late council of nicholson, and to the mayor and aldermen to assist, with proper ceremonies, in this proclamation. they desired an hour's time for considering it, and then refused. leisler and his committee and most of the inhabitants did then celebrate the event with many demonstrations of joy and affection. the mayor and aldermen were then suspended from {158} office, and certain opponents of the revolution and their majesties' interests, were imprisoned. shortly after their majesties' letters arrived, directed to lieutenant governor nicholson, or, "in his absence to such as for the time being do take care for the preservation of their majesties' peace, and administering the lawes in that their majesties' province; ordering such to take upon them the place of lieutenant governor and commander in chief of the said province and to proclaim king william and queen mary, king and queen of england, scotland, france and ireland, and supream lord and lady of the province of new york, if not already done"; which was accordingly done. the inhabitants generally were satisfied therewith, and leisler's committee was dismissed, and a council chosen to assist him in the government; but the members of the old government opposed all this and created a faction. this excited fear lest the province should yet be delivered up to the french in canada, which fear greatly agitated the protestant population. the said faction also surrounded captain leisler and abused him with ill language and threats, and would have done violence to him, if they had not feared the people, who rescued him out of their hands, and imprisoned the ringleaders of the opposition. multitudes also flocked into the city from the country, to defend the existing government, and it was with great difficulty that their zeal could be restrained. the prisoners were ultimately fined and discharged upon their own recognizance to keep the peace. the fort and city were therefore, now in a good condition, excepting a lack of ammunition. the commission of all military men who had acted under governors {159} dongan and andros, had been called in, and other commissions issued in the name of their present majesties, and only to those who were well affected thereto. but our efforts thus to secure their majesties interests have been greatly misrepresented, and we have been loaded with reproaches; our actions have been called a dutch plot, although three quarters of the inhabitants are of dutch descent, and speak dutch; and our ruin is threatened, if the government ever falls into the hands of our opponents. to this lengthy defense bayard and nicolls made response as follows: jacob leisler a man of desperate fortune, ambitiously did assume unto himselfe the title of lieutenant-governor of this province of new york, and chose a councel of ye meanest and most abject common people; made to himself a broad seale, which he called ye seale of ye province, with ye usuall armes of kings of england; and affixed the same to some unlawful graunts of land within this province; and commissionated under ye same justices of ye peace, in whose hartes were mischiefe. he constituted courts of oyer and terminer, and tryed severall subjects for pretended treason, murther and other crimes. he taxed and levied monney upon their majesties subjects to their grievous oppression and great impoverishment. when he wanted more money for his occasions, he forcebly robbed and spoiled, broke open doors and locx were he guissed it was to be found, and carried away to ye vallue of some thousands of pounds in money or goods; and all this against the {160} best protestant subjects in the province. he imprisoned whom he feared, without any other cause than that their integrity to ye protestant interest, and fidelity to their majesties, became a terroire to him; some of them after a tedious confignment, without collour of law, he whipt and branded; and some he kept in duresse so long as he held ye fort. upon one point, both the followers and opponents of leisler agreed: there was no dutch plot behind this revolution. "the notion of a dutch plott cannot be applicable to leisler and his adherents," said bayard; "the much greater part of albany which wholly consists of dutch people, and all the men of best repute for religion, estatte, and integrity of the dutch nacon, throughout the whole province, having alwaies been manifestly against leisler and his society, in all their illegall and irregular proceedings." to these representations their majesties' advisers made no reply, but the appointment of governor of new york was given to colonel henry sloughter, "a profligate, needy, and narrow minded adventurer," the selection of whom did little credit to the wisdom of william of orange. all the papers from both factions were committed to this inefficient officer with instructions to examine the allegations strictly and impartially and to make a true report. {161} in december, 1690, sloughter set sail with several ships and a body of troops. by some accident the vessels were separated, and the ship bearing major richard ingoldesby, "a rash, hot-headed man" who had served in holland and recently returned from service in ireland, arrived in the _beaver_ two months before sloughter's ship reached new york. his commission required him to obey the royal governor, but did not give him authority to act as commander-in-chief in case of sloughter's absence or death. nevertheless ingoldesby at once announced the appointment of sloughter and demanded the surrender of the fort. leisler replied by offering quarters for ingoldesby's soldiers; but refused to surrender the fort till he saw the major's commission. ingoldesby had no credentials whatever, but he issued a proclamation calling on the people and magistrates to aid him in enforcing the royal commission. leisler issued a counter proclamation warning him at his peril not to attempt hostilities against the city or the fort; but on receiving assurances that ingoldesby had no intention of using force against the people of new york, he permitted the troops to land. the fort, however, he would not yield. with rival forces in the town, {162} peace was difficult to maintain. neither commander trusted the other. recrimination followed protest. finally, on the 17th of march, leisler fired on ingoldesby's troops, killing two and wounding others. at length on march 19, 1691, sloughter entered the harbor of new york. representative anti-leislerians hastened to board his ship and escorted him to the city hall, where he took the oath of office at eleven o'clock at night. he immediately dispatched ingoldesby to demand the surrender of the fort. again leisler's bigotry and obstinacy overcame his prudence. instead of surrendering at once he dispatched a messenger bearing letters and warning him to look well at sloughter and be sure he was no counterfeit. sloughter informed leisler's messenger that he intended to make himself known in new york as well as in england and ordered ingoldesby for the second time to demand possession of the fort and to release from their prison colonel bayard and mr. nicolls, that they might attend the council to which they had been appointed members. leisler refused either to surrender the fort or to release the prisoners but sent milborne and de la noy to endeavor to make terms. sloughter {163} imprisoned both envoys and ordered his frigate to hold itself in readiness to fire on the fort. leisler, at length and too late realizing that resistance was useless, sent a letter to the governor offering submission. for the third time ingoldesby was ordered to demand the possession of the fort. this time the garrison yielded and leisler was put under arrest. with milborne, now his son-in-law, and eight others, leisler was arraigned before a court having inveterate royalists as judges. two insurgents were acquitted. six made their defense, were convicted of high treason, and were reprieved. leisler and milborne declined to plead and appealed to the king. they were, however, condemned and sentenced to death. sloughter was reluctant to sign the death-warrants; but his associates, more particularly bayard, who had been imprisoned by leisler, were determined on the execution. it is maintained that the governor's signature was obtained at a banquet when he was under the influence of liquor, and that an officer stole with the warrant to the prison and ordered the victims led out for immediate execution. be this as it may, sloughter's compunctions were overcome and the death-warrants signed. {164} the scaffold was erected at the lower end of the park and weeping people thronged about the victims. leisler's dying speech, which was marked by neither anger nor bitterness, affirmed that he had no other aim than "to maintain against popery or any schism or heresy whatever the interest of our sovereign lord and lady and the reformed protestant churches" in these parts. the drop fell, the populace rushed up to claim some relics of their leader, the bodies were taken down, beheaded, and buried, and so the worthless sloughter thought to make an end of "a troublesome fellow." but the leisler blood still flowed in the veins of the dead man's son, who never ceased fighting till in 1695 the attainder on the estate was removed. this action of the english parliament was tantamount to a confession that leisler had been unjustly accused, tried, and hanged, and that these, the only people ever put to death for political reasons on the soil of new york, died as misguided martyrs, not as criminal conspirators. {165} chapter x privateers and pirates sloughter did not live long to enjoy his triumph over leisler, and his death came so suddenly that the anti-leislerites raised their eyebrows and whispered "poison," while the leislerites shrugged their shoulders and sneered "delirium tremens." neither faction seemed particularly reluctant to part with him. colonel benjamin fletcher, who was sent over from england as the next governor, arrived in new york in the summer of 1692. his rule is chiefly memorable for the founding of trinity church and for the encouragement which he gave to piracy. these strangely differing activities were both obnoxious to the dutch burghers, who were almost as strongly opposed to the church of england as to that of rome, and who suspected the governor of conniving at the practice of piracy or at least of closing his eyes to the source of the {166} doubloons of spain, the louis d'or of france, and other strange coin which at this epoch had begun to circulate together with ivory and sandalwood in the little town at the tip of manhattan island. in one sense fletcher cannot be held responsible for the existence of piracy in the colony or on the high seas. the institution was as old as navigation. moreover the issuance of letters of marque in the war with spain had legalized privateering, which was so near akin to piracy that it was often hard to distinguish between the two. even royalty was not above accepting a share in the questionable spoils of the sea, as in the well-known case of queen elizabeth and the booty which drake brought home. it is easy, therefore, to guess the source of the eastern rugs, the carved teakwood furniture, and stuffs from india looms which adorned the houses of the rich men of new york. on the streets pirate captains were pointed out as celebrities. one of them, edward coates, presented madam fletcher with jewels, silks, and cashmere shawls. thomas tew, another "filibustier," is described by a contemporary as a slight, dark man about forty years of age, who wore a uniform consisting of a blue jacket bordered with gold lace and short {167} trousers of white linen covering his legs to the knee, below which came embroidered stockings. around his neck he wore a chain of beaten gold and from his belt protruded a dagger's hilt set with sparkling jewels. these picturesque pirates and privateers swaggered about the taverns in the shadow of the _stadt-huys_ or lounged along the wharves at the harbor. everywhere they were the center of attention, and their tales of adventure were listened to with the most eager interest. but these adventurers in the end pushed things so far that the government in england found itself obliged to take vigorous action against them. james expressly instructed the provincial governors andros and dongan to suppress "all pirates and sea rovers," for they had become so bold in their activities along the spanish main that lawful trading was languishing and merchants were in terror. many of the adventurers in the west indies having been originally engaged in the honest business of _boucanning_, or smoking fish and meat after the manner of the carib savages, they and their piratical comrades were generally known in europe as "buchaniers" or "buccaneers." by the hollanders they were named "_zee rovers_"; by the {168} french "_flibustiers_," which was only the frenchman's way of pronouncing "freebooter." in 1652 samuel sewall established in boston a free mint, which attracted the pirates to that town, where they could bring their booty in gold and silver and have it safely dropped into the melting-pot beyond the reach of either discovery or recovery. in 1687 sir robert holmes was sent with a squadron to the west indies to put a stop to the nefarious trade of the freebooters, and in the next year nicholson imprisoned at boston several pirates whose leader was "one petersen." these activities on the part of the authorities had the effect of driving the "_zee rovers_" from the caribbean to the east indies for their enterprises and from boston to new york for their market. sea commerce at this time had so far outstripped a naval power adequate to protect it that piracy grew more and more profitable, and many a respected merchant held private stock in some more than dubious sea venture. the coast of madagascar was a meeting place for pirates and merchantmen, and there oriental stuffs, gold, and jewels were exchanged for rum or firearms, and the merchant vessel returned to new york, where her {169} goods were sold cheaply and no questions were asked. one ship sailing from new york laden with jamaica rum, madeira wine, and gunpowder returned with a cargo of slaves and east india goods, and the voyage was reported to have cleared a net profit of thirty thousand pounds. the scandal of "adventuring" continued to grow, and in 1695 peter de la noy wrote thus to the home government: we have a parcell of pirates in these parts which (people) call the red sea men, who often get great booty of arabian gold. his excellency gives all due encouragement to these men, because they make all due acknowledgements to him; one coats, a captain of this honorable order presented his excellency with his ship, which his excellency sold for eight hundred pounds and every one of the crew made him a suitable present of arabian gold for his protection; one captain twoo who is gone to the red sea upon the same errand was before his departure highly caressed by his excellency in his coach and six horses, and presented with a gold watch to engage him to make new york his port at his return. twoo retaliated the kindnesse with a present of jewells; but i can't learn how much further the bargain proceeded; time must shew that.... after this all you will perhaps wonder when i tell you that this man's bell rings twice a day for prayers and that he appears with a great affectation of piety; but this is true, and it is as true that it makes him only more ridiculous, not more respected. {170} not only were the buccaneers terrorizing the west indies, the red sea, and the madagascar coast, but according to the albany records of 1696 "pirates in great numbers infest the hudson river at its mouth and waylay vessels on their way to albany, speeding out from covers and from behind islands and again returning to the rocky shores, or ascending the mountains along the river to conceal their plunder." the government in england now prepared to take vigorous measures. it desired to fit out an armed force to suppress the buccaneers; but as all the regular navy was needed in the war with france it was decided to organize a stock company in which the king, the duke of shrewsbury, lord chancellor somers, the earls of bellomont, oxford, and romney, robert livingston, and others took shares, for the purpose of fitting out a privateer vessel to fight the pirates and at the same time to win some profit for themselves. the _adventure-galley_, carrying thirty guns and manned by over one hundred sailors, was fitted out and entrusted to the command of william kidd, a sea-captain of new york who chanced to be in london at the time and who was warmly recommended by robert livingston to lord bellomont, {171} who had been appointed to succeed fletcher as governor of new york. he was well known as a bold and skillful sailor, and a man of wealth and repute in new york, and in his marriage certificate he was called "captain william kidd, gentleman." the plan finally formed was that kidd with a privateer furnished with a letter of marque and a special commission from the king should cruise about in search of the pirates and capture them. in pursuance of the scheme kidd set sail on the _adventure-galley_ and reached new york in the spring of 1696. he set up placards all over the town asking for recruits, with the result that a motley crew of adventurers rushed to take ship in this strange new enterprise. at this time kidd was living in one of the handsomest houses in new york, on what is now liberty street. before this, in 1691, he had married the widow of a fellow sea-captain, a woman of great respectability, by whom he had one daughter, and he was known far and wide as a solid and trustworthy merchant. his venture seemed bulwarked by every guarantee; but even at that epoch there were not wanting those who predicted strange things for the _adventure-galley_. few, however, foresaw any events as strange as those which actually occurred. after {172} cruising along the american coast without achieving the capture of any pirate ships kidd set sail for the red sea and reached the coast of madagascar in the fall of 1697. here again he found no trace of the corsairs, who had probably been forewarned of his coming. kidd then took on water and provisions and proceeded to the coast of madagascar. still no pirates. water and provisions were running low, and the crew threatened mutiny unless they were allowed to take up the business of piracy on their own account. kidd thereupon decided to yield, and the _adventure-galley_ began by capturing several vessels owned by the great mogul, as well as some ships sailing under french colors. in december, 1698, kidd captured an east india ship named the _quedagh merchant_. the _adventure-galley_ being in bad condition, kidd set the crew of the _quedagh merchant_ on shore, took possession of the ship, burned his old one, and set sail in his new vessel for madagascar. in spite of their rich spoils, the mutineers remained sullen, and many deserted. the men's discontent led to an altercation with william moore, a gunner, in the course of which kidd hit him on the head with a bucket. the resulting {173} injury proved fatal to moore and ultimately resulted in disaster for kidd. after leaving madagascar the pirate captain sailed for the west indies, and it must have been with a sinking heart that he received the news which awaited him there. the piracy of the _adventure-galley_ was already known in england, and a committee of parliament had been appointed to inquire into the whole affair. free pardon for acts committed before may 1, 1699, was offered by royal proclamation to all pirates who would surrender. but an ominous exception was made in this proclamation of mercy: avery, a notorious buccaneer, and william kidd were not included. the cause of this exclusion from grace is not far to seek. it was not that kidd was a sinner above all others; but that he had involved great personages from the king down, and that the tories were making capital out of the connection between prominent whig statesmen and the misdeeds of captain kidd. the outlaw now determined on a course which in a righteous cause might well have been called bold but which under the circumstances could only be described as brazen. he bought at the island of hispaniola a small sloop which he loaded with gold coin, gold dust, gems, {174} and other booty and, with what remained of his crew, he set sail for new york. thus at san domingo the _quedagh merchant_, with her fifty guns and her valuable cargo, was abandoned. her fate has continued a mystery to this day, and from time to time the search for the lost booty is still suggested and inaugurated by enthusiasts for adventure or seekers for gold. when kidd drew near new york he found that the earl of bellomont had gone to boston, and he resolved to follow the governor to massachusetts. much uncertainty surrounds his course at this time. it is said that he sailed up long island sound, stopped at gardiner's island, and buried a chest of treasure there, that he presented mrs. gardiner with brocades embroidered with gold threads and dropped jewels into his wine. it is said that he succeeded in reaching his wife by a letter, asking her to meet him at block island. rumor has it that from narragansett bay he communicated with bellomont and informed his lordship that he, william kidd, was on board a sloop with ten thousand pounds' worth of goods and that he was entirely guiltless of the piracy with which he was charged. it is said that bellomont replied that, if kidd could establish his {175} innocence, he might count on the governor's protection.[1] amid all these rumors there seems good evidence that kidd landed in boston in july and had the effrontery to offer the governor a gift of jewels for lady bellomont. with the approval of the council bellomont accepted the gift and handed the gems to a trustee as evidence in the case against kidd. the earl of bellomont, being a man of sterling integrity, was naturally sensitive as to his apparent complicity in the kidd piracy, refused any further parley, and sent the buccaneer to england to stand his trial there. kidd was held in london for several months pending the collection of evidence against him, and his trial for piracy and the murder of william moore finally began at the old bailey in the spring of 1701. from this point we have the original documents of the state trials and a complete record of the evidence for and against kidd. bellomont is eliminated as a factor, and it becomes a case of the crown against captain william kidd and a number of others, for murder and piracy upon the high seas. {176} however we may feel as to kidd's guilt in the matter of piracy, we can but realize that, according to the standards of modern times, he was not given a fighting chance for his life. he was detained in newgate prison and denied all counsel until he had pleaded "guilty" or "not guilty." in spite of all his protests he was brought to trial on the first indictment for murder, incidentally the least certain of his offenses. the jury being sworn, the clerk proceeded with the first indictment for murder and declared that "the jurors of our sovereign lord the king do upon their oath present that william kidd, late of london, married, not having the fear of god before his eyes; but being moved and seduced by the devil ... did make assault in and upon one william moore ... and that the aforesaid william kidd with a certain wooden bucket, bound with iron hoops, of the value of eight pence, which he the said william kidd then and there held in his right hand, did violently, feloniously, voluntarily, and of his malice aforethought beat and strike the aforesaid william moore in and upon the right part of the head of him, the said william moore then and there upon the high sea in the ship aforesaid and within the jurisdiction of england." {177} several sailors testified to the circumstances of the murder, that kidd had called the gunner "a lousy dog" and moore had replied: "if i am a lousy dog you have made me so. you have brought me to ruin and many more." at this, kidd's temper being roused, he struck moore with the bucket, and the gunner died the next day as a result of the blow. considering the severity of treatment of mutinous sailors permitted to ships' officers at that time, there is little reason to think that under ordinary circumstances kidd would have been adjudged guilty of murder for a blow struck in hot blood and under provocation; but the verdict was certain before the trial had begun. the jury after an hour's consultation brought in a verdict of guilty, and kidd was remanded to newgate prison to await trial for piracy. this second trial took place in may, 1701, and included, beside the captain, nine other mariners charged with piracy, in that "they feloniously did steal, take and carry away the said merchant ship _quedagh merchant_ and the apparel and tackle of the same ship of the value of four hundred pounds of lawful money of england, seventy chests of opium, besides twenty bales of raw silk, a hundred bales of calico, two hundred bales of {178} muslins, two hundred and fifty bales of sugar and three bales of romels." kidd's defense was that the ships captured were sailing under french passes and therefore lawful prizes according to the terms of his commission. these passes, he said, had been delivered into bellomont's hands. but the court made no effort to procure these passes or to inquire further into the matter. the jury was out for a short time only and brought in their verdict against or for the mariners separately. all but three were found guilty. in addressing them the court said: "you have been tried by the laws of the land and convicted and nothing now remains but that sentence be passed according to the law. and the sentence of the law is this: you shall be taken from the place where you are and be carried to the place from whence you came and from thence to the place of execution and there be severally hanged by your necks until you be dead. and may the lord have mercy on your souls!" captain kidd was hanged at execution dock on may 23, 1701. thus ended the most famous pirate of the age. his career so impressed the popular imagination that a host of legends sprang up concerning him and his treasure ship, while {179} innumerable doleful ballads were written setting forth his incredible depravity. yet it is curious to consider that, had he died a few years earlier, he would have passed away as an honored citizen of new york and would have been buried with pomp and circumstance and the usual laudatory funeral oration. [1] bellomont was commissioned governor of massachusetts and new hampshire, as well as of new york. {180} chapter xi colonial government in the eighteenth century while captain kidd was still on the high seas and pirates were still infesting the lower hudson, the earl of bellomont arrived in new york (in april, 1698), accompanied by his wife and his cousin, john nanfan, who had been appointed lieutenant-governor. the citizens greeted the new governor with every demonstration of delight. the corporation gave a public banquet and offered a eulogistic address. bellomont on his part entered into his task with enthusiasm. in the new assembly called in 1699, he spoke of the disorder prevailing in the province, left as it was with a divided people, an empty treasury, ruined fortifications, and a few half-naked soldiers. he spoke of the ill repute of new york as a rendezvous for pirates and said: "it would be hard if i who come before you with an honest heart and a resolution {181} to be just to your interests, should meet with greater difficulties in the discharge of his majesty's service than those who have gone before me." he declared it his firm intention that there should be no more misapplication of the public money, a veiled attack upon fletcher's grants of land and privileges which had become a public scandal. he would, he said, pocket none of the money himself nor permit any embezzlement of it by others and promised exact accounts to be laid before the assembly "when and as often as you require." the assembly passed a vote of thanks and voted a six years' revenue. apparently everything was auspicious; but the seed of discord was already sown by bellomont's early espousal of the leislerian cause, which was in effect the cause of the common people. in the ecclesiastical records of the state an account of the disinterment and reburial of the mutilated remains of leisler and of his son-in-law milborne shows the determination of bellomont to make what reparation was possible, in addition to the removal of attainder, for the injustice done. the document closes with these words: yesterday, october 20, [1698] the remains of commander jacob leisler and of jacob milborne [eight years and {182} five months after their execution and burial] were exhumed, and interred again with great pomp under our [new] dutch church [in garden street]. their weapons and armorial ensigns of honor were there [in the church] hung up, and thus, as far as it was possible, their honor was restored to them. special permission to do this had been received by his honor's son, jacob leisler, from his majesty. this gave unutterable joy to their families and to those people who, under him, had taken up arms for our blessed king william. with this circumstance we trust that the dissensions which have so long harassed us, will also be buried. to this end our right honorable governor, my lord the earl of bellomont, long wished for by us, is exerting his good offices. he tries to deal impartially with all, acting with great fairness and moderation. he has begun [his administration] by remembering the lord god; for he has ordered a day of solemn fasting and prayer throughout the whole land. in a proclamation of great seriousness, he has exhorted the inhabitants earnestly to pray for these things [peace among the people] to the divine majesty. we hope the lord will bestow his gracious blessings and grace, upon your reverences, with all our hearts. this proceeding on the part of bellomont, combined with the appointment to office of prominent leislerians and the dismissal of some of their opponents, arrayed at once a formidable body of important citizens against him. their numbers were augmented by the people who had profited by {183} unlawful privileges won from fletcher and now stripped from them by bellomont; but the governor pursued his course undaunted either by the threats or by the taunts cast against him as a partner of the pirate, captain kidd. so beloved was bellomont by the people and so strongly intrenched by influence in the government at home that he could probably have carried through the reforms which he had at heart; but his untimely death in 1701, after a brief rule of three years, put an end to all his far-reaching schemes for the good of the colonies. his death was followed by a condition approaching civil war between the followers of leisler and their foes. in 1702 queen anne, who had recently ascended the throne, appointed as governor her relative, edward hyde, lord cornbury. he suppressed the leislerians and exalted the aristocratic party, thereby restoring order but at the same time bringing odium upon his cause by his personal vices. cornbury was a type of everything that a colonial governor should not be, a scamp, a spendthrift, and a drunkard. relying upon his relationship to queen anne, he felt himself superior to the ordinary restraints of civilization. he took bribes under guise of gifts, was addicted to all {184} forms of debauchery, and incidentally proved as foolish as he was wicked, one of his amusements, it is said, being that of parading the streets of new york in the evening, clad in woman's attire. his lady was as unpopular as he and it is said that when the wheels of her coach were heard approaching the house of any of the wealthy citizens of new york, the family was hastily set to work hiding the attractive ornaments to which her ladyship might take a fancy, as she had no compunction in asking for them as a gift. in an expedition to albany in 1702, cornbury's vanity led him to decorate his barge with brilliant colors, to provide new uniforms for the crew, and generally to play the peacock at the expense of the colony. rumor placed the sum of his debts at â£7000. moreover he was charged with the embezzlement of â£1500 of government money. a long-suffering community finally demanded the recall of lord cornbury and demanded it with the same insistence which was to make itself felt in revolution in the last half of the century. as is usual with sovereigns when any right is demanded with sufficient firmness, queen anne was graciously pleased to withdraw lord cornbury in 1708. on the arrival of his successor, cornbury was placed {185} by indignant creditors in the charge of the sheriff, and was held in custody until the news of his succession to the earldom of clarendon reached the colony. the library, furniture, and pictures of the queen's cousin were sold at auction, while the ex-governor skulked back to england to make the best possible showing as to his appropriation of public moneys to private uses. we can picture him wiping his eyes in pathetic deprecation, as he exclaimed: "if the queen is not pleased to pay me, the having the government of new jersey, which i am persuaded the queen intended for my benefit, will prove my ruin!" lord lovelace, cornbury's successor, demanded a permanent revenue. but recent experience had taught the colonists to hold the financial power in their own hands and they consented only to an annual appropriation, thus making the salary of the governor dependent on his good conduct. what would have been the result of this clash of interests will never be known, since lord lovelace died on may 5, 1709, the same day on which the act was passed. major richard ingoldesby, leisler's old enemy, now came into power and held the reins for a few months, until mismanagement of an expedition {186} against canada caused such indignation that he was withdrawn and robert hunter became governor in 1710. although of humble scotch parentage he had risen to prominence in english society, numbering swift and addison among his friends and being married to lady hay, whose influence had procured for him successive positions of importance which culminated in this appointment. with a view to encouraging the production of naval stores and obtaining a profit for the english government, hunter brought over at the expense of the crown several thousand palatines, german inhabitants of the rhine valley harried by the french, thereby adding another alien element to the cosmopolitan population. the british government appropriated the sum of â£10,000 for the project and agreed not only to transport the emigrants but to maintain them for a time in return for their labor. these palatines settled on both banks of the hudson in four villages on lands belonging to robert livingston, and in three on those belonging to the crown and situated on the west side of the river. authorities differ so widely in respect to the treatment of these german immigrants that it seems only fair to present both sides. one shows {187} hunter working in the interest of the english government against that of the colony and represents the movement as a clever plan on the part of the governor to stimulate the production of tar and turpentine, to contribute to the government income, and to prevent the manufacture of wool, linen, and cotton goods, which at that time were largely bought in england. when hunter found that the income did not meet the outlay, it is said, he notified the newcomers that they "must shift for themselves but not outside the province." on the other hand, the governor asserted that dwellers in the lower palatinate of the rhine, when driven from their homes by the french, begged the english government to give them homes in america; that queen anne graciously agreed that the palatines should be transported to new york at the expense of the english with the understanding that they were to work out the advance payment and also the food and lodgings provided by the state and by livingston; but that the palatines proved lazy and failed to carry out their contract. all accounts agree, however, in describing the hard lot of these unfortunate exiles. their ocean voyage was long and stormy with much fatal {188} illness. the sites selected for their settlements were not desirable. the native pine was found unsuited to the production of tar in large quantities. they soon discovered that they would never be able to pay for their maintenance by such unprofitable labor. moreover, the provisions given them were of inferior quality; and they were forced to furnish men for an expedition against canada while their women and children were left either to starvation or to practical servitude. in this desperate situation some of the palatines turned from their fellow christians to the native savages, and their appeal was not in vain. the indians gave them permission to settle at schoharie, and many families removed thither in defiance of the governor, who was still bent on manufacturing tar and pitch. but the great majority remained in the hudson valley and eventually built homes on lands which they purchased. the climate of new york disagreed with hunter, and his mental depression kept pace with his physical debility. after six years of hopeless effort, he was obliged to admit the failure of his plans to produce naval stores. in 1710 he reported of the locality that it "had the finest air to live upon; but not for me"; again he says that {189} sancho panza is a type for him, since that in spite of every effort to do his duty no dog could be worse treated. it is easy to understand that a member of the pope-swift-bolingbroke circle in england should have found the social atmosphere of early new york far from exhilarating; and it is equally easy to comprehend that the pioneers of the new world resented his mismanagement of the campaign of 1711 against canada and his assertion of the english government's right to tax the colonists without the consent of the colonial governments. but perhaps hunter and the people appreciated each other more than either realized, for when he took leave in 1719 his words were warmly affectionate and his address embodied the exhortation: "may no strife ever happen amongst you but that laudable emulation who shall approve himself the most zealous servant and most dutiful subject of the best of princes." and in response to this farewell address the colony of new york assured governor hunter that he had governed well and wisely, "like a prudent magistrate, like an affectionate parent," and that the good wishes of his countrymen followed him wherever he went. it would be pleasant to dwell on this picture of {190} mutual confidence and regard, but the rude facts of history hurry us on to quite different scenes. william burnet, son of the bishop of salisbury, continued the policy of his predecessor, it is true, and lived on unusually amicable terms with the assembly. he identified himself with the interests of the province by marrying the daughter of a prosperous dutch merchant and by prohibiting the fur trade between albany and canada; yet even burnet clashed with the assembly on occasion. and when after an interval william cosby became governor, the worst abuses of executive power returned, fomenting quarrels which reached a climax in the famous zenger trial. the truth was that no matter how popular a governor might be, clashes were bound to occur between him and the representatives of the people whom he governed, because they represented divergent interests. the question of revenue was an ever-recurring cause of trouble. without adequate funds from the home government, the governor looked to the assembly for his salary as well as for grants to carry on the administration of the province. no matter how absolute the authority conferred by his commission and his instructions, the governor must bow to the lower {191} house of the provincial legislature, which held the purse strings. under sloughter, fletcher, bellomont, and cornbury the assembly had voted revenues for a term of years. but when cornbury appropriated to his own uses â£1000 out of the â£1800 granted for the defense of the frontiers and when in addition he pocketed â£1500 of the funds appropriated for the protection of the mouth of the hudson, the assembly grew wary. thereafter for four successive years it made only annual appropriations, and, wiser still by 1739, it voted supplies only in definite amounts for special purposes. short-sighted the assembly often was, sometimes in its parsimony leaving the borders unprotected and showing a disposition to take as much and to give as little as possible--a policy that was fraught with grave peril as the french and indian war drew on apace. the growing insubordination of the province gave more than one governor anxious thought. governor hunter wrote warningly to friends in england: "the colonies are infants at their mother's breasts and will wean themselves when they become of age." and governor clinton was so incensed by the contumacy of the assembly that he said bluntly: "every branch of this {192} legislature may be criminal in the eyes of the law, and there is a power able to punish you and that will punish you if you provoke that power to do it by your behaviour. _otherwise you must think yourselves independent of the crown of great britain!_" {193} chapter xii the zenger trial among the children of the palatines imported by governor hunter in 1710 was a lad of thirteen by the name of john peter zenger. instead of proceeding to the palatine colony, his widowed mother and her little family remained in new york. there peter was bound apprentice to william bradford, then a well-known printer, for a term of eight years, at the end of which time he set up an office of his own. he evidently found himself hard pressed for the means of living, since one finds him in 1732 applying to the consistory of the dutch church of new york and proposing that, since he had so long played the organ without recompense, he might take up a voluntary subscription from the congregation and that the members of the consistory should head the paper as an example to others. the consistory agreed to allow him provisionally the sum of six pounds, new york {194} currency, to be paid by the church masters and promised that they would speak with him further on the subject of his seeking subscriptions in the congregation, a favor for which john peter was duly grateful. governor william cosby, as he drove in his coach on a sunday to trinity church, or as he walked in stately raiment, attended by a negro servant who carried his prayer-book on a velvet cushion, could have little dreamed that the young printer striding past him on his way to play the organ in the old dutch church was destined to be the instrument of his excellency's downfall; but the time was not far off when this david, armed only with a blackened type of his printer's form, was to set forth against this goliath. all flaming convictions have a tendency to cool into cant, and "the freedom of the press" has so long been a vote-catching phrase that it is hard nowadays to realize that it was once an expression of an ideal for which men were willing to die but which they scarcely hoped to achieve. when colonel cosby, former governor of minorca, came over the seas in 1732, to become governor of new york, he brought with him a none too savory reputation. all that he seemed {195} to have learned in his former executive post was the art of conveying public funds to private uses. his government in new york sustained his reputation: it was as high-handed as it was corrupt. he burned deeds and strove to overthrow old land-patents, in order that fees for new ones might find their way into his pocket. "cosby's manor," a vast tract of land in the mohawk valley, bore testimony to the success of his methods in acquiring wealth. upon the death of cosby's predecessor, john montgomerie, in 1731, rip van dam, as president of the council, had assumed control of the affairs of the province until the arrival of the new governor. at the close of his term, which had lasted a little more than a year, the council passed warrants giving rip van dam the salary and the fees of the office for the time of his service. when cosby appeared he produced an order from the king commanding that the perquisites of the governor during the interregnum be equally divided between him and van dam. on the authority of this document, cosby demanded half of the salary which van dam had received. "very well," answered the stalwart dutchman, "but always provided that you share with me on the same {196} authority the half of the emoluments which you have received during the same period." the greedy governor maintained that this was a very different matter. nevertheless he was somewhat puzzled as to how to proceed legally with a view to filling his purse. since he was himself chancellor, he could not sue in chancery. he did not dare to bring a suit at common law, as he feared that a jury would give a verdict against him. under these circumstances cosby took advantage of a clause in the commissions of the judges of the supreme court which seemed to constitute them barons of the exchequer, and he therefore directed that an action against van dam be brought in the name of the king before that court. the chief justice, who had held office for eighteen years, was lewis morris. van dam's counsel promptly took exception to the jurisdiction of the court and morris sustained their plea, whereupon cosby removed morris as chief justice. cosby's party included de lancey, philipse, bradley, and harrison, while alexander, stuyvesant, livingston, cadwallader golden, and most of the prominent citizens, supported van dam. the people of new york were now awakening to the fact that this was no petty quarrel between two men as to which {197} should receive the larger share of government moneys, but that it involved the much larger question of whether citizens were to be denied recourse to impartial courts in the defense of their rights. the only paper published in the province, the _new york weekly gazette_, established in 1725, was entirely in cosby's interest, and the van dam party seemed powerless. they determined, however, to strike at least one blow for freedom, and as a first step they established in 1733 a paper known as the _new york weekly journal_, to be published by john peter zenger, but to be under the control of far abler men. morris, alexander, smith, and golden were the principal contributors to the new paper, and in a series of articles they vigorously criticized the governor's administration, particularly his treatment of van dam. the governor and council in high dudgeon at once demanded the punishment of the publisher. they asked the assembly to join them in prosecuting zenger, but the request was laid upon the table. the council then ordered the hangman to make a public bonfire of four numbers of the _weekly journal_; but the mayor and the aldermen declared the order illegal and refused to allow it to {198} be carried out. accordingly the offending numbers of the _journal_ were burned by a negro slave of the sheriff in the presence of francis harrison, the recorder, and some other partizans of cosby, the magistrates declining to be present at the ceremony. whatever satisfaction the governor and his adherents could gain from the burning of these copies of the _journal_ was theirs; but their action served only to make them both more ridiculous and more despicable in the eyes of the people. not long after this episode zenger was arrested upon order of the council and thrown into the jail, which was at that time in the city hall on the site of the present united states sub-treasury building on wall street. zenger was denied the use of pens, ink, or paper. the grand jury refused to indict him. but cosby's attorney-general filed an "information" against zenger for "false, scandalous, malicious and seditious libels." public interest was now transferred from van dam to zenger, and the people saw him as their representative, robbed of his right of free speech and imprisoned on an "information" which was in form and substance an indictment without action of a grand jury. months elapsed while zenger was kept in prison. his counsel, smith and alexander, {199} attacked two judges of the court before which he was to be tried, on the ground that they were irregularly appointed, the commissions of two of them, chief justice de lancey and judge philipse, running "during pleasure" instead of "during good behavior" and having been granted by the governor without the advice or consent of his council. the anger of the judges thus assailed was expressed by de lancey, who replied: "you have brought it to that point, gentlemen, that either we must go from the bench or you from the bar," wherewith he summarily ordered the names of the two distinguished lawyers stricken from the list of attorneys. this was obviously a heavy blow to zenger, as the only other lawyer of note in new york was retained in the interests of cosby and his faction. but zenger's friends never ceased their determined efforts in his behalf, and smith and alexander remained active in counsel if not in court. meanwhile the judges appointed an insignificant attorney, john chambers by name, to act for zenger and fancied that their intrigue was sure of success. the trial came on before the supreme court sitting on august 4, 1735, de lancey acting as chief justice, philipse as second judge, and {200} bradley as attorney-general. chambers pleaded "not guilty" on behalf of his client; but to the throng who crowded the court-room to suffocation, zenger's case must have looked black indeed. there was no question that he had published the objectionable articles, and according to the english law of the day the truth of a libel could not be set up as a defense. it was even some years later that lord mansfield upheld the amazing doctrine that "the greater the truth the greater the libel." a part of the importance of the zenger trial lies in its sweeping away in this part of the world the possibility of so monstrous a theory. a great and overwhelming surprise, however, awaited the prosecutors of zenger. the secret had been well kept and apparently every one was amazed when there appeared for the defense one andrew hamilton, a citizen of philadelphia, of venerable age and the most noted and able lawyer in the colonies. from this moment he became the central figure of the trial and his address was followed with breathless interest. he touched upon his own age and feebleness with consummate tact and dramatic effect: you see that i labour under the weight of years, and am borne down with great infirmities of body; yet, old and {201} weak as i am, i should think it my duty, if required, to go to the utmost part of the land, where my service could be of use in assisting to quench the flame of prosecutions upon _information_ set on foot by the government, to deprive a people of the right of remonstrating (and complaining too) of the arbitrary attempts of men in power. men who injure and oppress the people under their administration provoke them to cry out and complain, and then make that very complaint the foundation for new oppressions and prosecutions. i wish i could say there were no instances of this kind. but to conclude: the question before the court, and you, gentlemen of the jury, is not of small nor private concern; it is not the cause of a poor printer, nor of new york alone, which you are now trying. no! it may in its consequence affect every freeman that lives under a british government on the main of america! it is the best cause. it is the cause of liberty, and i make no doubt but your upright conduct this day will not only entitle you to the love and esteem of your fellow-citizens, but every man who prefers freedom to a life of slavery will bless and honour you, as men who have baffled the attempt of tyranny, and by an impartial and uncorrupt verdict have laid a noble foundation for securing to ourselves, our posterity, and our neighbors, that to which nature and the laws of our country have given us a right--the liberty both of exposing and opposing arbitrary power ... by speaking and writing _truth_! with scathing irony he fell upon the theory that truth was no defense for libel: {202} if a libel is understood in the large and unlimited sense urged by mr. attorney, there is scarce a writing i know that may not be called a libel, or scarce any person safe from being called to account as a libeller; for moses, meek as he was, libelled cain, and who is it that has not libelled the devil? for according to mr. attorney, it is no justification to say that one has a bad name. echard has libelled our good king william; burnet has libelled among others, king charles and king james; and rapin has libelled them all. how must a man speak or write, or what must he hear, read, or sing? or when must he laugh, so as to be secure from being taken up as a libeller? i sincerely believe that were some persons to go through the streets of new york nowadays and read a part of the bible, if it were not known to be such, mr. attorney, with the help of his innuendoes, would easily turn it into a libel. as for instance, the sixteenth verse of the ninth chapter of isaiah: _the leaders of the people cause them to err, and they that are led by them are destroyed_. but should mr. attorney go about to make this a libel, he would treat it thus: "the leaders of the people (innuendo, the governor and council of new york) cause them (innuendo, the people of this province) to err, and they (meaning the people of the province) are destroyed (innuendo, are deceived into the loss of their liberty)," which is the worst kind of destruction. or, if some person should publicly repeat, in a manner not pleasing to his betters, the tenth and eleventh verses of the fifty-sixth chapter of the same book, there mr. attorney would have a large field to display his skill in the artful application of his innuendoes. the words are, "his watchmen are all blind, they are ignorant; yes, they are greedy dogs, that {203} can never have enough." but to make them a libel, there is according to mr. attorney's doctrine, no more wanting but the aid of his skill in the right adapting of his innuendoes. as for instance, "his watchmen (innuendo, the governor's council and assembly) are blind; they are ignorant (innuendo, will not see the dangerous designs of his excellency); yea they (meaning the governor and council) are greedy dogs which can never have enough (innuendo, enough of riches and power)." thus hamilton skillfully appealed to the independent principles of the jury. there was no note, satiric, pathetic, or patriotic, which he did not strike. overwhelmed by the torrent of his eloquence, bradley, the attorney-general, scarcely attempted a reply. the chief justice stated that the jury might bring in a verdict on the fact of publication and leave it to the court to decide whether it were libelous. but hamilton was far too wary to be caught thus. "i know, may it please your honor," said he, "the jury may do so; but i do likewise know that they may do otherwise. i know they have the right, beyond all dispute, to determine both the law and the fact, and where they do not doubt the law, they ought to do so." nevertheless the chief justice charged the jury: gentlemen of the jury: the great pains mr. hamilton has taken, to show you how little regard juries are {204} to pay to the opinion of the judges, and his insisting so much upon the conduct of some judges in trials of this kind, is done, no doubt, with a design that you should take but very little notice of what i might say upon this occasion. i shall, therefore, only observe to you that, as the facts or words in the information are confessed; the only thing that can come in question before you is whether the words set forth in the information, make a libel. and that is a matter of law, no doubt, and which you may leave to the court. but the show of authority and the attempt at allurement were all in vain. the jury took but a few moments to deliberate and returned with the verdict of "not guilty." the roar of applause which shook the court-room was more than a tribute to the eloquence of the aged counsel who had accepted an unpopular case without fees because he felt that he was working for the cause of freedom. it was more than a tribute to the poor printer who had risked everything in the same cause. it was the spirit of the barons at runnymede, of the long parliament, of the revolution of 1688, of patrick henry of virginia when he cried: "give me liberty or give me death!" the court, divided between wrath and surprise, strove to check the wave of applause and threatened with imprisonment the leader of the cheers; {205} but a son-in-law of ex-chief justice lewis morris succeeded in making himself heard, and declared that cheers were as lawful there as in westminster hall, where they had been loud enough over the acquittal of the seven bishops in 1688. upon this the applause broke out again, and hamilton was acclaimed the people's champion. a dinner was given in his honor and the freedom of the city was bestowed upon him. when he entered his barge for the return journey to philadelphia, flags waved, cannon boomed, and hurrahs resounded from all quarters. {206} chapter xiii the negro plots as early as the eighteenth century new york had become a cosmopolitan town. its population contained not only dutch and english in nearly equal numbers, but also french, swedes, jews, negroes, and sailors, travelers from every land. the settled portion of the city, according to a map of 1729, extended as far north as beekman street on the east side and as far as trinity church on the west side. a few blocks beyond the church lay old wind mill lane touching king's farm, which was still open country. here broadway shook off all semblance to a town thoroughfare and became a dusty country road, meeting the post-road to boston near the lower end of the rope walk. "the cittie of new york is a pleasant, well-compacted place," wrote madam knight, who journeyed on horseback from boston over this post-road and who recorded her experiences in an entertaining {207} journal. "the buildings brick generally, very stately and high, though not altogether like ours in boston. the bricks in some of the houses are of divers coullers and laid in checkers, being glazed look very agreeable. the inside of them are neat to admiration." besides its welcoming houses set among spreading trees, new york possessed public buildings of dignity and distinction. there was trinity church, whose tall steeple was one of the first landmarks to catch the traveler's eye as he journeyed down the river from albany. the new city hall, dating from bellomont's time and standing on a site at the corner of wall and broad streets, given by colonel abraham de peyster, was also a source of pride. with its substantial wings and arched colonnade in the center it was quite imposing. here the assembly, council, and court sat. here, too, were offices and a library. but the cellar was used as a dungeon and the attic as a common prison. new markets and wharves told of the growing commerce of the city and province. on every hand were evidences of luxurious living. there were taverns and coffee-houses where gold flowed in abundant streams from the pockets of pirates and smugglers, and in the streets crest-emblazoned {208} family coaches, while sedan chairs were borne by negro slaves along the narrow brick pathways in the center of the town. the dress of the people told the same story of prosperity. the streets of the fashionable quarter around trinity church were fairly ablaze with gay costumes. men of fashion wore powdered wigs and cocked hats, cloth or velvet coats reaching to the knee, breeches, and low shoes with buckles. they carried swords, sometimes studded with jewels, and in their gloved hands they held snuff-boxes of costly material and elaborate design. the ladies who accompanied them were no less gaily dressed. one is described as wearing a gown of purple and gold, opening over a black velvet petticoat and short enough to show green silk stockings and morocco shoes embroidered in red. another wore a flowered green and gold gown, over a scarlet and gold petticoat edged with silver. everywhere were seen strange fabrics of oriental design coming from the holds of mysterious ships which unloaded surreptitiously along the water front. the members of one class alone looked on all this prosperous life with sullen discontent--the negro slaves whose toil made possible the leisure of their owners. these strange, uncouth africans seemed {209} out of place in new york, and from early times they had exhibited resentment and hatred toward the governing classes, who in turn looked upon them with distrust. this smoldering discontent of the blacks aroused no little uneasiness and led to the adoption of laws which, especially in the cities, were marked by a brutality quite out of keeping with the usual moderation of the colony. when mrs. grant wrote later of negro servitude in albany as "slavery softened into a smile," she spoke in the first place from a narrow observation of life in a cultivated family, and in the second place from scant knowledge of the events which had preceded the kind treatment of the negroes. in 1684 an ordinance was passed declaring that no negroes or indian slaves above the number of four should meet together on the lord's day or at any other time or at any place except on their master's service. they were not to go armed with guns, swords, clubs, or stones on penalty of ten lashes at the whipping-post. an act provided that no slave should go about the streets after nightfall anywhere south of the collect without a lighted lantern "so as the light thereof could be plainly seen." a few years later governor cornbury ordered the justices of the peace in king's county to seize and {210} apprehend all negroes who had assembled themselves in a riotous manner or had absconded from their masters. in 1712, during the administration of governor robert hunter, a group of negroes, perhaps forty in number, formed a plot which justified the terror of their masters, though it was so mad that it could have originated only in savage minds. these blacks planned to destroy all the white people of the city, then numbering over six thousand. meeting in an orchard the negroes set fire to a shed and then lurked about in the shadows, armed with every kind of weapon on which they could lay hands. as the negroes had expected, all the citizens of the neighborhood, seeing the conflagration, came running to the spot to fight the flames. the blacks succeeded in killing nine men and wounding many more before the alarm reached the fort. then of course the affair ended. the slaves fled to the forests at the northern end of the island; but the soldiers stationed sentries and then hunted down the negroes, beating the woods to be sure that none escaped. six of the negroes, seeing that their doom was sealed, killed themselves, and the fate of the captives showed that they well knew what mercy {211} to expect at the hands of the enraged whites. twenty-one were put to death, one being broken on the wheel and several burned at the stake, while the rest were hanged. after this experience of the danger attending the holding of slaves, the restrictions upon the negroes grew even more irksome and the treatment they received more that of outcasts. for instance, a slave must be buried by daylight, without pallbearers and with not more than a dozen negroes present as mourners. in spite of bright spots in the picture the outlook grew constantly darker; a mistrust ready to develop on slight provocation into terror perturbed the whites; and every rumor was magnified till there reigned a panic as widespread as that caused by the reports of witchcraft in new england. at length in 1741 the storm burst. one march night, while a gale was sweeping the city, a fire was discovered on the roof of the governor's house in the fort. church bells sounded the alarm and firemen and engines hurried to the spot; but it was hopeless to try to extinguish the flames, which spread to the chapel and to the office of the secretary over the fort gate, where the records of the colony were stored. the barracks then caught fire, and in a {212} little over an hour everything in the fort was destroyed, the hand-grenades exploding as they caught fire and spreading destruction in every direction. a month later a fire broke out at night near the vlei market. a bucket brigade was formed and the fire was extinguished. on the same night the loft in a house on the west side of the town was found to be in flames, and coals were discovered between two straw beds occupied by a negro. the next day coals were found under the coach-house of john murray on broadway, and on the day following a fire broke out again near the vlei market. thus the townsfolk were made certain that an incendiary plot was on foot. of course every one's thoughts flew to the negro slaves as the conspirators, especially when a mrs. earle announced that she had overheard three negroes threatening to burn the town. the authorities were as much alarmed as the populace and at once leaped to the conclusion that the blame for the incendiarism, of which they scarcely paused to investigate the evidence, was to be divided between the roman catholics and the negroes, who without reasonable grounds had so long constituted their chief terror. {213} the common council offered pardon and a reward of one hundred pounds to any conspirator who would reveal the story of the plot and the names of the criminals involved. under the influence of this offer one mary burton, a servant in the employ of hughson, the tavern-keeper, accused her master, her mistress, their daughter, and a woman of evil reputation known as peggy carey, or kerry, as well as a number of negroes, of being implicated in the plot. she said that the negroes brought stolen goods to the tavern and were protected by hughson, who had planned with them the burning and plundering of the city and the liberation of the slaves. on this unsupported evidence peggy carey and a number of negroes were condemned to execution, and under terror of death, or encouraged by the hope of pardon, these prisoners made numerous confessions implicating one another, until by the end of august twenty-four whites and one hundred and fifty-four negroes had been imprisoned. four whites, including hughson and peggy carey, were executed; fourteen negroes were burned at the stake; eighteen were hanged, seventy-one transported, and the remainder pardoned or discharged. accusations were also made that the roman {214} catholics had stirred up the plot; and persons of reputation and standing were accused of complicity. the effect of the popular panic, which rendered impossible the calm weighing of evidence and extinguished any sense of proportion, is seen in the letters of governor george clarke. on june 20, 1741, he writes to the lords of trade as follows: the fatal fire that consumed the buildings in the fort and great part of my substance (for my loss is not less than two thousand pounds), did not happen by accident as i at first apprehended, but was kindled by design, in the execution of a horrid conspiracy to burn it and the whole town, and to massacre the people; as appears evidently not only by the confession of the negro who set fire to it, in some part of the same gutter where the plumber was to work, but also by the testimony of several witnesses. how many conspirators there were we do not yet know; every day produces new discoveries, and i apprehend that in the town, if the truth were known, there are not many innocent negro men.... i do myself the honor to send your lordships the minutes taken at the tryal of quack who burned the fort, and of another negro, who was tryed with him, and their confession at the stake; with some examinations, whereby your lordships will see their designs; it was ridiculous to suppose that they could keep possession of the town, if they had destroyed the white people, yet the mischief they would have done in pursuit of their intention would nevertheless have been {215} great.... whether, or how far, the hand of popery has been in this hellish conspiracy, i cannot yet discover; but there is room to suspect it, by what two of the negroes have confessed, viz: that soon after they were spoke to, and had consented to be parties to it, they had some checks of conscience, which they said, would not suffer them to burn houses and kill the white people; whereupon those who drew them into the conspiracy told them, there was no sin or wickedness in it, and that if they would go to huson's [hughson's] house, they should find a man who would satisfy them; but they say they would not, nor did go. margaret keny [kerry] was supposed to be a papist, and it is suspected that huson and his wife were brought over to it. there was in town some time ago a man who is said to be a romish priest, who used to be at huson's but has disappeared ever since the discovery of the conspiracy and is not now to be found. later in the summer the governor recorded his suspicions as follows: we then thought it [the] plot was projected only by huson [hughson] and the negroes; but it is now apparent that the hand of popery is in it, for a romish priest having been tryed, was upon full and clear evidence convicted of having a deep share in it.... where, by whom, or in what shape this plot was first projected is yet undiscovered; that which at present seems most probable is that huson, an indigent fellow of a vile character, casting in his thoughts how to mend his circumstances, inticed some negroes to rob their masters and to bring the stolen [goods] to him on {216} promise of reward when they were sold; but seeing that by this pilfering trade riches did not flow into him fast enough, and finding the negroes fit instruments for any villainy, he then fell upon the schemes of burning the fort and town, and murdering the people, as the speediest way to enrich himself and them, and to gain their freedom, for that was the negroes main inducement.... the conspirators had hopes given them that the spaniards would come hither and join with them early in the spring; but if they failed of coming, then the business was to be done by the conspirators without them; many of them were christen'd by the priest, absolved from all their past sins and whatever they should do in the plott; many of them sworn by him (others by huson) to burn and destroy, and to be secret; wherein they were but too punctual; how weak soever the scheme may appear, it was plausible and strong enough to engage and hold the negroes, and that was all that the priest and huson wanted; for had the fort taken fire in the night, as it was intended, the town was then to have been fired in several places at once; in which confusion much rich plunder might have been got and concealed; and if they had it in view too, to serve the enemy, they could not have done it more effectually; for this town being laid in ashes his majesties forces in the west indies might have suffered much for want of provisions, and perhaps been unable to proceed upon any expedition or piece of service from whence they might promise themselves great rewards; i doubt the business is pretty nigh at an end, for since the priest has been apprehended, and some more white men named, great industry has been used throughout the town to discredit the witnesses and prejudice the people {217} against them; and i am told it has had in a great measure its intended effect; i am sorry for it, for i do not think we are yet got near the bottom of it, where i doubt the principal conspirators lie concealed. with the collapse of the excitement through its own excess, ends the history of the great negro "plot." whether it had any shadow of reality has never been determined. judge horsmanden, who sat as one of the justices during the trials growing out of the so-called plots, compiled later a record of examinations and alleged confessions whereby he sought to justify the course of both judges and juries; but the impression left by his report is that panic had paralyzed the judgment of even the most honest white men, while among the negroes a still greater terror, combined with a wave of hysteria, led to boundless falsification and to numberless unjustified accusations. {218} chapter xiv sir william johnson the story of the french and indian wars on our border does not fall within the scope of this chronicle; but in order to understand the development of new york we must know something of the conditions which prevailed in the province during that troubled epoch. the penurious policy pursued by the dutch and continued by the english left the colony without defenses on either the northern or southern boundaries. for a long time the settlers found themselves bulwarked against the french on the north by the steadfast friendship of the "six nations," comprising the mohawks, the oneidas, the onondagas, the cayugas, the senecas, and the tuscaroras; but at last these trusty allies began to feel that the english were not doing their share in the war. the lack of military preparation in new york was inexcusable. the niggardliness of the assembly alienated successive governors and {219} justified clinton's assertion: "if you deny me the necessary supplies all my endeavors must become fruitless. i must wash my own hands and leave at your doors the blood of innocent people." when the indians under the leadership of the french actually took the warpath, the colonists at last awoke to their peril. upon call of lieutenant-governor de lancey, acting under instructions of the lords of trade, all the colonies north of the potomac except new jersey sent commissioners to a congress at albany in june, 1754, to plan measures of defense and of alliance with the six nations. albany was still a placid little dutch town. mrs. grant of laggan in scotland, who visited albany in her girlhood, wrote of it afterward with a gentle suavity which lent glamour to the scenes which she described. she pictures for us a little town in which every house had its garden at the rear and in front a shaded stoop with seats on either side where the family gathered to enjoy the twilight. "each family had a cow, fed in a common pasture at the end of the town. in the evening they returned all together, of their own accord, with their tinkling bells hung at their necks, along the wide and grassy street, to their wonted {220} sheltering trees, to be milked. at one door were young matrons, at another the elders of the people, at a third the youths and maidens, gaily chatting or singing together, while the children played around the trees, or waited by the cows for the chief ingredient of their frugal supper, which they generally ate sitting on the steps in the open air." the court-house of albany to which the commissioners journeyed by boat up the hudson, is described by peter kalm, a swedish traveler and scientist, as a fine stone building by the riverside, three stories high with a small steeple containing a bell, and topped by a gilt ball and weather-vane. from the engraved print which has come down to us, it seems a barren barrack of a building with an entrance quite inadequate for the men of distinction who thronged its halls on this memorable occasion. in this congress at albany, benjamin franklin from pennsylvania and william johnson of new york were the dominating figures. the famous plan of union which franklin presented has sometimes made historians forget the services rendered by this redoubtable colonel johnson at a moment when the friendship of the six nations was hanging in the balance. though gifts had been {221} prepared and a general invitation had been sent, only a hundred and fifty warriors appeared at albany and they held themselves aloof with a distrust that was almost contempt. "look at the french!" exclaimed hendrick, the great chief of the mohawks. "they are men. they are fortifying everywhere; but, we are ashamed to say it, you are all like women--bare and open without any fortifications." in this crisis all the commissioners deferred to william johnson as the one man who enjoyed the complete confidence of the six nations. it was he who formulated the indian policy of the congress. he had been born in ireland. his mother was anne warren, sister to captain peter warren, who "served with reputation" in the royal navy and afterward became knight of the bath and vice-admiral of the red squadron of the british fleet. captain warren was less than a dozen years older than his nephew, whom he regarded with affectionate interest. he described him as "a spritely boy well grown of good parts and keen wit but most onruly and streperous," and the sailor added: "i see the making of a strong man. i shall keep my weather eye on the lad." the result of this observation was so favorable {222} that the captain, who was on station in america, sent for william johnson to come out and aid him in the development of a real estate venture. a large tract of land near the mohawk river had come into warren's possession, and as a sailor warren naturally found difficulty in superintending land at what was then a week's journey from the seacoast. "billy" was his choice as an assistant, and the boy, who was then twenty-three years old, left the old world and in 1738 reached the new plantation where his life-work lay before him. for this he was admirably equipped by his irish inheritance of courage, tact, and humor, by his study of english law, and by a facility in acquiring languages which enabled him to master the mohawk tongue in two years after his arrival in new york. the business arrangement between captain warren and his nephew provided that johnson should form a settlement on his uncle's land known as warrensbush, at the juncture of schoharie kill and the mohawk, that he should sell farms, oversee settlers, clear and hedge fields, "girdle" trees (in order to kill them and let in the sun), purchase supplies, and in partnership with warren establish a village store to meet the necessities {223} of the new colonists and to serve as a trading-station with the indians. in compensation for his services he was to be allowed to cultivate a part of the land for himself, though it is hard to imagine what time or strength could have been left for further exertions after the fulfillment of the onerous duties marked out for him. a few years after his arrival at warrensbush he married a young dutch or german woman named catherine weisenberg, perhaps an indentured servant whose passage had been prepaid on condition of service in america. little is known of the date or circumstances of this marriage. it is certain only that after a few years catherine died, leaving three children, to whom johnson proved a kind and considerate father, in spite of an erratic domestic career which involved his taking as the next head of his household caroline, niece of the mohawk chief hendrick, and later molly brant, sister of the indian, joseph brant. molly brant, by whom johnson had eight children, was recognized as his wife by the indians, while among johnson's english friends she was known euphemistically as "the brown lady johnson." she presided over his anomalous household with dignity and discretion; but it is noticeable {224} that johnson, who was so willing to defy public opinion in certain matters, was sufficiently conventional in others, as we learn from a description of the daily life of the legitimate daughters of the house. while mohawk chiefs, oneida braves, englishmen of title, and distinguished guests of every kind thronged the mansion, and while the little half-breed children played about the lawns and disported themselves on the shores of kayaderosseras creek close at hand, "the young ladies" lived in almost conventual seclusion. the grim baronial mansion where this mixed household made its dwelling for many years, was called variously mount johnson, castle johnson, and fort johnson. it was built in 1742 with such massive walls that the house is still standing in the town of amsterdam. in 1755, when the indian peril loomed large on the horizon, the original defenses were strengthened, a stockade was built as a further protection, and from this time on it was called fort johnson. owing perhaps to johnson's precautions and the indian's knowledge of his character, the fort was not attacked and its owner continued to dwell in the house until 1762, when, having become one of the richest men in the colony, he built on a tract {225} of land in johnstown a more ambitious, and, it is to be hoped, a more cheerful mansion known as johnson hall. this house was built of wood with wings of stone, pierced at the top for muskets. on one side of the house lay a garden and nursery described as the pride of the surrounding country. here johnson lived with an opulence which must have amazed the simple settlers around him, especially those who remembered his coming to the colony as a poor youth less than thirty years earlier. he had in his service a secretary, a physician, a musician who played the violin for the entertainment of guests, a gardener, a butler, a waiter named pontiach, of mixed negro and indian blood, a pair of white dwarfs to attend upon himself and his friends, an overseer, and ten or fifteen slaves. this retinue of servants was none too large to cope with the unbounded hospitality which johnson dispensed. a visitor reports having seen at the hall from sixty to eighty indians at one time lodging under tents on the lawn and taking their meals from tables made of pine boards spread under the trees. on another occasion, when sir william called a council of the iroquois at fort johnson, a thousand natives gathered, and johnson's {226} neighbors within a circuit of twenty miles were invited to assist in the rationing of this horde of visitors. the landholders along the mohawk might well have been glad to share the burden of sir william's tribal hospitality, since its purpose was as much political as social and its results were of endless benefit to the entire colony. at last the indians had found a friend, a white man who understood them and whom they could understand. he was honest with them and therefore they trusted him. he was sympathetic and therefore they were ready to discuss their troubles freely with him. as an indian of mixed blood declared to the governor at albany in speaking of sir william: "his knowledge of our affairs, our laws, and our language made us think he was not like any other white but an indian like ourselves. not only that; but in his house is an indian woman, and his little children are half-breed as i am." the english therefore were peculiarly fortunate in finding at the most critical stage of their political dealings with the indians a representative endowed with the wisdom and insight of sir william johnson. unlike the french, he did not strive to force an alien form of worship upon this primitive people. unlike the dutch, he insisted {227} that business should be carried on as honestly with the natives as with the white men. unlike his fellow-countrymen, he constantly urged adequate preparation for war on the part of the english and demanded that they should bear their share of the burden. in a written report at the albany congress he strongly recommended that inasmuch as the six nations, owing to their wars with the french, had fallen short both in hunting and planting, they should be provided with food from the english supplies. finally he testified to the sincerity of his convictions by going to the war himself and rendering valuable service first as colonel and later as major-general. after the battle of lake george, johnson was knighted by the king and received a grant of â£5000 from parliament. in the same year he was appointed by the crown "agent and sole superintendent of the six nations and other northern indians" inhabiting british territory north of the carolinas and the ohio river. johnson is described by one who saw him about this time or somewhat earlier as a man of commanding presence, only a little short of six feet in height, "neck massive, broad chest and large limbs, great physical strength, the head large and shapely, {228} countenance open and beaming with good nature, eyes grayish black, hair brown with tinge of auburn." his activity took every form and was exerted in every direction. his documents and correspondence number over six thousand and fill twenty-six volumes preserved in the state library. nor did these represent his chief activities. he was constantly holding councils with the native tribes either at fort johnson or at the indian camps. it was he who kept the mohawks from joining in pontiac's conspiracy which swept the western border; it was he who negotiated the famous treaty at fort stanwix in 1768. in the midsummer of 1774 he succumbed to an old malady after an impassioned address to six hundred iroquois gathered at johnson hall. he was one of the fortunate few whose characters and careers fit exactly. he found scope for every power that he possessed and he won great rewards. his tireless energy expressed itself in cultivating thousands of acres and in building houses, forts, and churches. he dipped a lavish hand into his abundant wealth and scattered his gold where it was of the greatest service. he loved hospitality and gathered hundreds round his board. he was a benevolent autocrat and nations bowed {229} to his will. he paid homage to his king, and died cherishing the illusion of the value of prerogative. he was fortunate in his death as in his life, for he was spared the throes of the mighty changes already under way, when the king's statue should be pulled down to be melted into bullets, when new york should merge her identity in the union of states, and when the dwellers along the banks of the hudson and its tributaries should call themselves no longer dutch or english but americans. {231} bibliographical note the student who has the courage to delve in the _documents relative to the colonial history of the state of new york_, the _documentary history of the state of new york_, the ecclesiastical records, the pioneer journals, and the minutes of early city councils, will not only reach the fundamental authorities on the history of the settlers on the hudson, but will find many interesting incidents of which the dull titles give no promise. if the reader prefer to follow a blazed trail, he will find a path marked out for him in reliable works such as _the history of new netherland_ by e. b. o'callaghan, 2 vols. (1855), _the history of the state of new york_ by j. r. brodhead, 2 vols. (1871), _the narratives of new netherland_, admirably edited by j. f. jameson (1909), _new york_, a condensed history by e. h. roberts (1904), john fiske's _dutch and quaker colonies in america_, 2 vols. (1899), and william smith's _history of the late province of new york_ (first published in 1757 and still valuable). many histories of new york city have been written to satisfy the general reader. among the larger works are mrs. m. j. lamb's _history of the city of new york_, 2 vols. (1877; revised edition, 1915, in 3 vols.), mrs. schuyler van rensselaer's _history of the city of new york in the seventeenth century_, 2 vols. (1909), {232} james g. wilson's _memorial history of the city of new york_, 4 vols. (1892), and _historic new york_, 2 vols. (edited by m. w. goodwin, a. c. royce, and ruth putnam, 1912). theodore roosevelt has written a single volume on new york for the _historic towns_ series (1910). in his _new amsterdam and its people_ (1902), j. h. innes has brought together valuable studies of the social and topographical features of the town under dutch and early english rule. i. n. p. stokes's _iconography of manhattan island_ (1915) is calculated to delight the soul of the antiquarian. one who wishes to turn to the lighter side of provincial life will find it set forth in attractive volumes such as _colonial days in old new york_ by a. m. earle (1915), _the story of new netherland_ by w. e. griffis (1909), _in old new york_ by t. a. janvier (1894), and the _goede vrouw of mana-ha-ta_ by m. k. van rensselaer (1898). most rewarding perhaps of all sources are those dealing with the biographies of the prominent figures in the history of the state, since in them we find the life of the times illustrated and personalized. e. m. bacon in his _henry hudson_ (1907) gives us a picture of the great mariner and the difficulties against which he strove. the _van rensselaer-bowier manuscripts_, edited by a. j. f. van laer (1908) show us through his personal letters the patroon of the upper hudson and make us familiar with life on his estates. j. k. paulding in _affairs and men of new amsterdam in the time of governor peter stuyvesant_ (1843) makes the town-dwellers equally real to us, while w. l. stone's _life and times of sir william johnson_, 2 vols. (1865), shows us the pioneer struggles in the mohawk valley. in the english _state trials_ {233} compiled by t. b. howells, 34 vols. (1828), we read the story of the famous pirate captain kidd, and find it more interesting than many a work of fiction. among the autobiographical accounts of colonial life the most entertaining are _the memoirs of an american lady_ by a. m. grant (1809), _a two years' journal in new york, etc._ by charles wolley (1902), and _the private journal of sarah kemble knight_, the record of a journey from boston to new york in 1704 (1901). further bibliographical references will be found appended to the articles on _hudson river_, _new york_, and _new york_ (_city_), in _the encyclopã¦dia britannica_, 11th edition. {235} index _adventure-galley_, the (ship), 170, 171, 172, 173 albany, name of fort orange changed to, 137; refuses to send delegates to fort james, 153; preã«minently dutch, 154; refuses to recognize leisler, 154, 156; leisler sends troops to assistance of, 156; congress (1754), 219, 220-21; court-house, 220; _see also_ orange, fort alexander, james, supports van dam, 196; contributes to _new york weekly journal_, 197; counsel for zenger, 198-99 amersfort, 77 amsterdam, fort, established, 54; condition in 1638, 61; becomes fort james, 137; _see also_ james, fort andros, sir edmund, governor of new york, 144; asserts authority in new jersey, 146-147; recalled, 147; appointed governor-general of "dominion of new england" (1688), 149; imprisoned in boston, 151; instructed to suppress piracy, 167 angola, paul d', one of the first negro slaves, 25 archer, john, 140 arlington, lord, 139 _arms of amsterdam_, the (ship), 26 avery, buccaneer, 173 barents, reymier, 156 barentsen, pieter, 54 bayard, mrs., sister of stuyvesant, 86 bayard, nicholas, 154, 155, 159, 160, 163 bear mountain, replica of _half moon_ at foot of, 16 bears island fortified, 45 _beaver_, the (ship), 161 beeren (bears) island fortified, 45 bellomont, earl of, in stock company to fit out privateer, 170; succeeds fletcher as governor of new york, 170-71, 180-181; captain kidd communicates with, 174; royal governor of massachusetts and new hampshire, 175 (note); uprightness, 181; espouses leislerian cause, 181-83; death (1701), 183; revenues under, 191 berkeley, lord, 145 beverwyck, 72 birds of hudson region, 28 bissels, associate of van rensselaer, 40 blagge, captain, defense of leisler, 157-59 block, adriaen, 135 block island, 135, 174 blommaert, samuel, 36, 40 blucker, of albany, 156 bogardug, rev. everardus, 88-90 boston, 151, 168 bradford, william, printer, 193 bradley supports cosby, 196 brant, molly, 223 breuckelen (now brooklyn), 77 burnet, william, governor of new york, 190 burton, mary, 213 cabots, the, explorations in hudson region, 16 canada, expeditions against, 185-86, 188 carey (kerry), peggy, 213 carleton, sir dudley, english ambassador at the hague, 132 caroline, niece of mohawk chief hendrick, 223 carteret, sir george, part of new jersey granted to, 145; death (1680), 146 carteret, philip, governor of new jersey, 146, 147 casimir, fort, 130 catholics, roman, oppose leisler, 153-154; accused of inciting negro plots, 212, 213-17 chambers, john, 199 _charter of liberties and privileges_, 148 christina, fort, 127 clarke, george, governor of new york, letter on negro plots, 214-15; suspicions of, 215-17 clinton, george, governor of new york, quoted, 191-92, 219 coates, edward, 166 cod, cape, 135 colden, cadwallader, 196, 197 colman, john, 6-7 colve, captain anthony, dutch governor of new york, 143 commerce, aim of dutch in america, 18; with holland, 24; dubious sea ventures, 168-169 congo, simon, one of the first negro slaves, 25 connecticut river, 22, 65, 135 coorn, nicholas, 45-46 cornbury, edward hyde, lord, governor of new york, 183-185; revenues under, 191 cornelissen, jan, 95 cosby, william, governor of new york, 190, 194-96 "cosby's manor," 195 curtius, alexander carolus, 101 cuyler, johannes, of albany, 156 de laet, johan, 11, 40 de lancey, james, supports cosby, 196; chief justice, 199; lieutenant-governor, 219 de la montagne, j. m., 95 de la noy, peter, 162, 169 delaware, swedish colony in, 127-28; _see also_ new sweden delaware bay, 36 delaware (or south) river, 22, 51, 59 de neger, jan, 35 de peyster, colonel abraham, 207 de vries, captain david, quoted, 28; takes up territory on delaware bay, 36; _bouwerie_ of, 39; opinion of van twilier, 57; head of committee of twelve, 64; appearance, 64; treats with indians, 65-66; account of building of church, 92-93; visits governor printz, 129; opinion of eelkens incident, 134 dongan, colonel thomas, governor of new york, 48, 147, 157; instructed to suppress piracy, 167 drisius, domine samuel, 86 "duke's laws," 138 dutch east india company, 17 dutch west india company, 20-22, 30, 32, 33-34, 38, 51, 56, 60, 73 dyckman, 72 earle, mrs., overhears negroes plotting, 212 east indies, pirates in, 168 education in new netherland, 93-101 eelkens, jacob, 59, 132-35 _eendragt_, the (ship), 40 elizabethtown declared a free port, 146 england, war with holland (1652), 76-77; treaty (1654), 77; sends fleet to new netherland, 79-82; war with holland (1672), 142-43; treaty (1674), 143-44; takes steps against buccaneers, 170 esopus, indian troubles at, 74, 79 evertsen, admiral cornells, 143 fenwick, land claimant in west jersey, 146 flatbush, 77 fletcher, colonel benjamin, governor of new york, 165; encourages piracy, 165-66; revenues under, 191 flushing, 77; religious toleration in, 86 food resources, 28 fordham manor, 140 _fortune_, the (ship), 18 francisco, john, one of the first negro slaves, 25 franklin, benjamin, at albany congress, 220 frederycke (fredericksen), kryn, 54 fur trade, 17, 18-19, 27, 41 gardiner's island, captain kidd at, 174 godyn, samuel, 36, 40 _good hope_, the (ship), 45-46 governor's island, 60 grant, mrs., of laggan, _memoirs of an american lady_, 48; on negro servitude in albany, 209; describes albany, 219-220 gravesend, 77 _griffin_, the (ship), 127 griffis, w. e., defends van twiller, 58-59 gustavus adolphus, 126 _half moon_, the (_halve maene_) (ship), anchors in new york harbor, 1-2; description of, 2-5; effect on indians, 4-5, 7-10; journeys up hudson, 10-12; homeward course, 13; hudson's cabin, 14; puts to sea, 15; replica, 16 hamilton, andrew, defends zenger, 200-05 harrison, francis, 196, 198 hartford, treaty of, 77 heckwelder, rev. john, moravian missionary, account of arrival of _half moon_, 7-9, 10 hempstead, 77 heyn, peter, 55 hill, rowland, quoted, 114 hobocan hackingh, 37 hoboken, 74 hodgson, robert, 85 holland, _see_ united netherlands holmes, sir robert, 168 horsmanden, judge, 217 housatonic river discovered, 135 hudson, captain henry, explores hudson river in _half moon_, 1-16; barters with indians, 4-5, 10; entertains indians, 4-5, 8-10, 13-14; at west point, 10-11; irving's description of, 12; fights with indians, 15; held at dartmouth, 17 hudson river, explored, 1-16; "the river of the steep hills," 11; called mauritius, 22, 23, 29, 132; commerce on, 28-29; overflows, 79; pirates on, 180 hughson, tavern-keeper, 213, 215-16 hunter, robert, governor of new york, 186; brings palatines to new york, 186-88; resigns, 189; quoted, 191 hutchiuson, anne, 65 huyck, jan, 90 indians, effect of _half moon_ on, 4-5, 7-10; attack colman, 6; friendly at west point, 10; on _half moon_, 13; attempt theft, 14-15; conflict with, 15, 62-66, 74-75; legal ceremony toward, 36; paid for lands, 37-38, 53; servants of minuit kill friendly indian, 55; kieft's troubles with, 62-66; attack new amsterdam, 74; as neighbors of dutch, 124-26; treaty signed on norman's kill, 125; friendship of the "six nations," 218; take warpath, 219; sir william johnson as friend of, 226-27 ingoldesby, major richard, 161, 185-86 irving, washington, _see_ knickerbocker, diedrich james, duke of york and albany, lord proprietor of new york, 137, 144-45; becomes king of england, 148 james, fort, 137, 143, 153; _see also_ amsterdam, fort; willem hendrick, fort jogues, isaac, jesuit missionary, describes rensselaerswyck, 40-41 johnson, sir william, at albany congress, 220; formulates indian policy, 221; born in ireland, 221; described by his uncle, 221; life, 222-24; home, 224-25; hospitality, 225-26; in french and indian war, 227; knighted, 227; appearance, 227-28; activities, 228; personal characteristics, 228-29 johnson, fort, 224, 228 joris, adriaen, 22 juet, robert, of limehouse, quoted, 2, 9 kalm, peter, describes courthouse at albany, 220 _key of kalmar_, the (ship), 127 kidd, captain william, 170-179 kieft, william, succeeds van twiller, 45; as governor of new netherland, 61-67; character, 61; activities, 61-62; relations with indians, 62-66; recalled (1647), 66; drowned, 66; kuyter and melyn against, 69; upheld by stuyvesant, 69; opposed by bogardus, 89-90; raises money for church, 92-93; letter to minuit, 127-128 knickerbocker, diedrich (irving), description of henry hudson, 12; description of van twiller, 58; quoted, 121-122 knight, sarah kemble, quoted, 206-07 krol, sebastian, 54, 56-57, 90 kuyter, jochem pietersen, 69 labor in new netherland, 27 leisler, jacob, 150; calls convention at fort james, 153; appointed "captain of the fort at new york...", 153; catholics and aristocracy oppose, 153-54; temporary victory, 154-55; assumes title of lieutenant-governor, 155; demands recognition, 155-56; calls convention to discuss defense, 156-57; controversy about, 157-60; refuses surrender of fort, 161-63; finally yields, 163; sentenced to death, 163-64; attainder removed, 164; bellomont causes reburial, 181-82 _little fox_, the (ship), 18 livingston, robert, 48, 154, 155, 170, 186, 196 livingston manor, 48 long island, so; dutch on, 22; english on, 78, 135-36; becomes county of yorkshire, 138 loockermans, govert, 45-46 lovelace, colonel francis, succeeds nicolls as governor of new york, 139-40; establishes first mail service, 140-42 lovelace, lord, governor of new york, 185 luyck, ã�gidius, 101 maasen, cornelis, 109 madagascar, meeting place for pirates and merchants, 168-169, 170; kidd reaches, 172 manhattan island, 29; hudson leaves, 10; settlers in, 22; purchased from indians, 25, 53; reserved for dutch west indian company, 33; surrendered to england, 80-82; life on, 103 "mannahattanik," 9 manors in new york, 32, 34-35, 47-49 mauritius, (hudson) river, 22, 23, 29, 132 maverick, samuel, 139 may, cornelis jacobsen, of hoorn, 22; first director-general of new netherland, 51 _meeuwken_, the (ship), 52 megapolensis, rev. johannes, jr., 40, 86, 87-88, 90, 109 melyn, cornelis, 39, 69 michaelius, domine jonas, 26, 88, 96-97, 109 middleburgh, 77 milborne, jacob, 155-56, 162, 163, 181-82 minuit, peter, director-general of new netherland, 25, 52; recalled (1632), 45, 56; buys manhattan island, 53; builds fort amsterdam, 54; preparations for war, 55; shipbuilding, 66; enters service of sweden, 56, 126-27; establishes swedish colony in delaware, 127-28 montgomerie, john, governor of new york, 195 moore, william, 172-73 morris, lewis, chief justice, 196, 197 motley, j. l., quoted, 30-31, 99 moussart, associate of van rensselaer, 40 murray, john, 212 myndertsen, myndert, 36 nanfan, john, lieutenant-governor of new york, 180 narragansett bay, 135 nassau, fort, 19 navesink heights, hudson passes, 1 neger, jan de, 35 negroes, plot of 1712, 210-11; alleged plots of 1741, 211-17; _see also_ slavery netherlands, _see_ united netherlands new amsterdam, established (1626), 25, 54; growth of, 29; "staple right" established at, 61; indian troubles at, 62-66, 74; municipal rights given to, 73; in stuyvesant's time, 75-76; fortification of, 77; church building in, 91-93; in seventeenth century, 102, 103; development of, 104-06; class distinction in, 107-08 (note); becomes new york, 137; _see also_ new york city new castle (del.), 130 new gottenburg, 129 new jersey, 65; granted to berkeley and carteret, 145-46; enters "the dominion of new england," 149 new netherland, dutch claim, 17; commerce, 18-19; new netherland company, 19-20; dutch west india company, 20-22, 30, 32, 33-34; colonization, 21-23; settlers, 23-24; supplies from holland, 24-25; slavery, 25-27; resources, 28; patroonship, 32-47; "privileges and exemptions," 33-35; english take possession of (1664), 47; small proprietors in, 49-50; demands made to states general, 72-73; convention to consider defense, 77-79; _the humble remonstrance_, 78; becomes new york, 82; religion in, 83-93; religious liberty in, 83-85; religious tyranny, 85-87; education, 93-101; burghers in, 102-22; pioneer living conditions, 103-04; fire protection, 104-05; public sanitation, 105; improvement in living conditions, 105-06; "great burghers," 107-08; dress, 108; children, 109-20; holidays, 114-18; christenings, 118; spirit of mystery, 120-21; neighbors, 123 _et seq._; relations with new sweden, 128-31; relations with english, 131-36; question of boundaries, 136; bibliography, 231-33; _see also_ new york _new netherland_, the (ship), 56 new netherland company, 19-20 _new netherland, the representation of_, 68, 70 new orange, 143 new sweden, established, 127-128; relations with dutch, 128-131 new york, government changed, 137-38; surrenders to dutch (1674), 143; name changed to new orange, 143; returned by treaty to english, 144; _charter of liberties and privileges_, 148; becomes royal province, 148; enters "the dominion of new england," 149; piracy, 165-79; _see also_ new netherland new york city, market for pirates, 168; becomes cosmopolitan, 206; in 1729, 206-07; public buildings, 207; luxury, 207-08; negro slaves, 208-17; bibliography, 231-33; _see also_ new amsterdam _new york weekly gazette_, 197 _new york weekly journal_, 197-198 nicholson, francis, lieutenant-governor of new york, 151-152, 157; leaves for england, 154; imprisons pirates, 168 nicolls, colonel richard, expedition against new netherland, 80-81; first english governor of new york, 137-138, 139, 144; warns against division of territory, 145 nicolls, william, 159 _nieu nederlandt_, the (ship), 22 _nightingale_, the (ship), 18 nooten (nut) island, old name for governor's island, 60 norman's kill, treaty with indians at, 125 nysen, wolf, 35 olfertsen treats with indians, 65 orange, fort, 39; established, 19; colonists, 23, 25, 40; supplies brought up hudson to, 29; in 1626-28, 54; stuyvesant's orders concerning, 71-72; strengthened, 77; town on hudson, 102; eelkens lands near, 134; becomes albany, 137; _see also_ albany oxenstiern conducts government of sweden, 126 oxford, earl of, 170 palatines in new york, 186-88 patroons, 32 _et seq._ pauw, michiel, 36-37, 39 pavonia, 39, 74 philipse, judge adolphe, 196, 199 philipse, frederick, 184 philipse manor, 47 pietersen, evert, 95 piracy, 165-79 portuguese, anthony, one of the first negro slaves, 25 postal service established, 140-42 _princess_, the (ship), 66 printz, johan, governor of new sweden, 128-29 quakers, pay indians for land, 37-38; stuyvesant's dealings with, 70, 85-86 _quedagh merchant_, the (ship), 172, 174, 177 rapaelje, sarah, 25, 109 raritan indians, 63 religion in new netherland, 83-93 rensselaer's stein (castle rensselaer), 45 rensselaerswyck, typical patroonship, 39; settlement, 39-41; life in, 41-46; library, 42; cost of living, 42-43; terms of leases, 43-44; hostility between patroon and tenants, 44; relation of patroon and company, 45; stuyvesant and, 71-72 roelantsen, adam, 94 romney, earl of, 170 rondout, 102 rysing, governor of new sweden, 130 _st. john_, the (slaver), 26 san salvador, victory of dutch over spanish off (1627), 55 schenectady, massacre at, 156 schoharie, palatines at, 188 schuyler, peter, 154, 155 schuyler estate near albany, 48-49 sewall, samuel, 168 shipbuilding at new amsterdam, 56 shrewsbury, duke of, 170 slavery, dutch introduce, 25-26; treatment of slaves in new netherland, 26-27; in new york, 208-09; ordinance regulating slaves (1684), 209-10; _see also_ negroes sleepy hollow, church at, 47-48 sloughter, colonel henry, governor of new york, 160, 161, 162, 163, 165, 191 smith, william, 197, 198-99 smits, claes, 63 somers, lord chancellor, 170 _soutbergh_, the (ship), 57 south (now delaware) river, 22, 51, 59 spain, truce with holland, 17, 30; plots against holland, 30; defeat by holland, 55 spuyten duyvil, 120 stanwix, fort, treaty of, 228 "staple right" at new amsterdam, 61 staten island, 36, 50, 63; purchased by pauw, 39; transferred to melyn, 39; indians attack, 74; becomes part of yorkshire, 138; dutch fleet off, 143 steenwyck, cornelis, 139 stevensen, jan, 95 stony point, _half moon_ becalmed at, 13 stuyvesant, 196 stuyvesant, petrus (pieter), made director-general, 45; appearance, 67; as director-general, 68; upholds kieft, 69; arraigned by burghers, 69; defense of, 69-70; character of, 70-71; contest with van slichtenhorst, 71-72; arbitrariness, 72; opposes local self-government, 72-73; treatment of indians, 74; warns company of lack of defense, 76; treatment of convention, 77-79; begs for reinforcements, 79; surrenders to english, 81-82; religious tyranny under, 85-87; builds fort casimir, 130; tries to settle boundary disputes, 136 swannendael, 36 sweden, plans expedition to new world, 126; entrance into thirty years' war, 126; establishes colony in america, 127-28 tarrytown, 47 tew, thomas, 166-67 thirty years' war, 83, 126 tienpont, associate of may, 61 _tiger_, the (ship), 18 trevor, captain of the _william_, 132 trinity church founded, 165 ulster refuses to send delegates to fort james, 153 united netherlands, gains foothold in america, 2, 17; colonists from, 22-29; relations with spain, 30, 55; character of people, 30-31; relations with england, 76-77, 79-82; takes possession of new york in 1674, 143; _see also_ new netherland usselinx, william, 126 van buren, a. h., cited, 23 (note) van cortlandt, stephanus, 154 van cortlandt manor, 47 van curler, arendt, 44 van dam, rip, 195-97 van der donck, adrian, 68, 72; _representation_, 68, 70 van dyck, hendrick, 74 van hoboocken, harmanus, 95; _reverential request_, 100 van rensselaer, jan, 43 van rensselaer, kiliaen, system of patroonship suggested by, 32-33; establishes rensselaerswyck, 39-40; born (1580), 59 (note) van rensselaer, maria, 59 (note) van slichtenhorst, brandt, 71 van tienhoven, cornelis, 69-70, 103 van twiller, wouter, governor of new netherland, 45, 56, 57-61; nephew of van rensselaer, 45, 59 (note); de vries's opinion of, 57; irving's description of, 58; griffis defends, 58-59; birth, 59 (note); lavish expenditure of, 59-60; eelkens incident, 59, 132-35; recalled, 60 van wassenaer, nicholas janszoon, account of shipment of live stock, 24; of colony under minuit, 52-53; of settlement of fort orange, 53-54 verhulst, william, director-general of new netherland (1625-1626), 51 verhulsten island, 51 verrazano visits hudson river region, 16 verstius (vestens), william, 95 walloons, 22, 97 warren, anne, mother of sir william johnson, 221 warren, captain peter, 221 warrensbush, 222 weckquaesgeecks, 55, 63-66 wendell, captain, 156 westchester, new englanders in, 138; becomes part of yorkshire, 138 west point, hudson reaches, 10 willem hendrick, fort, 143 william of orange and mary, sovereigns of england, 149 _et seq._ _william_, the (ship), 132, 133, 134, 135 wiltwyck, 23 wisenberg, catherine, wife of sir william johnson, 223 yorkshire, 138 zenger, john peter, apprentice to bradford, 193; collects subscription for playing organ, 193-94; publisher of _new york weekly journal_, 197; arrested for libel, 198; trial, 199-205 an outline of the plan of the chronicles of america the fifty titles of the series fall into eight topical sequences or groups, each with a dominant theme of its own-i. _the morning of america_ time: 1492-1763 the theme of the first sequence is the struggle of nations for the possession of the new world. the mariners of four european kingdoms--spain, portugal, france, and england--are intent upon the discovery of a new route to asia. they come upon the american continent which blocks the way. spain plants colonies in the south, lured by gold. france, in pursuit of the fur trade, plants colonies in the north. englishmen, in search of homes and of a wider freedom, occupy the atlantic seaboard. these englishmen come in time to need the land into which the french have penetrated by way of the st. lawrence and the great lakes, and a mighty struggle between the two nations takes place in the wilderness, ending in the expulsion of the french. this sequence comprises ten volumes: 1. the red man's continent, by ellsworth huntington 2. the spanish conquerors, by irving berdine richman 3. elizabethan sea-dogs, by william wood 4. crusaders of new france, by william bennett munro 5. pioneers of the old south, by mary johnston 6. the fathers of new england, by charles m. andrews 7. dutch and english on the hudson, by maud wilder goodwin 8. the quaker colonies, by sydney g. fisher 9. colonial folkways, by charles m. andrews 10. the conquest of new france, by george m. wrong ii. _the winning of independence_ time: 1763-1815 the french peril has passed, and the great territory between the alleghanies and the mississippi is now open to the englishmen on the seaboard, with no enemy to contest their right of way except the indian. but the question arises whether these englishmen in the new world shall submit to political dictation from the king and parliament of england. to decide this question the war of the revolution is fought; the union is born: and the second war with england follows. seven volumes: 11. the eve of the revolution, by carl becker 12. washington and his comrades in arms, by george m. wrong 13. the fathers of the constitution, by max farrand 14. washington and his colleagues, by henry jones ford 15. jefferson and his colleagues, by allen johnson 16. john marshall and the constitution, by edward s. corwin 17. the fight for a free sea, by ralph d. paine iii. _the vision of the west_ time: 1750-1890 the theme of the third sequence is the american frontier--the conquest of the continent from the alleghanies to the pacific ocean. the story covers nearly a century and a half, from the first crossing of the alleghanies by the backwoodsmen of pennsylvania, virginia, and the carolinas (about 1750) to the heyday of the cowboy on the great plains in the latter part of the nineteenth century. this is the marvelous tale of the greatest migrations in history, told in nine volumes as follows: 18. pioneers of the old southwest, by constance lindsay skinner 19. the old northwest, by frederic austin ogg 20. the reign of andrew jackson, by frederic austin ogg 21. the paths of inland commerce, by archer b. hulbert 22. adventurers of oregon, by constance lindsay skinner 23. the spanish borderlands, by herbert e. bolton 24. texas and the mexican war, by nathaniel w. stephenson 25. the forty-niners, by stewart edward white 26. the passing of the frontier, by emerson hough iv. _the storm of secession_ time: 1830-1876 the curtain rises on the gathering storm of secession. the theme of the fourth sequence is the preservation of the union, which carries with it the extermination of slavery. six volumes as follows: 27. the cotton kingdom, by william e. dodd 28. the anti-slavery crusade, by jesse macy 29. abraham lincoln and the union, by nathaniel w. stephenson 30. the day of the confederacy, by nathaniel w. stephenson 31. captains of the civil war, by william wood 32. the sequel of appomattox, by walter lynwood fleming v. _the intellectual life_ two volumes follow on the higher national life, telling of the nation's great teachers and interpreters: 33. the american spirit in education, by edwin e. slosson 34. the american spirit in literature, by bliss perry vi. _the epic of commerce and industry_ the sixth sequence is devoted to the romance of industry and business, and the dominant theme is the transformation caused by the inflow of immigrants and the development and utilization of mechanics on a great scale. the long age of muscular power has passed, and the era of mechanical power has brought with it a new kind of civilization. eight volumes: 35. our foreigners, by samuel p. orth 36. the old merchant marine, by ralph d. paine 37. the age of invention, by holland thompson 38. the railroad builders, by john moody 39. the age of big business, by burton j. hendrick 40. the armies of labor, by samuel p. orth 41. the masters of capital, by john moody 42. the new south, by holland thompson vii. _the era of world power_ the seventh sequence carries on the story of government and diplomacy and political expansion from the reconstruction (1876) to the present day, in six volumes: 43. the boss and the machine, by samuel p. orth 44. the cleveland era, by henry jones ford 45. the agrarian crusade, by solon j. buck 46. the path of empire, by carl russell fish 47. theodore roosevelt and his times, by harold howland 48. woodrow wilson and the world war, by charles seymour viii. _our neighbors_ now to round out the story of the continent, the hispanic peoples on the south and the canadians on the north are taken up where they were dropped further back in the series, and these peoples are followed down to the present day: 49. the canadian dominion, by oscar d. skelton 50. the hispanic nations of the new world, by william r. shepherd _the chronicles of america_ is thus a great synthesis, giving a new projection and a new interpretation of american history. these narratives are works of real scholarship, for every one is written after an exhaustive examination of the sources. many of them contain new facts; some of them--such as those by howland, seymour, and hough--are founded on intimate personal knowledge. but the originality of the series lies, not chiefly in new facts, but rather in new ideas and new combinations of old facts. the general editor of the series is dr. allen johnson, chairman of the department of history of yale university, and the entire work has been planned, prepared, and published under the control of the council's committee on publications of yale university. yale university press 143 elm street, new haven 522 fifth avenue, new york transcribed from the 1915 t. fisher unwin ltd. edition by david price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk almayer's folly: a story of an eastern river by joseph conrad qui de nous n'a eu sa terre promise, son jour d'extase et sa fin en exil?--amiel. _london_: t. fisher unwin, ltd. adelphi terrace _first edition_ . . . 1895 _second impression_, 1907 _third_ ,, 1914 _fourth_ ,, 1915 to the memory of t. b. chapter i. "kaspar! makan!" the well-known shrill voice startled almayer from his dream of splendid future into the unpleasant realities of the present hour. an unpleasant voice too. he had heard it for many years, and with every year he liked it less. no matter; there would be an end to all this soon. he shuffled uneasily, but took no further notice of the call. leaning with both his elbows on the balustrade of the verandah, he went on looking fixedly at the great river that flowed--indifferent and hurried--before his eyes. he liked to look at it about the time of sunset; perhaps because at that time the sinking sun would spread a glowing gold tinge on the waters of the pantai, and almayer's thoughts were often busy with gold; gold he had failed to secure; gold the others had secured--dishonestly, of course--or gold he meant to secure yet, through his own honest exertions, for himself and nina. he absorbed himself in his dream of wealth and power away from this coast where he had dwelt for so many years, forgetting the bitterness of toil and strife in the vision of a great and splendid reward. they would live in europe, he and his daughter. they would be rich and respected. nobody would think of her mixed blood in the presence of her great beauty and of his immense wealth. witnessing her triumphs he would grow young again, he would forget the twenty-five years of heart-breaking struggle on this coast where he felt like a prisoner. all this was nearly within his reach. let only dain return! and return soon he must--in his own interest, for his own share. he was now more than a week late! perhaps he would return to-night. such were almayer's thoughts as, standing on the verandah of his new but already decaying house--that last failure of his life--he looked on the broad river. there was no tinge of gold on it this evening, for it had been swollen by the rains, and rolled an angry and muddy flood under his inattentive eyes, carrying small drift-wood and big dead logs, and whole uprooted trees with branches and foliage, amongst which the water swirled and roared angrily. one of those drifting trees grounded on the shelving shore, just by the house, and almayer, neglecting his dream, watched it with languid interest. the tree swung slowly round, amid the hiss and foam of the water, and soon getting free of the obstruction began to move down stream again, rolling slowly over, raising upwards a long, denuded branch, like a hand lifted in mute appeal to heaven against the river's brutal and unnecessary violence. almayer's interest in the fate of that tree increased rapidly. he leaned over to see if it would clear the low point below. it did; then he drew back, thinking that now its course was free down to the sea, and he envied the lot of that inanimate thing now growing small and indistinct in the deepening darkness. as he lost sight of it altogether he began to wonder how far out to sea it would drift. would the current carry it north or south? south, probably, till it drifted in sight of celebes, as far as macassar, perhaps! macassar! almayer's quickened fancy distanced the tree on its imaginary voyage, but his memory lagging behind some twenty years or more in point of time saw a young and slim almayer, clad all in white and modest-looking, landing from the dutch mail-boat on the dusty jetty of macassar, coming to woo fortune in the godowns of old hudig. it was an important epoch in his life, the beginning of a new existence for him. his father, a subordinate official employed in the botanical gardens of buitenzorg, was no doubt delighted to place his son in such a firm. the young man himself too was nothing loth to leave the poisonous shores of java, and the meagre comforts of the parental bungalow, where the father grumbled all day at the stupidity of native gardeners, and the mother from the depths of her long easy-chair bewailed the lost glories of amsterdam, where she had been brought up, and of her position as the daughter of a cigar dealer there. almayer had left his home with a light heart and a lighter pocket, speaking english well, and strong in arithmetic; ready to conquer the world, never doubting that he would. after those twenty years, standing in the close and stifling heat of a bornean evening, he recalled with pleasurable regret the image of hudig's lofty and cool warehouses with their long and straight avenues of gin cases and bales of manchester goods; the big door swinging noiselessly; the dim light of the place, so delightful after the glare of the streets; the little railed-off spaces amongst piles of merchandise where the chinese clerks, neat, cool, and sad-eyed, wrote rapidly and in silence amidst the din of the working gangs rolling casks or shifting cases to a muttered song, ending with a desperate yell. at the upper end, facing the great door, there was a larger space railed off, well lighted; there the noise was subdued by distance, and above it rose the soft and continuous clink of silver guilders which other discreet chinamen were counting and piling up under the supervision of mr. vinck, the cashier, the genius presiding in the place--the right hand of the master. in that clear space almayer worked at his table not far from a little green painted door, by which always stood a malay in a red sash and turban, and whose hand, holding a small string dangling from above, moved up and down with the regularity of a machine. the string worked a punkah on the other side of the green door, where the so-called private office was, and where old hudig--the master--sat enthroned, holding noisy receptions. sometimes the little door would fly open disclosing to the outer world, through the bluish haze of tobacco smoke, a long table loaded with bottles of various shapes and tall water-pitchers, rattan easy-chairs occupied by noisy men in sprawling attitudes, while the master would put his head through and, holding by the handle, would grunt confidentially to vinck; perhaps send an order thundering down the warehouse, or spy a hesitating stranger and greet him with a friendly roar, "welgome, gapitan! ver' you gome vrom? bali, eh? got bonies? i vant bonies! vant all you got; ha! ha! ha! gome in!" then the stranger was dragged in, in a tempest of yells, the door was shut, and the usual noises refilled the place; the song of the workmen, the rumble of barrels, the scratch of rapid pens; while above all rose the musical chink of broad silver pieces streaming ceaselessly through the yellow fingers of the attentive chinamen. at that time macassar was teeming with life and commerce. it was the point in the islands where tended all those bold spirits who, fitting out schooners on the australian coast, invaded the malay archipelago in search of money and adventure. bold, reckless, keen in business, not disinclined for a brush with the pirates that were to be found on many a coast as yet, making money fast, they used to have a general "rendezvous" in the bay for purposes of trade and dissipation. the dutch merchants called those men english pedlars; some of them were undoubtedly gentlemen for whom that kind of life had a charm; most were seamen; the acknowledged king of them all was tom lingard, he whom the malays, honest or dishonest, quiet fishermen or desperate cut-throats, recognised as "the rajah-laut"--the king of the sea. almayer had heard of him before he had been three days in macassar, had heard the stories of his smart business transactions, his loves, and also of his desperate fights with the sulu pirates, together with the romantic tale of some child--a girl--found in a piratical prau by the victorious lingard, when, after a long contest, he boarded the craft, driving the crew overboard. this girl, it was generally known, lingard had adopted, was having her educated in some convent in java, and spoke of her as "my daughter." he had sworn a mighty oath to marry her to a white man before he went home and to leave her all his money. "and captain lingard has lots of money," would say mr. vinck solemnly, with his head on one side, "lots of money; more than hudig!" and after a pause--just to let his hearers recover from their astonishment at such an incredible assertion--he would add in an explanatory whisper, "you know, he has discovered a river." that was it! he had discovered a river! that was the fact placing old lingard so much above the common crowd of sea-going adventurers who traded with hudig in the daytime and drank champagne, gambled, sang noisy songs, and made love to half-caste girls under the broad verandah of the sunda hotel at night. into that river, whose entrances himself only knew, lingard used to take his assorted cargo of manchester goods, brass gongs, rifles and gunpowder. his brig _flash_, which he commanded himself, would on those occasions disappear quietly during the night from the roadstead while his companions were sleeping off the effects of the midnight carouse, lingard seeing them drunk under the table before going on board, himself unaffected by any amount of liquor. many tried to follow him and find that land of plenty for gutta-percha and rattans, pearl shells and birds' nests, wax and gum-dammar, but the little _flash_ could outsail every craft in those seas. a few of them came to grief on hidden sandbanks and coral reefs, losing their all and barely escaping with life from the cruel grip of this sunny and smiling sea; others got discouraged; and for many years the green and peaceful-looking islands guarding the entrances to the promised land kept their secret with all the merciless serenity of tropical nature. and so lingard came and went on his secret or open expeditions, becoming a hero in almayer's eyes by the boldness and enormous profits of his ventures, seeming to almayer a very great man indeed as he saw him marching up the warehouse, grunting a "how are you?" to vinck, or greeting hudig, the master, with a boisterous "hallo, old pirate! alive yet?" as a preliminary to transacting business behind the little green door. often of an evening, in the silence of the then deserted warehouse, almayer putting away his papers before driving home with mr. vinck, in whose household he lived, would pause listening to the noise of a hot discussion in the private office, would hear the deep and monotonous growl of the master, and the roared-out interruptions of lingard--two mastiffs fighting over a marrowy bone. but to almayer's ears it sounded like a quarrel of titans--a battle of the gods. after a year or so lingard, having been brought often in contact with almayer in the course of business, took a sudden and, to the onlookers, a rather inexplicable fancy to the young man. he sang his praises, late at night, over a convivial glass to his cronies in the sunda hotel, and one fine morning electrified vinck by declaring that he must have "that young fellow for a supercargo. kind of captain's clerk. do all my quill-driving for me." hudig consented. almayer, with youth's natural craving for change, was nothing loth, and packing his few belongings, started in the _flash_ on one of those long cruises when the old seaman was wont to visit almost every island in the archipelago. months slipped by, and lingard's friendship seemed to increase. often pacing the deck with almayer, when the faint night breeze, heavy with aromatic exhalations of the islands, shoved the brig gently along under the peaceful and sparkling sky, did the old seaman open his heart to his entranced listener. he spoke of his past life, of escaped dangers, of big profits in his trade, of new combinations that were in the future to bring profits bigger still. often he had mentioned his daughter, the girl found in the pirate prau, speaking of her with a strange assumption of fatherly tenderness. "she must be a big girl now," he used to say. "it's nigh unto four years since i have seen her! damme, almayer, if i don't think we will run into sourabaya this trip." and after such a declaration he always dived into his cabin muttering to himself, "something must be done--must be done." more than once he would astonish almayer by walking up to him rapidly, clearing his throat with a powerful "hem!" as if he was going to say something, and then turning abruptly away to lean over the bulwarks in silence, and watch, motionless, for hours, the gleam and sparkle of the phosphorescent sea along the ship's side. it was the night before arriving in sourabaya when one of those attempts at confidential communication succeeded. after clearing his throat he spoke. he spoke to some purpose. he wanted almayer to marry his adopted daughter. "and don't you kick because you're white!" he shouted, suddenly, not giving the surprised young man the time to say a word. "none of that with me! nobody will see the colour of your wife's skin. the dollars are too thick for that, i tell you! and mind you, they will be thicker yet before i die. there will be millions, kaspar! millions i say! and all for her--and for you, if you do what you are told." startled by the unexpected proposal, almayer hesitated, and remained silent for a minute. he was gifted with a strong and active imagination, and in that short space of time he saw, as in a flash of dazzling light, great piles of shining guilders, and realised all the possibilities of an opulent existence. the consideration, the indolent ease of life--for which he felt himself so well fitted--his ships, his warehouses, his merchandise (old lingard would not live for ever), and, crowning all, in the far future gleamed like a fairy palace the big mansion in amsterdam, that earthly paradise of his dreams, where, made king amongst men by old lingard's money, he would pass the evening of his days in inexpressible splendour. as to the other side of the picture--the companionship for life of a malay girl, that legacy of a boatful of pirates--there was only within him a confused consciousness of shame that he a white man--still, a convent education of four years!--and then she may mercifully die. he was always lucky, and money is powerful! go through it. why not? he had a vague idea of shutting her up somewhere, anywhere, out of his gorgeous future. easy enough to dispose of a malay woman, a slave, after all, to his eastern mind, convent or no convent, ceremony or no ceremony. he lifted his head and confronted the anxious yet irate seaman. "i--of course--anything you wish, captain lingard." "call me father, my boy. she does," said the mollified old adventurer. "damme, though, if i didn't think you were going to refuse. mind you, kaspar, i always get my way, so it would have been no use. but you are no fool." he remembered well that time--the look, the accent, the words, the effect they produced on him, his very surroundings. he remembered the narrow slanting deck of the brig, the silent sleeping coast, the smooth black surface of the sea with a great bar of gold laid on it by the rising moon. he remembered it all, and he remembered his feelings of mad exultation at the thought of that fortune thrown into his hands. he was no fool then, and he was no fool now. circumstances had been against him; the fortune was gone, but hope remained. he shivered in the night air, and suddenly became aware of the intense darkness which, on the sun's departure, had closed in upon the river, blotting out the outlines of the opposite shore. only the fire of dry branches lit outside the stockade of the rajah's compound called fitfully into view the ragged trunks of the surrounding trees, putting a stain of glowing red half-way across the river where the drifting logs were hurrying towards the sea through the impenetrable gloom. he had a hazy recollection of having been called some time during the evening by his wife. to his dinner probably. but a man busy contemplating the wreckage of his past in the dawn of new hopes cannot be hungry whenever his rice is ready. time he went home, though; it was getting late. he stepped cautiously on the loose planks towards the ladder. a lizard, disturbed by the noise, emitted a plaintive note and scurried through the long grass growing on the bank. almayer descended the ladder carefully, now thoroughly recalled to the realities of life by the care necessary to prevent a fall on the uneven ground where the stones, decaying planks, and half-sawn beams were piled up in inextricable confusion. as he turned towards the house where he lived--"my old house" he called it--his ear detected the splash of paddles away in the darkness of the river. he stood still in the path, attentive and surprised at anybody being on the river at this late hour during such a heavy freshet. now he could hear the paddles distinctly, and even a rapidly exchanged word in low tones, the heavy breathing of men fighting with the current, and hugging the bank on which he stood. quite close, too, but it was too dark to distinguish anything under the overhanging bushes. "arabs, no doubt," muttered almayer to himself, peering into the solid blackness. "what are they up to now? some of abdulla's business; curse him!" the boat was very close now. "oh, ya! man!" hailed almayer. the sound of voices ceased, but the paddles worked as furiously as before. then the bush in front of almayer shook, and the sharp sound of the paddles falling into the canoe rang in the quiet night. they were holding on to the bush now; but almayer could hardly make out an indistinct dark shape of a man's head and shoulders above the bank. "you abdulla?" said almayer, doubtfully. a grave voice answered-"tuan almayer is speaking to a friend. there is no arab here." almayer's heart gave a great leap. "dain!" he exclaimed. "at last! at last! i have been waiting for you every day and every night. i had nearly given you up." "nothing could have stopped me from coming back here," said the other, almost violently. "not even death," he whispered to himself. "this is a friend's talk, and is very good," said almayer, heartily. "but you are too far here. drop down to the jetty and let your men cook their rice in my campong while we talk in the house." there was no answer to that invitation. "what is it?" asked almayer, uneasily. "there is nothing wrong with the brig, i hope?" "the brig is where no orang blanda can lay his hands on her," said dain, with a gloomy tone in his voice, which almayer, in his elation, failed to notice. "right," he said. "but where are all your men? there are only two with you." "listen, tuan almayer," said dain. "to-morrow's sun shall see me in your house, and then we will talk. now i must go to the rajah." "to the rajah! why? what do you want with lakamba?" "tuan, to-morrow we talk like friends. i must see lakamba to-night." "dain, you are not going to abandon me now, when all is ready?" asked almayer, in a pleading voice. "have i not returned? but i must see lakamba first for your good and mine." the shadowy head disappeared abruptly. the bush, released from the grasp of the bowman, sprung back with a swish, scattering a shower of muddy water over almayer, as he bent forward, trying to see. in a little while the canoe shot into the streak of light that streamed on the river from the big fire on the opposite shore, disclosing the outline of two men bending to their work, and a third figure in the stern flourishing the steering paddle, his head covered with an enormous round hat, like a fantastically exaggerated mushroom. almayer watched the canoe till it passed out of the line of light. shortly after the murmur of many voices reached him across the water. he could see the torches being snatched out of the burning pile, and rendering visible for a moment the gate in the stockade round which they crowded. then they went in apparently. the torches disappeared, and the scattered fire sent out only a dim and fitful glare. almayer stepped homewards with long strides and mind uneasy. surely dain was not thinking of playing him false. it was absurd. dain and lakamba were both too much interested in the success of his scheme. trusting to malays was poor work; but then even malays have some sense and understand their own interest. all would be well--must be well. at this point in his meditation he found himself at the foot of the steps leading to the verandah of his home. from the low point of land where he stood he could see both branches of the river. the main branch of the pantai was lost in complete darkness, for the fire at the rajah's had gone out altogether; but up the sambir reach his eye could follow the long line of malay houses crowding the bank, with here and there a dim light twinkling through bamboo walls, or a smoky torch burning on the platforms built out over the river. further away, where the island ended in a low cliff, rose a dark mass of buildings towering above the malay structures. founded solidly on a firm ground with plenty of space, starred by many lights burning strong and white, with a suggestion of paraffin and lampglasses, stood the house and the godowns of abdulla bin selim, the great trader of sambir. to almayer the sight was very distasteful, and he shook his fist towards the buildings that in their evident prosperity looked to him cold and insolent, and contemptuous of his own fallen fortunes. he mounted the steps of his house slowly. in the middle of the verandah there was a round table. on it a paraffin lamp without a globe shed a hard glare on the three inner sides. the fourth side was open, and faced the river. between the rough supports of the high-pitched roof hung torn rattan screens. there was no ceiling, and the harsh brilliance of the lamp was toned above into a soft halflight that lost itself in the obscurity amongst the rafters. the front wall was cut in two by the doorway of a central passage closed by a red curtain. the women's room opened into that passage, which led to the back courtyard and to the cooking shed. in one of the side walls there was a doorway. half obliterated words--"office: lingard and co."--were still legible on the dusty door, which looked as if it had not been opened for a very long time. close to the other side wall stood a bentwood rocking-chair, and by the table and about the verandah four wooden armchairs straggled forlornly, as if ashamed of their shabby surroundings. a heap of common mats lay in one corner, with an old hammock slung diagonally above. in the other corner, his head wrapped in a piece of red calico, huddled into a shapeless heap, slept a malay, one of almayer's domestic slaves--"my own people," he used to call them. a numerous and representative assembly of moths were holding high revels round the lamp to the spirited music of swarming mosquitoes. under the palm-leaf thatch lizards raced on the beams calling softly. a monkey, chained to one of the verandah supports--retired for the night under the eaves--peered and grinned at almayer, as it swung to one of the bamboo roof sticks and caused a shower of dust and bits of dried leaves to settle on the shabby table. the floor was uneven, with many withered plants and dried earth scattered about. a general air of squalid neglect pervaded the place. great red stains on the floor and walls testified to frequent and indiscriminate betel-nut chewing. the light breeze from the river swayed gently the tattered blinds, sending from the woods opposite a faint and sickly perfume as of decaying flowers. under almayer's heavy tread the boards of the verandah creaked loudly. the sleeper in the corner moved uneasily, muttering indistinct words. there was a slight rustle behind the curtained doorway, and a soft voice asked in malay, "is it you, father?" "yes, nina. i am hungry. is everybody asleep in this house?" almayer spoke jovially and dropped with a contented sigh into the armchair nearest to the table. nina almayer came through the curtained doorway followed by an old malay woman, who busied herself in setting upon the table a plateful of rice and fish, a jar of water, and a bottle half full of genever. after carefully placing before her master a cracked glass tumbler and a tin spoon she went away noiselessly. nina stood by the table, one hand lightly resting on its edge, the other hanging listlessly by her side. her face turned towards the outer darkness, through which her dreamy eyes seemed to see some entrancing picture, wore a look of impatient expectancy. she was tall for a halfcaste, with the correct profile of the father, modified and strengthened by the squareness of the lower part of the face inherited from her maternal ancestors--the sulu pirates. her firm mouth, with the lips slightly parted and disclosing a gleam of white teeth, put a vague suggestion of ferocity into the impatient expression of her features. and yet her dark and perfect eyes had all the tender softness of expression common to malay women, but with a gleam of superior intelligence; they looked gravely, wide open and steady, as if facing something invisible to all other eyes, while she stood there all in white, straight, flexible, graceful, unconscious of herself, her low but broad forehead crowned with a shining mass of long black hair that fell in heavy tresses over her shoulders, and made her pale olive complexion look paler still by the contrast of its coal-black hue. almayer attacked his rice greedily, but after a few mouthfuls he paused, spoon in hand, and looked at his daughter curiously. "did you hear a boat pass about half an hour ago nina?" he asked. the girl gave him a quick glance, and moving away from the light stood with her back to the table. "no," she said, slowly. "there was a boat. at last! dain himself; and he went on to lakamba. i know it, for he told me so. i spoke to him, but he would not come here to-night. will come to-morrow, he said." he swallowed another spoonful, then said-"i am almost happy to-night, nina. i can see the end of a long road, and it leads us away from this miserable swamp. we shall soon get away from here, i and you, my dear little girl, and then--" he rose from the table and stood looking fixedly before him as if contemplating some enchanting vision. "and then," he went on, "we shall be happy, you and i. live rich and respected far from here, and forget this life, and all this struggle, and all this misery!" he approached his daughter and passed his hand caressingly over her hair. "it is bad to have to trust a malay," he said, "but i must own that this dain is a perfect gentleman--a perfect gentleman," he repeated. "did you ask him to come here, father?" inquired nina, not looking at him. "well, of course. we shall start on the day after to-morrow," said almayer, joyously. "we must not lose any time. are you glad, little girl?" she was nearly as tall as himself, but he liked to recall the time when she was little and they were all in all to each other. "i am glad," she said, very low. "of course," said almayer, vivaciously, "you cannot imagine what is before you. i myself have not been to europe, but i have heard my mother talk so often that i seem to know all about it. we shall live a--a glorious life. you shall see." again he stood silent by his daughter's side looking at that enchanting vision. after a while he shook his clenched hand towards the sleeping settlement. "ah! my friend abdulla," he cried, "we shall see who will have the best of it after all these years!" he looked up the river and remarked calmly: "another thunderstorm. well! no thunder will keep me awake to-night, i know! good-night, little girl," he whispered, tenderly kissing her cheek. "you do not seem to be very happy to-night, but to-morrow you will show a brighter face. eh?" nina had listened to her father with her face unmoved, with her half-closed eyes still gazing into the night now made more intense by a heavy thunder-cloud that had crept down from the hills blotting out the stars, merging sky, forest, and river into one mass of almost palpable blackness. the faint breeze had died out, but the distant rumble of thunder and pale flashes of lightning gave warning of the approaching storm. with a sigh the girl turned towards the table. almayer was in his hammock now, already half asleep. "take the lamp, nina," he muttered, drowsily. "this place is full of mosquitoes. go to sleep, daughter." but nina put the lamp out and turned back again towards the balustrade of the verandah, standing with her arm round the wooden support and looking eagerly towards the pantai reach. and motionless there in the oppressive calm of the tropical night she could see at each flash of lightning the forest lining both banks up the river, bending before the furious blast of the coming tempest, the upper reach of the river whipped into white foam by the wind, and the black clouds torn into fantastic shapes trailing low over the swaying trees. round her all was as yet stillness and peace, but she could hear afar off the roar of the wind, the hiss of heavy rain, the wash of the waves on the tormented river. it came nearer and nearer, with loud thunder-claps and long flashes of vivid lightning, followed by short periods of appalling blackness. when the storm reached the low point dividing the river, the house shook in the wind, and the rain pattered loudly on the palm-leaf roof, the thunder spoke in one prolonged roll, and the incessant lightning disclosed a turmoil of leaping waters, driving logs, and the big trees bending before a brutal and merciless force. undisturbed by the nightly event of the rainy monsoon, the father slept quietly, oblivious alike of his hopes, his misfortunes, his friends, and his enemies; and the daughter stood motionless, at each flash of lightning eagerly scanning the broad river with a steady and anxious gaze. chapter ii. when, in compliance with lingard's abrupt demand, almayer consented to wed the malay girl, no one knew that on the day when the interesting young convert had lost all her natural relations and found a white father, she had been fighting desperately like the rest of them on board the prau, and was only prevented from leaping overboard, like the few other survivors, by a severe wound in the leg. there, on the fore-deck of the prau, old lingard found her under a heap of dead and dying pirates, and had her carried on the poop of the _flash_ before the malay craft was set on fire and sent adrift. she was conscious, and in the great peace and stillness of the tropical evening succeeding the turmoil of the battle, she watched all she held dear on earth after her own savage manner, drift away into the gloom in a great roar of flame and smoke. she lay there unheeding the careful hands attending to her wound, silent and absorbed in gazing at the funeral pile of those brave men she had so much admired and so well helped in their contest with the redoubtable "rajah-laut." * * * * * the light night breeze fanned the brig gently to the southward, and the great blaze of light got smaller and smaller till it twinkled only on the horizon like a setting star. it set: the heavy canopy of smoke reflected the glare of hidden flames for a short time and then disappeared also. she realised that with this vanishing gleam her old life departed too. thenceforth there was slavery in the far countries, amongst strangers, in unknown and perhaps terrible surroundings. being fourteen years old, she realised her position and came to that conclusion, the only one possible to a malay girl, soon ripened under a tropical sun, and not unaware of her personal charms, of which she heard many a young brave warrior of her father's crew express an appreciative admiration. there was in her the dread of the unknown; otherwise she accepted her position calmly, after the manner of her people, and even considered it quite natural; for was she not a daughter of warriors, conquered in battle, and did she not belong rightfully to the victorious rajah? even the evident kindness of the terrible old man must spring, she thought, from admiration for his captive, and the flattered vanity eased for her the pangs of sorrow after such an awful calamity. perhaps had she known of the high walls, the quiet gardens, and the silent nuns of the samarang convent, where her destiny was leading her, she would have sought death in her dread and hate of such a restraint. but in imagination she pictured to herself the usual life of a malay girl--the usual succession of heavy work and fierce love, of intrigues, gold ornaments, of domestic drudgery, and of that great but occult influence which is one of the few rights of half-savage womankind. but her destiny in the rough hands of the old sea-dog, acting under unreasoning impulses of the heart, took a strange and to her a terrible shape. she bore it all--the restraint and the teaching and the new faith--with calm submission, concealing her hate and contempt for all that new life. she learned the language very easily, yet understood but little of the new faith the good sisters taught her, assimilating quickly only the superstitious elements of the religion. she called lingard father, gently and caressingly, at each of his short and noisy visits, under the clear impression that he was a great and dangerous power it was good to propitiate. was he not now her master? and during those long four years she nourished a hope of finding favour in his eyes and ultimately becoming his wife, counsellor, and guide. those dreams of the future were dispelled by the rajah laut's "fiat," which made almayer's fortune, as that young man fondly hoped. and dressed in the hateful finery of europe, the centre of an interested circle of batavian society, the young convert stood before the altar with an unknown and sulky-looking white man. for almayer was uneasy, a little disgusted, and greatly inclined to run away. a judicious fear of the adopted father-in-law and a just regard for his own material welfare prevented him from making a scandal; yet, while swearing fidelity, he was concocting plans for getting rid of the pretty malay girl in a more or less distant future. she, however, had retained enough of conventual teaching to understand well that according to white men's laws she was going to be almayer's companion and not his slave, and promised to herself to act accordingly. so when the _flash_ freighted with materials for building a new house left the harbour of batavia, taking away the young couple into the unknown borneo, she did not carry on her deck so much love and happiness as old lingard was wont to boast of before his casual friends in the verandahs of various hotels. the old seaman himself was perfectly happy. now he had done his duty by the girl. "you know i made her an orphan," he often concluded solemnly, when talking about his own affairs to a scratch audience of shore loafers--as it was his habit to do. and the approbative shouts of his half-intoxicated auditors filled his simple soul with delight and pride. "i carry everything right through," was another of his sayings, and in pursuance of that principle he pushed the building of house and godowns on the pantai river with feverish haste. the house for the young couple; the godowns for the big trade almayer was going to develop while he (lingard) would be able to give himself up to some mysterious work which was only spoken of in hints, but was understood to relate to gold and diamonds in the interior of the island. almayer was impatient too. had he known what was before him he might not have been so eager and full of hope as he stood watching the last canoe of the lingard expedition disappear in the bend up the river. when, turning round, he beheld the pretty little house, the big godowns built neatly by an army of chinese carpenters, the new jetty round which were clustered the trading canoes, he felt a sudden elation in the thought that the world was his. but the world had to be conquered first, and its conquest was not so easy as he thought. he was very soon made to understand that he was not wanted in that corner of it where old lingard and his own weak will placed him, in the midst of unscrupulous intrigues and of a fierce trade competition. the arabs had found out the river, had established a trading post in sambir, and where they traded they would be masters and suffer no rival. lingard returned unsuccessful from his first expedition, and departed again spending all the profits of the legitimate trade on his mysterious journeys. almayer struggled with the difficulties of his position, friendless and unaided, save for the protection given to him for lingard's sake by the old rajah, the predecessor of lakamba. lakamba himself, then living as a private individual on a rice clearing, seven miles down the river, exercised all his influence towards the help of the white man's enemies, plotting against the old rajah and almayer with a certainty of combination, pointing clearly to a profound knowledge of their most secret affairs. outwardly friendly, his portly form was often to be seen on almayer's verandah; his green turban and gold-embroidered jacket shone in the front rank of the decorous throng of malays coming to greet lingard on his returns from the interior; his salaams were of the lowest, and his handshakings of the heartiest, when welcoming the old trader. but his small eyes took in the signs of the times, and he departed from those interviews with a satisfied and furtive smile to hold long consultations with his friend and ally, syed abdulla, the chief of the arab trading post, a man of great wealth and of great influence in the islands. it was currently believed at that time in the settlement that lakamba's visits to almayer's house were not limited to those official interviews. often on moonlight nights the belated fishermen of sambira saw a small canoe shooting out from the narrow creek at the back of the white man's house, and the solitary occupant paddle cautiously down the river in the deep shadows of the bank; and those events, duly reported, were discussed round the evening fires far into the night with the cynicism of expression common to aristocratic malays, and with a malicious pleasure in the domestic misfortunes of the orang blando--the hated dutchman. almayer went on struggling desperately, but with a feebleness of purpose depriving him of all chance of success against men so unscrupulous and resolute as his rivals the arabs. the trade fell away from the large godowns, and the godowns themselves rotted piecemeal. the old man's banker, hudig of macassar, failed, and with this went the whole available capital. the profits of past years had been swallowed up in lingard's exploring craze. lingard was in the interior--perhaps dead--at all events giving no sign of life. almayer stood alone in the midst of those adverse circumstances, deriving only a little comfort from the companionship of his little daughter, born two years after the marriage, and at the time some six years old. his wife had soon commenced to treat him with a savage contempt expressed by sulky silence, only occasionally varied by a flood of savage invective. he felt she hated him, and saw her jealous eyes watching himself and the child with almost an expression of hate. she was jealous of the little girl's evident preference for the father, and almayer felt he was not safe with that woman in the house. while she was burning the furniture, and tearing down the pretty curtains in her unreasoning hate of those signs of civilisation, almayer, cowed by these outbursts of savage nature, meditated in silence on the best way of getting rid of her. he thought of everything; even planned murder in an undecided and feeble sort of way, but dared do nothing--expecting every day the return of lingard with news of some immense good fortune. he returned indeed, but aged, ill, a ghost of his former self, with the fire of fever burning in his sunken eyes, almost the only survivor of the numerous expedition. but he was successful at last! untold riches were in his grasp; he wanted more money--only a little more torealise a dream of fabulous fortune. and hudig had failed! almayer scraped all he could together, but the old man wanted more. if almayer could not get it he would go to singapore--to europe even, but before all to singapore; and he would take the little nina with him. the child must be brought up decently. he had good friends in singapore who would take care of her and have her taught properly. all would be well, and that girl, upon whom the old seaman seemed to have transferred all his former affection for the mother, would be the richest woman in the east--in the world even. so old lingard shouted, pacing the verandah with his heavy quarterdeck step, gesticulating with a smouldering cheroot; ragged, dishevelled, enthusiastic; and almayer, sitting huddled up on a pile of mats, thought with dread of the separation with the only human being he loved--with greater dread still, perhaps, of the scene with his wife, the savage tigress deprived of her young. she will poison me, thought the poor wretch, well aware of that easy and final manner of solving the social, political, or family problems in malay life. to his great surprise she took the news very quietly, giving only him and lingard a furtive glance, and saying not a word. this, however, did not prevent her the next day from jumping into the river and swimming after the boat in which lingard was carrying away the nurse with the screaming child. almayer had to give chase with his whale-boat and drag her in by the hair in the midst of cries and curses enough to make heaven fall. yet after two days spent in wailing, she returned to her former mode of life, chewing betel-nut, and sitting all day amongst her women in stupefied idleness. she aged very rapidly after that, and only roused herself from her apathy to acknowledge by a scathing remark or an insulting exclamation the accidental presence of her husband. he had built for her a riverside hut in the compound where she dwelt in perfect seclusion. lakamba's visits had ceased when, by a convenient decree of providence and the help of a little scientific manipulation, the old ruler of sambir departed this life. lakamba reigned in his stead now, having been well served by his arab friends with the dutch authorities. syed abdulla was the great man and trader of the pantai. almayer lay ruined and helpless under the close-meshed net of their intrigues, owing his life only to his supposed knowledge of lingard's valuable secret. lingard had disappeared. he wrote once from singapore saying the child was well, and under the care of a mrs. vinck, and that he himself was going to europe to raise money for the great enterprise. "he was coming back soon. there would be no difficulties," he wrote; "people would rush in with their money." evidently they did not, for there was only one letter more from him saying he was ill, had found no relation living, but little else besides. then came a complete silence. europe had swallowed up the rajah laut apparently, and almayer looked vainly westward for a ray of light out of the gloom of his shattered hopes. years passed, and the rare letters from mrs. vinck, later on from the girl herself, were the only thing to be looked to to make life bearable amongst the triumphant savagery of the river. almayer lived now alone, having even ceased to visit his debtors who would not pay, sure of lakamba's protection. the faithful sumatrese ali cooked his rice and made his coffee, for he dared not trust any one else, and least of all his wife. he killed time wandering sadly in the overgrown paths round the house, visiting the ruined godowns where a few brass guns covered with verdigris and only a few broken cases of mouldering manchester goods reminded him of the good early times when all this was full of life and merchandise, and he overlooked a busy scene on the river bank, his little daughter by his side. now the up-country canoes glided past the little rotten wharf of lingard and co., to paddle up the pantai branch, and cluster round the new jetty belonging to abdulla. not that they loved abdulla, but they dared not trade with the man whose star had set. had they done so they knew there was no mercy to be expected from arab or rajah; no rice to be got on credit in the times of scarcity from either; and almayer could not help them, having at times hardly enough for himself. almayer, in his isolation and despair, often envied his near neighbour the chinaman, jimeng, whom he could see stretched on a pile of cool mats, a wooden pillow under his head, an opium pipe in his nerveless fingers. he did not seek, however, consolation in opium--perhaps it was too expensive--perhaps his white man's pride saved him from that degradation; but most likely it was the thought of his little daughter in the far-off straits settlements. he heard from her oftener since abdulla bought a steamer, which ran now between singapore and the pantai settlement every three months or so. almayer felt himself nearer his daughter. he longed to see her, and planned a voyage to singapore, but put off his departure from year to year, always expecting some favourable turn of fortune. he did not want to meet her with empty hands and with no words of hope on his lips. he could not take her back into that savage life to which he was condemned himself. he was also a little afraid of her. what would she think of him? he reckoned the years. a grown woman. a civilised woman, young and hopeful; while he felt old and hopeless, and very much like those savages round him. he asked himself what was going to be her future. he could not answer that question yet, and he dared not face her. and yet he longed after her. he hesitated for years. his hesitation was put an end to by nina's unexpected appearance in sambir. she arrived in the steamer under the captain's care. almayer beheld her with surprise not unmixed with wonder. during those ten years the child had changed into a woman, black-haired, olive-skinned, tall, and beautiful, with great sad eyes, where the startled expression common to malay womankind was modified by a thoughtful tinge inherited from her european ancestry. almayer thought with dismay of the meeting of his wife and daughter, of what this grave girl in european clothes would think of her betel-nut chewing mother, squatting in a dark hut, disorderly, half naked, and sulky. he also feared an outbreak of temper on the part of that pest of a woman he had hitherto managed to keep tolerably quiet, thereby saving the remnants of his dilapidated furniture. and he stood there before the closed door of the hut in the blazing sunshine listening to the murmur of voices, wondering what went on inside, wherefrom all the servant-maids had been expelled at the beginning of the interview, and now stood clustered by the palings with half-covered faces in a chatter of curious speculation. he forgot himself there trying to catch a stray word through the bamboo walls, till the captain of the steamer, who had walked up with the girl, fearing a sunstroke, took him under the arm and led him into the shade of his own verandah: where nina's trunk stood already, having been landed by the steamer's men. as soon as captain ford had his glass before him and his cheroot lighted, almayer asked for the explanation of his daughter's unexpected arrival. ford said little beyond generalising in vague but violent terms upon the foolishness of women in general, and of mrs. vinck in particular. "you know, kaspar," said he, in conclusion, to the excited almayer, "it is deucedly awkward to have a half-caste girl in the house. there's such a lot of fools about. there was that young fellow from the bank who used to ride to the vinck bungalow early and late. that old woman thought it was for that emma of hers. when she found out what he wanted exactly, there was a row, i can tell you. she would not have nina--not an hour longer--in the house. fact is, i heard of this affair and took the girl to my wife. my wife is a pretty good woman--as women go--and upon my word we would have kept the girl for you, only she would not stay. now, then! don't flare up, kaspar. sit still. what can you do? it is better so. let her stay with you. she was never happy over there. those two vinck girls are no better than dressed-up monkeys. they slighted her. you can't make her white. it's no use you swearing at me. you can't. she is a good girl for all that, but she would not tell my wife anything. if you want to know, ask her yourself; but if i was you i would leave her alone. you are welcome to her passage money, old fellow, if you are short now." and the skipper, throwing away his cigar, walked off to "wake them up on board," as he expressed it. almayer vainly expected to hear of the cause of his daughter's return from his daughter's lips. not that day, not on any other day did she ever allude to her singapore life. he did not care to ask, awed by the calm impassiveness of her face, by those solemn eyes looking past him on the great, still forests sleeping in majestic repose to the murmur of the broad river. he accepted the situation, happy in the gentle and protecting affection the girl showed him, fitfully enough, for she had, as she called it, her bad days when she used to visit her mother and remain long hours in the riverside hut, coming out as inscrutable as ever, but with a contemptuous look and a short word ready to answer any of his speeches. he got used even to that, and on those days kept quiet, although greatly alarmed by his wife's influence upon the girl. otherwise nina adapted herself wonderfully to the circumstances of a half-savage and miserable life. she accepted without question or apparent disgust the neglect, the decay, the poverty of the household, the absence of furniture, and the preponderance of rice diet on the family table. she lived with almayer in the little house (now sadly decaying) built originally by lingard for the young couple. the malays eagerly discussed her arrival. there were at the beginning crowded levees of malay women with their children, seeking eagerly after "ubat" for all the ills of the flesh from the young mem putih. in the cool of the evening grave arabs in long white shirts and yellow sleeveless jackets walked slowly on the dusty path by the riverside towards almayer's gate, and made solemn calls upon that unbeliever under shallow pretences of business, only to get a glimpse of the young girl in a highly decorous manner. even lakamba came out of his stockade in a great pomp of war canoes and red umbrellas, and landed on the rotten little jetty of lingard and co. he came, he said, to buy a couple of brass guns as a present to his friend the chief of sambir dyaks; and while almayer, suspicious but polite, busied himself in unearthing the old popguns in the godowns, the rajah sat on an armchair in the verandah, surrounded by his respectful retinue waiting in vain for nina's appearance. she was in one of her bad days, and remained in her mother's hut watching with her the ceremonious proceedings on the verandah. the rajah departed, baffled but courteous, and soon almayer began to reap the benefit of improved relations with the ruler in the shape of the recovery of some debts, paid to him with many apologies and many a low salaam by debtors till then considered hopelessly insolvent. under these improving circumstances almayer brightened up a little. all was not lost perhaps. those arabs and malays saw at last that he was a man of some ability, he thought. and he began, after his manner, to plan great things, to dream of great fortunes for himself and nina. especially for nina! under these vivifying impulses he asked captain ford to write to his friends in england making inquiries after lingard. was he alive or dead? if dead, had he left any papers, documents; any indications or hints as to his great enterprise? meantime he had found amongst the rubbish in one of the empty rooms a note-book belonging to the old adventurer. he studied the crabbed handwriting of its pages and often grew meditative over it. other things also woke him up from his apathy. the stir made in the whole of the island by the establishment of the british borneo company affected even the sluggish flow of the pantai life. great changes were expected; annexation was talked of; the arabs grew civil. almayer began building his new house for the use of the future engineers, agents, or settlers of the new company. he spent every available guilder on it with a confiding heart. one thing only disturbed his happiness: his wife came out of her seclusion, importing her green jacket, scant sarongs, shrill voice, and witch-like appearance, into his quiet life in the small bungalow. and his daughter seemed to accept that savage intrusion into their daily existence with wonderful equanimity. he did not like it, but dared say nothing. chapter iii. the deliberations conducted in london have a far-reaching importance, and so the decision issued from the fog-veiled offices of the borneo company darkened for almayer the brilliant sunshine of the tropics, and added another drop of bitterness to the cup of his disenchantments. the claim to that part of the east coast was abandoned, leaving the pantai river under the nominal power of holland. in sambir there was joy and excitement. the slaves were hurried out of sight into the forest and jungle, and the flags were run up to tall poles in the rajah's compound in expectation of a visit from dutch man-of-war boats. the frigate remained anchored outside the mouth of the river, and the boats came up in tow of the steam launch, threading their way cautiously amongst a crowd of canoes filled with gaily dressed malays. the officer in command listened gravely to the loyal speeches of lakamba, returned the salaams of abdulla, and assured those gentlemen in choice malay of the great rajah's--down in batavia--friendship and goodwill towards the ruler and inhabitants of this model state of sambir. almayer from his verandah watched across the river the festive proceedings, heard the report of brass guns saluting the new flag presented to lakamba, and the deep murmur of the crowd of spectators surging round the stockade. the smoke of the firing rose in white clouds on the green background of the forests, and he could not help comparing his own fleeting hopes to the rapidly disappearing vapour. he was by no means patriotically elated by the event, yet he had to force himself into a gracious behaviour when, the official reception being over, the naval officers of the commission crossed the river to pay a visit to the solitary white man of whom they had heard, no doubt wishing also to catch a glimpse of his daughter. in that they were disappointed, nina refusing to show herself; but they seemed easily consoled by the gin and cheroots set before them by the hospitable almayer; and sprawling comfortably on the lame armchairs under the shade of the verandah, while the blazing sunshine outside seemed to set the great river simmering in the heat, they filled the little bungalow with the unusual sounds of european languages, with noise and laughter produced by naval witticisms at the expense of the fat lakamba whom they had been complimenting so much that very morning. the younger men in an access of good fellowship made their host talk, and almayer, excited by the sight of european faces, by the sound of european voices, opened his heart before the sympathising strangers, unaware of the amusement the recital of his many misfortunes caused to those future admirals. they drank his health, wished him many big diamonds and a mountain of gold, expressed even an envy of the high destinies awaiting him yet. encouraged by so much friendliness, the greyheaded and foolish dreamer invited his guests to visit his new house. they went there through the long grass in a straggling procession while their boats were got ready for the return down the river in the cool of the evening. and in the great empty rooms where the tepid wind entering through the sashless windows whirled gently the dried leaves and the dust of many days of neglect, almayer in his white jacket and flowered sarong, surrounded by a circle of glittering uniforms, stamped his foot to show the solidity of the neatly-fitting floors and expatiated upon the beauties and convenience of the building. they listened and assented, amazed by the wonderful simplicity and the foolish hopefulness of the man, till almayer, carried away by his excitement, disclosed his regret at the non-arrival of the english, "who knew how to develop a rich country," as he expressed it. there was a general laugh amongst the dutch officers at that unsophisticated statement, and a move was made towards the boats; but when almayer, stepping cautiously on the rotten boards of the lingard jetty, tried to approach the chief of the commission with some timid hints anent the protection required by the dutch subject against the wily arabs, that salt water diplomat told him significantly that the arabs were better subjects than hollanders who dealt illegally in gunpowder with the malays. the innocent almayer recognised there at once the oily tongue of abdulla and the solemn persuasiveness of lakamba, but ere he had time to frame an indignant protest the steam launch and the string of boats moved rapidly down the river leaving him on the jetty, standing open-mouthed in his surprise and anger. there are thirty miles of river from sambir to the gem-like islands of the estuary where the frigate was awaiting the return of the boats. the moon rose long before the boats had traversed half that distance, and the black forest sleeping peacefully under her cold rays woke up that night to the ringing laughter in the small flotilla provoked by some reminiscence of almayer's lamentable narrative. salt-water jests at the poor man's expense were passed from boat to boat, the non-appearance of his daughter was commented upon with severe displeasure, and the half-finished house built for the reception of englishmen received on that joyous night the name of "almayer's folly" by the unanimous vote of the lighthearted seamen. for many weeks after this visit life in sambir resumed its even and uneventful flow. each day's sun shooting its morning rays above the treetops lit up the usual scene of daily activity. nina walking on the path that formed the only street in the settlement saw the accustomed sight of men lolling on the shady side of the houses, on the high platforms; of women busily engaged in husking the daily rice; of naked brown children racing along the shady and narrow paths leading to the clearings. jimeng, strolling before his house, greeted her with a friendly nod before climbing up indoors to seek his beloved opium pipe. the elder children clustered round her, daring from long acquaintance, pulling the skirts of her white robe with their dark fingers, and showing their brilliant teeth in expectation of a shower of glass beads. she greeted them with a quiet smile, but always had a few friendly words for a siamese girl, a slave owned by bulangi, whose numerous wives were said to be of a violent temper. well-founded rumour said also that the domestic squabbles of that industrious cultivator ended generally in a combined assault of all his wives upon the siamese slave. the girl herself never complained--perhaps from dictates of prudence, but more likely through the strange, resigned apathy of half-savage womankind. from early morning she was to be seen on the paths amongst the houses--by the riverside or on the jetties, the tray of pastry, it was her mission to sell, skilfully balanced on her head. during the great heat of the day she usually sought refuge in almayer's campong, often finding shelter in a shady corner of the verandah, where she squatted with her tray before her, when invited by nina. for "mem putih" she had always a smile, but the presence of mrs. almayer, the very sound of her shrill voice, was the signal for a hurried departure. to this girl nina often spoke; the other inhabitants of sambir seldom or never heard the sound of her voice. they got used to the silent figure moving in their midst calm and white-robed, a being from another world and incomprehensible to them. yet nina's life for all her outward composure, for all the seeming detachment from the things and people surrounding her, was far from quiet, in consequence of mrs. almayer being much too active for the happiness and even safety of the household. she had resumed some intercourse with lakamba, not personally, it is true (for the dignity of that potentate kept him inside his stockade), but through the agency of that potentate's prime minister, harbour master, financial adviser, and general factotum. that gentleman--of sulu origin--was certainly endowed with statesmanlike qualities, although he was totally devoid of personal charms. in truth he was perfectly repulsive, possessing only one eye and a pockmarked face, with nose and lips horribly disfigured by the small-pox. this unengaging individual often strolled into almayer's garden in unofficial costume, composed of a piece of pink calico round his waist. there at the back of the house, squatting on his heels on scattered embers, in close proximity to the great iron boiler, where the family daily rice was being cooked by the women under mrs. almayer's superintendence, did that astute negotiator carry on long conversations in sulu language with almayer's wife. what the subject of their discourses was might have been guessed from the subsequent domestic scenes by almayer's hearthstone. of late almayer had taken to excursions up the river. in a small canoe with two paddlers and the faithful ali for a steersman he would disappear for a few days at a time. all his movements were no doubt closely watched by lakamba and abdulla, for the man once in the confidence of rajah laut was supposed to be in possession of valuable secrets. the coast population of borneo believes implicitly in diamonds of fabulous value, in gold mines of enormous richness in the interior. and all those imaginings are heightened by the difficulty of penetrating far inland, especially on the north-east coast, where the malays and the river tribes of dyaks or head-hunters are eternally quarrelling. it is true enough that some gold reaches the coast in the hands of those dyaks when, during short periods of truce in the desultory warfare, they visit the coast settlements of malays. and so the wildest exaggerations are built up and added to on the slight basis of that fact. almayer in his quality of white man--as lingard before him--had somewhat better relations with the up-river tribes. yet even his excursions were not without danger, and his returns were eagerly looked for by the impatient lakamba. but every time the rajah was disappointed. vain were the conferences by the rice-pot of his factotum babalatchi with the white man's wife. the white man himself was impenetrable--impenetrable to persuasion, coaxing, abuse; to soft words and shrill revilings; to desperate beseechings or murderous threats; for mrs. almayer, in her extreme desire to persuade her husband into an alliance with lakamba, played upon the whole gamut of passion. with her soiled robe wound tightly under the armpits across her lean bosom, her scant grayish hair tumbled in disorder over her projecting cheek-bones, in suppliant attitude, she depicted with shrill volubility the advantages of close union with a man so good and so fair dealing. "why don't you go to the rajah?" she screamed. "why do you go back to those dyaks in the great forest? they should be killed. you cannot kill them, you cannot; but our rajah's men are brave! you tell the rajah where the old white man's treasure is. our rajah is good! he is our very grandfather, datu besar! he will kill those wretched dyaks, and you shall have half the treasure. oh, kaspar, tell where the treasure is! tell me! tell me out of the old man's surat where you read so often at night." on those occasions almayer sat with rounded shoulders bending to the blast of this domestic tempest, accentuating only each pause in the torrent of his wife's eloquence by an angry growl, "there is no treasure! go away, woman!" exasperated by the sight of his patiently bent back, she would at last walk round so as to face him across the table, and clasping her robe with one hand she stretched the other lean arm and clawlike hand to emphasise, in a passion of anger and contempt, the rapid rush of scathing remarks and bitter cursings heaped on the head of the man unworthy to associate with brave malay chiefs. it ended generally by almayer rising slowly, his long pipe in hand, his face set into a look of inward pain, and walking away in silence. he descended the steps and plunged into the long grass on his way to the solitude of his new house, dragging his feet in a state of physical collapse from disgust and fear before that fury. she followed to the head of the steps, and sent the shafts of indiscriminate abuse after the retreating form. and each of those scenes was concluded by a piercing shriek, reaching him far away. "you know, kaspar, i am your wife! your own christian wife after your own blanda law!" for she knew that this was the bitterest thing of all; the greatest regret of that man's life. all these scenes nina witnessed unmoved. she might have been deaf, dumb, without any feeling as far as any expression of opinion went. yet oft when her father had sought the refuge of the great dusty rooms of "almayer's folly," and her mother, exhausted by rhetorical efforts, squatted wearily on her heels with her back against the leg of the table, nina would approach her curiously, guarding her skirts from betel juice besprinkling the floor, and gaze down upon her as one might look into the quiescent crater of a volcano after a destructive eruption. mrs. almayer's thoughts, after these scenes, were usually turned into a channel of childhood reminiscences, and she gave them utterance in a kind of monotonous recitative--slightly disconnected, but generally describing the glories of the sultan of sulu, his great splendour, his power, his great prowess; the fear which benumbed the hearts of white men at the sight of his swift piratical praus. and these muttered statements of her grandfather's might were mixed up with bits of later recollections, where the great fight with the "white devil's" brig and the convent life in samarang occupied the principal place. at that point she usually dropped the thread of her narrative, and pulling out the little brass cross, always suspended round her neck, she contemplated it with superstitious awe. that superstitious feeling connected with some vague talismanic properties of the little bit of metal, and the still more hazy but terrible notion of some bad djinns and horrible torments invented, as she thought, for her especial punishment by the good mother superior in case of the loss of the above charm, were mrs. almayer's only theological luggage for the stormy road of life. mrs. almayer had at least something tangible to cling to, but nina, brought up under the protestant wing of the proper mrs. vinck, had not even a little piece of brass to remind her of past teaching. and listening to the recital of those savage glories, those barbarous fights and savage feasting, to the story of deeds valorous, albeit somewhat bloodthirsty, where men of her mother's race shone far above the orang blanda, she felt herself irresistibly fascinated, and saw with vague surprise the narrow mantle of civilised morality, in which good-meaning people had wrapped her young soul, fall away and leave her shivering and helpless as if on the edge of some deep and unknown abyss. strangest of all, this abyss did not frighten her when she was under the influence of the witch-like being she called her mother. she seemed to have forgotten in civilised surroundings her life before the time when lingard had, so to speak, kidnapped her from brow. since then she had had christian teaching, social education, and a good glimpse of civilised life. unfortunately her teachers did not understand her nature, and the education ended in a scene of humiliation, in an outburst of contempt from white people for her mixed blood. she had tasted the whole bitterness of it and remembered distinctly that the virtuous mrs. vinck's indignation was not so much directed against the young man from the bank as against the innocent cause of that young man's infatuation. and there was also no doubt in her mind that the principal cause of mrs. vinck's indignation was the thought that such a thing should happen in a white nest, where her snow-white doves, the two misses vinck, had just returned from europe, to find shelter under the maternal wing, and there await the coming of irreproachable men of their destiny. not even the thought of the money so painfully scraped together by almayer, and so punctually sent for nina's expenses, could dissuade mrs. vinck from her virtuous resolve. nina was sent away, and in truth the girl herself wanted to go, although a little frightened by the impending change. and now she had lived on the river for three years with a savage mother and a father walking about amongst pitfalls, with his head in the clouds, weak, irresolute, and unhappy. she had lived a life devoid of all the decencies of civilisation, in miserable domestic conditions; she had breathed in the atmosphere of sordid plottings for gain, of the no less disgusting intrigues and crimes for lust or money; and those things, together with the domestic quarrels, were the only events of her three years' existence. she did not die from despair and disgust the first month, as she expected and almost hoped for. on the contrary, at the end of half a year it had seemed to her that she had known no other life. her young mind having been unskilfully permitted to glance at better things, and then thrown back again into the hopeless quagmire of barbarism, full of strong and uncontrolled passions, had lost the power to discriminate. it seemed to nina that there was no change and no difference. whether they traded in brick godowns or on the muddy river bank; whether they reached after much or little; whether they made love under the shadows of the great trees or in the shadow of the cathedral on the singapore promenade; whether they plotted for their own ends under the protection of laws and according to the rules of christian conduct, or whether they sought the gratification of their desires with the savage cunning and the unrestrained fierceness of natures as innocent of culture as their own immense and gloomy forests, nina saw only the same manifestations of love and hate and of sordid greed chasing the uncertain dollar in all its multifarious and vanishing shapes. to her resolute nature, however, after all these years, the savage and uncompromising sincerity of purpose shown by her malay kinsmen seemed at last preferable to the sleek hypocrisy, to the polite disguises, to the virtuous pretences of such white people as she had had the misfortune to come in contact with. after all it was her life; it was going to be her life, and so thinking she fell more and more under the influence of her mother. seeking, in her ignorance, a better side to that life, she listened with avidity to the old woman's tales of the departed glories of the rajahs, from whose race she had sprung, and she became gradually more indifferent, more contemptuous of the white side of her descent represented by a feeble and traditionless father. almayer's difficulties were by no means diminished by the girl's presence in sambir. the stir caused by her arrival had died out, it is true, and lakamba had not renewed his visits; but about a year after the departure of the man-of-war boats the nephew of abdulla, syed reshid, returned from his pilgrimage to mecca, rejoicing in a green jacket and the proud title of hadji. there was a great letting off of rockets on board the steamer which brought him in, and a great beating of drums all night in abdulla's compound, while the feast of welcome was prolonged far into the small hours of the morning. reshid was the favourite nephew and heir of abdulla, and that loving uncle, meeting almayer one day by the riverside, stopped politely to exchange civilities and to ask solemnly for an interview. almayer suspected some attempt at a swindle, or at any rate something unpleasant, but of course consented with a great show of rejoicing. accordingly the next evening, after sunset, abdulla came, accompanied by several other grey-beards and by his nephew. that young man--of a very rakish and dissipated appearance--affected the greatest indifference as to the whole of the proceedings. when the torch-bearers had grouped themselves below the steps, and the visitors had seated themselves on various lame chairs, reshid stood apart in the shadow, examining his aristocratically small hands with great attention. almayer, surprised by the great solemnity of his visitors, perched himself on the corner of the table with a characteristic want of dignity quickly noted by the arabs with grave disapproval. but abdulla spoke now, looking straight past almayer at the red curtain hanging in the doorway, where a slight tremor disclosed the presence of women on the other side. he began by neatly complimenting almayer upon the long years they had dwelt together in cordial neighbourhood, and called upon allah to give him many more years to gladden the eyes of his friends by his welcome presence. he made a polite allusion to the great consideration shown him (almayer) by the dutch "commissie," and drew thence the flattering inference of almayer's great importance amongst his own people. he--abdulla--was also important amongst all the arabs, and his nephew reshid would be heir of that social position and of great riches. now reshid was a hadji. he was possessor of several malay women, went on abdulla, but it was time he had a favourite wife, the first of the four allowed by the prophet. and, speaking with well-bred politeness, he explained further to the dumbfounded almayer that, if he would consent to the alliance of his offspring with that true believer and virtuous man reshid, she would be the mistress of all the splendours of reshid's house, and first wife of the first arab in the islands, when he--abdulla--was called to the joys of paradise by allah the all-merciful. "you know, tuan," he said, in conclusion, "the other women would be her slaves, and reshid's house is great. from bombay he has brought great divans, and costly carpets, and european furniture. there is also a great looking-glass in a frame shining like gold. what could a girl want more?" and while almayer looked upon him in silent dismay abdulla spoke in a more confidential tone, waving his attendants away, and finished his speech by pointing out the material advantages of such an alliance, and offering to settle upon almayer three thousand dollars as a sign of his sincere friendship and the price of the girl. poor almayer was nearly having a fit. burning with the desire of taking abdulla by the throat, he had but to think of his helpless position in the midst of lawless men to comprehend the necessity of diplomatic conciliation. he mastered his impulses, and spoke politely and coldly, saying the girl was young and as the apple of his eye. tuan reshid, a faithful and a hadji, would not want an infidel woman in his harem; and, seeing abdulla smile sceptically at that last objection, he remained silent, not trusting himself to speak more, not daring to refuse pointblank, nor yet to say anything compromising. abdulla understood the meaning of that silence, and rose to take leave with a grave salaam. he wished his friend almayer "a thousand years," and moved down the steps, helped dutifully by reshid. the torch-bearers shook their torches, scattering a shower of sparks into the river, and the cortege moved off, leaving almayer agitated but greatly relieved by their departure. he dropped into a chair and watched the glimmer of the lights amongst the tree trunks till they disappeared and complete silence succeeded the tramp of feet and the murmur of voices. he did not move till the curtain rustled and nina came out on the verandah and sat in the rocking-chair, where she used to spend many hours every day. she gave a slight rocking motion to her seat, leaning back with half-closed eyes, her long hair shading her face from the smoky light of the lamp on the table. almayer looked at her furtively, but the face was as impassible as ever. she turned her head slightly towards her father, and, speaking, to his great surprise, in english, asked-"was that abdulla here?" "yes," said almayer--"just gone." "and what did he want, father?" "he wanted to buy you for reshid," answered almayer, brutally, his anger getting the better of him, and looking at the girl as if in expectation of some outbreak of feeling. but nina remained apparently unmoved, gazing dreamily into the black night outside. "be careful, nina," said almayer, after a short silence and rising from his chair, "when you go paddling alone into the creeks in your canoe. that reshid is a violent scoundrel, and there is no saying what he may do. do you hear me?" she was standing now, ready to go in, one hand grasping the curtain in the doorway. she turned round, throwing her heavy tresses back by a sudden gesture. "do you think he would dare?" she asked, quickly, and then turned again to go in, adding in a lower tone, "he would not dare. arabs are all cowards." almayer looked after her, astonished. he did not seek the repose of his hammock. he walked the floor absently, sometimes stopping by the balustrade to think. the lamp went out. the first streak of dawn broke over the forest; almayer shivered in the damp air. "i give it up," he muttered to himself, lying down wearily. "damn those women! well! if the girl did not look as if she wanted to be kidnapped!" and he felt a nameless fear creep into his heart, making him shiver again. chapter iv. that year, towards the breaking up of the south-west monsoon, disquieting rumours reached sambir. captain ford, coming up to almayer's house for an evening's chat, brought late numbers of the _straits times_ giving the news of acheen war and of the unsuccessful dutch expedition. the nakhodas of the rare trading praus ascending the river paid visits to lakamba, discussing with that potentate the unsettled state of affairs, and wagged their heads gravely over the recital of orang blanda exaction, severity, and general tyranny, as exemplified in the total stoppage of gunpowder trade and the rigorous visiting of all suspicious craft trading in the straits of macassar. even the loyal soul of lakamba was stirred into a state of inward discontent by the withdrawal of his license for powder and by the abrupt confiscation of one hundred and fifty barrels of that commodity by the gunboat _princess amelia_, when, after a hazardous voyage, it had almost reached the mouth of the river. the unpleasant news was given him by reshid, who, after the unsuccessful issue of his matrimonial projects, had made a long voyage amongst the islands for trading purposes; had bought the powder for his friend, and was overhauled and deprived of it on his return when actually congratulating himself on his acuteness in avoiding detection. reshid's wrath was principally directed against almayer, whom he suspected of having notified the dutch authorities of the desultory warfare carried on by the arabs and the rajah with the up-river dyak tribes. to reshid's great surprise the rajah received his complaints very coldly, and showed no signs of vengeful disposition towards the white man. in truth, lakamba knew very well that almayer was perfectly innocent of any meddling in state affairs; and besides, his attitude towards that much persecuted individual was wholly changed in consequence of a reconciliation effected between him and his old enemy by almayer's newlyfound friend, dain maroola. almayer had now a friend. shortly after reshid's departure on his commercial journey, nina, drifting slowly with the tide in the canoe on her return home after one of her solitary excursions, heard in one of the small creeks a splashing, as if of heavy ropes dropping in the water, and the prolonged song of malay seamen when some heavy pulling is to be done. through the thick fringe of bushes hiding the mouth of the creek she saw the tall spars of some european-rigged sailing vessel overtopping the summits of the nipa palms. a brig was being hauled out of the small creek into the main stream. the sun had set, and during the short moments of twilight nina saw the brig, aided by the evening breeze and the flowing tide, head towards sambir under her set foresail. the girl turned her canoe out of the main river into one of the many narrow channels amongst the wooded islets, and paddled vigorously over the black and sleepy backwaters towards sambir. her canoe brushed the water-palms, skirted the short spaces of muddy bank where sedate alligators looked at her with lazy unconcern, and, just as darkness was setting in, shot out into the broad junction of the two main branches of the river, where the brig was already at anchor with sails furled, yards squared, and decks seemingly untenanted by any human being. nina had to cross the river and pass pretty close to the brig in order to reach home on the low promontory between the two branches of the pantai. up both branches, in the houses built on the banks and over the water, the lights twinkled already, reflected in the still waters below. the hum of voices, the occasional cry of a child, the rapid and abruptly interrupted roll of a wooden drum, together with some distant hailing in the darkness by the returning fishermen, reached her over the broad expanse of the river. she hesitated a little before crossing, the sight of such an unusual object as an european-rigged vessel causing her some uneasiness, but the river in its wide expansion was dark enough to render a small canoe invisible. she urged her small craft with swift strokes of her paddle, kneeling in the bottom and bending forward to catch any suspicious sound while she steered towards the little jetty of lingard and co., to which the strong light of the paraffin lamp shining on the whitewashed verandah of almayer's bungalow served as a convenient guide. the jetty itself, under the shadow of the bank overgrown by drooping bushes, was hidden in darkness. before even she could see it she heard the hollow bumping of a large boat against its rotten posts, and heard also the murmur of whispered conversation in that boat whose white paint and great dimensions, faintly visible on nearer approach, made her rightly guess that it belonged to the brig just anchored. stopping her course by a rapid motion of her paddle, with another swift stroke she sent it whirling away from the wharf and steered for a little rivulet which gave access to the back courtyard of the house. she landed at the muddy head of the creek and made her way towards the house over the trodden grass of the courtyard. to the left, from the cooking shed, shone a red glare through the banana plantation she skirted, and the noise of feminine laughter reached her from there in the silent evening. she rightly judged her mother was not near, laughter and mrs. almayer not being close neighbours. she must be in the house, thought nina, as she ran lightly up the inclined plane of shaky planks leading to the back door of the narrow passage dividing the house in two. outside the doorway, in the black shadow, stood the faithful ali. "who is there?" asked nina. "a great malay man has come," answered ali, in a tone of suppressed excitement. "he is a rich man. there are six men with lances. real soldat, you understand. and his dress is very brave. i have seen his dress. it shines! what jewels! don't go there, mem nina. tuan said not; but the old mem is gone. tuan will be angry. merciful allah! what jewels that man has got!" nina slipped past the outstretched hand of the slave into the dark passage where, in the crimson glow of the hanging curtain, close by its other end, she could see a small dark form crouching near the wall. her mother was feasting her eyes and ears with what was taking place on the front verandah, and nina approached to take her share in the rare pleasure of some novelty. she was met by her mother's extended arm and by a low murmured warning not to make a noise. "have you seen them, mother?" asked nina, in a breathless whisper. mrs. almayer turned her face towards the girl, and her sunken eyes shone strangely in the red half-light of the passage. "i saw him," she said, in an almost inaudible tone, pressing her daughter's hand with her bony fingers. "a great rajah has come to sambir--a son of heaven," muttered the old woman to herself. "go away, girl!" the two women stood close to the curtain, nina wishing to approach the rent in the stuff, and her mother defending the position with angry obstinacy. on the other side there was a lull in the conversation, but the breathing of several men, the occasional light tinkling of some ornaments, the clink of metal scabbards, or of brass siri-vessels passed from hand to hand, was audible during the short pause. the women struggled silently, when there was a shuffling noise and the shadow of almayer's burly form fell on the curtain. the women ceased struggling and remained motionless. almayer had stood up to answer his guest, turning his back to the doorway, unaware of what was going on on the other side. he spoke in a tone of regretful irritation. "you have come to the wrong house, tuan maroola, if you want to trade as you say. i was a trader once, not now, whatever you may have heard about me in macassar. and if you want anything, you will not find it here; i have nothing to give, and want nothing myself. you should go to the rajah here; you can see in the daytime his houses across the river, there, where those fires are burning on the shore. he will help you and trade with you. or, better still, go to the arabs over there," he went on bitterly, pointing with his hand towards the houses of sambir. "abdulla is the man you want. there is nothing he would not buy, and there is nothing he would not sell; believe me, i know him well." he waited for an answer a short time, then added-"all that i have said is true, and there is nothing more." nina, held back by her mother, heard a soft voice reply with a calm evenness of intonation peculiar to the better class malays-"who would doubt a white tuan's words? a man seeks his friends where his heart tells him. is this not true also? i have come, although so late, for i have something to say which you may be glad to hear. to-morrow i will go to the sultan; a trader wants the friendship of great men. then i shall return here to speak serious words, if tuan permits. i shall not go to the arabs; their lies are very great! what are they? chelakka!" almayer's voice sounded a little more pleasantly in reply. "well, as you like. i can hear you to-morrow at any time if you have anything to say. bah! after you have seen the sultan lakamba you will not want to return here, inchi dain. you will see. only mind, i will have nothing to do with lakamba. you may tell him so. what is your business with me, after all?" "to-morrow we talk, tuan, now i know you," answered the malay. "i speak english a little, so we can talk and nobody will understand, and then--" he interrupted himself suddenly, asking surprised, "what's that noise, tuan?" almayer had also heard the increasing noise of the scuffle recommenced on the women's side of the curtain. evidently nina's strong curiosity was on the point of overcoming mrs. almayer's exalted sense of social proprieties. hard breathing was distinctly audible, and the curtain shook during the contest, which was mainly physical, although mrs. almayer's voice was heard in angry remonstrance with its usual want of strictly logical reasoning, but with the well-known richness of invective. "you shameless woman! are you a slave?" shouted shrilly the irate matron. "veil your face, abandoned wretch! you white snake, i will not let you!" almayer's face expressed annoyance and also doubt as to the advisability of interfering between mother and daughter. he glanced at his malay visitor, who was waiting silently for the end of the uproar in an attitude of amused expectation, and waving his hand contemptuously he murmured-"it is nothing. some women." the malay nodded his head gravely, and his face assumed an expression of serene indifference, as etiquette demanded after such an explanation. the contest was ended behind the curtain, and evidently the younger will had its way, for the rapid shuffle and click of mrs. almayer's high-heeled sandals died away in the distance. the tranquillised master of the house was going to resume the conversation when, struck by an unexpected change in the expression of his guest's countenance, he turned his head and saw nina standing in the doorway. after mrs. almayer's retreat from the field of battle, nina, with a contemptuous exclamation, "it's only a trader," had lifted the conquered curtain and now stood in full light, framed in the dark background on the passage, her lips slightly parted, her hair in disorder after the exertion, the angry gleam not yet faded out of her glorious and sparkling eyes. she took in at a glance the group of white-clad lancemen standing motionless in the shadow of the far-off end of the verandah, and her gaze rested curiously on the chief of that imposing _cortege_. he stood, almost facing her, a little on one side, and struck by the beauty of the unexpected apparition had bent low, elevating his joint hands above his head in a sign of respect accorded by malays only to the great of this earth. the crude light of the lamp shone on the gold embroidery of his black silk jacket, broke in a thousand sparkling rays on the jewelled hilt of his kriss protruding from under the many folds of the red sarong gathered into a sash round his waist, and played on the precious stones of the many rings on his dark fingers. he straightened himself up quickly after the low bow, putting his hand with a graceful ease on the hilt of his heavy short sword ornamented with brilliantly dyed fringes of horsehair. nina, hesitating on the threshold, saw an erect lithe figure of medium height with a breadth of shoulder suggesting great power. under the folds of a blue turban, whose fringed ends hung gracefully over the left shoulder, was a face full of determination and expressing a reckless good-humour, not devoid, however, of some dignity. the squareness of lower jaw, the full red lips, the mobile nostrils, and the proud carriage of the head gave the impression of a being half-savage, untamed, perhaps cruel, and corrected the liquid softness of the almost feminine eye, that general characteristic of the race. now, the first surprise over, nina saw those eyes fixed upon her with such an uncontrolled expression of admiration and desire that she felt a hitherto unknown feeling of shyness, mixed with alarm and some delight, enter and penetrate her whole being. confused by those unusual sensations she stopped in the doorway and instinctively drew the lower part of the curtain across her face, leaving only half a rounded cheek, a stray tress, and one eye exposed, wherewith to contemplate the gorgeous and bold being so unlike in appearance to the rare specimens of traders she had seen before on that same verandah. dain maroola, dazzled by the unexpected vision, forgot the confused almayer, forgot his brig, his escort staring in open-mouthed admiration, the object of his visit and all things else, in his overpowering desire to prolong the contemplation of so much loveliness met so suddenly in such an unlikely place--as he thought. "it is my daughter," said almayer, in an embarrassed manner. "it is of no consequence. white women have their customs, as you know tuan, having travelled much, as you say. however, it is late; we will finish our talk to-morrow." dain bent low trying to convey in a last glance towards the girl the bold expression of his overwhelming admiration. the next minute he was shaking almayer's hand with grave courtesy, his face wearing a look of stolid unconcern as to any feminine presence. his men filed off, and he followed them quickly, closely attended by a thick-set, savage-looking sumatrese he had introduced before as the commander of his brig. nina walked to the balustrade of the verandah and saw the sheen of moonlight on the steel spear-heads and heard the rhythmic jingle of brass anklets as the men moved in single file towards the jetty. the boat shoved off after a little while, looming large in the full light of the moon, a black shapeless mass in the slight haze hanging over the water. nina fancied she could distinguish the graceful figure of the trader standing erect in the stern sheets, but in a little while all the outlines got blurred, confused, and soon disappeared in the folds of white vapour shrouding the middle of the river. almayer had approached his daughter, and leaning with both arms over the rail, was looking moodily down on the heap of rubbish and broken bottles at the foot of the verandah. "what was all that noise just now?" he growled peevishly, without looking up. "confound you and your mother! what did she want? what did you come out for?" "she did not want to let me come out," said nina. "she is angry. she says the man just gone is some rajah. i think she is right now." "i believe all you women are crazy," snarled almayer. "what's that to you, to her, to anybody? the man wants to collect trepang and birds' nests on the islands. he told me so, that rajah of yours. he will come to-morrow. i want you both to keep away from the house, and let me attend to my business in peace." dain maroola came the next day and had a long conversation with almayer. this was the beginning of a close and friendly intercourse which, at first, was much remarked in sambir, till the population got used to the frequent sight of many fires burning in almayer's campong, where maroola's men were warming themselves during the cold nights of the northeast monsoon, while their master had long conferences with the tuan putih--as they styled almayer amongst themselves. great was the curiosity in sambir on the subject of the new trader. had he seen the sultan? what did the sultan say? had he given any presents? what would he sell? what would he buy? those were the questions broached eagerly by the inhabitants of bamboo houses built over the river. even in more substantial buildings, in abdulla's house, in the residences of principal traders, arab, chinese, and bugis, the excitement ran high, and lasted many days. with inborn suspicion they would not believe the simple account of himself the young trader was always ready to give. yet it had all the appearance of truth. he said he was a trader, and sold rice. he did not want to buy gutta-percha or beeswax, because he intended to employ his numerous crew in collecting trepang on the coral reefs outside the river, and also in seeking for bird's nests on the mainland. those two articles he professed himself ready to buy if there were any to be obtained in that way. he said he was from bali, and a brahmin, which last statement he made good by refusing all food during his often repeated visits to lakamba's and almayer's houses. to lakamba he went generally at night and had long audiences. babalatchi, who was always a third party at those meetings of potentate and trader, knew how to resist all attempts on the part of the curious to ascertain the subject of so many long talks. when questioned with languid courtesy by the grave abdulla he sought refuge in a vacant stare of his one eye, and in the affectation of extreme simplicity. "i am only my master's slave," murmured babalatchi, in a hesitating manner. then as if making up his mind suddenly for a reckless confidence he would inform abdulla of some transaction in rice, repeating the words, "a hundred big bags the sultan bought; a hundred, tuan!" in a tone of mysterious solemnity. abdulla, firmly persuaded of the existence of some more important dealings, received, however, the information with all the signs of respectful astonishment. and the two would separate, the arab cursing inwardly the wily dog, while babalatchi went on his way walking on the dusty path, his body swaying, his chin with its few grey hairs pushed forward, resembling an inquisitive goat bent on some unlawful expedition. attentive eyes watched his movements. jim-eng, descrying babalatchi far away, would shake off the stupor of an habitual opium smoker and, tottering on to the middle of the road, would await the approach of that important person, ready with hospitable invitation. but babalatchi's discretion was proof even against the combined assaults of good fellowship and of strong gin generously administered by the openhearted chinaman. jim-eng, owning himself beaten, was left uninformed with the empty bottle, and gazed sadly after the departing form of the statesman of sambir pursuing his devious and unsteady way, which, as usual, led him to almayer's compound. ever since a reconciliation had been effected by dain maroola between his white friend and the rajah, the one-eyed diplomatist had again become a frequent guest in the dutchman's house. to almayer's great disgust he was to be seen there at all times, strolling about in an abstracted kind of way on the verandah, skulking in the passages, or else popping round unexpected corners, always willing to engage mrs. almayer in confidential conversation. he was very shy of the master himself, as if suspicious that the pent-up feelings of the white man towards his person might find vent in a sudden kick. but the cooking shed was his favourite place, and he became an habitual guest there, squatting for hours amongst the busy women, with his chin resting on his knees, his lean arms clasped round his legs, and his one eye roving uneasily--the very picture of watchful ugliness. almayer wanted more than once to complain to lakamba of his prime minister's intrusion, but dain dissuaded him. "we cannot say a word here that he does not hear," growled almayer. "then come and talk on board the brig," retorted dain, with a quiet smile. "it is good to let the man come here. lakamba thinks he knows much. perhaps the sultan thinks i want to run away. better let the oneeyed crocodile sun himself in your campong, tuan." and almayer assented unwillingly muttering vague threats of personal violence, while he eyed malevolently the aged statesman sitting with quiet obstinacy by his domestic rice-pot. chapter v. at last the excitement had died out in sambir. the inhabitants got used to the sight of comings and goings between almayer's house and the vessel, now moored to the opposite bank, and speculation as to the feverish activity displayed by almayer's boatmen in repairing old canoes ceased to interfere with the due discharge of domestic duties by the women of the settlement. even the baffled jim-eng left off troubling his muddled brain with secrets of trade, and relapsed by the aid of his opium pipe into a state of stupefied bliss, letting babalatchi pursue his way past his house uninvited and seemingly unnoticed. so on that warm afternoon, when the deserted river sparkled under the vertical sun, the statesman of sambir could, without any hindrance from friendly inquirers, shove off his little canoe from under the bushes, where it was usually hidden during his visits to almayer's compound. slowly and languidly babalatchi paddled, crouching low in the boat, making himself small under his as enormous sun hat to escape the scorching heat reflected from the water. he was not in a hurry; his master, lakamba, was surely reposing at this time of the day. he would have ample time to cross over and greet him on his waking with important news. will he be displeased? will he strike his ebony wood staff angrily on the floor, frightening him by the incoherent violence of his exclamations; or will he squat down with a good-humoured smile, and, rubbing his hands gently over his stomach with a familiar gesture, expectorate copiously into the brass siri-vessel, giving vent to a low, approbative murmur? such were babalatchi's thoughts as he skilfully handled his paddle, crossing the river on his way to the rajah's campong, whose stockades showed from behind the dense foliage of the bank just opposite to almayer's bungalow. indeed, he had a report to make. something certain at last to confirm the daily tale of suspicions, the daily hints of familiarity, of stolen glances he had seen, of short and burning words he had overheard exchanged between dain maroola and almayer's daughter. lakamba had, till then, listened to it all, calmly and with evident distrust; now he was going to be convinced, for babalatchi had the proof; had it this very morning, when fishing at break of day in the creek over which stood bulangi's house. there from his skiff he saw nina's long canoe drift past, the girl sitting in the stern bending over dain, who was stretched in the bottom with his head resting on the girl's knees. he saw it. he followed them, but in a short time they took to the paddles and got away from under his observant eye. a few minutes afterwards he saw bulangi's slave-girl paddling in a small dug-out to the town with her cakes for sale. she also had seen them in the grey dawn. and babalatchi grinned confidentially to himself at the recollection of the slave-girl's discomposed face, of the hard look in her eyes, of the tremble in her voice, when answering his questions. that little taminah evidently admired dain maroola. that was good! and babalatchi laughed aloud at the notion; then becoming suddenly serious, he began by some strange association of ideas to speculate upon the price for which bulangi would, possibly, sell the girl. he shook his head sadly at the thought that bulangi was a hard man, and had refused one hundred dollars for that same taminah only a few weeks ago; then he became suddenly aware that the canoe had drifted too far down during his meditation. he shook off the despondency caused by the certitude of bulangi's mercenary disposition, and, taking up his paddle, in a few strokes sheered alongside the watergate of the rajah's house. that afternoon almayer, as was his wont lately, moved about on the waterside, overlooking the repairs to his boats. he had decided at last. guided by the scraps of information contained in old lingard's pocketbook, he was going to seek for the rich gold-mine, for that place where he had only to stoop to gather up an immense fortune and realise the dream of his young days. to obtain the necessary help he had shared his knowledge with dain maroola, he had consented to be reconciled with lakamba, who gave his support to the enterprise on condition of sharing the profits; he had sacrificed his pride, his honour, and his loyalty in the face of the enormous risk of his undertaking, dazzled by the greatness of the results to be achieved by this alliance so distasteful yet so necessary. the dangers were great, but maroola was brave; his men seemed as reckless as their chief, and with lakamba's aid success seemed assured. for the last fortnight almayer was absorbed in the preparations, walking amongst his workmen and slaves in a kind of waking trance, where practical details as to the fitting out of the boats were mixed up with vivid dreams of untold wealth, where the present misery of burning sun, of the muddy and malodorous river bank disappeared in a gorgeous vision of a splendid future existence for himself and nina. he hardly saw nina during these last days, although the beloved daughter was ever present in his thoughts. he hardly took notice of dain, whose constant presence in his house had become a matter of course to him now they were connected by a community of interests. when meeting the young chief he gave him an absent greeting and passed on, seemingly wishing to avoid him, bent upon forgetting the hated reality of the present by absorbing himself in his work, or else by letting his imagination soar far above the tree-tops into the great white clouds away to the westward, where the paradise of europe was awaiting the future eastern millionaire. and maroola, now the bargain was struck and there was no more business to be talked over, evidently did not care for the white man's company. yet dain was always about the house, but he seldom stayed long by the riverside. on his daily visits to the white man the malay chief preferred to make his way quietly through the central passage of the house, and would come out into the garden at the back, where the fire was burning in the cooking shed, with the rice kettle swinging over it, under the watchful supervision of mrs. almayer. avoiding that shed, with its black smoke and the warbling of soft, feminine voices, dain would turn to the left. there, on the edge of a banana plantation, a clump of palms and mango trees formed a shady spot, a few scattered bushes giving it a certain seclusion into which only the serving women's chatter or an occasional burst of laughter could penetrate. once in, he was invisible; and hidden there, leaning against the smooth trunk of a tall palm, he waited with gleaming eyes and an assured smile to hear the faint rustle of dried grass under the light footsteps of nina. from the very first moment when his eyes beheld this--to him--perfection of loveliness he felt in his inmost heart the conviction that she would be his; he felt the subtle breath of mutual understanding passing between their two savage natures, and he did not want mrs. almayer's encouraging smiles to take every opportunity of approaching the girl; and every time he spoke to her, every time he looked into her eyes, nina, although averting her face, felt as if this bold-looking being who spoke burning words into her willing ear was the embodiment of her fate, the creature of her dreams--reckless, ferocious, ready with flashing kriss for his enemies, and with passionate embrace for his beloved--the ideal malay chief of her mother's tradition. she recognised with a thrill of delicious fear the mysterious consciousness of her identity with that being. listening to his words, it seemed to her she was born only then to a knowledge of a new existence, that her life was complete only when near him, and she abandoned herself to a feeling of dreamy happiness, while with half-veiled face and in silence--as became a malay girl--she listened to dain's words giving up to her the whole treasure of love and passion his nature was capable of with all the unrestrained enthusiasm of a man totally untrammelled by any influence of civilised self-discipline. and they used to pass many a delicious and fast fleeting hour under the mango trees behind the friendly curtain of bushes till mrs. almayer's shrill voice gave the signal of unwilling separation. mrs. almayer had undertaken the easy task of watching her husband lest he should interrupt the smooth course of her daughter's love affair, in which she took a great and benignant interest. she was happy and proud to see dain's infatuation, believing him to be a great and powerful chief, and she found also a gratification of her mercenary instincts in dain's open-handed generosity. on the eve of the day when babalatchi's suspicions were confirmed by ocular demonstration, dain and nina had remained longer than usual in their shady retreat. only almayer's heavy step on the verandah and his querulous clamour for food decided mrs. almayer to lift a warning cry. maroola leaped lightly over the low bamboo fence, and made his way stealthily through the banana plantation down to the muddy shore of the back creek, while nina walked slowly towards the house to minister to her father's wants, as was her wont every evening. almayer felt happy enough that evening; the preparations were nearly completed; to-morrow he would launch his boats. in his mind's eye he saw the rich prize in his grasp; and, with tin spoon in his hand, he was forgetting the plateful of rice before him in the fanciful arrangement of some splendid banquet to take place on his arrival in amsterdam. nina, reclining in the long chair, listened absently to the few disconnected words escaping from her father's lips. expedition! gold! what did she care for all that? but at the name of maroola mentioned by her father she was all attention. dain was going down the river with his brig to-morrow to remain away for a few days, said almayer. it was very annoying, this delay. as soon as dain returned they would have to start without loss of time, for the river was rising. he would not be surprised if a great flood was coming. and he pushed away his plate with an impatient gesture on rising from the table. but now nina heard him not. dain going away! that's why he had ordered her, with that quiet masterfulness it was her delight to obey, to meet him at break of day in bulangi's creek. was there a paddle in her canoe? she thought. was it ready? she would have to start early--at four in the morning, in a very few hours. she rose from her chair, thinking she would require rest before the long pull in the early morning. the lamp was burning dimly, and her father, tired with the day's labour, was already in his hammock. nina put the lamp out and passed into a large room she shared with her mother on the left of the central passage. entering, she saw that mrs. almayer had deserted the pile of mats serving her as bed in one corner of the room, and was now bending over the opened lid of her large wooden chest. half a shell of cocoanut filled with oil, where a cotton rag floated for a wick, stood on the floor, surrounding her with a ruddy halo of light shining through the black and odorous smoke. mrs. almayer's back was bent, and her head and shoulders hidden in the deep box. her hands rummaged in the interior, where a soft clink as of silver money could be heard. she did not notice at first her daughter's approach, and nina, standing silently by her, looked down on many little canvas bags ranged in the bottom of the chest, wherefrom her mother extracted handfuls of shining guilders and mexican dollars, letting them stream slowly back again through her claw-like fingers. the music of tinkling silver seemed to delight her, and her eyes sparkled with the reflected gleam of freshlyminted coins. she was muttering to herself: "and this, and this, and yet this! soon he will give more--as much more as i ask. he is a great rajah--a son of heaven! and she will be a ranee--he gave all this for her! who ever gave anything for me? i am a slave! am i? i am the mother of a great ranee!" she became aware suddenly of her daughter's presence, and ceased her droning, shutting the lid down violently; then, without rising from her crouching position, she looked up at the girl standing by with a vague smile on her dreamy face. "you have seen. have you?" she shouted, shrilly. "that is all mine, and for you. it is not enough! he will have to give more before he takes you away to the southern island where his father is king. you hear me? you are worth more, granddaughter of rajahs! more! more!" the sleepy voice of almayer was heard on the verandah recommending silence. mrs. almayer extinguished the light and crept into her corner of the room. nina laid down on her back on a pile of soft mats, her hands entwined under her head, gazing through the shutterless hole, serving as a window at the stars twinkling on the black sky; she was awaiting the time of start for her appointed meeting-place. with quiet happiness she thought of that meeting in the great forest, far from all human eyes and sounds. her soul, lapsing again into the savage mood, which the genius of civilisation working by the hand of mrs. vinck could never destroy, experienced a feeling of pride and of some slight trouble at the high value her worldly-wise mother had put upon her person; but she remembered the expressive glances and words of dain, and, tranquillised, she closed her eyes in a shiver of pleasant anticipation. there are some situations where the barbarian and the, so-called, civilised man meet upon the same ground. it may be supposed that dain maroola was not exceptionally delighted with his prospective mother-inlaw, nor that he actually approved of that worthy woman's appetite for shining dollars. yet on that foggy morning when babalatchi, laying aside the cares of state, went to visit his fish-baskets in the bulangi creek, maroola had no misgivings, experienced no feelings but those of impatience and longing, when paddling to the east side of the island forming the back-water in question. he hid his canoe in the bushes and strode rapidly across the islet, pushing with impatience through the twigs of heavy undergrowth intercrossed over his path. from motives of prudence he would not take his canoe to the meeting-place, as nina had done. he had left it in the main stream till his return from the other side of the island. the heavy warm fog was closing rapidly round him, but he managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of a light away to the left, proceeding from bulangi's house. then he could see nothing in the thickening vapour, and kept to the path only by a sort of instinct, which also led him to the very point on the opposite shore he wished to reach. a great log had stranded there, at right angles to the bank, forming a kind of jetty against which the swiftly flowing stream broke with a loud ripple. he stepped on it with a quick but steady motion, and in two strides found himself at the outer end, with the rush and swirl of the foaming water at his feet. standing there alone, as if separated from the world; the heavens, earth; the very water roaring under him swallowed up in the thick veil of the morning fog, he breathed out the name of nina before him into the apparently limitless space, sure of being heard, instinctively sure of the nearness of the delightful creature; certain of her being aware of his near presence as he was aware of hers. the bow of nina's canoe loomed up close to the log, canted high out of the water by the weight of the sitter in the stern. maroola laid his hand on the stem and leaped lightly in, giving it a vigorous shove off. the light craft, obeying the new impulse, cleared the log by a hair's breadth, and the river, with obedient complicity, swung it broadside to the current, and bore it off silently and rapidly between the invisible banks. and once more dain, at the feet of nina, forgot the world, felt himself carried away helpless by a great wave of supreme emotion, by a rush of joy, pride, and desire; understood once more with overpowering certitude that there was no life possible without that being he held clasped in his arms with passionate strength in a prolonged embrace. nina disengaged herself gently with a low laugh. "you will overturn the boat, dain," she whispered. he looked into her eyes eagerly for a minute and let her go with a sigh, then lying down in the canoe he put his head on her knees, gazing upwards and stretching his arms backwards till his hands met round the girl's waist. she bent over him, and, shaking her head, framed both their faces in the falling locks of her long black hair. and so they drifted on, he speaking with all the rude eloquence of a savage nature giving itself up without restraint to an overmastering passion, she bending low to catch the murmur of words sweeter to her than life itself. to those two nothing existed then outside the gunwales of the narrow and fragile craft. it was their world, filled with their intense and all-absorbing love. they took no heed of thickening mist, or of the breeze dying away before sunrise; they forgot the existence of the great forests surrounding them, of all the tropical nature awaiting the advent of the sun in a solemn and impressive silence. over the low river-mist hiding the boat with its freight of young passionate life and all-forgetful happiness, the stars paled, and a silvery-grey tint crept over the sky from the eastward. there was not a breath of wind, not a rustle of stirring leaf, not a splash of leaping fish to disturb the serene repose of all living things on the banks of the great river. earth, river, and sky were wrapped up in a deep sleep, from which it seemed there would be no waking. all the seething life and movement of tropical nature seemed concentrated in the ardent eyes, in the tumultuously beating hearts of the two beings drifting in the canoe, under the white canopy of mist, over the smooth surface of the river. suddenly a great sheaf of yellow rays shot upwards from behind the black curtain of trees lining the banks of the pantai. the stars went out; the little black clouds at the zenith glowed for a moment with crimson tints, and the thick mist, stirred by the gentle breeze, the sigh of waking nature, whirled round and broke into fantastically torn pieces, disclosing the wrinkled surface of the river sparkling in the broad light of day. great flocks of white birds wheeled screaming above the swaying tree-tops. the sun had risen on the east coast. dain was the first to return to the cares of everyday life. he rose and glanced rapidly up and down the river. his eye detected babalatchi's boat astern, and another small black speck on the glittering water, which was taminah's canoe. he moved cautiously forward, and, kneeling, took up a paddle; nina at the stern took hers. they bent their bodies to the work, throwing up the water at every stroke, and the small craft went swiftly ahead, leaving a narrow wake fringed with a lace-like border of white and gleaming foam. without turning his head, dain spoke. "somebody behind us, nina. we must not let him gain. i think he is too far to recognise us." "somebody before us also," panted out nina, without ceasing to paddle. "i think i know," rejoined dain. "the sun shines over there, but i fancy it is the girl taminah. she comes down every morning to my brig to sell cakes--stays often all day. it does not matter; steer more into the bank; we must get under the bushes. my canoe is hidden not far from here." as he spoke his eyes watched the broad-leaved nipas which they were brushing in their swift and silent course. "look out, nina," he said at last; "there, where the water palms end and the twigs hang down under the leaning tree. steer for the big green branch." he stood up attentive, and the boat drifted slowly in shore, nina guiding it by a gentle and skilful movement of her paddle. when near enough dain laid hold of the big branch, and leaning back shot the canoe under a low green archway of thickly matted creepers giving access to a miniature bay formed by the caving in of the bank during the last great flood. his own boat was there anchored by a stone, and he stepped into it, keeping his hand on the gunwale of nina's canoe. in a moment the two little nutshells with their occupants floated quietly side by side, reflected by the black water in the dim light struggling through a high canopy of dense foliage; while above, away up in the broad day, flamed immense red blossoms sending down on their heads a shower of great dew-sparkling petals that descended rotating slowly in a continuous and perfumed stream; and over them, under them, in the sleeping water; all around them in a ring of luxuriant vegetation bathed in the warm air charged with strong and harsh perfumes, the intense work of tropical nature went on: plants shooting upward, entwined, interlaced in inextricable confusion, climbing madly and brutally over each other in the terrible silence of a desperate struggle towards the life-giving sunshine above--as if struck with sudden horror at the seething mass of corruption below, at the death and decay from which they sprang. "we must part now," said dain, after a long silence. "you must return at once, nina. i will wait till the brig drifts down here, and shall get on board then." "and will you be long away, dain?" asked nina, in a low voice. "long!" exclaimed dain. "would a man willingly remain long in a dark place? when i am not near you, nina, i am like a man that is blind. what is life to me without light?" nina leaned over, and with a proud and happy smile took dain's face between her hands, looking into his eyes with a fond yet questioning gaze. apparently she found there the confirmation of the words just said, for a feeling of grateful security lightened for her the weight of sorrow at the hour of parting. she believed that he, the descendant of many great rajahs, the son of a great chief, the master of life and death, knew the sunshine of life only in her presence. an immense wave of gratitude and love welled forth out of her heart towards him. how could she make an outward and visible sign of all she felt for the man who had filled her heart with so much joy and so much pride? and in the great tumult of passion, like a flash of lightning came to her the reminiscence of that despised and almost forgotten civilisation she had only glanced at in her days of restraint, of sorrow, and of anger. in the cold ashes of that hateful and miserable past she would find the sign of love, the fitting expression of the boundless felicity of the present, the pledge of a bright and splendid future. she threw her arms around dain's neck and pressed her lips to his in a long and burning kiss. he closed his eyes, surprised and frightened at the storm raised in his breast by the strange and to him hitherto unknown contact, and long after nina had pushed her canoe into the river he remained motionless, without daring to open his eyes, afraid to lose the sensation of intoxicating delight he had tasted for the first time. now he wanted but immortality, he thought, to be the equal of gods, and the creature that could open so the gates of paradise must be his--soon would be his for ever! he opened his eyes in time to see through the archway of creepers the bows of his brig come slowly into view, as the vessel drifted past on its way down the river. he must go on board now, he thought; yet he was loth to leave the place where he had learned to know what happiness meant. "time yet. let them go," he muttered to himself; and he closed his eyes again under the red shower of scented petals, trying to recall the scene with all its delight and all its fear. he must have been able to join his brig in time, after all, and found much occupation outside, for it was in vain that almayer looked for his friend's speedy return. the lower reach of the river where he so often and so impatiently directed his eyes remained deserted, save for the rapid flitting of some fishing canoe; but down the upper reaches came black clouds and heavy showers heralding the final setting in of the rainy season with its thunderstorms and great floods making the river almost impossible of ascent for native canoes. almayer, strolling along the muddy beach between his houses, watched uneasily the river rising inch by inch, creeping slowly nearer to the boats, now ready and hauled up in a row under the cover of dripping kajang-mats. fortune seemed to elude his grasp, and in his weary tramp backwards and forwards under the steady rain falling from the lowering sky, a sort of despairing indifference took possession of him. what did it matter? it was just his luck! those two infernal savages, lakamba and dain, induced him, with their promises of help, to spend his last dollar in the fitting out of boats, and now one of them was gone somewhere, and the other shut up in his stockade would give no sign of life. no, not even the scoundrelly babalatchi, thought almayer, would show his face near him, now they had sold him all the rice, brass gongs, and cloth necessary for his expedition. they had his very last coin, and did not care whether he went or stayed. and with a gesture of abandoned discouragement almayer would climb up slowly to the verandah of his new house to get out of the rain, and leaning on the front rail with his head sunk between his shoulders he would abandon himself to the current of bitter thoughts, oblivious of the flight of time and the pangs of hunger, deaf to the shrill cries of his wife calling him to the evening meal. when, roused from his sad meditations by the first roll of the evening thunderstorm, he stumbled slowly towards the glimmering light of his old house, his half-dead hope made his ears preternaturally acute to any sound on the river. several nights in succession he had heard the splash of paddles and had seen the indistinct form of a boat, but when hailing the shadowy apparition, his heart bounding with sudden hope of hearing dain's voice, he was disappointed each time by the sulky answer conveying to him the intelligence that the arabs were on the river, bound on a visit to the home-staying lakamba. this caused him many sleepless nights, spent in speculating upon the kind of villainy those estimable personages were hatching now. at last, when all hope seemed dead, he was overjoyed on hearing dain's voice; but dain also appeared very anxious to see lakamba, and almayer felt uneasy owing to a deep and ineradicable distrust as to that ruler's disposition towards himself. still, dain had returned at last. evidently he meant to keep to his bargain. hope revived, and that night almayer slept soundly, while nina watched the angry river under the lash of the thunderstorm sweeping onward towards the sea. chapter vi. dain was not long in crossing the river after leaving almayer. he landed at the water-gate of the stockade enclosing the group of houses which composed the residence of the rajah of sambir. evidently somebody was expected there, for the gate was open, and men with torches were ready to precede the visitor up the inclined plane of planks leading to the largest house where lakamba actually resided, and where all the business of state was invariably transacted. the other buildings within the enclosure served only to accommodate the numerous household and the wives of the ruler. lakamba's own house was a strong structure of solid planks, raised on high piles, with a verandah of split bamboos surrounding it on all sides; the whole was covered in by an immensely high-pitched roof of palm-leaves, resting on beams blackened by the smoke of many torches. the building stood parallel to the river, one of its long sides facing the water-gate of the stockade. there was a door in the short side looking up the river, and the inclined plank-way led straight from the gate to that door. by the uncertain light of smoky torches, dain noticed the vague outlines of a group of armed men in the dark shadows to his right. from that group babalatchi stepped forward to open the door, and dain entered the audience chamber of the rajah's residence. about onethird of the house was curtained off, by heavy stuff of european manufacture, for that purpose; close to the curtain there was a big armchair of some black wood, much carved, and before it a rough deal table. otherwise the room was only furnished with mats in great profusion. to the left of the entrance stood a rude arm-rack, with three rifles with fixed bayonets in it. by the wall, in the shadow, the body-guard of lakamba--all friends or relations--slept in a confused heap of brown arms, legs, and multi-coloured garments, from whence issued an occasional snore or a subdued groan of some uneasy sleeper. an european lamp with a green shade standing on the table made all this indistinctly visible to dain. "you are welcome to your rest here," said babalatchi, looking at dain interrogatively. "i must speak to the rajah at once," answered dain. babalatchi made a gesture of assent, and, turning to the brass gong suspended under the arm-rack, struck two sharp blows. the ear-splitting din woke up the guard. the snores ceased; outstretched legs were drawn in; the whole heap moved, and slowly resolved itself into individual forms, with much yawning and rubbing of sleepy eyes; behind the curtains there was a burst of feminine chatter; then the bass voice of lakamba was heard. "is that the arab trader?" "no, tuan," answered babalatchi; "dain has returned at last. he is here for an important talk, bitcharra--if you mercifully consent." evidently lakamba's mercy went so far--for in a short while he came out from behind the curtain--but it did not go to the length of inducing him to make an extensive toilet. a short red sarong tightened hastily round his hips was his only garment. the merciful ruler of sambir looked sleepy and rather sulky. he sat in the arm-chair, his knees well apart, his elbows on the arm-rests, his chin on his breast, breathing heavily and waiting malevolently for dain to open the important talk. but dain did not seem anxious to begin. he directed his gaze towards babalatchi, squatting comfortably at the feet of his master, and remained silent with a slightly bent head as if in attentive expectation of coming words of wisdom. babalatchi coughed discreetly, and, leaning forward, pushed over a few mats for dain to sit upon, then lifting up his squeaky voice he assured him with eager volubility of everybody's delight at this long-looked-for return. his heart had hungered for the sight of dain's face, and his ears were withering for the want of the refreshing sound of his voice. everybody's hearts and ears were in the same sad predicament, according to babalatchi, as he indicated with a sweeping gesture the other bank of the river where the settlement slumbered peacefully, unconscious of the great joy awaiting it on the morrow when dain's presence amongst them would be disclosed. "for"--went on babalatchi--"what is the joy of a poor man if not the open hand of a generous trader or of a great--" here he checked himself abruptly with a calculated embarrassment of manner, and his roving eye sought the floor, while an apologetic smile dwelt for a moment on his misshapen lips. once or twice during this opening speech an amused expression flitted across dain's face, soon to give way, however, to an appearance of grave concern. on lakamba's brow a heavy frown had settled, and his lips moved angrily as he listened to his prime minister's oratory. in the silence that fell upon the room when babalatchi ceased speaking arose a chorus of varied snores from the corner where the body-guard had resumed their interrupted slumbers, but the distant rumble of thunder filling then nina's heart with apprehension for the safety of her lover passed unheeded by those three men intent each on their own purposes, for life or death. after a short silence, babalatchi, discarding now the flowers of polite eloquence, spoke again, but in short and hurried sentences and in a low voice. they had been very uneasy. why did dain remain so long absent? the men dwelling on the lower reaches of the river heard the reports of big guns and saw a fire-ship of the dutch amongst the islands of the estuary. so they were anxious. rumours of a disaster had reached abdulla a few days ago, and since then they had been waiting for dain's return under the apprehension of some misfortune. for days they had closed their eyes in fear, and woke up alarmed, and walked abroad trembling, like men before an enemy. and all on account of dain. would he not allay their fears for his safety, not for themselves? they were quiet and faithful, and devoted to the great rajah in batavia--may his fate lead him ever to victory for the joy and profit of his servants! "and here," went on babalatchi, "lakamba my master was getting thin in his anxiety for the trader he had taken under his protection; and so was abdulla, for what would wicked men not say if perchance--" "be silent, fool!" growled lakamba, angrily. babalatchi subsided into silence with a satisfied smile, while dain, who had been watching him as if fascinated, turned with a sigh of relief towards the ruler of sambir. lakamba did not move, and, without raising his head, looked at dain from under his eyebrows, breathing audibly, with pouted lips, in an air of general discontent. "speak! o dain!" he said at last. "we have heard many rumours. many nights in succession has my friend reshid come here with bad tidings. news travels fast along the coast. but they may be untrue; there are more lies in men's mouths in these days than when i was young, but i am not easier to deceive now." "all my words are true," said dain, carelessly. "if you want to know what befell my brig, then learn that it is in the hands of the dutch. believe me, rajah," he went on, with sudden energy, "the orang blanda have good friends in sambir, or else how did they know i was coming thence?" lakamba gave dain a short and hostile glance. babalatchi rose quietly, and, going to the arm-rack, struck the gong violently. outside the door there was a shuffle of bare feet; inside, the guard woke up and sat staring in sleepy surprise. "yes, you faithful friend of the white rajah," went on dain, scornfully, turning to babalatchi, who had returned to his place, "i have escaped, and i am here to gladden your heart. when i saw the dutch ship i ran the brig inside the reefs and put her ashore. they did not dare to follow with the ship, so they sent the boats. we took to ours and tried to get away, but the ship dropped fireballs at us, and killed many of my men. but i am left, o babalatchi! the dutch are coming here. they are seeking for me. they are coming to ask their faithful friend lakamba and his slave babalatchi. rejoice!" but neither of his hearers appeared to be in a joyful mood. lakamba had put one leg over his knee, and went on gently scratching it with a meditative air, while babalatchi, sitting cross-legged, seemed suddenly to become smaller and very limp, staring straight before him vacantly. the guard evinced some interest in the proceedings, stretching themselves full length on the mats to be nearer the speaker. one of them got up and now stood leaning against the arm-rack, playing absently with the fringes of his sword-hilt. dain waited till the crash of thunder had died away in distant mutterings before he spoke again. "are you dumb, o ruler of sambir, or is the son of a great rajah unworthy of your notice? i am come here to seek refuge and to warn you, and want to know what you intend doing." "you came here because of the white man's daughter," retorted lakamba, quickly. "your refuge was with your father, the rajah of bali, the son of heaven, the 'anak agong' himself. what am i to protect great princes? only yesterday i planted rice in a burnt clearing; to-day you say i hold your life in my hand." babalatchi glanced at his master. "no man can escape his fate," he murmured piously. "when love enters a man's heart he is like a child--without any understanding. be merciful, lakamba," he added, twitching the corner of the rajah's sarong warningly. lakamba snatched away the skirt of the sarong angrily. under the dawning comprehension of intolerable embarrassments caused by dain's return to sambir he began to lose such composure as he had been, till then, able to maintain; and now he raised his voice loudly above the whistling of the wind and the patter of rain on the roof in the hard squall passing over the house. "you came here first as a trader with sweet words and great promises, asking me to look the other way while you worked your will on the white man there. and i did. what do you want now? when i was young i fought. now i am old, and want peace. it is easier for me to have you killed than to fight the dutch. it is better for me." the squall had now passed, and, in the short stillness of the lull in the storm, lakamba repeated softly, as if to himself, "much easier. much better." dain did not seem greatly discomposed by the rajah's threatening words. while lakamba was speaking he had glanced once rapidly over his shoulder, just to make sure that there was nobody behind him, and, tranquillised in that respect, he had extracted a siri-box out of the folds of his waistcloth, and was wrapping carefully the little bit of betel-nut and a small pinch of lime in the green leaf tendered him politely by the watchful babalatchi. he accepted this as a peace-offering from the silent statesman--a kind of mute protest against his master's undiplomatic violence, and as an omen of a possible understanding to be arrived at yet. otherwise dain was not uneasy. although recognising the justice of lakamba's surmise that he had come back to sambir only for the sake of the white man's daughter, yet he was not conscious of any childish lack of understanding, as suggested by babalatchi. in fact, dain knew very well that lakamba was too deeply implicated in the gunpowder smuggling to care for an investigation the dutch authorities into that matter. when sent off by his father, the independent rajah of bali, at the time when the hostilities between dutch and malays threatened to spread from sumatra over the whole archipelago, dain had found all the big traders deaf to his guarded proposals, and above the temptation of the great prices he was ready to give for gunpowder. he went to sambir as a last and almost hopeless resort, having heard in macassar of the white man there, and of the regular steamer trading from singapore--allured also by the fact that there was no dutch resident on the river, which would make things easier, no doubt. his hopes got nearly wrecked against the stubborn loyalty of lakamba arising from well-understood self-interest; but at last the young man's generosity, his persuasive enthusiasm, the prestige of his father's great name, overpowered the prudent hesitation of the ruler of sambir. lakamba would have nothing to do himself with any illegal traffic. he also objected to the arabs being made use of in that matter; but he suggested almayer, saying that he was a weak man easily persuaded, and that his friend, the english captain of the steamer, could be made very useful--very likely even would join in the business, smuggling the powder in the steamer without abdulla's knowledge. there again dain met in almayer with unexpected resistance; lakamba had to send babalatchi over with the solemn promise that his eyes would be shut in friendship for the white man, dain paying for the promise and the friendship in good silver guilders of the hated orang blanda. almayer, at last consenting, said the powder would be obtained, but dain must trust him with dollars to send to singapore in payment for it. he would induce ford to buy and smuggle it in the steamer on board the brig. he did not want any money for himself out of the transaction, but dain must help him in his great enterprise after sending off the brig. almayer had explained to dain that he could not trust lakamba alone in that matter; he would be afraid of losing his treasure and his life through the cupidity of the rajah; yet the rajah had to be told, and insisted on taking a share in that operation, or else his eyes would remain shut no longer. to this almayer had to submit. had dain not seen nina he would have probably refused to engage himself and his men in the projected expedition to gunong mas--the mountain of gold. as it was he intended to return with half of his men as soon as the brig was clear of the reefs, but the persistent chase given him by the dutch frigate had forced him to run south and ultimately to wreck and destroy his vessel in order to preserve his liberty or perhaps even his life. yes, he had come back to sambir for nina, although aware that the dutch would look for him there, but he had also calculated his chances of safety in lakamba's hands. for all his ferocious talk, the merciful ruler would not kill him, for he had long ago been impressed with the notion that dain possessed the secret of the white man's treasure; neither would he give him up to the dutch, for fear of some fatal disclosure of complicity in the treasonable trade. so dain felt tolerably secure as he sat meditating quietly his answer to the rajah's bloodthirsty speech. yes, he would point out to him the aspect of his position should he--dain--fall into the hands of the dutch and should he speak the truth. he would have nothing more to lose then, and he would speak the truth. and if he did return to sambir, disturbing thereby lakamba's peace of mind, what then? he came to look after his property. did he not pour a stream of silver into mrs. almayer's greedy lap? he had paid, for the girl, a price worthy of a great prince, although unworthy of that delightfully maddening creature for whom his untamed soul longed in an intensity of desire far more tormenting than the sharpest pain. he wanted his happiness. he had the right to be in sambir. he rose, and, approaching the table, leaned both his elbows on it; lakamba responsively edged his seat a little closer, while babalatchi scrambled to his feet and thrust his inquisitive head between his master's and dain's. they interchanged their ideas rapidly, speaking in whispers into each other's faces, very close now, dain suggesting, lakamba contradicting, babalatchi conciliating and anxious in his vivid apprehension of coming difficulties. he spoke most, whispering earnestly, turning his head slowly from side to side so as to bring his solitary eye to bear upon each of his interlocutors in turn. why should there be strife? said he. let tuan dain, whom he loved only less than his master, go trustfully into hiding. there were many places for that. bulangi's house away in the clearing was best. bulangi was a safe man. in the network of crooked channels no white man could find his way. white men were strong, but very foolish. it was undesirable to fight them, but deception was easy. they were like silly women--they did not know the use of reason, and he was a match for any of them--went on babalatchi, with all the confidence of deficient experience. probably the dutch would seek almayer. maybe they would take away their countryman if they were suspicious of him. that would be good. after the dutch went away lakamba and dain would get the treasure without any trouble, and there would be one person less to share it. did he not speak wisdom? will tuan dain go to bulangi's house till the danger is over, go at once? dain accepted this suggestion of going into hiding with a certain sense of conferring a favour upon lakamba and the anxious statesman, but he met the proposal of going at once with a decided no, looking babalatchi meaningly in the eye. the statesman sighed as a man accepting the inevitable would do, and pointed silently towards the other bank of the river. dain bent his head slowly. "yes, i am going there," he said. "before the day comes?" asked babalatchi. "i am going there now," answered dain, decisively. "the orang blanda will not be here before to-morrow night, perhaps, and i must tell almayer of our arrangements." "no, tuan. no; say nothing," protested babalatchi. "i will go over myself at sunrise and let him know." "i will see," said dain, preparing to go. the thunderstorm was recommencing outside, the heavy clouds hanging low overhead now. there was a constant rumble of distant thunder punctuated by the nearer sharp crashes, and in the continuous play of blue lightning the woods and the river showed fitfully, with all the elusive distinctness of detail characteristic of such a scene. outside the door of the rajah's house dain and babalatchi stood on the shaking verandah as if dazed and stunned by the violence of the storm. they stood there amongst the cowering forms of the rajah's slaves and retainers seeking shelter from the rain, and dain called aloud to his boatmen, who responded with an unanimous "ada! tuan!" while they looked uneasily at the river. "this is a great flood!" shouted babalatchi into dain's ear. "the river is very angry. look! look at the drifting logs! can you go?" dain glanced doubtfully on the livid expanse of seething water bounded far away on the other side by the narrow black line of the forests. suddenly, in a vivid white flash, the low point of land with the bending trees on it and almayer's house, leaped into view, flickered and disappeared. dain pushed babalatchi aside and ran down to the water-gate followed by his shivering boatmen. babalatchi backed slowly in and closed the door, then turned round and looked silently upon lakamba. the rajah sat still, glaring stonily upon the table, and babalatchi gazed curiously at the perplexed mood of the man he had served so many years through good and evil fortune. no doubt the one-eyed statesman felt within his savage and much sophisticated breast the unwonted feelings of sympathy with, and perhaps even pity for, the man he called his master. from the safe position of a confidential adviser, he could, in the dim vista of past years, see himself--a casual cut-throat--finding shelter under that man's roof in the modest rice-clearing of early beginnings. then came a long period of unbroken success, of wise counsels, and deep plottings resolutely carried out by the fearless lakamba, till the whole east coast from poulo laut to tanjong batu listened to babalatchi's wisdom speaking through the mouth of the ruler of sambir. in those long years how many dangers escaped, how many enemies bravely faced, how many white men successfully circumvented! and now he looked upon the result of so many years of patient toil: the fearless lakamba cowed by the shadow of an impending trouble. the ruler was growing old, and babalatchi, aware of an uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach, put both his hands there with a suddenly vivid and sad perception of the fact that he himself was growing old too; that the time of reckless daring was past for both of them, and that they had to seek refuge in prudent cunning. they wanted peace; they were disposed to reform; they were ready even to retrench, so as to have the wherewithal to bribe the evil days away, if bribed away they could be. babalatchi sighed for the second time that night as he squatted again at his master's feet and tendered him his betel-nut box in mute sympathy. and they sat there in close yet silent communion of betel-nut chewers, moving their jaws slowly, expectorating decorously into the widemouthed brass vessel they passed to one another, and listening to the awful din of the battling elements outside. "there is a very great flood," remarked babalatchi, sadly. "yes," said lakamba. "did dain go?" "he went, tuan. he ran down to the river like a man possessed of the sheitan himself." there was another long pause. "he may get drowned," suggested lakamba at last, with some show of interest. "the floating logs are many," answered babalatchi, "but he is a good swimmer," he added languidly. "he ought to live," said lakamba; "he knows where the treasure is." babalatchi assented with an ill-humoured grunt. his want of success in penetrating the white man's secret as to the locality where the gold was to be found was a sore point with the statesman of sambir, as the only conspicuous failure in an otherwise brilliant career. a great peace had now succeeded the turmoil of the storm. only the little belated clouds, which hurried past overhead to catch up the main body flashing silently in the distance, sent down short showers that pattered softly with a soothing hiss over the palm-leaf roof. lakamba roused himself from his apathy with an appearance of having grasped the situation at last. "babalatchi," he called briskly, giving him a slight kick. "ada tuan! i am listening." "if the orang blanda come here, babalatchi, and take almayer to batavia to punish him for smuggling gunpowder, what will he do, you think?" "i do not know, tuan." "you are a fool," commented lakamba, exultingly. "he will tell them where the treasure is, so as to find mercy. he will." babalatchi looked up at his master and nodded his head with by no means a joyful surprise. he had not thought of this; there was a new complication. "almayer must die," said lakamba, decisively, "to make our secret safe. he must die quietly, babalatchi. you must do it." babalatchi assented, and rose wearily to his feet. "to-morrow?" he asked. "yes; before the dutch come. he drinks much coffee," answered lakamba, with seeming irrelevancy. babalatchi stretched himself yawning, but lakamba, in the flattering consciousness of a knotty problem solved by his own unaided intellectual efforts, grew suddenly very wakeful. "babalatchi," he said to the exhausted statesman, "fetch the box of music the white captain gave me. i cannot sleep." at this order a deep shade of melancholy settled upon babalatchi's features. he went reluctantly behind the curtain and soon reappeared carrying in his arms a small hand-organ, which he put down on the table with an air of deep dejection. lakamba settled himself comfortably in his arm-chair. "turn, babalatchi, turn," he murmured, with closed eyes. babalatchi's hand grasped the handle with the energy of despair, and as he turned, the deep gloom on his countenance changed into an expression of hopeless resignation. through the open shutter the notes of verdi's music floated out on the great silence over the river and forest. lakamba listened with closed eyes and a delighted smile; babalatchi turned, at times dozing off and swaying over, then catching himself up in a great fright with a few quick turns of the handle. nature slept in an exhausted repose after the fierce turmoil, while under the unsteady hand of the statesman of sambir the trovatore fitfully wept, wailed, and bade good-bye to his leonore again and again in a mournful round of tearful and endless iteration. chapter vii. the bright sunshine of the clear mistless morning, after the stormy night, flooded the main path of the settlement leading from the low shore of the pantai branch of the river to the gate of abdulla's compound. the path was deserted this morning; it stretched its dark yellow surface, hard beaten by the tramp of many bare feet, between the clusters of palm trees, whose tall trunks barred it with strong black lines at irregular intervals, while the newly risen sun threw the shadows of their leafy heads far away over the roofs of the buildings lining the river, even over the river itself as it flowed swiftly and silently past the deserted houses. for the houses were deserted too. on the narrow strip of trodden grass intervening between their open doors and the road, the morning fires smouldered untended, sending thin fluted columns of smoke into the cool air, and spreading the thinnest veil of mysterious blue haze over the sunlit solitude of the settlement. almayer, just out of his hammock, gazed sleepily at the unwonted appearance of sambir, wondering vaguely at the absence of life. his own house was very quiet; he could not hear his wife's voice, nor the sound of nina's footsteps in the big room, opening on the verandah, which he called his sitting-room, whenever, in the company of white men, he wished to assert his claims to the commonplace decencies of civilisation. nobody ever sat there; there was nothing there to sit upon, for mrs. almayer in her savage moods, when excited by the reminiscences of the piratical period of her life, had torn off the curtains to make sarongs for the slave-girls, and had burnt the showy furniture piecemeal to cook the family rice. but almayer was not thinking of his furniture now. he was thinking of dain's return, of dain's nocturnal interview with lakamba, of its possible influence on his long-matured plans, now nearing the period of their execution. he was also uneasy at the non-appearance of dain who had promised him an early visit. "the fellow had plenty of time to cross the river," he mused, "and there was so much to be done to-day. the settling of details for the early start on the morrow; the launching of the boats; the thousand and one finishing touches. for the expedition must start complete, nothing should be forgotten, nothing should--" the sense of the unwonted solitude grew upon him suddenly, and in the unusual silence he caught himself longing even for the usually unwelcome sound of his wife's voice to break the oppressive stillness which seemed, to his frightened fancy, to portend the advent of some new misfortune. "what has happened?" he muttered half aloud, as he shuffled in his imperfectly adjusted slippers towards the balustrade of the verandah. "is everybody asleep or dead?" the settlement was alive and very much awake. it was awake ever since the early break of day, when mahmat banjer, in a fit of unheard-of energy, arose and, taking up his hatchet, stepped over the sleeping forms of his two wives and walked shivering to the water's edge to make sure that the new house he was building had not floated away during the night. the house was being built by the enterprising mahmat on a large raft, and he had securely moored it just inside the muddy point of land at the junction of the two branches of the pantai so as to be out of the way of drifting logs that would no doubt strand on the point during the freshet. mahmat walked through the wet grass saying bourrouh, and cursing softly to himself the hard necessities of active life that drove him from his warm couch into the cold of the morning. a glance showed him that his house was still there, and he congratulated himself on his foresight in hauling it out of harm's way, for the increasing light showed him a confused wrack of drift-logs, half-stranded on the muddy flat, interlocked into a shapeless raft by their branches, tossing to and fro and grinding together in the eddy caused by the meeting currents of the two branches of the river. mahmat walked down to the water's edge to examine the rattan moorings of his house just as the sun cleared the trees of the forest on the opposite shore. as he bent over the fastenings he glanced again carelessly at the unquiet jumble of logs and saw there something that caused him to drop his hatchet and stand up, shading his eyes with his hand from the rays of the rising sun. it was something red, and the logs rolled over it, at times closing round it, sometimes hiding it. it looked to him at first like a strip of red cloth. the next moment mahmat had made it out and raised a great shout. "ah ya! there!" yelled mahmat. "there's a man amongst the logs." he put the palms of his hand to his lips and shouted, enunciating distinctly, his face turned towards the settlement: "there's a body of a man in the river! come and see! a dead--stranger!" the women of the nearest house were already outside kindling the fires and husking the morning rice. they took up the cry shrilly, and it travelled so from house to house, dying away in the distance. the men rushed out excited but silent, and ran towards the muddy point where the unconscious logs tossed and ground and bumped and rolled over the dead stranger with the stupid persistency of inanimate things. the women followed, neglecting their domestic duties and disregarding the possibilities of domestic discontent, while groups of children brought up the rear, warbling joyously, in the delight of unexpected excitement. almayer called aloud for his wife and daughter, but receiving no response, stood listening intently. the murmur of the crowd reached him faintly, bringing with it the assurance of some unusual event. he glanced at the river just as he was going to leave the verandah and checked himself at the sight of a small canoe crossing over from the rajah's landing-place. the solitary occupant (in whom almayer soon recognised babalatchi) effected the crossing a little below the house and paddled up to the lingard jetty in the dead water under the bank. babalatchi clambered out slowly and went on fastening his canoe with fastidious care, as if not in a hurry to meet almayer, whom he saw looking at him from the verandah. this delay gave almayer time to notice and greatly wonder at babalatchi's official get-up. the statesman of sambir was clad in a costume befitting his high rank. a loudly checkered sarong encircled his waist, and from its many folds peeped out the silver hilt of the kriss that saw the light only on great festivals or during official receptions. over the left shoulder and across the otherwise unclad breast of the aged diplomatist glistened a patent leather belt bearing a brass plate with the arms of netherlands under the inscription, "sultan of sambir." babalatchi's head was covered by a red turban, whose fringed ends falling over the left cheek and shoulder gave to his aged face a ludicrous expression of joyous recklessness. when the canoe was at last fastened to his satisfaction he straightened himself up, shaking down the folds of his sarong, and moved with long strides towards almayer's house, swinging regularly his long ebony staff, whose gold head ornamented with precious stones flashed in the morning sun. almayer waved his hand to the right towards the point of land, to him invisible, but in full view from the jetty. "oh, babalatchi! oh!" he called out; "what is the matter there? can you see?" babalatchi stopped and gazed intently at the crowd on the river bank, and after a little while the astonished almayer saw him leave the path, gather up his sarong in one hand, and break into a trot through the grass towards the muddy point. almayer, now greatly interested, ran down the steps of the verandah. the murmur of men's voices and the shrill cries of women reached him quite distinctly now, and as soon as he turned the corner of his house he could see the crowd on the low promontory swaying and pushing round some object of interest. he could indistinctly hear babalatchi's voice, then the crowd opened before the aged statesman and closed after him with an excited hum, ending in a loud shout. as almayer approached the throng a man ran out and rushed past him towards the settlement, unheeding his call to stop and explain the cause of this excitement. on the very outskirts of the crowd almayer found himself arrested by an unyielding mass of humanity, regardless of his entreaties for a passage, insensible to his gentle pushes as he tried to work his way through it towards the riverside. in the midst of his gentle and slow progress he fancied suddenly he had heard his wife's voice in the thickest of the throng. he could not mistake very well mrs. almayer's high-pitched tones, yet the words were too indistinct for him to understand their purport. he paused in his endeavours to make a passage for himself, intending to get some intelligence from those around him, when a long and piercing shriek rent the air, silencing the murmurs of the crowd and the voices of his informants. for a moment almayer remained as if turned into stone with astonishment and horror, for he was certain now that he had heard his wife wailing for the dead. he remembered nina's unusual absence, and maddened by his apprehensions as to her safety, he pushed blindly and violently forward, the crowd falling back with cries of surprise and pain before his frantic advance. on the point of land in a little clear space lay the body of the stranger just hauled out from amongst the logs. on one side stood babalatchi, his chin resting on the head of his staff and his one eye gazing steadily at the shapeless mass of broken limbs, torn flesh, and bloodstained rags. as almayer burst through the ring of horrified spectators, mrs. almayer threw her own head-veil over the upturned face of the drowned man, and, squatting by it, with another mournful howl, sent a shiver through the now silent crowd. mahmat, dripping wet, turned to almayer, eager to tell his tale. in the first moment of reaction from the anguish of his fear the sunshine seemed to waver before almayer's eyes, and he listened to words spoken around him without comprehending their meaning. when, by a strong effort of will, he regained the possession of his senses, mahmat was saying-"that is the way, tuan. his sarong was caught in the broken branch, and he hung with his head under water. when i saw what it was i did not want it here. i wanted it to get clear and drift away. why should we bury a stranger in the midst of our houses for his ghost to frighten our women and children? have we not enough ghosts about this place?" a murmur of approval interrupted him here. mahmat looked reproachfully at babalatchi. "but the tuan babalatchi ordered me to drag the body ashore"--he went on looking round at his audience, but addressing himself only to almayer--"and i dragged him by the feet; in through the mud i have dragged him, although my heart longed to see him float down the river to strand perchance on bulangi's clearing--may his father's grave be defiled!" there was subdued laughter at this, for the enmity of mahmat and bulangi was a matter of common notoriety and of undying interest to the inhabitants of sambir. in the midst of that mirth mrs. almayer wailed suddenly again. "allah! what ails the woman!" exclaimed mahmat, angrily. "here, i have touched this carcass which came from nobody knows where, and have most likely defiled myself before eating rice. by orders of tuan babalatchi i did this thing to please the white man. are you pleased, o tuan almayer? and what will be my recompense? tuan babalatchi said a recompense there will be, and from you. now consider. i have been defiled, and if not defiled i may be under the spell. look at his anklets! who ever heard of a corpse appearing during the night amongst the logs with gold anklets on its legs? there is witchcraft there. however," added mahmat, after a reflective pause, "i will have the anklet if there is permission, for i have a charm against the ghosts and am not afraid. god is great!" a fresh outburst of noisy grief from mrs. almayer checked the flow of mahmat's eloquence. almayer, bewildered, looked in turn at his wife, at mahmat, at babalatchi, and at last arrested his fascinated gaze on the body lying on the mud with covered face in a grotesquely unnatural contortion of mangled and broken limbs, one twisted and lacerated arm, with white bones protruding in many places through the torn flesh, stretched out; the hand with outspread fingers nearly touching his foot. "do you know who this is?" he asked of babalatchi, in a low voice. babalatchi, staring straight before him, hardly moved his lips, while mrs. almayer's persistent lamentations drowned the whisper of his murmured reply intended only for almayer's ear. "it was fate. look at your feet, white man. i can see a ring on those torn fingers which i know well." saying this, babalatchi stepped carelessly forward, putting his foot as if accidentally on the hand of the corpse and pressing it into the soft mud. he swung his staff menacingly towards the crowd, which fell back a little. "go away," he said sternly, "and send your women to their cooking fires, which they ought not to have left to run after a dead stranger. this is men's work here. i take him now in the name of the rajah. let no man remain here but tuan almayer's slaves. now go!" the crowd reluctantly began to disperse. the women went first, dragging away the children that hung back with all their weight on the maternal hand. the men strolled slowly after them in ever forming and changing groups that gradually dissolved as they neared the settlement and every man regained his own house with steps quickened by the hungry anticipation of the morning rice. only on the slight elevation where the land sloped down towards the muddy point a few men, either friends or enemies of mahmat, remained gazing curiously for some time longer at the small group standing around the body on the river bank. "i do not understand what you mean, babalatchi," said almayer. "what is the ring you are talking about? whoever he is, you have trodden the poor fellow's hand right into the mud. uncover his face," he went on, addressing mrs. almayer, who, squatting by the head of the corpse, rocked herself to and fro, shaking from time to time her dishevelled grey locks, and muttering mournfully. "hai!" exclaimed mahmat, who had lingered close by. "look, tuan; the logs came together so," and here he pressed the palms of his hands together, "and his head must have been between them, and now there is no face for you to look at. there are his flesh and his bones, the nose, and the lips, and maybe his eyes, but nobody could tell the one from the other. it was written the day he was born that no man could look at him in death and be able to say, 'this is my friend's face.'" "silence, mahmat; enough!" said babalatchi, "and take thy eyes off his anklet, thou eater of pigs flesh. tuan almayer," he went on, lowering his voice, "have you seen dain this morning?" almayer opened his eyes wide and looked alarmed. "no," he said quickly; "haven't you seen him? is he not with the rajah? i am waiting; why does he not come?" babalatchi nodded his head sadly. "he is come, tuan. he left last night when the storm was great and the river spoke angrily. the night was very black, but he had within him a light that showed the way to your house as smooth as a narrow backwater, and the many logs no bigger than wisps of dried grass. therefore he went; and now he lies here." and babalatchi nodded his head towards the body. "how can you tell?" said almayer, excitedly, pushing his wife aside. he snatched the cover off and looked at the formless mass of flesh, hair, and drying mud, where the face of the drowned man should have been. "nobody can tell," he added, turning away with a shudder. babalatchi was on his knees wiping the mud from the stiffened fingers of the outstretched hand. he rose to his feet and flashed before almayer's eyes a gold ring set with a large green stone. "you know this well," he said. "this never left dain's hand. i had to tear the flesh now to get it off. do you believe now?" almayer raised his hands to his head and let them fall listlessly by his side in the utter abandonment of despair. babalatchi, looking at him curiously, was astonished to see him smile. a strange fancy had taken possession of almayer's brain, distracted by this new misfortune. it seemed to him that for many years he had been falling into a deep precipice. day after day, month after month, year after year, he had been falling, falling, falling; it was a smooth, round, black thing, and the black walls had been rushing upwards with wearisome rapidity. a great rush, the noise of which he fancied he could hear yet; and now, with an awful shock, he had reached the bottom, and behold! he was alive and whole, and dain was dead with all his bones broken. it struck him as funny. a dead malay; he had seen many dead malays without any emotion; and now he felt inclined to weep, but it was over the fate of a white man he knew; a man that fell over a deep precipice and did not die. he seemed somehow to himself to be standing on one side, a little way off, looking at a certain almayer who was in great trouble. poor, poor fellow! why doesn't he cut his throat? he wished to encourage him; he was very anxious to see him lying dead over that other corpse. why does he not die and end this suffering? he groaned aloud unconsciously and started with affright at the sound of his own voice. was he going mad? terrified by the thought he turned away and ran towards his house repeating to himself, i am not going mad; of course not, no, no, no! he tried to keep a firm hold of the idea. not mad, not mad. he stumbled as he ran blindly up the steps repeating fast and ever faster those words wherein seemed to lie his salvation. he saw nina standing there, and wished to say something to her, but could not remember what, in his extreme anxiety not to forget that he was not going mad, which he still kept repeating mentally as he ran round the table, till he stumbled against one of the arm-chairs and dropped into it exhausted. he sat staring wildly at nina, still assuring himself mentally of his own sanity and wondering why the girl shrank from him in open-eyed alarm. what was the matter with her? this was foolish. he struck the table violently with his clenched fist and shouted hoarsely, "give me some gin! run!" then, while nina ran off, he remained in the chair, very still and quiet, astonished at the noise he had made. nina returned with a tumbler half filled with gin, and found her father staring absently before him. almayer felt very tired now, as if he had come from a long journey. he felt as if he had walked miles and miles that morning and now wanted to rest very much. he took the tumbler with a shaking hand, and as he drank his teeth chattered against the glass which he drained and set down heavily on the table. he turned his eyes slowly towards nina standing beside him, and said steadily-"now all is over, nina. he is dead, and i may as well burn all my boats." he felt very proud of being able to speak so calmly. decidedly he was not going mad. this certitude was very comforting, and he went on talking about the finding of the body, listening to his own voice complacently. nina stood quietly, her hand resting lightly on her father's shoulder, her face unmoved, but every line of her features, the attitude of her whole body expressing the most keen and anxious attention. "and so dain is dead," she said coldly, when her father ceased speaking. almayer's elaborately calm demeanour gave way in a moment to an outburst of violent indignation. "you stand there as if you were only half alive, and talk to me," he exclaimed angrily, "as if it was a matter of no importance. yes, he is dead! do you understand? dead! what do you care? you never cared; you saw me struggle, and work, and strive, unmoved; and my suffering you could never see. no, never. you have no heart, and you have no mind, or you would have understood that it was for you, for your happiness i was working. i wanted to be rich; i wanted to get away from here. i wanted to see white men bowing low before the power of your beauty and your wealth. old as i am i wished to seek a strange land, a civilisation to which i am a stranger, so as to find a new life in the contemplation of your high fortunes, of your triumphs, of your happiness. for that i bore patiently the burden of work, of disappointment, of humiliation amongst these savages here, and i had it all nearly in my grasp." he looked at his daughter's attentive face and jumped to his feet upsetting the chair. "do you hear? i had it all there; so; within reach of my hand." he paused, trying to keep down his rising anger, and failed. "have you no feeling?" he went on. "have you lived without hope?" nina's silence exasperated him; his voice rose, although he tried to master his feelings. "are you content to live in this misery and die in this wretched hole? say something, nina; have you no sympathy? have you no word of comfort for me? i that loved you so." he waited for a while for an answer, and receiving none shook his fist in his daughter's face. "i believe you are an idiot!" he yelled. he looked round for the chair, picked it up and sat down stiffly. his anger was dead within him, and he felt ashamed of his outburst, yet relieved to think that now he had laid clear before his daughter the inner meaning of his life. he thought so in perfect good faith, deceived by the emotional estimate of his motives, unable to see the crookedness of his ways, the unreality of his aims, the futility of his regrets. and now his heart was filled only with a great tenderness and love for his daughter. he wanted to see her miserable, and to share with her his despair; but he wanted it only as all weak natures long for a companionship in misfortune with beings innocent of its cause. if she suffered herself she would understand and pity him; but now she would not, or could not, find one word of comfort or love for him in his dire extremity. the sense of his absolute loneliness came home to his heart with a force that made him shudder. he swayed and fell forward with his face on the table, his arms stretched straight out, extended and rigid. nina made a quick movement towards her father and stood looking at the grey head, on the broad shoulders shaken convulsively by the violence of feelings that found relief at last in sobs and tears. nina sighed deeply and moved away from the table. her features lost the appearance of stony indifference that had exasperated her father into his outburst of anger and sorrow. the expression of her face, now unseen by her father, underwent a rapid change. she had listened to almayer's appeal for sympathy, for one word of comfort, apparently indifferent, yet with her breast torn by conflicting impulses raised unexpectedly by events she had not foreseen, or at least did not expect to happen so soon. with her heart deeply moved by the sight of almayer's misery, knowing it in her power to end it with a word, longing to bring peace to that troubled heart, she heard with terror the voice of her overpowering love commanding her to be silent. and she submitted after a short and fierce struggle of her old self against the new principle of her life. she wrapped herself up in absolute silence, the only safeguard against some fatal admission. she could not trust herself to make a sign, to murmur a word for fear of saying too much; and the very violence of the feelings that stirred the innermost recesses of her soul seemed to turn her person into a stone. the dilated nostrils and the flashing eyes were the only signs of the storm raging within, and those signs of his daughter's emotion almayer did not see, for his sight was dimmed by selfpity, by anger, and by despair. had almayer looked at his daughter as she leant over the front rail of the verandah he could have seen the expression of indifference give way to a look of pain, and that again pass away, leaving the glorious beauty of her face marred by deep-drawn lines of watchful anxiety. the long grass in the neglected courtyard stood very straight before her eyes in the noonday heat. from the river-bank there were voices and a shuffle of bare feet approaching the house; babalatchi could be heard giving directions to almayer's men, and mrs. almayer's subdued wailing became audible as the small procession bearing the body of the drowned man and headed by that sorrowful matron turned the corner of the house. babalatchi had taken the broken anklet off the man's leg, and now held it in his hand as he moved by the side of the bearers, while mahmat lingered behind timidly, in the hopes of the promised reward. "lay him there," said babalatchi to almayer's men, pointing to a pile of drying planks in front of the verandah. "lay him there. he was a kaffir and the son of a dog, and he was the white man's friend. he drank the white man's strong water," he added, with affected horror. "that i have seen myself." the men stretched out the broken limbs on two planks they had laid level, while mrs. almayer covered the body with a piece of white cotton cloth, and after whispering for some time with babalatchi departed to her domestic duties. almayer's men, after laying down their burden, dispersed themselves in quest of shady spots wherein to idle the day away. babalatchi was left alone by the corpse that laid rigid under the white cloth in the bright sunshine. nina came down the steps and joined babalatchi, who put his hand to his forehead, and squatted down with great deference. "you have a bangle there," said nina, looking down on babalatchi's upturned face and into his solitary eye. "i have, mem putih," returned the polite statesman. then turning towards mahmat he beckoned him closer, calling out, "come here!" mahmat approached with some hesitation. he avoided looking at nina, but fixed his eyes on babalatchi. "now, listen," said babalatchi, sharply. "the ring and the anklet you have seen, and you know they belonged to dain the trader, and to no other. dain returned last night in a canoe. he spoke with the rajah, and in the middle of the night left to cross over to the white man's house. there was a great flood, and this morning you found him in the river." "by his feet i dragged him out," muttered mahmat under his breath. "tuan babalatchi, there will be a recompense!" he exclaimed aloud. babalatchi held up the gold bangle before mahmat's eyes. "what i have told you, mahmat, is for all ears. what i give you now is for your eyes only. take." mahmat took the bangle eagerly and hid it in the folds of his waist-cloth. "am i a fool to show this thing in a house with three women in it?" he growled. "but i shall tell them about dain the trader, and there will be talk enough." he turned and went away, increasing his pace as soon as he was outside almayer's compound. babalatchi looked after him till he disappeared behind the bushes. "have i done well, mem putih?" he asked, humbly addressing nina. "you have," answered nina. "the ring you may keep yourself." babalatchi touched his lips and forehead, and scrambled to his feet. he looked at nina, as if expecting her to say something more, but nina turned towards the house and went up the steps, motioning him away with her hand. babalatchi picked up his staff and prepared to go. it was very warm, and he did not care for the long pull to the rajah's house. yet he must go and tell the rajah--tell of the event; of the change in his plans; of all his suspicions. he walked to the jetty and began casting off the rattan painter of his canoe. the broad expanse of the lower reach, with its shimmering surface dotted by the black specks of the fishing canoes, lay before his eyes. the fishermen seemed to be racing. babalatchi paused in his work, and looked on with sudden interest. the man in the foremost canoe, now within hail of the first houses of sambir, laid in his paddle and stood up shouting-"the boats! the boats! the man-of-war's boats are coming! they are here!" in a moment the settlement was again alive with people rushing to the riverside. the men began to unfasten their boats, the women stood in groups looking towards the bend down the river. above the trees lining the reach a slight puff of smoke appeared like a black stain on the brilliant blue of the cloudless sky. babalatchi stood perplexed, the painter in his hand. he looked down the reach, then up towards almayer's house, and back again at the river as if undecided what to do. at last he made the canoe fast again hastily, and ran towards the house and up the steps of the verandah. "tuan! tuan!" he called, eagerly. "the boats are coming. the man-ofwar's boats. you had better get ready. the officers will come here, i know." almayer lifted his head slowly from the table, and looked at him stupidly. "mem putih!" exclaimed babalatchi to nina, "look at him. he does not hear. you must take care," he added meaningly. nina nodded to him with an uncertain smile, and was going to speak, when a sharp report from the gun mounted in the bow of the steam launch that was just then coming into view arrested the words on her parted lips. the smile died out, and was replaced by the old look of anxious attention. from the hills far away the echo came back like a long-drawn and mournful sigh, as if the land had sent it in answer to the voice of its masters. chapter viii. the news as to the identity of the body lying now in almayer's compound spread rapidly over the settlement. during the forenoon most of the inhabitants remained in the long street discussing the mysterious return and the unexpected death of the man who had become known to them as the trader. his arrival during the north-east monsoon, his long sojourn in their midst, his sudden departure with his brig, and, above all, the mysterious appearance of the body, said to be his, amongst the logs, were subjects to wonder at and to talk over and over again with undiminished interest. mahmat moved from house to house and from group to group, always ready to repeat his tale: how he saw the body caught by the sarong in a forked log; how mrs. almayer coming, one of the first, at his cries, recognised it, even before he had it hauled on shore; how babalatchi ordered him to bring it out of the water. "by the feet i dragged him in, and there was no head," exclaimed mahmat, "and how could the white man's wife know who it was? she was a witch, it was well known. and did you see how the white man himself ran away at the sight of the body? like a deer he ran!" and here mahmat imitated almayer's long strides, to the great joy of the beholders. and for all his trouble he had nothing. the ring with the green stone tuan babalatchi kept. "nothing! nothing!" he spat down at his feet in sign of disgust, and left that group to seek further on a fresh audience. the news spreading to the furthermost parts of the settlement found out abdulla in the cool recess of his godown, where he sat overlooking his arab clerks and the men loading and unloading the up-country canoes. reshid, who was busy on the jetty, was summoned into his uncle's presence and found him, as usual, very calm and even cheerful, but very much surprised. the rumour of the capture or destruction of dain's brig had reached the arab's ears three days before from the sea-fishermen and through the dwellers on the lower reaches of the river. it had been passed up-stream from neighbour to neighbour till bulangi, whose clearing was nearest to the settlement, had brought that news himself to abdulla whose favour he courted. but rumour also spoke of a fight and of dain's death on board his own vessel. and now all the settlement talked of dain's visit to the rajah and of his death when crossing the river in the dark to see almayer. they could not understand this. reshid thought that it was very strange. he felt uneasy and doubtful. but abdulla, after the first shock of surprise, with the old age's dislike for solving riddles, showed a becoming resignation. he remarked that the man was dead now at all events, and consequently no more dangerous. where was the use to wonder at the decrees of fate, especially if they were propitious to the true believers? and with a pious ejaculation to allah the merciful, the compassionate, abdulla seemed to regard the incident as closed for the present. not so reshid. he lingered by his uncle, pulling thoughtfully his neatly trimmed beard. "there are many lies," he murmured. "he has been dead once before, and came to life to die again now. the dutch will be here before many days and clamour for the man. shall i not believe my eyes sooner than the tongues of women and idle men?" "they say that the body is being taken to almayer's compound," said abdulla. "if you want to go there you must go before the dutch arrive here. go late. it should not be said that we have been seen inside that man's enclosure lately." reshid assented to the truth of this last remark and left his uncle's side. he leaned against the lintel of the big doorway and looked idly across the courtyard through the open gate on to the main road of the settlement. it lay empty, straight, and yellow under the flood of light. in the hot noontide the smooth trunks of palm trees, the outlines of the houses, and away there at the other end of the road the roof of almayer's house visible over the bushes on the dark background of forest, seemed to quiver in the heat radiating from the steaming earth. swarms of yellow butterflies rose, and settled to rise again in short flights before reshid's half-closed eyes. from under his feet arose the dull hum of insects in the long grass of the courtyard. he looked on sleepily. from one of the side paths amongst the houses a woman stepped out on the road, a slight girlish figure walking under the shade of a large tray balanced on its head. the consciousness of something moving stirred reshid's half-sleeping senses into a comparative wakefulness. he recognised taminah, bulangi's slave-girl, with her tray of cakes for sale--an apparition of daily recurrence and of no importance whatever. she was going towards almayer's house. she could be made useful. he roused himself up and ran towards the gate calling out, "taminah o!" the girl stopped, hesitated, and came back slowly. reshid waited, signing to her impatiently to come nearer. when near reshid taminah stood with downcast eyes. reshid looked at her a while before he asked-"are you going to almayer's house? they say in the settlement that dain the trader, he that was found drowned this morning, is lying in the white man's campong." "i have heard this talk," whispered taminah; "and this morning by the riverside i saw the body. where it is now i do not know." "so you have seen it?" asked reshid, eagerly. "is it dain? you have seen him many times. you would know him." the girl's lips quivered and she remained silent for a while, breathing quickly. "i have seen him, not a long time ago," she said at last. "the talk is true; he is dead. what do you want from me, tuan? i must go." just then the report of the gun fired on board the steam launch was heard, interrupting reshid's reply. leaving the girl he ran to the house, and met in the courtyard abdulla coming towards the gate. "the orang blanda are come," said reshid, "and now we shall have our reward." abdulla shook his head doubtfully. "the white men's rewards are long in coming," he said. "white men are quick in anger and slow in gratitude. we shall see." he stood at the gate stroking his grey beard and listening to the distant cries of greeting at the other end of the settlement. as taminah was turning to go he called her back. "listen, girl," he said: "there will be many white men in almayer's house. you shall be there selling your cakes to the men of the sea. what you see and what you hear you may tell me. come here before the sun sets and i will give you a blue handkerchief with red spots. now go, and forget not to return." he gave her a push with the end of his long staff as she was going away and made her stumble. "this slave is very slow," he remarked to his nephew, looking after the girl with great disfavour. taminah walked on, her tray on the head, her eyes fixed on the ground. from the open doors of the houses were heard, as she passed, friendly calls inviting her within for business purposes, but she never heeded them, neglecting her sales in the preoccupation of intense thinking. since the very early morning she had heard much, she had also seen much that filled her heart with a joy mingled with great suffering and fear. before the dawn, before she left bulangi's house to paddle up to sambir she had heard voices outside the house when all in it but herself were asleep. and now, with her knowledge of the words spoken in the darkness, she held in her hand a life and carried in her breast a great sorrow. yet from her springy step, erect figure, and face veiled over by the everyday look of apathetic indifference, nobody could have guessed of the double load she carried under the visible burden of the tray piled up high with cakes manufactured by the thrifty hands of bulangi's wives. in that supple figure straight as an arrow, so graceful and free in its walk, behind those soft eyes that spoke of nothing but of unconscious resignation, there slept all feelings and all passions, all hopes and all fears, the curse of life and the consolation of death. and she knew nothing of it all. she lived like the tall palms amongst whom she was passing now, seeking the light, desiring the sunshine, fearing the storm, unconscious of either. the slave had no hope, and knew of no change. she knew of no other sky, no other water, no other forest, no other world, no other life. she had no wish, no hope, no love, no fear except of a blow, and no vivid feeling but that of occasional hunger, which was seldom, for bulangi was rich and rice was plentiful in the solitary house in his clearing. the absence of pain and hunger was her happiness, and when she felt unhappy she was simply tired, more than usual, after the day's labour. then in the hot nights of the south-west monsoon she slept dreamlessly under the bright stars on the platform built outside the house and over the river. inside they slept too: bulangi by the door; his wives further in; the children with their mothers. she could hear their breathing; bulangi's sleepy voice; the sharp cry of a child soon hushed with tender words. and she closed her eyes to the murmur of the water below her, to the whisper of the warm wind above, ignorant of the never-ceasing life of that tropical nature that spoke to her in vain with the thousand faint voices of the near forest, with the breath of tepid wind; in the heavy scents that lingered around her head; in the white wraiths of morning mist that hung over her in the solemn hush of all creation before the dawn. such had been her existence before the coming of the brig with the strangers. she remembered well that time; the uproar in the settlement, the never-ending wonder, the days and nights of talk and excitement. she remembered her own timidity with the strange men, till the brig moored to the bank became in a manner part of the settlement, and the fear wore off in the familiarity of constant intercourse. the call on board then became part of her daily round. she walked hesitatingly up the slanting planks of the gangway amidst the encouraging shouts and more or less decent jokes of the men idling over the bulwarks. there she sold her wares to those men that spoke so loud and carried themselves so free. there was a throng, a constant coming and going; calls interchanged, orders given and executed with shouts; the rattle of blocks, the flinging about of coils of rope. she sat out of the way under the shade of the awning, with her tray before her, the veil drawn well over her face, feeling shy amongst so many men. she smiled at all buyers, but spoke to none, letting their jests pass with stolid unconcern. she heard many tales told around her of far-off countries, of strange customs, of events stranger still. those men were brave; but the most fearless of them spoke of their chief with fear. often the man they called their master passed before her, walking erect and indifferent, in the pride of youth, in the flash of rich dress, with a tinkle of gold ornaments, while everybody stood aside watching anxiously for a movement of his lips, ready to do his bidding. then all her life seemed to rush into her eyes, and from under her veil she gazed at him, charmed, yet fearful to attract attention. one day he noticed her and asked, "who is that girl?" "a slave, tuan! a girl that sells cakes," a dozen voices replied together. she rose in terror to run on shore, when he called her back; and as she stood trembling with head hung down before him, he spoke kind words, lifting her chin with his hand and looking into her eyes with a smile. "do not be afraid," he said. he never spoke to her any more. somebody called out from the river bank; he turned away and forgot her existence. taminah saw almayer standing on the shore with nina on his arm. she heard nina's voice calling out gaily, and saw dain's face brighten with joy as he leaped on shore. she hated the sound of that voice ever since. after that day she left off visiting almayer's compound, and passed the noon hours under the shade of the brig awning. she watched for his coming with heart beating quicker and quicker, as he approached, into a wild tumult of newly-aroused feelings of joy and hope and fear that died away with dain's retreating figure, leaving her tired out, as if after a struggle, sitting still for a long time in dreamy languor. then she paddled home slowly in the afternoon, often letting her canoe float with the lazy stream in the quiet backwater of the river. the paddle hung idle in the water as she sat in the stern, one hand supporting her chin, her eyes wide open, listening intently to the whispering of her heart that seemed to swell at last into a song of extreme sweetness. listening to that song she husked the rice at home; it dulled her ears to the shrill bickerings of bulangi's wives, to the sound of angry reproaches addressed to herself. and when the sun was near its setting she walked to the bathing-place and heard it as she stood on the tender grass of the low bank, her robe at her feet, and looked at the reflection of her figure on the glass-like surface of the creek. listening to it she walked slowly back, her wet hair hanging over her shoulders; laying down to rest under the bright stars, she closed her eyes to the murmur of the water below, of the warm wind above; to the voice of nature speaking through the faint noises of the great forest, and to the song of her own heart. she heard, but did not understand, and drank in the dreamy joy of her new existence without troubling about its meaning or its end, till the full consciousness of life came to her through pain and anger. and she suffered horribly the first time she saw nina's long canoe drift silently past the sleeping house of bulangi, bearing the two lovers into the white mist of the great river. her jealousy and rage culminated into a paroxysm of physical pain that left her lying panting on the river bank, in the dumb agony of a wounded animal. but she went on moving patiently in the enchanted circle of slavery, going through her task day after day with all the pathos of the grief she could not express, even to herself, locked within her breast. she shrank from nina as she would have shrunk from the sharp blade of a knife cutting into her flesh, but she kept on visiting the brig to feed her dumb, ignorant soul on her own despair. she saw dain many times. he never spoke, he never looked. could his eyes see only one woman's image? could his ears hear only one woman's voice? he never noticed her; not once. and then he went away. she saw him and nina for the last time on that morning when babalatchi, while visiting his fish baskets, had his suspicions of the white man's daughter's love affair with dain confirmed beyond the shadow of doubt. dain disappeared, and taminah's heart, where lay useless and barren the seeds of all love and of all hate, the possibilities of all passions and of all sacrifices, forgot its joys and its sufferings when deprived of the help of the senses. her half-formed, savage mind, the slave of her body--as her body was the slave of another's will--forgot the faint and vague image of the ideal that had found its beginning in the physical promptings of her savage nature. she dropped back into the torpor of her former life and found consolation--even a certain kind of happiness--in the thought that now nina and dain were separated, probably for ever. he would forget. this thought soothed the last pangs of dying jealousy that had nothing now to feed upon, and taminah found peace. it was like the dreary tranquillity of a desert, where there is peace only because there is no life. and now he had returned. she had recognised his voice calling aloud in the night for bulangi. she had crept out after her master to listen closer to the intoxicating sound. dain was there, in a boat, talking to bulangi. taminah, listening with arrested breath, heard another voice. the maddening joy, that only a second before she thought herself incapable of containing within her fast-beating heart, died out, and left her shivering in the old anguish of physical pain that she had suffered once before at the sight of dain and nina. nina spoke now, ordering and entreating in turns, and bulangi was refusing, expostulating, at last consenting. he went in to take a paddle from the heap lying behind the door. outside the murmur of two voices went on, and she caught a word here and there. she understood that he was fleeing from white men, that he was seeking a hiding-place, that he was in some danger. but she heard also words which woke the rage of jealousy that had been asleep for so many days in her bosom. crouching low on the mud in the black darkness amongst the piles, she heard the whisper in the boat that made light of toil, of privation, of danger, of life itself, if in exchange there could be but a short moment of close embrace, a look from the eyes, the feel of light breath, the touch of soft lips. so spoke dain as he sat in the canoe holding nina's hands while waiting for bulangi's return; and taminah, supporting herself by the slimy pile, felt as if a heavy weight was crushing her down, down into the black oily water at her feet. she wanted to cry out; to rush at them and tear their vague shadows apart; to throw nina into the smooth water, cling to her close, hold her to the bottom where that man could not find her. she could not cry, she could not move. then footsteps were heard on the bamboo platform above her head; she saw bulangi get into his smallest canoe and take the lead, the other boat following, paddled by dain and nina. with a slight splash of the paddles dipped stealthily into the water, their indistinct forms passed before her aching eyes and vanished in the darkness of the creek. she remained there in the cold and wet, powerless to move, breathing painfully under the crushing weight that the mysterious hand of fate had laid so suddenly upon her slender shoulders, and shivering, she felt within a burning fire, that seemed to feed upon her very life. when the breaking day had spread a pale golden ribbon over the black outline of the forests, she took up her tray and departed towards the settlement, going about her task purely from the force of habit. as she approached sambir she could see the excitement and she heard with momentary surprise of the finding of dain's body. it was not true, of course. she knew it well. she regretted that he was not dead. she should have liked dain to be dead, so as to be parted from that woman--from all women. she felt a strong desire to see nina, but without any clear object. she hated her, and feared her and she felt an irresistible impulse pushing her towards almayer's house to see the white woman's face, to look close at those eyes, to hear again that voice, for the sound of which dain was ready to risk his liberty, his life even. she had seen her many times; she had heard her voice daily for many months past. what was there in her? what was there in that being to make a man speak as dain had spoken, to make him blind to all other faces, deaf to all other voices? she left the crowd by the riverside, and wandered aimlessly among the empty houses, resisting the impulse that pushed her towards almayer's campong to seek there in nina's eyes the secret of her own misery. the sun mounting higher, shortened the shadows and poured down upon her a flood of light and of stifling heat as she passed on from shadow to light, from light to shadow, amongst the houses, the bushes, the tall trees, in her unconscious flight from the pain in her own heart. in the extremity of her distress she could find no words to pray for relief, she knew of no heaven to send her prayer to, and she wandered on with tired feet in the dumb surprise and terror at the injustice of the suffering inflicted upon her without cause and without redress. the short talk with reshid, the proposal of abdulla steadied her a little and turned her thoughts into another channel. dain was in some danger. he was hiding from white men. so much she had overheard last night. they all thought him dead. she knew he was alive, and she knew of his hidingplace. what did the arabs want to know about the white men? the white men want with dain? did they wish to kill him? she could tell them all--no, she would say nothing, and in the night she would go to him and sell him his life for a word, for a smile, for a gesture even, and be his slave in far-off countries, away from nina. but there were dangers. the one-eyed babalatchi who knew everything; the white man's wife--she was a witch. perhaps they would tell. and then there was nina. she must hurry on and see. in her impatience she left the path and ran towards almayer's dwelling through the undergrowth between the palm trees. she came out at the back of the house, where a narrow ditch, full of stagnant water that overflowed from the river, separated almayer's campong from the rest of the settlement. the thick bushes growing on the bank were hiding from her sight the large courtyard with its cooking shed. above them rose several thin columns of smoke, and from behind the sound of strange voices informed taminah that the men of the sea belonging to the warship had already landed and were camped between the ditch and the house. to the left one of almayer's slave-girls came down to the ditch and bent over the shiny water, washing a kettle. to the right the tops of the banana plantation, visible above the bushes, swayed and shook under the touch of invisible hands gathering the fruit. on the calm water several canoes moored to a heavy stake were crowded together, nearly bridging the ditch just at the place where taminah stood. the voices in the courtyard rose at times into an outburst of calls, replies, and laughter, and then died away into a silence that soon was broken again by a fresh clamour. now and again the thin blue smoke rushed out thicker and blacker, and drove in odorous masses over the creek, wrapping her for a moment in a suffocating veil; then, as the fresh wood caught well alight, the smoke vanished in the bright sunlight, and only the scent of aromatic wood drifted afar, to leeward of the crackling fires. taminah rested her tray on a stump of a tree, and remained standing with her eyes turned towards almayer's house, whose roof and part of a whitewashed wall were visible over the bushes. the slave-girl finished her work, and after looking for a while curiously at taminah, pushed her way through the dense thicket back to the courtyard. round taminah there was now a complete solitude. she threw herself down on the ground, and hid her face in her hands. now when so close she had no courage to see nina. at every burst of louder voices from the courtyard she shivered in the fear of hearing nina's voice. she came to the resolution of waiting where she was till dark, and then going straight to dain's hiding-place. from where she was she could watch the movements of white men, of nina, of all dain's friends, and of all his enemies. both were hateful alike to her, for both would take him away beyond her reach. she hid herself in the long grass to wait anxiously for the sunset that seemed so slow to come. on the other side of the ditch, behind the bush, by the clear fires, the seamen of the frigate had encamped on the hospitable invitation of almayer. almayer, roused out of his apathy by the prayers and importunity of nina, had managed to get down in time to the jetty so as to receive the officers at their landing. the lieutenant in command accepted his invitation to his house with the remark that in any case their business was with almayer--and perhaps not very pleasant, he added. almayer hardly heard him. he shook hands with them absently and led the way towards the house. he was scarcely conscious of the polite words of welcome he greeted the strangers with, and afterwards repeated several times over again in his efforts to appear at ease. the agitation of their host did not escape the officer's eyes, and the chief confided to his subordinate, in a low voice, his doubts as to almayer's sobriety. the young sub-lieutenant laughed and expressed in a whisper the hope that the white man was not intoxicated enough to neglect the offer of some refreshments. "he does not seem very dangerous," he added, as they followed almayer up the steps of the verandah. "no, he seems more of a fool than a knave; i have heard of him," returned the senior. they sat around the table. almayer with shaking hands made gin cocktails, offered them all round, and drank himself, with every gulp feeling stronger, steadier, and better able to face all the difficulties of his position. ignorant of the fate of the brig he did not suspect the real object of the officer's visit. he had a general notion that something must have leaked out about the gunpowder trade, but apprehended nothing beyond some temporary inconveniences. after emptying his glass he began to chat easily, lying back in his chair with one of his legs thrown negligently over the arm. the lieutenant astride on his chair, a glowing cheroot in the corner of his mouth, listened with a sly smile from behind the thick volumes of smoke that escaped from his compressed lips. the young sub-lieutenant, leaning with both elbows on the table, his head between his hands, looked on sleepily in the torpor induced by fatigue and the gin. almayer talked on-"it is a great pleasure to see white faces here. i have lived here many years in great solitude. the malays, you understand, are not company for a white man; moreover they are not friendly; they do not understand our ways. great rascals they are. i believe i am the only white man on the east coast that is a settled resident. we get visitors from macassar or singapore sometimes--traders, agents, or explorers, but they are rare. there was a scientific explorer here a year or more ago. he lived in my house: drank from morning to night. he lived joyously for a few months, and when the liquor he brought with him was gone he returned to batavia with a report on the mineral wealth of the interior. ha, ha, ha! good, is it not?" he ceased abruptly and looked at his guests with a meaningless stare. while they laughed he was reciting to himself the old story: "dain dead, all my plans destroyed. this is the end of all hope and of all things." his heart sank within him. he felt a kind of deadly sickness. "very good. capital!" exclaimed both officers. almayer came out of his despondency with another burst of talk. "eh! what about the dinner? you have got a cook with you. that's all right. there is a cooking shed in the other courtyard. i can give you a goose. look at my geese--the only geese on the east coast--perhaps on the whole island. is that your cook? very good. here, ali, show this chinaman the cooking place and tell mem almayer to let him have room there. my wife, gentlemen, does not come out; my daughter may. meantime have some more drink. it is a hot day." the lieutenant took the cigar out of his mouth, looked at the ash critically, shook it off and turned towards almayer. "we have a rather unpleasant business with you," he said. "i am sorry," returned almayer. "it can be nothing very serious, surely." "if you think an attempt to blow up forty men at least, not a serious matter you will not find many people of your opinion," retorted the officer sharply. "blow up! what? i know nothing about it," exclaimed almayer. "who did that, or tried to do it?" "a man with whom you had some dealings," answered the lieutenant. "he passed here under the name of dain maroola. you sold him the gunpowder he had in that brig we captured." "how did you hear about the brig?" asked almayer. "i know nothing about the powder he may have had." "an arab trader of this place has sent the information about your goings on here to batavia, a couple of months ago," said the officer. "we were waiting for the brig outside, but he slipped past us at the mouth of the river, and we had to chase the fellow to the southward. when he sighted us he ran inside the reefs and put the brig ashore. the crew escaped in boats before we could take possession. as our boats neared the craft it blew up with a tremendous explosion; one of the boats being too near got swamped. two men drowned--that is the result of your speculation, mr. almayer. now we want this dain. we have good grounds to suppose he is hiding in sambir. do you know where he is? you had better put yourself right with the authorities as much as possible by being perfectly frank with me. where is this dain?" almayer got up and walked towards the balustrade of the verandah. he seemed not to be thinking of the officer's question. he looked at the body laying straight and rigid under its white cover on which the sun, declining amongst the clouds to the westward, threw a pale tinge of red. the lieutenant waited for the answer, taking quick pulls at his half-extinguished cigar. behind them ali moved noiselessly laying the table, ranging solemnly the ill-assorted and shabby crockery, the tin spoons, the forks with broken prongs, and the knives with saw-like blades and loose handles. he had almost forgotten how to prepare the table for white men. he felt aggrieved; mem nina would not help him. he stepped back to look at his work admiringly, feeling very proud. this must be right; and if the master afterwards is angry and swears, then so much the worse for mem nina. why did she not help? he left the verandah to fetch the dinner. "well, mr. almayer, will you answer my question as frankly as it is put to you?" asked the lieutenant, after a long silence. almayer turned round and looked at his interlocutor steadily. "if you catch this dain what will you do with him?" he asked. the officer's face flushed. "this is not an answer," he said, annoyed. "and what will you do with me?" went on almayer, not heeding the interruption. "are you inclined to bargain?" growled the other. "it would be bad policy, i assure you. at present i have no orders about your person, but we expected your assistance in catching this malay." "ah!" interrupted almayer, "just so: you can do nothing without me, and i, knowing the man well, am to help you in finding him." "this is exactly what we expect," assented the officer. "you have broken the law, mr. almayer, and you ought to make amends." "and save myself?" "well, in a sense yes. your head is not in any danger," said the lieutenant, with a short laugh. "very well," said almayer, with decision, "i shall deliver the man up to you." both officers rose to their feet quickly, and looked for their side-arms which they had unbuckled. almayer laughed harshly. "steady, gentlemen!" he exclaimed. "in my own time and in my own way. after dinner, gentlemen, you shall have him." "this is preposterous," urged the lieutenant. "mr. almayer, this is no joking matter. the man is a criminal. he deserves to hang. while we dine he may escape; the rumour of our arrival--" almayer walked towards the table. "i give you my word of honour, gentlemen, that he shall not escape; i have him safe enough." "the arrest should be effected before dark," remarked the young sub. "i shall hold you responsible for any failure. we are ready, but can do nothing just now without you," added the senior, with evident annoyance. almayer made a gesture of assent. "on my word of honour," he repeated vaguely. "and now let us dine," he added briskly. nina came through the doorway and stood for a moment holding the curtain aside for ali and the old malay woman bearing the dishes; then she moved towards the three men by the table. "allow me," said almayer, pompously. "this is my daughter. nina, these gentlemen, officers of the frigate outside, have done me the honour to accept my hospitality." nina answered the low bows of the two officers by a slow inclination of the head and took her place at the table opposite her father. all sat down. the coxswain of the steam launch came up carrying some bottles of wine. "you will allow me to have this put upon the table?" said the lieutenant to almayer. "what! wine! you are very kind. certainly, i have none myself. times are very hard." the last words of his reply were spoken by almayer in a faltering voice. the thought that dain was dead recurred to him vividly again, and he felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat. he reached for the gin bottle while they were uncorking the wine and swallowed a big gulp. the lieutenant, who was speaking to nina, gave him a quick glance. the young sub began to recover from the astonishment and confusion caused by nina's unexpected appearance and great beauty. "she was very beautiful and imposing," he reflected, "but after all a half-caste girl." this thought caused him to pluck up heart and look at nina sideways. nina, with composed face, was answering in a low, even voice the elder officer's polite questions as to the country and her mode of life. almayer pushed his plate away and drank his guest's wine in gloomy silence. chapter ix. "can i believe what you tell me? it is like a tale for men that listen only half awake by the camp fire, and it seems to have run off a woman's tongue." "who is there here for me to deceive, o rajah?" answered babalatchi. "without you i am nothing. all i have told you i believe to be true. i have been safe for many years in the hollow of your hand. this is no time to harbour suspicions. the danger is very great. we should advise and act at once, before the sun sets." "right. right," muttered lakamba, pensively. they had been sitting for the last hour together in the audience chamber of the rajah's house, for babalatchi, as soon as he had witnessed the landing of the dutch officers, had crossed the river to report to his master the events of the morning, and to confer with him upon the line of conduct to pursue in the face of altered circumstances. they were both puzzled and frightened by the unexpected turn the events had taken. the rajah, sitting crosslegged on his chair, looked fixedly at the floor; babalatchi was squatting close by in an attitude of deep dejection. "and where did you say he is hiding now?" asked lakamba, breaking at last the silence full of gloomy forebodings in which they both had been lost for a long while. "in bulangi's clearing--the furthest one, away from the house. they went there that very night. the white man's daughter took him there. she told me so herself, speaking to me openly, for she is half white and has no decency. she said she was waiting for him while he was here; then, after a long time, he came out of the darkness and fell at her feet exhausted. he lay like one dead, but she brought him back to life in her arms, and made him breathe again with her own breath. that is what she said, speaking to my face, as i am speaking now to you, rajah. she is like a white woman and knows no shame." he paused, deeply shocked. lakamba nodded his head. "well, and then?" he asked. "they called the old woman," went on babalatchi, "and he told them all--about the brig, and how he tried to kill many men. he knew the orang blanda were very near, although he had said nothing to us about that; he knew his great danger. he thought he had killed many, but there were only two dead, as i have heard from the men of the sea that came in the warship's boats." "and the other man, he that was found in the river?" interrupted lakamba. "that was one of his boatmen. when his canoe was overturned by the logs those two swam together, but the other man must have been hurt. dain swam, holding him up. he left him in the bushes when he went up to the house. when they all came down his heart had ceased to beat; then the old woman spoke; dain thought it was good. he took off his anklet and broke it, twisting it round the man's foot. his ring he put on that slave's hand. he took off his sarong and clothed that thing that wanted no clothes, the two women holding it up meanwhile, their intent being to deceive all eyes and to mislead the minds in the settlement, so that they could swear to the thing that was not, and that there could be no treachery when the white-men came. then dain and the white woman departed to call up bulangi and find a hiding-place. the old woman remained by the body." "hai!" exclaimed lakamba. "she has wisdom." "yes, she has a devil of her own to whisper counsel in her ear," assented babalatchi. "she dragged the body with great toil to the point where many logs were stranded. all these things were done in the darkness after the storm had passed away. then she waited. at the first sign of daylight she battered the face of the dead with a heavy stone, and she pushed him amongst the logs. she remained near, watching. at sunrise mahmat banjer came and found him. they all believed; i myself was deceived, but not for long. the white man believed, and, grieving, fled to his house. when we were alone i, having doubts, spoke to the woman, and she, fearing my anger and your might, told me all, asking for help in saving dain." "he must not fall into the hands of the orang blanda," said lakamba; "but let him die, if the thing can be done quietly." "it cannot, tuan! remember there is that woman who, being half white, is ungovernable, and would raise a great outcry. also the officers are here. they are angry enough already. dain must escape; he must go. we must help him now for our own safety." "are the officers very angry?" inquired lakamba, with interest. "they are. the principal chief used strong words when speaking to me--to me when i salaamed in your name. i do not think," added babalatchi, after a short pause and looking very worried--"i do not think i saw a white chief so angry before. he said we were careless or even worse. he told me he would speak to the rajah, and that i was of no account." "speak to the rajah!" repeated lakamba, thoughtfully. "listen, babalatchi: i am sick, and shall withdraw; you cross over and tell the white men." "yes," said babalatchi, "i am going over at once; and as to dain?" "you get him away as you can best. this is a great trouble in my heart," sighed lakamba. babalatchi got up, and, going close to his master, spoke earnestly. "there is one of our praus at the southern mouth of the river. the dutch warship is to the northward watching the main entrance. i shall send dain off to-night in a canoe, by the hidden channels, on board the prau. his father is a great prince, and shall hear of our generosity. let the prau take him to ampanam. your glory shall be great, and your reward in powerful friendship. almayer will no doubt deliver the dead body as dain's to the officers, and the foolish white men shall say, 'this is very good; let there be peace.' and the trouble shall be removed from your heart, rajah." "true! true!" said lakamba. "and, this being accomplished by me who am your slave, you shall reward with a generous hand. that i know! the white man is grieving for the lost treasure, in the manner of white men who thirst after dollars. now, when all other things are in order, we shall perhaps obtain the treasure from the white man. dain must escape, and almayer must live." "now go, babalatchi, go!" said lakamba, getting off his chair. "i am very sick, and want medicine. tell the white chief so." but babalatchi was not to be got rid of in this summary manner. he knew that his master, after the manner of the great, liked to shift the burden of toil and danger on to his servants' shoulders, but in the difficult straits in which they were now the rajah must play his part. he may be very sick for the white men, for all the world if he liked, as long as he would take upon himself the execution of part at least of babalatchi's carefully thought-of plan. babalatchi wanted a big canoe manned by twelve men to be sent out after dark towards bulangi's clearing. dain may have to be overpowered. a man in love cannot be expected to see clearly the path of safety if it leads him away from the object of his affections, argued babalatchi, and in that case they would have to use force in order to make him go. would the rajah see that trusty men manned the canoe? the thing must be done secretly. perhaps the rajah would come himself, so as to bring all the weight of his authority to bear upon dain if he should prove obstinate and refuse to leave his hiding-place. the rajah would not commit himself to a definite promise, and anxiously pressed babalatchi to go, being afraid of the white men paying him an unexpected visit. the aged statesman reluctantly took his leave and went into the courtyard. before going down to his boat babalatchi stopped for a while in the big open space where the thick-leaved trees put black patches of shadow which seemed to float on a flood of smooth, intense light that rolled up to the houses and down to the stockade and over the river, where it broke and sparkled in thousands of glittering wavelets, like a band woven of azure and gold edged with the brilliant green of the forests guarding both banks of the pantai. in the perfect calm before the coming of the afternoon breeze the irregularly jagged line of tree-tops stood unchanging, as if traced by an unsteady hand on the clear blue of the hot sky. in the space sheltered by the high palisades there lingered the smell of decaying blossoms from the surrounding forest, a taint of drying fish; with now and then a whiff of acrid smoke from the cooking fires when it eddied down from under the leafy boughs and clung lazily about the burnt-up grass. as babalatchi looked up at the flagstaff over-topping a group of low trees in the middle of the courtyard, the tricolour flag of the netherlands stirred slightly for the first time since it had been hoisted that morning on the arrival of the man-of-war boats. with a faint rustle of trees the breeze came down in light puffs, playing capriciously for a time with this emblem of lakamba's power, that was also the mark of his servitude; then the breeze freshened in a sharp gust of wind, and the flag flew out straight and steady above the trees. a dark shadow ran along the river, rolling over and covering up the sparkle of declining sunlight. a big white cloud sailed slowly across the darkening sky, and hung to the westward as if waiting for the sun to join it there. men and things shook off the torpor of the hot afternoon and stirred into life under the first breath of the sea breeze. babalatchi hurried down to the water-gate; yet before he passed through it he paused to look round the courtyard, with its light and shade, with its cheery fires, with the groups of lakamba's soldiers and retainers scattered about. his own house stood amongst the other buildings in that enclosure, and the statesman of sambir asked himself with a sinking heart when and how would it be given him to return to that house. he had to deal with a man more dangerous than any wild beast of his experience: a proud man, a man wilful after the manner of princes, a man in love. and he was going forth to speak to that man words of cold and worldly wisdom. could anything be more appalling? what if that man should take umbrage at some fancied slight to his honour or disregard of his affections and suddenly "amok"? the wise adviser would be the first victim, no doubt, and death would be his reward. and underlying the horror of this situation there was the danger of those meddlesome fools, the white men. a vision of comfortless exile in far-off madura rose up before babalatchi. wouldn't that be worse than death itself? and there was that half-white woman with threatening eyes. how could he tell what an incomprehensible creature of that sort would or would not do? she knew so much that she made the killing of dain an impossibility. that much was certain. and yet the sharp, rough-edged kriss is a good and discreet friend, thought babalatchi, as he examined his own lovingly, and put it back in the sheath, with a sigh of regret, before unfastening his canoe. as he cast off the painter, pushed out into the stream, and took up his paddle, he realised vividly how unsatisfactory it was to have women mixed up in state affairs. young women, of course. for mrs. almayer's mature wisdom, and for the easy aptitude in intrigue that comes with years to the feminine mind, he felt the most sincere respect. he paddled leisurely, letting the canoe drift down as he crossed towards the point. the sun was high yet, and nothing pressed. his work would commence only with the coming of darkness. avoiding the lingard jetty, he rounded the point, and paddled up the creek at the back of almayer's house. there were many canoes lying there, their noses all drawn together, fastened all to the same stake. babalatchi pushed his little craft in amongst them and stepped on shore. on the other side of the ditch something moved in the grass. "who's that hiding?" hailed babalatchi. "come out and speak to me." nobody answered. babalatchi crossed over, passing from boat to boat, and poked his staff viciously in the suspicious place. taminah jumped up with a cry. "what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised. "i have nearly stepped on your tray. am i a dyak that you should hide at my sight?" "i was weary, and--i slept," whispered taminah, confusedly. "you slept! you have not sold anything to-day, and you will be beaten when you return home," said babalatchi. taminah stood before him abashed and silent. babalatchi looked her over carefully with great satisfaction. decidedly he would offer fifty dollars more to that thief bulangi. the girl pleased him. "now you go home. it is late," he said sharply. "tell bulangi that i shall be near his house before the night is half over, and that i want him to make all things ready for a long journey. you understand? a long journey to the southward. tell him that before sunset, and do not forget my words." taminah made a gesture of assent, and watched babalatchi recross the ditch and disappear through the bushes bordering almayer's compound. she moved a little further off the creek and sank in the grass again, lying down on her face, shivering in dry-eyed misery. babalatchi walked straight towards the cooking-shed looking for mrs. almayer. the courtyard was in a great uproar. a strange chinaman had possession of the kitchen fire and was noisily demanding another saucepan. he hurled objurgations, in the canton dialect and bad malay, against the group of slave-girls standing a little way off, half frightened, half amused, at his violence. from the camping fires round which the seamen of the frigate were sitting came words of encouragement, mingled with laughter and jeering. in the midst of this noise and confusion babalatchi met ali, an empty dish in his hand. "where are the white men?" asked babalatchi. "they are eating in the front verandah," answered ali. "do not stop me, tuan. i am giving the white men their food and am busy." "where's mem almayer?" "inside in the passage. she is listening to the talk." ali grinned and passed on; babalatchi ascended the plankway to the rear verandah, and beckoning out mrs. almayer, engaged her in earnest conversation. through the long passage, closed at the further end by the red curtain, they could hear from time to time almayer's voice mingling in conversation with an abrupt loudness that made mrs. almayer look significantly at babalatchi. "listen," she said. "he has drunk much." "he has," whispered babalatchi. "he will sleep heavily to-night." mrs. almayer looked doubtful. "sometimes the devil of strong gin makes him keep awake, and he walks up and down the verandah all night, cursing; then we stand afar off," explained mrs. almayer, with the fuller knowledge born of twenty odd years of married life. "but then he does not hear, nor understand, and his hand, of course, has no strength. we do not want him to hear to-night." "no," assented mrs. almayer, energetically, but in a cautiously subdued voice. "if he hears he will kill." babalatchi looked incredulous. "hai tuan, you may believe me. have i not lived many years with that man? have i not seen death in that man's eyes more than once when i was younger and he guessed at many things. had he been a man of my own people i would not have seen such a look twice; but he--" with a contemptuous gesture she seemed to fling unutterable scorn on almayer's weak-minded aversion to sudden bloodshed. "if he has the wish but not the strength, then what do we fear?" asked babalatchi, after a short silence during which they both listened to almayer's loud talk till it subsided into the murmur of general conversation. "what do we fear?" repeated babalatchi again. "to keep the daughter whom he loves he would strike into your heart and mine without hesitation," said mrs. almayer. "when the girl is gone he will be like the devil unchained. then you and i had better beware." "i am an old man and fear not death," answered babalatchi, with a mendacious assumption of indifference. "but what will you do?" "i am an old woman, and wish to live," retorted mrs. almayer. "she is my daughter also. i shall seek safety at the feet of our rajah, speaking in the name of the past when we both were young, and he--" babalatchi raised his hand. "enough. you shall be protected," he said soothingly. again the sound of almayer's voice was heard, and again interrupting their talk, they listened to the confused but loud utterance coming in bursts of unequal strength, with unexpected pauses and noisy repetitions that made some words and sentences fall clear and distinct on their ears out of the meaningless jumble of excited shoutings emphasised by the thumping of almayer's fist upon the table. on the short intervals of silence, the high complaining note of tumblers, standing close together and vibrating to the shock, lingered, growing fainter, till it leapt up again into tumultuous ringing, when a new idea started a new rush of words and brought down the heavy hand again. at last the quarrelsome shouting ceased, and the thin plaint of disturbed glass died away into reluctant quietude. babalatchi and mrs. almayer had listened curiously, their bodies bent and their ears turned towards the passage. at every louder shout they nodded at each other with a ridiculous affectation of scandalised propriety, and they remained in the same attitude for some time after the noise had ceased. "this is the devil of gin," whispered mrs. almayer. "yes; he talks like that sometimes when there is nobody to hear him." "what does he say?" inquired babalatchi, eagerly. "you ought to understand." "i have forgotten their talk. a little i understood. he spoke without any respect of the white ruler in batavia, and of protection, and said he had been wronged; he said that several times. more i did not understand. listen! again he speaks!" "tse! tse! tse!" clicked babalatchi, trying to appear shocked, but with a joyous twinkle of his solitary eye. "there will be great trouble between those white men. i will go round now and see. you tell your daughter that there is a sudden and a long journey before her, with much glory and splendour at the end. and tell her that dain must go, or he must die, and that he will not go alone." "no, he will not go alone," slowly repeated mrs. almayer, with a thoughtful air, as she crept into the passage after seeing babalatchi disappear round the corner of the house. the statesman of sambir, under the impulse of vivid curiosity, made his way quickly to the front of the house, but once there he moved slowly and cautiously as he crept step by step up the stairs of the verandah. on the highest step he sat down quietly, his feet on the steps below, ready for flight should his presence prove unwelcome. he felt pretty safe so. the table stood nearly endways to him, and he saw almayer's back; at nina he looked full face, and had a side view of both officers; but of the four persons sitting at the table only nina and the younger officer noticed his noiseless arrival. the momentary dropping of nina's eyelids acknowledged babalatchi's presence; she then spoke at once to the young sub, who turned towards her with attentive alacrity, but her gaze was fastened steadily on her father's face while almayer was speaking uproariously. " . . . disloyalty and unscrupulousness! what have you ever done to make me loyal? you have no grip on this country. i had to take care of myself, and when i asked for protection i was met with threats and contempt, and had arab slander thrown in my face. i! a white man!" "don't be violent, almayer," remonstrated the lieutenant; "i have heard all this already." "then why do you talk to me about scruples? i wanted money, and i gave powder in exchange. how could i know that some of your wretched men were going to be blown up? scruples! pah!" he groped unsteadily amongst the bottles, trying one after another, grumbling to himself the while. "no more wine," he muttered discontentedly. "you have had enough, almayer," said the lieutenant, as he lighted a cigar. "is it not time to deliver to us your prisoner? i take it you have that dain maroola stowed away safely somewhere. still we had better get that business over, and then we shall have more drink. come! don't look at me like this." almayer was staring with stony eyes, his trembling fingers fumbling about his throat. "gold," he said with difficulty. "hem! a hand on the windpipe, you know. sure you will excuse. i wanted to say--a little gold for a little powder. what's that?" "i know, i know," said the lieutenant soothingly. "no! you don't know. not one of you knows!" shouted almayer. "the government is a fool, i tell you. heaps of gold. i am the man that knows; i and another one. but he won't speak. he is--" he checked himself with a feeble smile, and, making an unsuccessful attempt to pat the officer on the shoulder, knocked over a couple of empty bottles. "personally you are a fine fellow," he said very distinctly, in a patronising manner. his head nodded drowsily as he sat muttering to himself. the two officers looked at each other helplessly. "this won't do," said the lieutenant, addressing his junior. "have the men mustered in the compound here. i must get some sense out of him. hi! almayer! wake up, man. redeem your word. you gave your word. you gave your word of honour, you know." almayer shook off the officer's hand with impatience, but his ill-humour vanished at once, and he looked up, putting his forefinger to the side of his nose. "you are very young; there is time for all things," he said, with an air of great sagacity. the lieutenant turned towards nina, who, leaning back in her chair, watched her father steadily. "really i am very much distressed by all this for your sake," he exclaimed. "i do not know;" he went on, speaking with some embarrassment, "whether i have any right to ask you anything, unless, perhaps, to withdraw from this painful scene, but i feel that i must--for your father's good--suggest that you should--i mean if you have any influence over him you ought to exert it now to make him keep the promise he gave me before he--before he got into this state." he observed with discouragement that she seemed not to take any notice of what he said sitting still with half-closed eyes. "i trust--" he began again. "what is the promise you speak of?" abruptly asked nina, leaving her seat and moving towards her father. "nothing that is not just and proper. he promised to deliver to us a man who in time of profound peace took the lives of innocent men to escape the punishment he deserved for breaking the law. he planned his mischief on a large scale. it is not his fault if it failed, partially. of course you have heard of dain maroola. your father secured him, i understand. we know he escaped up this river. perhaps you--" "and he killed white men!" interrupted nina. "i regret to say they were white. yes, two white men lost their lives through that scoundrel's freak." "two only!" exclaimed nina. the officer looked at her in amazement. "why! why! you--" he stammered, confused. "there might have been more," interrupted nina. "and when you get this--this scoundrel will you go?" the lieutenant, still speechless, bowed his assent. "then i would get him for you if i had to seek him in a burning fire," she burst out with intense energy. "i hate the sight of your white faces. i hate the sound of your gentle voices. that is the way you speak to women, dropping sweet words before any pretty face. i have heard your voices before. i hoped to live here without seeing any other white face but this," she added in a gentler tone, touching lightly her father's cheek. almayer ceased his mumbling and opened his eyes. he caught hold of his daughter's hand and pressed it to his face, while nina with the other hand smoothed his rumpled grey hair, looking defiantly over her father's head at the officer, who had now regained his composure and returned her look with a cool, steady stare. below, in front of the verandah, they could hear the tramp of seamen mustering there according to orders. the sub-lieutenant came up the steps, while babalatchi stood up uneasily and, with finger on lip, tried to catch nina's eye. "you are a good girl," whispered almayer, absently, dropping his daughter's hand. "father! father!" she cried, bending over him with passionate entreaty. "see those two men looking at us. send them away. i cannot bear it any more. send them away. do what they want and let them go." she caught sight of babalatchi and ceased speaking suddenly, but her foot tapped the floor with rapid beats in a paroxysm of nervous restlessness. the two officers stood close together looking on curiously. "what has happened? what is the matter?" whispered the younger man. "don't know," answered the other, under his breath. "one is furious, and the other is drunk. not so drunk, either. queer, this. look!" almayer had risen, holding on to his daughter's arm. he hesitated a moment, then he let go his hold and lurched half-way across the verandah. there he pulled himself together, and stood very straight, breathing hard and glaring round angrily. "are the men ready?" asked the lieutenant. "all ready, sir." "now, mr. almayer, lead the way," said the lieutenant almayer rested his eyes on him as if he saw him for the first time. "two men," he said thickly. the effort of speaking seemed to interfere with his equilibrium. he took a quick step to save himself from a fall, and remained swaying backwards and forwards. "two men," he began again, speaking with difficulty. "two white men--men in uniform--honourable men. i want to say--men of honour. are you?" "come! none of that," said the officer impatiently. "let us have that friend of yours." "what do you think i am?" asked almayer, fiercely. "you are drunk, but not so drunk as not to know what you are doing. enough of this tomfoolery," said the officer sternly, "or i will have you put under arrest in your own house." "arrest!" laughed almayer, discordantly. "ha! ha! ha! arrest! why, i have been trying to get out of this infernal place for twenty years, and i can't. you hear, man! i can't, and never shall! never!" he ended his words with a sob, and walked unsteadily down the stairs. when in the courtyard the lieutenant approached him, and took him by the arm. the sub-lieutenant and babalatchi followed close. "that's better, almayer," said the officer encouragingly. "where are you going to? there are only planks there. here," he went on, shaking him slightly, "do we want the boats?" "no," answered almayer, viciously. "you want a grave." "what? wild again! try to talk sense." "grave!" roared almayer, struggling to get himself free. "a hole in the ground. don't you understand? you must be drunk. let me go! let go, i tell you!" he tore away from the officer's grasp, and reeled towards the planks where the body lay under its white cover; then he turned round quickly, and faced the semicircle of interested faces. the sun was sinking rapidly, throwing long shadows of house and trees over the courtyard, but the light lingered yet on the river, where the logs went drifting past in midstream, looking very distinct and black in the pale red glow. the trunks of the trees in the forest on the east bank were lost in gloom while their highest branches swayed gently in the departing sunlight. the air felt heavy and cold in the breeze, expiring in slight puffs that came over the water. almayer shivered as he made an effort to speak, and again with an uncertain gesture he seemed to free his throat from the grip of an invisible hand. his bloodshot eyes wandered aimlessly from face to face. "there!" he said at last. "are you all there? he is a dangerous man." he dragged at the cover with hasty violence, and the body rolled stiffly off the planks and fell at his feet in rigid helplessness. "cold, perfectly cold," said almayer, looking round with a mirthless smile. "sorry can do no better. and you can't hang him, either. as you observe, gentlemen," he added gravely, "there is no head, and hardly any neck." the last ray of light was snatched away from the tree-tops, the river grew suddenly dark, and in the great stillness the murmur of the flowing water seemed to fill the vast expanse of grey shadow that descended upon the land. "this is dain," went on almayer to the silent group that surrounded him. "and i have kept my word. first one hope, then another, and this is my last. nothing is left now. you think there is one dead man here? mistake, i 'sure you. i am much more dead. why don't you hang me?" he suggested suddenly, in a friendly tone, addressing the lieutenant. "i assure, assure you it would be a mat--matter of form altog--altogether." these last words he muttered to himself, and walked zigzaging towards his house. "get out!" he thundered at ali, who was approaching timidly with offers of assistance. from afar, scared groups of men and women watched his devious progress. he dragged himself up the stairs by the banister, and managed to reach a chair into which he fell heavily. he sat for awhile panting with exertion and anger, and looking round vaguely for nina; then making a threatening gesture towards the compound, where he had heard babalatchi's voice, he overturned the table with his foot in a great crash of smashed crockery. he muttered yet menacingly to himself, then his head fell on his breast, his eyes closed, and with a deep sigh he fell asleep. that night--for the first time in its history--the peaceful and flourishing settlement of sambir saw the lights shining about "almayer's folly." these were the lanterns of the boats hung up by the seamen under the verandah where the two officers were holding a court of inquiry into the truth of the story related to them by babalatchi. babalatchi had regained all his importance. he was eloquent and persuasive, calling heaven and earth to witness the truth of his statements. there were also other witnesses. mahmat banjer and a good many others underwent a close examination that dragged its weary length far into the evening. a messenger was sent for abdulla, who excused himself from coming on the score of his venerable age, but sent reshid. mahmat had to produce the bangle, and saw with rage and mortification the lieutenant put it in his pocket, as one of the proofs of dain's death, to be sent in with the official report of the mission. babalatchi's ring was also impounded for the same purpose, but the experienced statesman was resigned to that loss from the very beginning. he did not mind as long as he was sure, that the white men believed. he put that question to himself earnestly as he left, one of the last, when the proceedings came to a close. he was not certain. still, if they believed only for a night, he would put dain beyond their reach and feel safe himself. he walked away fast, looking from time to time over his shoulder in the fear of being followed, but he saw and heard nothing. "ten o'clock," said the lieutenant, looking at his watch and yawning. "i shall hear some of the captain's complimentary remarks when we get back. miserable business, this." "do you think all this is true?" asked the younger man. "true! it is just possible. but if it isn't true what can we do? if we had a dozen boats we could patrol the creeks; and that wouldn't be much good. that drunken madman was right; we haven't enough hold on this coast. they do what they like. are our hammocks slung?" "yes, i told the coxswain. strange couple over there," said the sub, with a wave of his hand towards almayer's house. "hem! queer, certainly. what have you been telling her? i was attending to the father most of the time." "i assure you i have been perfectly civil," protested the other warmly. "all right. don't get excited. she objects to civility, then, from what i understand. i thought you might have been tender. you know we are on service." "well, of course. never forget that. coldly civil. that's all." they both laughed a little, and not feeling sleepy began to pace the verandah side by side. the moon rose stealthily above the trees, and suddenly changed the river into a stream of scintillating silver. the forest came out of the black void and stood sombre and pensive over the sparkling water. the breeze died away into a breathless calm. seamanlike, the two officers tramped measuredly up and down without exchanging a word. the loose planks rattled rhythmically under their steps with obstrusive dry sound in the perfect silence of the night. as they were wheeling round again the younger man stood attentive. "did you hear that?" he asked. "no!" said the other. "hear what?" "i thought i heard a cry. ever so faint. seemed a woman's voice. in that other house. ah! again! hear it?" "no," said the lieutenant, after listening awhile. "you young fellows always hear women's voices. if you are going to dream you had better get into your hammock. good-night." the moon mounted higher, and the warm shadows grew smaller and crept away as if hiding before the cold and cruel light. chapter x. "it has set at last," said nina to her mother pointing towards the hills behind which the sun had sunk. "listen, mother, i am going now to bulangi's creek, and if i should never return--" she interrupted herself, and something like doubt dimmed for a moment the fire of suppressed exaltation that had glowed in her eyes and had illuminated the serene impassiveness of her features with a ray of eager life during all that long day of excitement--the day of joy and anxiety, of hope and terror, of vague grief and indistinct delight. while the sun shone with that dazzling light in which her love was born and grew till it possessed her whole being, she was kept firm in her unwavering resolve by the mysterious whisperings of desire which filled her heart with impatient longing for the darkness that would mean the end of danger and strife, the beginning of happiness, the fulfilling of love, the completeness of life. it had set at last! the short tropical twilight went out before she could draw the long breath of relief; and now the sudden darkness seemed to be full of menacing voices calling upon her to rush headlong into the unknown; to be true to her own impulses, to give herself up to the passion she had evoked and shared. he was waiting! in the solitude of the secluded clearing, in the vast silence of the forest he was waiting alone, a fugitive in fear of his life. indifferent to his danger he was waiting for her. it was for her only that he had come; and now as the time approached when he should have his reward, she asked herself with dismay what meant that chilling doubt of her own will and of her own desire? with an effort she shook off the fear of the passing weakness. he should have his reward. her woman's love and her woman's honour overcame the faltering distrust of that unknown future waiting for her in the darkness of the river. "no, you will not return," muttered mrs. almayer, prophetically. "without you he will not go, and if he remains here--" she waved her hand towards the lights of "almayer's folly," and the unfinished sentence died out in a threatening murmur. the two women had met behind the house, and now were walking slowly together towards the creek where all the canoes were moored. arrived at the fringe of bushes they stopped by a common impulse, and mrs. almayer, laying her hand on her daughter's arm, tried in vain to look close into the girl's averted face. when she attempted to speak her first words were lost in a stifled sob that sounded strangely coming from that woman who, of all human passions, seemed to know only those of anger and hate. "you are going away to be a great ranee," she said at last, in a voice that was steady enough now, "and if you be wise you shall have much power that will endure many days, and even last into your old age. what have i been? a slave all my life, and i have cooked rice for a man who had no courage and no wisdom. hai! i! even i, was given in gift by a chief and a warrior to a man that was neither. hai! hai!" she wailed to herself softly, lamenting the lost possibilities of murder and mischief that could have fallen to her lot had she been mated with a congenial spirit. nina bent down over mrs. almayer's slight form and scanned attentively, under the stars that had rushed out on the black sky and now hung breathless over that strange parting, her mother's shrivelled features, and looked close into the sunken eyes that could see into her own dark future by the light of a long and a painful experience. again she felt herself fascinated, as of old, by her mother's exalted mood and by the oracular certainty of expression which, together with her fits of violence, had contributed not a little to the reputation for witchcraft she enjoyed in the settlement. * * * * * "i was a slave, and you shall be a queen," went on mrs. almayer, looking straight before her; "but remember men's strength and their weakness. tremble before his anger, so that he may see your fear in the light of day; but in your heart you may laugh, for after sunset he is your slave." "a slave! he! the master of life! you do not know him, mother." mrs. almayer condescended to laugh contemptuously. "you speak like a fool of a white woman," she exclaimed. "what do you know of men's anger and of men's love? have you watched the sleep of men weary of dealing death? have you felt about you the strong arm that could drive a kriss deep into a beating heart? yah! you are a white woman, and ought to pray to a woman-god!" "why do you say this? i have listened to your words so long that i have forgotten my old life. if i was white would i stand here, ready to go? mother, i shall return to the house and look once more at my father's face." "no!" said mrs. almayer, violently. "no, he sleeps now the sleep of gin; and if you went back he might awake and see you. no, he shall never see you. when the terrible old man took you away from me when you were little, you remember--" "it was such a long time ago," murmured nina. "i remember," went on mrs. almayer, fiercely. "i wanted to look at your face again. he said no! i heard you cry and jumped into the river. you were his daughter then; you are my daughter now. never shall you go back to that house; you shall never cross this courtyard again. no! no!" her voice rose almost to a shout. on the other side of the creek there was a rustle in the long grass. the two women heard it, and listened for a while in startled silence. "i shall go," said nina, in a cautious but intense whisper. "what is your hate or your revenge to me?" she moved towards the house, mrs. almayer clinging to her and trying to pull her back. "stop, you shall not go!" she gasped. nina pushed away her mother impatiently and gathered up her skirts for a quick run, but mrs. almayer ran forward and turned round, facing her daughter with outstretched arms. "if you move another step," she exclaimed, breathing quickly, "i shall cry out. do you see those lights in the big house? there sit two white men, angry because they cannot have the blood of the man you love. and in those dark houses," she continued, more calmly as she pointed towards the settlement, "my voice could wake up men that would lead the orang blanda soldiers to him who is waiting--for you." she could not see her daughter's face, but the white figure before her stood silent and irresolute in the darkness. mrs. almayer pursued her advantage. "give up your old life! forget!" she said in entreating tones. "forget that you ever looked at a white face; forget their words; forget their thoughts. they speak lies. and they think lies because they despise us that are better than they are, but not so strong. forget their friendship and their contempt; forget their many gods. girl, why do you want to remember the past when there is a warrior and a chief ready to give many lives--his own life--for one of your smiles?" while she spoke she pushed gently her daughter towards the canoes, hiding her own fear, anxiety, and doubt under the flood of passionate words that left nina no time to think and no opportunity to protest, even if she had wished it. but she did not wish it now. at the bottom of that passing desire to look again at her father's face there was no strong affection. she felt no scruples and no remorse at leaving suddenly that man whose sentiment towards herself she could not understand, she could not even see. there was only an instinctive clinging to old life, to old habits, to old faces; that fear of finality which lurks in every human breast and prevents so many heroisms and so many crimes. for years she had stood between her mother and her father, the one so strong in her weakness, the other so weak where he could have been strong. between those two beings so dissimilar, so antagonistic, she stood with mute heart wondering and angry at the fact of her own existence. it seemed so unreasonable, so humiliating to be flung there in that settlement and to see the days rush by into the past, without a hope, a desire, or an aim that would justify the life she had to endure in ever-growing weariness. she had little belief and no sympathy for her father's dreams; but the savage ravings of her mother chanced to strike a responsive chord, deep down somewhere in her despairing heart; and she dreamed dreams of her own with the persistent absorption of a captive thinking of liberty within the walls of his prison cell. with the coming of dain she found the road to freedom by obeying the voice of the new-born impulses, and with surprised joy she thought she could read in his eyes the answer to all the questionings of her heart. she understood now the reason and the aim of life; and in the triumphant unveiling of that mystery she threw away disdainfully her past with its sad thoughts, its bitter feelings, and its faint affections, now withered and dead in contact with her fierce passion. mrs. almayer unmoored nina's own canoe and, straightening herself painfully, stood, painter in hand, looking at her daughter. "quick," she said; "get away before the moon rises, while the river is dark. i am afraid of abdulla's slaves. the wretches prowl in the night often, and might see and follow you. there are two paddles in the canoe." nina approached her mother and hesitatingly touched lightly with her lips the wrinkled forehead. mrs. almayer snorted contemptuously in protest against that tenderness which she, nevertheless, feared could be contagious. "shall i ever see you again, mother?" murmured nina. "no," said mrs. almayer, after a short silence. "why should you return here where it is my fate to die? you will live far away in splendour and might. when i hear of white men driven from the islands, then i shall know that you are alive, and that you remember my words." "i shall always remember," returned nina, earnestly; "but where is my power, and what can i do?" "do not let him look too long in your eyes, nor lay his head on your knees without reminding him that men should fight before they rest. and if he lingers, give him his kriss yourself and bid him go, as the wife of a mighty prince should do when the enemies are near. let him slay the white men that come to us to trade, with prayers on their lips and loaded guns in their hands. ah!"--she ended with a sigh--"they are on every sea, and on every shore; and they are very many!" she swung the bow of the canoe towards the river, but did not let go the gunwale, keeping her hand on it in irresolute thoughtfulness. nina put the point of the paddle against the bank, ready to shove off into the stream. "what is it, mother?" she asked, in a low voice. "do you hear anything?" "no," said mrs. almayer, absently. "listen, nina," she continued, abruptly, after a slight pause, "in after years there will be other women--" a stifled cry in the boat interrupted her, and the paddle rattled in the canoe as it slipped from nina's hands, which she put out in a protesting gesture. mrs. almayer fell on her knees on the bank and leaned over the gunwale so as to bring her own face close to her daughter's. "there will be other women," she repeated firmly; "i tell you that, because you are half white, and may forget that he is a great chief, and that such things must be. hide your anger, and do not let him see on your face the pain that will eat your heart. meet him with joy in your eyes and wisdom on your lips, for to you he will turn in sadness or in doubt. as long as he looks upon many women your power will last, but should there be one, one only with whom he seems to forget you, then--" "i could not live," exclaimed nina, covering her face with both her hands. "do not speak so, mother; it could not be." "then," went on mrs. almayer, steadily, "to that woman, nina, show no mercy." she moved the canoe down towards the stream by the gunwale, and gripped it with both her hands, the bow pointing into the river. "are you crying?" she asked sternly of her daughter, who sat still with covered face. "arise, and take your paddle, for he has waited long enough. and remember, nina, no mercy; and if you must strike, strike with a steady hand." she put out all her strength, and swinging her body over the water, shot the light craft far into the stream. when she recovered herself from the effort she tried vainly to catch a glimpse of the canoe that seemed to have dissolved suddenly into the white mist trailing over the heated waters of the pantai. after listening for a while intently on her knees, mrs. almayer rose with a deep sigh, while two tears wandered slowly down her withered cheeks. she wiped them off quickly with a wisp of her grey hair as if ashamed of herself, but could not stifle another loud sigh, for her heart was heavy and she suffered much, being unused to tender emotions. this time she fancied she had heard a faint noise, like the echo of her own sigh, and she stopped, straining her ears to catch the slightest sound, and peering apprehensively towards the bushes near her. "who is there?" she asked, in an unsteady voice, while her imagination peopled the solitude of the riverside with ghost-like forms. "who is there?" she repeated faintly. there was no answer: only the voice of the river murmuring in sad monotone behind the white veil seemed to swell louder for a moment, to die away again in a soft whisper of eddies washing against the bank. mrs. almayer shook her head as if in answer to her own thoughts, and walked quickly away from the bushes, looking to the right and left watchfully. she went straight towards the cooking-shed, observing that the embers of the fire there glowed more brightly than usual, as if somebody had been adding fresh fuel to the fires during the evening. as she approached, babalatchi, who had been squatting in the warm glow, rose and met her in the shadow outside. "is she gone?" asked the anxious statesman, hastily. "yes," answered mrs. almayer. "what are the white men doing? when did you leave them?" "they are sleeping now, i think. may they never wake!" exclaimed babalatchi, fervently. "oh! but they are devils, and made much talk and trouble over that carcase. the chief threatened me twice with his hand, and said he would have me tied up to a tree. tie me up to a tree! me!" he repeated, striking his breast violently. mrs. almayer laughed tauntingly. "and you salaamed and asked for mercy. men with arms by their side acted otherwise when i was young." "and where are they, the men of your youth? you mad woman!" retorted babalatchi, angrily. "killed by the dutch. aha! but i shall live to deceive them. a man knows when to fight and when to tell peaceful lies. you would know that if you were not a woman." but mrs. almayer did not seem to hear him. with bent body and outstretched arm she appeared to be listening to some noise behind the shed. "there are strange sounds," she whispered, with evident alarm. "i have heard in the air the sounds of grief, as of a sigh and weeping. that was by the riverside. and now again i heard--" "where?" asked babalatchi, in an altered voice. "what did you hear?" "close here. it was like a breath long drawn. i wish i had burnt the paper over the body before it was buried." "yes," assented babalatchi. "but the white men had him thrown into a hole at once. you know he found his death on the river," he added cheerfully, "and his ghost may hail the canoes, but would leave the land alone." mrs. almayer, who had been craning her neck to look round the corner of the shed, drew back her head. "there is nobody there," she said, reassured. "is it not time for the rajah war-canoe to go to the clearing?" "i have been waiting for it here, for i myself must go," explained babalatchi. "i think i will go over and see what makes them late. when will you come? the rajah gives you refuge." "i shall paddle over before the break of day. i cannot leave my dollars behind," muttered mrs. almayer. they separated. babalatchi crossed the courtyard towards the creek to get his canoe, and mrs. almayer walked slowly to the house, ascended the plankway, and passing through the back verandah entered the passage leading to the front of the house; but before going in she turned in the doorway and looked back at the empty and silent courtyard, now lit up by the rays of the rising moon. no sooner she had disappeared, however, than a vague shape flitted out from amongst the stalks of the banana plantation, darted over the moonlit space, and fell in the darkness at the foot of the verandah. it might have been the shadow of a driving cloud, so noiseless and rapid was its passage, but for the trail of disturbed grass, whose feathery heads trembled and swayed for a long time in the moonlight before they rested motionless and gleaming, like a design of silver sprays embroidered on a sombre background. mrs. almayer lighted the cocoanut lamp, and lifting cautiously the red curtain, gazed upon her husband, shading the light with her hand. almayer, huddled up in the chair, one of his arms hanging down, the other thrown across the lower part of his face as if to ward off an invisible enemy, his legs stretched straight out, slept heavily, unconscious of the unfriendly eyes that looked upon him in disparaging criticism. at his feet lay the overturned table, amongst a wreck of crockery and broken bottles. the appearance as of traces left by a desperate struggle was accentuated by the chairs, which seemed to have been scattered violently all over the place, and now lay about the verandah with a lamentable aspect of inebriety in their helpless attitudes. only nina's big rockingchair, standing black and motionless on its high runners, towered above the chaos of demoralised furniture, unflinchingly dignified and patient, waiting for its burden. with a last scornful look towards the sleeper, mrs. almayer passed behind the curtain into her own room. a couple of bats, encouraged by the darkness and the peaceful state of affairs, resumed their silent and oblique gambols above almayer's head, and for a long time the profound quiet of the house was unbroken, save for the deep breathing of the sleeping man and the faint tinkle of silver in the hands of the woman preparing for flight. in the increasing light of the moon that had risen now above the night mist, the objects on the verandah came out strongly outlined in black splashes of shadow with all the uncompromising ugliness of their disorder, and a caricature of the sleeping almayer appeared on the dirty whitewash of the wall behind him in a grotesquely exaggerated detail of attitude and feature enlarged to a heroic size. the discontented bats departed in quest of darker places, and a lizard came out in short, nervous rushes, and, pleased with the white table-cloth, stopped on it in breathless immobility that would have suggested sudden death had it not been for the melodious call he exchanged with a less adventurous friend hiding amongst the lumber in the courtyard. then the boards in the passage creaked, the lizard vanished, and almayer stirred uneasily with a sigh: slowly, out of the senseless annihilation of drunken sleep, he was returning, through the land of dreams, to waking consciousness. almayer's head rolled from shoulder to shoulder in the oppression of his dream; the heavens had descended upon him like a heavy mantle, and trailed in starred folds far under him. stars above, stars all round him; and from the stars under his feet rose a whisper full of entreaties and tears, and sorrowful faces flitted amongst the clusters of light filling the infinite space below. how escape from the importunity of lamentable cries and from the look of staring, sad eyes in the faces which pressed round him till he gasped for breath under the crushing weight of worlds that hung over his aching shoulders? get away! but how? if he attempted to move he would step off into nothing, and perish in the crashing fall of that universe of which he was the only support. and what were the voices saying? urging him to move! why? move to destruction! not likely! the absurdity of the thing filled him with indignation. he got a firmer foothold and stiffened his muscles in heroic resolve to carry his burden to all eternity. and ages passed in the superhuman labour, amidst the rush of circling worlds; in the plaintive murmur of sorrowful voices urging him to desist before it was too late--till the mysterious power that had laid upon him the giant task seemed at last to seek his destruction. with terror he felt an irresistible hand shaking him by the shoulder, while the chorus of voices swelled louder into an agonised prayer to go, go before it is too late. he felt himself slipping, losing his balance, as something dragged at his legs, and he fell. with a faint cry he glided out of the anguish of perishing creation into an imperfect waking that seemed to be still under the spell of his dream. "what? what?" he murmured sleepily, without moving or opening his eyes. his head still felt heavy, and he had not the courage to raise his eyelids. in his ears there still lingered the sound of entreating whisper.--"am i awake?--why do i hear the voices?" he argued to himself, hazily.--"i cannot get rid of the horrible nightmare yet.--i have been very drunk.--what is that shaking me? i am dreaming yet--i must open my eyes and be done with it. i am only half awake, it is evident." he made an effort to shake off his stupor and saw a face close to his, glaring at him with staring eyeballs. he closed his eyes again in amazed horror and sat up straight in the chair, trembling in every limb. what was this apparition?--his own fancy, no doubt.--his nerves had been much tried the day before--and then the drink! he would not see it again if he had the courage to look.--he would look directly.--get a little steadier first.--so.--now. he looked. the figure of a woman standing in the steely light, her hands stretched forth in a suppliant gesture, confronted him from the far-off end of the verandah; and in the space between him and the obstinate phantom floated the murmur of words that fell on his ears in a jumble of torturing sentences, the meaning of which escaped the utmost efforts of his brain. who spoke the malay words? who ran away? why too late--and too late for what? what meant those words of hate and love mixed so strangely together, the ever-recurring names falling on his ears again and again--nina, dain; dain, nina? dain was dead, and nina was sleeping, unaware of the terrible experience through which he was now passing. was he going to be tormented for ever, sleeping or waking, and have no peace either night or day? what was the meaning of this? he shouted the last words aloud. the shadowy woman seemed to shrink and recede a little from him towards the doorway, and there was a shriek. exasperated by the incomprehensible nature of his torment, almayer made a rush upon the apparition, which eluded his grasp, and he brought up heavily against the wall. quick as lightning he turned round and pursued fiercely the mysterious figure fleeing from him with piercing shrieks that were like fuel to the flames of his anger. over the furniture, round the overturned table, and now he had it cornered behind nina's chair. to the left, to the right they dodged, the chair rocking madly between them, she sending out shriek after shriek at every feint, and he growling meaningless curses through his hard set teeth. "oh! the fiendish noise that split his head and seemed to choke his breath.--it would kill him.--it must be stopped!" an insane desire to crush that yelling thing induced him to cast himself recklessly over the chair with a desperate grab, and they came down together in a cloud of dust amongst the splintered wood. the last shriek died out under him in a faint gurgle, and he had secured the relief of absolute silence. he looked at the woman's face under him. a real woman! he knew her. by all that is wonderful! taminah! he jumped up ashamed of his fury and stood perplexed, wiping his forehead. the girl struggled to a kneeling posture and embraced his legs in a frenzied prayer for mercy. "don't be afraid," he said, raising her. "i shall not hurt you. why do you come to my house in the night? and if you had to come, why not go behind the curtain where the women sleep?" "the place behind the curtain is empty," gasped taminah, catching her breath between the words. "there are no women in your house any more, tuan. i saw the old mem go away before i tried to wake you. i did not want your women, i wanted you." "old mem!" repeated almayer. "do you mean my wife?" she nodded her head. "but of my daughter you are not afraid?" said almayer. "have you not heard me?" she exclaimed. "have i not spoken for a long time when you lay there with eyes half open? she is gone too." "i was asleep. can you not tell when a man is sleeping and when awake?" "sometimes," answered taminah in a low voice; "sometimes the spirit lingers close to a sleeping body and may hear. i spoke a long time before i touched you, and i spoke softly for fear it would depart at a sudden noise and leave you sleeping for ever. i took you by the shoulder only when you began to mutter words i could not understand. have you not heard, then, and do you know nothing?" "nothing of what you said. what is it? tell again if you want me to know." he took her by the shoulder and led her unresisting to the front of the verandah into a stronger light. she wrung her hands with such an appearance of grief that he began to be alarmed. "speak," he said. "you made noise enough to wake even dead men. and yet nobody living came," he added to himself in an uneasy whisper. "are you mute? speak!" he repeated. in a rush of words which broke out after a short struggle from her trembling lips she told him the tale of nina's love and her own jealousy. several times he looked angrily into her face and told her to be silent; but he could not stop the sounds that seemed to him to run out in a hot stream, swirl about his feet, and rise in scalding waves about him, higher, higher, drowning his heart, touching his lips with a feel of molten lead, blotting out his sight in scorching vapour, closing over his head, merciless and deadly. when she spoke of the deception as to dain's death of which he had been the victim only that day, he glanced again at her with terrible eyes, and made her falter for a second, but he turned away directly, and his face suddenly lost all expression in a stony stare far away over the river. ah! the river! his old friend and his old enemy, speaking always with the same voice as he runs from year to year bringing fortune or disappointment happiness or pain, upon the same varying but unchanged surface of glancing currents and swirling eddies. for many years he had listened to the passionless and soothing murmur that sometimes was the song of hope, at times the song of triumph, of encouragement; more often the whisper of consolation that spoke of better days to come. for so many years! so many years! and now to the accompaniment of that murmur he listened to the slow and painful beating of his heart. he listened attentively, wondering at the regularity of its beats. he began to count mechanically. one, two. why count? at the next beat it must stop. no heart could suffer so and beat so steadily for long. those regular strokes as of a muffled hammer that rang in his ears must stop soon. still beating unceasing and cruel. no man can bear this; and is this the last, or will the next one be the last?--how much longer? o god! how much longer? his hand weighed heavier unconsciously on the girl's shoulder, and she spoke the last words of her story crouching at his feet with tears of pain and shame and anger. was her revenge to fail her? this white man was like a senseless stone. too late! too late! "and you saw her go?" almayer's voice sounded harshly above her head. "did i not tell you?" she sobbed, trying to wriggle gently out from under his grip. "did i not tell you that i saw the witchwoman push the canoe? i lay hidden in the grass and heard all the words. she that we used to call the white mem wanted to return to look at your face, but the witchwoman forbade her, and--" she sank lower yet on her elbow, turning half round under the downward push of the heavy hand, her face lifted up to him with spiteful eyes. "and she obeyed," she shouted out in a half-laugh, half-cry of pain. "let me go, tuan. why are you angry with me? hasten, or you shall be too late to show your anger to the deceitful woman." almayer dragged her up to her feet and looked close into her face while she struggled, turning her head away from his wild stare. "who sent you here to torment me?" he asked, violently. "i do not believe you. you lie." he straightened his arm suddenly and flung her across the verandah towards the doorway, where she lay immobile and silent, as if she had left her life in his grasp, a dark heap, without a sound or a stir. "oh! nina!" whispered almayer, in a voice in which reproach and love spoke together in pained tenderness. "oh! nina! i do not believe." a light draught from the river ran over the courtyard in a wave of bowing grass and, entering the verandah, touched almayer's forehead with its cool breath, in a caress of infinite pity. the curtain in the women's doorway blew out and instantly collapsed with startling helplessness. he stared at the fluttering stuff. "nina!" cried almayer. "where are you, nina?" the wind passed out of the empty house in a tremulous sigh, and all was still. almayer hid his face in his hands as if to shut out a loathsome sight. when, hearing a slight rustle, he uncovered his eyes, the dark heap by the door was gone. chapter xi. in the middle of a shadowless square of moonlight, shining on a smooth and level expanse of young rice-shoots, a little shelter-hut perched on high posts, the pile of brushwood near by and the glowing embers of a fire with a man stretched before it, seemed very small and as if lost in the pale green iridescence reflected from the ground. on three sides of the clearing, appearing very far away in the deceptive light, the big trees of the forest, lashed together with manifold bonds by a mass of tangled creepers, looked down at the growing young life at their feet with the sombre resignation of giants that had lost faith in their strength. and in the midst of them the merciless creepers clung to the big trunks in cable-like coils, leaped from tree to tree, hung in thorny festoons from the lower boughs, and, sending slender tendrils on high to seek out the smallest branches, carried death to their victims in an exulting riot of silent destruction. on the fourth side, following the curve of the bank of that branch of the pantai that formed the only access to the clearing, ran a black line of young trees, bushes, and thick second growth, unbroken save for a small gap chopped out in one place. at that gap began the narrow footpath leading from the water's edge to the grass-built shelter used by the night watchers when the ripening crop had to be protected from the wild pigs. the pathway ended at the foot of the piles on which the hut was built, in a circular space covered with ashes and bits of burnt wood. in the middle of that space, by the dim fire, lay dain. he turned over on his side with an impatient sigh, and, pillowing his head on his bent arm, lay quietly with his face to the dying fire. the glowing embers shone redly in a small circle, throwing a gleam into his wide-open eyes, and at every deep breath the fine white ash of bygone fires rose in a light cloud before his parted lips, and danced away from the warm glow into the moonbeams pouring down upon bulangi's clearing. his body was weary with the exertion of the past few days, his mind more weary still with the strain of solitary waiting for his fate. never before had he felt so helpless. he had heard the report of the gun fired on board the launch, and he knew that his life was in untrustworthy hands, and that his enemies were very near. during the slow hours of the afternoon he roamed about on the edge of the forest, or, hiding in the bushes, watched the creek with unquiet eyes for some sign of danger. he feared not death, yet he desired ardently to live, for life to him was nina. she had promised to come, to follow him, to share his danger and his splendour. but with her by his side he cared not for danger, and without her there could be no splendour and no joy in existence. crouching in his shady hiding-place, he closed his eyes, trying to evoke the gracious and charming image of the white figure that for him was the beginning and the end of life. with eyes shut tight, his teeth hard set, he tried in a great effort of passionate will to keep his hold on that vision of supreme delight. in vain! his heart grew heavy as the figure of nina faded away to be replaced by another vision this time--a vision of armed men, of angry faces, of glittering arms--and he seemed to hear the hum of excited and triumphant voices as they discovered him in his hiding-place. startled by the vividness of his fancy, he would open his eyes, and, leaping out into the sunlight, resume his aimless wanderings around the clearing. as he skirted in his weary march the edge of the forest he glanced now and then into its dark shade, so enticing in its deceptive appearance of coolness, so repellent with its unrelieved gloom, where lay, entombed and rotting, countless generations of trees, and where their successors stood as if mourning, in dark green foliage, immense and helpless, awaiting their turn. only the parasites seemed to live there in a sinuous rush upwards into the air and sunshine, feeding on the dead and the dying alike, and crowning their victims with pink and blue flowers that gleamed amongst the boughs, incongruous and cruel, like a strident and mocking note in the solemn harmony of the doomed trees. a man could hide there, thought dain, as he approached a place where the creepers had been torn and hacked into an archway that might have been the beginning of a path. as he bent down to look through he heard angry grunting, and a sounder of wild pig crashed away in the undergrowth. an acrid smell of damp earth and of decaying leaves took him by the throat, and he drew back with a scared face, as if he had been touched by the breath of death itself. the very air seemed dead in there--heavy and stagnating, poisoned with the corruption of countless ages. he went on, staggering on his way, urged by the nervous restlessness that made him feel tired yet caused him to loathe the very idea of immobility and repose. was he a wild man to hide in the woods and perhaps be killed there--in the darkness--where there was no room to breathe? he would wait for his enemies in the sunlight, where he could see the sky and feel the breeze. he knew how a malay chief should die. the sombre and desperate fury, that peculiar inheritance of his race, took possession of him, and he glared savagely across the clearing towards the gap in the bushes by the riverside. they would come from there. in imagination he saw them now. he saw the bearded faces and the white jackets of the officers, the light on the levelled barrels of the rifles. what is the bravery of the greatest warrior before the firearms in the hand of a slave? he would walk toward them with a smiling face, with his hands held out in a sign of submission till he was very near them. he would speak friendly words--come nearer yet--yet nearer--so near that they could touch him with their hands and stretch them out to make him a captive. that would be the time: with a shout and a leap he would be in the midst of them, kriss in hand, killing, killing, killing, and would die with the shouts of his enemies in his ears, their warm blood spurting before his eyes. carried away by his excitement, he snatched the kriss hidden in his sarong, and, drawing a long breath, rushed forward, struck at the empty air, and fell on his face. he lay as if stunned in the sudden reaction from his exaltation, thinking that, even if he died thus gloriously, it would have to be before he saw nina. better so. if he saw her again he felt that death would be too terrible. with horror he, the descendant of rajahs and of conquerors, had to face the doubt of his own bravery. his desire of life tormented him in a paroxysm of agonising remorse. he had not the courage to stir a limb. he had lost faith in himself, and there was nothing else in him of what makes a man. the suffering remained, for it is ordered that it should abide in the human body even to the last breath, and fear remained. dimly he could look into the depths of his passionate love, see its strength and its weakness, and felt afraid. the sun went down slowly. the shadow of the western forest marched over the clearing, covered the man's scorched shoulders with its cool mantle, and went on hurriedly to mingle with the shadows of other forests on the eastern side. the sun lingered for a while amongst the light tracery of the higher branches, as if in friendly reluctance to abandon the body stretched in the green paddy-field. then dain, revived by the cool of the evening breeze, sat up and stared round him. as he did so the sun dipped sharply, as if ashamed of being detected in a sympathising attitude, and the clearing, which during the day was all light, became suddenly all darkness, where the fire gleamed like an eye. dain walked slowly towards the creek, and, divesting himself of his torn sarong, his only garment, entered the water cautiously. he had had nothing to eat that day, and had not dared show himself in daylight by the water-side to drink. now, as he swam silently, he swallowed a few mouthfuls of water that lapped about his lips. this did him good, and he walked with greater confidence in himself and others as he returned towards the fire. had he been betrayed by lakamba all would have been over by this. he made up a big blaze, and while it lasted dried himself, and then lay down by the embers. he could not sleep, but he felt a great numbness in all his limbs. his restlessness was gone, and he was content to lay still, measuring the time by watching the stars that rose in endless succession above the forests, while the slight puffs of wind under the cloudless sky seemed to fan their twinkle into a greater brightness. dreamily he assured himself over and over again that she would come, till the certitude crept into his heart and filled him with a great peace. yes, when the next day broke, they would be together on the great blue sea that was like life--away from the forests that were like death. he murmured the name of nina into the silent space with a tender smile: this seemed to break the spell of stillness, and far away by the creek a frog croaked loudly as if in answer. a chorus of loud roars and plaintive calls rose from the mud along the line of bushes. he laughed heartily; doubtless it was their love-song. he felt affectionate towards the frogs and listened, pleased with the noisy life near him. when the moon peeped above the trees he felt the old impatience and the old restlessness steal over him. why was she so late? true, it was a long way to come with a single paddle. with what skill and what endurance could those small hands manage a heavy paddle! it was very wonderful--such small hands, such soft little palms that knew how to touch his cheek with a feel lighter than the fanning of a butterfly's wing. wonderful! he lost himself lovingly in the contemplation of this tremendous mystery, and when he looked at the moon again it had risen a hand's breadth above the trees. would she come? he forced himself to lay still, overcoming the impulse to rise and rush round the clearing again. he turned this way and that; at last, quivering with the effort, he lay on his back, and saw her face among the stars looking down on him. the croaking of frogs suddenly ceased. with the watchfulness of a hunted man dain sat up, listening anxiously, and heard several splashes in the water as the frogs took rapid headers into the creek. he knew that they had been alarmed by something, and stood up suspicious and attentive. a slight grating noise, then the dry sound as of two pieces of wood struck against each other. somebody was about to land! he took up an armful of brushwood, and, without taking his eyes from the path, held it over the embers of his fire. he waited, undecided, and saw something gleam amongst the bushes; then a white figure came out of the shadows and seemed to float towards him in the pale light. his heart gave a great leap and stood still, then went on shaking his frame in furious beats. he dropped the brushwood upon the glowing coals, and had an impression of shouting her name--of rushing to meet her; yet he emitted no sound, he stirred not an inch, but he stood silent and motionless like chiselled bronze under the moonlight that streamed over his naked shoulders. as he stood still, fighting with his breath, as if bereft of his senses by the intensity of his delight, she walked up to him with quick, resolute steps, and, with the appearance of one about to leap from a dangerous height, threw both her arms round his neck with a sudden gesture. a small blue gleam crept amongst the dry branches, and the crackling of reviving fire was the only sound as they faced each other in the speechless emotion of that meeting; then the dry fuel caught at once, and a bright hot flame shot upwards in a blaze as high as their heads, and in its light they saw each other's eyes. neither of them spoke. he was regaining his senses in a slight tremor that ran upwards along his rigid body and hung about his trembling lips. she drew back her head and fastened her eyes on his in one of those long looks that are a woman's most terrible weapon; a look that is more stirring than the closest touch, and more dangerous than the thrust of a dagger, because it also whips the soul out of the body, but leaves the body alive and helpless, to be swayed here and there by the capricious tempests of passion and desire; a look that enwraps the whole body, and that penetrates into the innermost recesses of the being, bringing terrible defeat in the delirious uplifting of accomplished conquest. it has the same meaning for the man of the forests and the sea as for the man threading the paths of the more dangerous wilderness of houses and streets. men that had felt in their breasts the awful exultation such a look awakens become mere things of to-day--which is paradise; forget yesterday--which was suffering; care not for to-morrow--which may be perdition. they wish to live under that look for ever. it is the look of woman's surrender. he understood, and, as if suddenly released from his invisible bonds, fell at her feet with a shout of joy, and, embracing her knees, hid his head in the folds of her dress, murmuring disjointed words of gratitude and love. never before had he felt so proud as now, when at the feet of that woman that half belonged to his enemies. her fingers played with his hair in an absent-minded caress as she stood absorbed in thought. the thing was done. her mother was right. the man was her slave. as she glanced down at his kneeling form she felt a great pitying tenderness for that man she was used to call--even in her thoughts--the master of life. she lifted her eyes and looked sadly at the southern heavens under which lay the path of their lives--her own, and that man's at her feet. did he not say himself is that she was the light of his life? she would be his light and his wisdom; she would be his greatness and his strength; yet hidden from the eyes of all men she would be, above all, his only and lasting weakness. a very woman! in the sublime vanity of her kind she was thinking already of moulding a god from the clay at her feet. a god for others to worship. she was content to see him as he was now, and to feel him quiver at the slightest touch of her light fingers. and while her eyes looked sadly at the southern stars a faint smile seemed to be playing about her firm lips. who can tell in the fitful light of a camp fire? it might have been a smile of triumph, or of conscious power, or of tender pity, or, perhaps, of love. she spoke softly to him, and he rose to his feet, putting his arm round her in quiet consciousness of his ownership; she laid her head on his shoulder with a sense of defiance to all the world in the encircling protection of that arm. he was hers with all his qualities and all his faults. his strength and his courage, his recklessness and his daring, his simple wisdom and his savage cunning--all were hers. as they passed together out of the red light of the fire into the silver shower of rays that fell upon the clearing he bent his head over her face, and she saw in his eyes the dreamy intoxication of boundless felicity from the close touch of her slight figure clasped to his side. with a rhythmical swing of their bodies they walked through the light towards the outlying shadows of the forests that seemed to guard their happiness in solemn immobility. their forms melted in the play of light and shadow at the foot of the big trees, but the murmur of tender words lingered over the empty clearing, grew faint, and died out. a sigh as of immense sorrow passed over the land in the last effort of the dying breeze, and in the deep silence which succeeded, the earth and the heavens were suddenly hushed up in the mournful contemplation of human love and human blindness. they walked slowly back to the fire. he made for her a seat out of the dry branches, and, throwing himself down at her feet, lay his head in her lap and gave himself up to the dreamy delight of the passing hour. their voices rose and fell, tender or animated as they spoke of their love and of their future. she, with a few skilful words spoken from time to time, guided his thoughts, and he let his happiness flow in a stream of talk passionate and tender, grave or menacing, according to the mood which she evoked. he spoke to her of his own island, where the gloomy forests and the muddy rivers were unknown. he spoke of its terraced fields, of the murmuring clear rills of sparkling water that flowed down the sides of great mountains, bringing life to the land and joy to its tillers. and he spoke also of the mountain peak that rising lonely above the belt of trees knew the secrets of the passing clouds, and was the dwelling-place of the mysterious spirit of his race, of the guardian genius of his house. he spoke of vast horizons swept by fierce winds that whistled high above the summits of burning mountains. he spoke of his forefathers that conquered ages ago the island of which he was to be the future ruler. and then as, in her interest, she brought her face nearer to his, he, touching lightly the thick tresses of her long hair, felt a sudden impulse to speak to her of the sea he loved so well; and he told her of its never-ceasing voice, to which he had listened as a child, wondering at its hidden meaning that no living man has penetrated yet; of its enchanting glitter; of its senseless and capricious fury; how its surface was for ever changing, and yet always enticing, while its depths were for ever the same, cold and cruel, and full of the wisdom of destroyed life. he told her how it held men slaves of its charm for a lifetime, and then, regardless of their devotion, swallowed them up, angry at their fear of its mystery, which it would never disclose, not even to those that loved it most. while he talked, nina's head had been gradually sinking lower, and her face almost touched his now. her hair was over his eyes, her breath was on his forehead, her arms were about his body. no two beings could be closer to each other, yet she guessed rather than understood the meaning of his last words that came out after a slight hesitation in a faint murmur, dying out imperceptibly into a profound and significant silence: "the sea, o nina, is like a woman's heart." she closed his lips with a sudden kiss, and answered in a steady voice-"but to the men that have no fear, o master of my life, the sea is ever true." over their heads a film of dark, thread-like clouds, looking like immense cobwebs drifting under the stars, darkened the sky with the presage of the coming thunderstorm. from the invisible hills the first distant rumble of thunder came in a prolonged roll which, after tossing about from hill to hill, lost itself in the forests of the pantai. dain and nina stood up, and the former looked at the sky uneasily. "it is time for babalatchi to be here," he said. "the night is more than half gone. our road is long, and a bullet travels quicker than the best canoe." "he will be here before the moon is hidden behind the clouds," said nina. "i heard a splash in the water," she added. "did you hear it too?" "alligator," answered dain shortly, with a careless glance towards the creek. "the darker the night," he continued, "the shorter will be our road, for then we could keep in the current of the main stream, but if it is light--even no more than now--we must follow the small channels of sleeping water, with nothing to help our paddles." "dain," interposed nina, earnestly, "it was no alligator. i heard the bushes rustling near the landing-place." "yes," said dain, after listening awhile. "it cannot be babalatchi, who would come in a big war canoe, and openly. those that are coming, whoever they are, do not wish to make much noise. but you have heard, and now i can see," he went on quickly. "it is but one man. stand behind me, nina. if he is a friend he is welcome; if he is an enemy you shall see him die." he laid his hand on his kriss, and awaited the approach of his unexpected visitor. the fire was burning very low, and small clouds--precursors of the storm--crossed the face of the moon in rapid succession, and their flying shadows darkened the clearing. he could not make out who the man might be, but he felt uneasy at the steady advance of the tall figure walking on the path with a heavy tread, and hailed it with a command to stop. the man stopped at some little distance, and dain expected him to speak, but all he could hear was his deep breathing. through a break in the flying clouds a sudden and fleeting brightness descended upon the clearing. before the darkness closed in again, dain saw a hand holding some glittering object extended towards him, heard nina's cry of "father!" and in an instant the girl was between him and almayer's revolver. nina's loud cry woke up the echoes of the sleeping woods, and the three stood still as if waiting for the return of silence before they would give expression to their various feelings. at the appearance of nina, almayer's arm fell by his side, and he made a step forward. dain pushed the girl gently aside. "am i a wild beast that you should try to kill me suddenly and in the dark, tuan almayer?" said dain, breaking the strained silence. "throw some brushwood on the fire," he went on, speaking to nina, "while i watch my white friend, lest harm should come to you or to me, o delight of my heart!" almayer ground his teeth and raised his arm again. with a quick bound dain was at his side: there was a short scuffle, during which one chamber of the revolver went off harmlessly, then the weapon, wrenched out of almayer's hand, whirled through the air and fell in the bushes. the two men stood close together, breathing hard. the replenished fire threw out an unsteady circle of light and shone on the terrified face of nina, who looked at them with outstretched hands. "dain!" she cried out warningly, "dain!" he waved his hand towards her in a reassuring gesture, and, turning to almayer, said with great courtesy-"now we may talk, tuan. it is easy to send out death, but can your wisdom recall the life? she might have been harmed," he continued, indicating nina. "your hand shook much; for myself i was not afraid." "nina!" exclaimed almayer, "come to me at once. what is this sudden madness? what bewitched you? come to your father, and together we shall try to forget this horrible nightmare!" he opened his arms with the certitude of clasping her to his breast in another second. she did not move. as it dawned upon him that she did not mean to obey he felt a deadly cold creep into his heart, and, pressing the palms of his hands to his temples, he looked down on the ground in mute despair. dain took nina by the arm and led her towards her father. "speak to him in the language of his people," he said. "he is grieving--as who would not grieve at losing thee, my pearl! speak to him the last words he shall hear spoken by that voice, which must be very sweet to him, but is all my life to me." he released her, and, stepping back a few paces out of the circle of light, stood in the darkness looking at them with calm interest. the reflection of a distant flash of lightning lit up the clouds over their heads, and was followed after a short interval by the faint rumble of thunder, which mingled with almayer's voice as he began to speak. "do you know what you are doing? do you know what is waiting for you if you follow that man? have you no pity for yourself? do you know that you shall be at first his plaything and then a scorned slave, a drudge, and a servant of some new fancy of that man?" she raised her hand to stop him, and turning her head slightly, asked-"you hear this dain! is it true?" "by all the gods!" came the impassioned answer from the darkness--"by heaven and earth, by my head and thine i swear: this is a white man's lie. i have delivered my soul into your hands for ever; i breathe with your breath, i see with your eyes, i think with your mind, and i take you into my heart for ever." "you thief!" shouted the exasperated almayer. a deep silence succeeded this outburst, then the voice of dain was heard again. "nay, tuan," he said in a gentle tone, "that is not true also. the girl came of her own will. i have done no more but to show her my love like a man; she heard the cry of my heart, and she came, and the dowry i have given to the woman you call your wife." almayer groaned in his extremity of rage and shame. nina laid her hand lightly on his shoulder, and the contact, light as the touch of a falling leaf, seemed to calm him. he spoke quickly, and in english this time. "tell me," he said--"tell me, what have they done to you, your mother and that man? what made you give yourself up to that savage? for he is a savage. between him and you there is a barrier that nothing can remove. i can see in your eyes the look of those who commit suicide when they are mad. you are mad. don't smile. it breaks my heart. if i were to see you drowning before my eyes, and i without the power to help you, i could not suffer a greater torment. have you forgotten the teaching of so many years?" "no," she interrupted, "i remember it well. i remember how it ended also. scorn for scorn, contempt for contempt, hate for hate. i am not of your race. between your people and me there is also a barrier that nothing can remove. you ask why i want to go, and i ask you why i should stay." he staggered as if struck in the face, but with a quick, unhesitating grasp she caught him by the arm and steadied him. "why you should stay!" he repeated slowly, in a dazed manner, and stopped short, astounded at the completeness of his misfortune. "you told me yesterday," she went on again, "that i could not understand or see your love for me: it is so. how can i? no two human beings understand each other. they can understand but their own voices. you wanted me to dream your dreams, to see your own visions--the visions of life amongst the white faces of those who cast me out from their midst in angry contempt. but while you spoke i listened to the voice of my own self; then this man came, and all was still; there was only the murmur of his love. you call him a savage! what do you call my mother, your wife?" "nina!" cried almayer, "take your eyes off my face." she looked down directly, but continued speaking only a little above a whisper. "in time," she went on, "both our voices, that man's and mine, spoke together in a sweetness that was intelligible to our ears only. you were speaking of gold then, but our ears were filled with the song of our love, and we did not hear you. then i found that we could see through each other's eyes: that he saw things that nobody but myself and he could see. we entered a land where no one could follow us, and least of all you. then i began to live." she paused. almayer sighed deeply. with her eyes still fixed on the ground she began speaking again. "and i mean to live. i mean to follow him. i have been rejected with scorn by the white people, and now i am a malay! he took me in his arms, he laid his life at my feet. he is brave; he will be powerful, and i hold his bravery and his strength in my hand, and i shall make him great. his name shall be remembered long after both our bodies are laid in the dust. i love you no less than i did before, but i shall never leave him, for without him i cannot live." "if he understood what you have said," answered almayer, scornfully, "he must be highly flattered. you want him as a tool for some incomprehensible ambition of yours. enough, nina. if you do not go down at once to the creek, where ali is waiting with my canoe, i shall tell him to return to the settlement and bring the dutch officers here. you cannot escape from this clearing, for i have cast adrift your canoe. if the dutch catch this hero of yours they will hang him as sure as i stand here. now go." he made a step towards his daughter and laid hold of her by the shoulder, his other hand pointing down the path to the landing-place. "beware!" exclaimed dain; "this woman belongs to me!" nina wrenched herself free and looked straight at almayer's angry face. "no, i will not go," she said with desperate energy. "if he dies i shall die too!" "you die!" said almayer, contemptuously. "oh, no! you shall live a life of lies and deception till some other vagabond comes along to sing; how did you say that? the song of love to you! make up your mind quickly." he waited for a while, and then added meaningly-"shall i call out to ali?" "call out," she answered in malay, "you that cannot be true to your own countrymen. only a few days ago you were selling the powder for their destruction; now you want to give up to them the man that yesterday you called your friend. oh, dain," she said, turning towards the motionless but attentive figure in the darkness, "instead of bringing you life i bring you death, for he will betray unless i leave you for ever!" dain came into the circle of light, and, throwing his arm around nina's neck, whispered in her ear--"i can kill him where he stands, before a sound can pass his lips. for you it is to say yes or no. babalatchi cannot be far now." he straightened himself up, taking his arm off her shoulder, and confronted almayer, who looked at them both with an expression of concentrated fury. "no!" she cried, clinging to dain in wild alarm. "no! kill me! then perhaps he will let you go. you do not know the mind of a white man. he would rather see me dead than standing where i am. forgive me, your slave, but you must not." she fell at his feet sobbing violently and repeating, "kill me! kill me!" "i want you alive," said almayer, speaking also in malay, with sombre calmness. "you go, or he hangs. will you obey?" dain shook nina off, and, making a sudden lunge, struck almayer full in the chest with the handle of his kriss, keeping the point towards himself. "hai, look! it was easy for me to turn the point the other way," he said in his even voice. "go, tuan putih," he added with dignity. "i give you your life, my life, and her life. i am the slave of this woman's desire, and she wills it so." there was not a glimmer of light in the sky now, and the tops of the trees were as invisible as their trunks, being lost in the mass of clouds that hung low over the woods, the clearing, and the river. every outline had disappeared in the intense blackness that seemed to have destroyed everything but space. only the fire glimmered like a star forgotten in this annihilation of all visible things, and nothing was heard after dain ceased speaking but the sobs of nina, whom he held in his arms, kneeling beside the fire. almayer stood looking down at them in gloomy thoughtfulness. as he was opening his lips to speak they were startled by a cry of warning by the riverside, followed by the splash of many paddles and the sound of voices. "babalatchi!" shouted dain, lifting up nina as he got upon his feet quickly. "ada! ada!" came the answer from the panting statesman who ran up the path and stood amongst them. "run to my canoe," he said to dain excitedly, without taking any notice of almayer. "run! we must go. that woman has told them all!" "what woman?" asked dain, looking at nina. just then there was only one woman in the whole world for him. "the she-dog with white teeth; the seven times accursed slave of bulangi. she yelled at abdulla's gate till she woke up all sambir. now the white officers are coming, guided by her and reshid. if you want to live, do not look at me, but go!" "how do you know this?" asked almayer. "oh, tuan! what matters how i know! i have only one eye, but i saw lights in abdulla's house and in his campong as we were paddling past. i have ears, and while we lay under the bank i have heard the messengers sent out to the white men's house." "will you depart without that woman who is my daughter?" said almayer, addressing dain, while babalatchi stamped with impatience, muttering, "run! run at once!" "no," answered dain, steadily, "i will not go; to no man will i abandon this woman." "then kill me and escape yourself," sobbed out nina. he clasped her close, looking at her tenderly, and whispered, "we will never part, o nina!" "i shall not stay here any longer," broke in babalatchi, angrily. "this is great foolishness. no woman is worth a man's life. i am an old man, and i know." he picked up his staff, and, turning to go, looked at dain as if offering him his last chance of escape. but dain's face was hidden amongst nina's black tresses, and he did not see this last appealing glance. babalatchi vanished in the darkness. shortly after his disappearance they heard the war canoe leave the landing-place in the swish of the numerous paddles dipped in the water together. almost at the same time ali came up from the riverside, two paddles on his shoulder. "our canoe is hidden up the creek, tuan almayer," he said, "in the dense bush where the forest comes down to the water. i took it there because i heard from babalatchi's paddlers that the white men are coming here." "wait for me there," said almayer, "but keep the canoe hidden." he remained silent, listening to ali's footsteps, then turned to nina. "nina," he said sadly, "will you have no pity for me?" there was no answer. she did not even turn her head, which was pressed close to dain's breast. he made a movement as if to leave them and stopped. by the dim glow of the burning-out fire he saw their two motionless figures. the woman's back turned to him with the long black hair streaming down over the white dress, and dain's calm face looking at him above her head. "i cannot," he muttered to himself. after a long pause he spoke again a little lower, but in an unsteady voice, "it would be too great a disgrace. i am a white man." he broke down completely there, and went on tearfully, "i am a white man, and of good family. very good family," he repeated, weeping bitterly. "it would be a disgrace . . . all over the islands, . . . the only white man on the east coast. no, it cannot be . . . white men finding my daughter with this malay. my daughter!" he cried aloud, with a ring of despair in his voice. he recovered his composure after a while and said distinctly-"i will never forgive you, nina--never! if you were to come back to me now, the memory of this night would poison all my life. i shall try to forget. i have no daughter. there used to be a half-caste woman in my house, but she is going even now. you, dain, or whatever your name may be, i shall take you and that woman to the island at the mouth of the river myself. come with me." he led the way, following the bank as far as the forest. ali answered to his call, and, pushing their way through the dense bush, they stepped into the canoe hidden under the overhanging branches. dain laid nina in the bottom, and sat holding her head on his knees. almayer and ali each took up a paddle. as they were going to push out ali hissed warningly. all listened. in the great stillness before the bursting out of the thunderstorm they could hear the sound of oars working regularly in their row-locks. the sound approached steadily, and dain, looking through the branches, could see the faint shape of a big white boat. a woman's voice said in a cautious tone-"there is the place where you may land white men; a little higher--there!" the boat was passing them so close in the narrow creek that the blades of the long oars nearly touched the canoe. "way enough! stand by to jump on shore! he is alone and unarmed," was the quiet order in a man's voice, and in dutch. somebody else whispered: "i think i can see a glimmer of a fire through the bush." and then the boat floated past them, disappearing instantly in the darkness. "now," whispered ali, eagerly, "let us push out and paddle away." the little canoe swung into the stream, and as it sprung forward in response to the vigorous dig of the paddles they could hear an angry shout. "he is not by the fire. spread out, men, and search for him!" blue lights blazed out in different parts of the clearing, and the shrill voice of a woman cried in accents of rage and pain-"too late! o senseless white men! he has escaped!" chapter xii. "that is the place," said dain, indicating with the blade of his paddle a small islet about a mile ahead of the canoe--"that is the place where babalatchi promised that a boat from the prau would come for me when the sun is overhead. we will wait for that boat there." almayer, who was steering, nodded without speaking, and by a slight sweep of his paddle laid the head of the canoe in the required direction. they were just leaving the southern outlet of the pantai, which lay behind them in a straight and long vista of water shining between two walls of thick verdure that ran downwards and towards each other, till at last they joined and sank together in the far-away distance. the sun, rising above the calm waters of the straits, marked its own path by a streak of light that glided upon the sea and darted up the wide reach of the river, a hurried messenger of light and life to the gloomy forests of the coast; and in this radiance of the sun's pathway floated the black canoe heading for the islet which lay bathed in sunshine, the yellow sands of its encircling beach shining like an inlaid golden disc on the polished steel of the unwrinkled sea. to the north and south of it rose other islets, joyous in their brilliant colouring of green and yellow, and on the main coast the sombre line of mangrove bushes ended to the southward in the reddish cliffs of tanjong mirrah, advancing into the sea, steep and shadowless under the clear, light of the early morning. the bottom of the canoe grated upon the sand as the little craft ran upon the beach. ali leaped on shore and held on while dain stepped out carrying nina in his arms, exhausted by the events and the long travelling during the night. almayer was the last to leave the boat, and together with ali ran it higher up on the beach. then ali, tired out by the long paddling, laid down in the shade of the canoe, and incontinently fell asleep. almayer sat sideways on the gunwale, and with his arms crossed on his breast, looked to the southward upon the sea. after carefully laying nina down in the shade of the bushes growing in the middle of the islet, dain threw himself beside her and watched in silent concern the tears that ran down from under her closed eyelids, and lost themselves in that fine sand upon which they both were lying face to face. these tears and this sorrow were for him a profound and disquieting mystery. now, when the danger was past, why should she grieve? he doubted her love no more than he would have doubted the fact of his own existence, but as he lay looking ardently in her face, watching her tears, her parted lips, her very breath, he was uneasily conscious of something in her he could not understand. doubtless she had the wisdom of perfect beings. he sighed. he felt something invisible that stood between them, something that would let him approach her so far, but no farther. no desire, no longing, no effort of will or length of life could destroy this vague feeling of their difference. with awe but also with great pride he concluded that it was her own incomparable perfection. she was his, and yet she was like a woman from another world. his! his! he exulted in the glorious thought; nevertheless her tears pained him. with a wisp of her own hair which he took in his hand with timid reverence he tried in an access of clumsy tenderness to dry the tears that trembled on her eyelashes. he had his reward in a fleeting smile that brightened her face for the short fraction of a second, but soon the tears fell faster than ever, and he could bear it no more. he rose and walked towards almayer, who still sat absorbed in his contemplation of the sea. it was a very, very long time since he had seen the sea--that sea that leads everywhere, brings everything, and takes away so much. he had almost forgotten why he was there, and dreamily he could see all his past life on the smooth and boundless surface that glittered before his eyes. dain's hand laid on almayer's shoulder recalled him with a start from some country very far away indeed. he turned round, but his eyes seemed to look rather at the place where dain stood than at the man himself. dain felt uneasy under the unconscious gaze. "what?" said almayer. "she is crying," murmured dain, softly. "she is crying! why?" asked almayer, indifferently. "i came to ask you. my ranee smiles when looking at the man she loves. it is the white woman that is crying now. you would know." almayer shrugged his shoulders and turned away again towards the sea. "go, tuan putih," urged dain. "go to her; her tears are more terrible to me than the anger of gods." "are they? you will see them more than once. she told me she could not live without you," answered almayer, speaking without the faintest spark of expression in his face, "so it behoves you to go to her quick, for fear you may find her dead." he burst into a loud and unpleasant laugh which made dain stare at him with some apprehension, but got off the gunwale of the boat and moved slowly towards nina, glancing up at the sun as he walked. "and you go when the sun is overhead?" he said. "yes, tuan. then we go," answered dain. "i have not long to wait," muttered almayer. "it is most important for me to see you go. both of you. most important," he repeated, stopping short and looking at dain fixedly. he went on again towards nina, and dain remained behind. almayer approached his daughter and stood for a time looking down on her. she did not open her eyes, but hearing footsteps near her, murmured in a low sob, "dain." almayer hesitated for a minute and then sank on the sand by her side. she, not hearing a responsive word, not feeling a touch, opened her eyes--saw her father, and sat up suddenly with a movement of terror. "oh, father!" she murmured faintly, and in that word there was expressed regret and fear and dawning hope. "i shall never forgive you, nina," said almayer, in a dispassionate voice. "you have torn my heart from me while i dreamt of your happiness. you have deceived me. your eyes that for me were like truth itself lied to me in every glance--for how long? you know that best. when you were caressing my cheek you were counting the minutes to the sunset that was the signal for your meeting with that man--there!" he ceased, and they both sat silent side by side, not looking at each other, but gazing at the vast expanse of the sea. almayer's words had dried nina's tears, and her look grew hard as she stared before her into the limitless sheet of blue that shone limpid, unwaving, and steady like heaven itself. he looked at it also, but his features had lost all expression, and life in his eyes seemed to have gone out. the face was a blank, without a sign of emotion, feeling, reason, or even knowledge of itself. all passion, regret, grief, hope, or anger--all were gone, erased by the hand of fate, as if after this last stroke everything was over and there was no need for any record. those few who saw almayer during the short period of his remaining days were always impressed by the sight of that face that seemed to know nothing of what went on within: like the blank wall of a prison enclosing sin, regrets, and pain, and wasted life, in the cold indifference of mortar and stones. "what is there to forgive?" asked nina, not addressing almayer directly, but more as if arguing with herself. "can i not live my own life as you have lived yours? the path you would have wished me to follow has been closed to me by no fault of mine." "you never told me," muttered almayer. "you never asked me," she answered, "and i thought you were like the others and did not care. i bore the memory of my humiliation alone, and why should i tell you that it came to me because i am your daughter? i knew you could not avenge me." "and yet i was thinking of that only," interrupted almayer, "and i wanted to give you years of happiness for the short day of your suffering. i only knew of one way." "ah! but it was not my way!" she replied. "could you give me happiness without life? life!" she repeated with sudden energy that sent the word ringing over the sea. "life that means power and love," she added in a low voice. "that!" said almayer, pointing his finger at dain standing close by and looking at them in curious wonder. "yes, that!" she replied, looking her father full in the face and noticing for the first time with a slight gasp of fear the unnatural rigidity of his features. "i would have rather strangled you with my own hands," said almayer, in an expressionless voice which was such a contrast to the desperate bitterness of his feelings that it surprised even himself. he asked himself who spoke, and, after looking slowly round as if expecting to see somebody, turned again his eyes towards the sea. "you say that because you do not understand the meaning of my words," she said sadly. "between you and my mother there never was any love. when i returned to sambir i found the place which i thought would be a peaceful refuge for my heart, filled with weariness and hatred--and mutual contempt. i have listened to your voice and to her voice. then i saw that you could not understand me; for was i not part of that woman? of her who was the regret and shame of your life? i had to choose--i hesitated. why were you so blind? did you not see me struggling before your eyes? but, when he came, all doubt disappeared, and i saw only the light of the blue and cloudless heaven--" "i will tell you the rest," interrupted almayer: "when that man came i also saw the blue and the sunshine of the sky. a thunderbolt has fallen from that sky, and suddenly all is still and dark around me for ever. i will never forgive you, nina; and to-morrow i shall forget you! i shall never forgive you," he repeated with mechanical obstinacy while she sat, her head bowed down as if afraid to look at her father. to him it seemed of the utmost importance that he should assure her of his intention of never forgiving. he was convinced that his faith in her had been the foundation of his hopes, the motive of his courage, of his determination to live and struggle, and to be victorious for her sake. and now his faith was gone, destroyed by her own hands; destroyed cruelly, treacherously, in the dark; in the very moment of success. in the utter wreck of his affections and of all his feelings, in the chaotic disorder of his thoughts, above the confused sensation of physical pain that wrapped him up in a sting as of a whiplash curling round him from his shoulders down to his feet, only one idea remained clear and definite--not to forgive her; only one vivid desire--to forget her. and this must be made clear to her--and to himself--by frequent repetition. that was his idea of his duty to himself--to his race--to his respectable connections; to the whole universe unsettled and shaken by this frightful catastrophe of his life. he saw it clearly and believed he was a strong man. he had always prided himself upon his unflinching firmness. and yet he was afraid. she had been all in all to him. what if he should let the memory of his love for her weaken the sense of his dignity? she was a remarkable woman; he could see that; all the latent greatness of his nature--in which he honestly believed--had been transfused into that slight, girlish figure. great things could be done! what if he should suddenly take her to his heart, forget his shame, and pain, and anger, and--follow her! what if he changed his heart if not his skin and made her life easier between the two loves that would guard her from any mischance! his heart yearned for her. what if he should say that his love for her was greater than . . . "i will never forgive you, nina!" he shouted, leaping up madly in the sudden fear of his dream. this was the last time in his life that he was heard to raise his voice. henceforth he spoke always in a monotonous whisper like an instrument of which all the strings but one are broken in a last ringing clamour under a heavy blow. she rose to her feet and looked at him. the very violence of his cry soothed her in an intuitive conviction of his love, and she hugged to her breast the lamentable remnants of that affection with the unscrupulous greediness of women who cling desperately to the very scraps and rags of love, any kind of love, as a thing that of right belongs to them and is the very breath of their life. she put both her hands on almayer's shoulders, and looking at him half tenderly, half playfully, she said-"you speak so because you love me." almayer shook his head. "yes, you do," she insisted softly; then after a short pause she added, "and you will never forget me." almayer shivered slightly. she could not have said a more cruel thing. "here is the boat coming now," said dain, his arm outstretched towards a black speck on the water between the coast and the islet. they all looked at it and remained standing in silence till the little canoe came gently on the beach and a man landed and walked towards them. he stopped some distance off and hesitated. "what news?" asked dain. "we have had orders secretly and in the night to take off from this islet a man and a woman. i see the woman. which of you is the man?" "come, delight of my eyes," said dain to nina. "now we go, and your voice shall be for my ears only. you have spoken your last words to the tuan putih, your father. come." she hesitated for a while, looking at almayer, who kept his eyes steadily on the sea, then she touched his forehead in a lingering kiss, and a tear--one of her tears--fell on his cheek and ran down his immovable face. "goodbye," she whispered, and remained irresolute till he pushed her suddenly into dain's arms. "if you have any pity for me," murmured almayer, as if repeating some sentence learned by heart, "take that woman away." he stood very straight, his shoulders thrown back, his head held high, and looked at them as they went down the beach to the canoe, walking enlaced in each other's arms. he looked at the line of their footsteps marked in the sand. he followed their figures moving in the crude blaze of the vertical sun, in that light violent and vibrating, like a triumphal flourish of brazen trumpets. he looked at the man's brown shoulders, at the red sarong round his waist; at the tall, slender, dazzling white figure he supported. he looked at the white dress, at the falling masses of the long black hair. he looked at them embarking, and at the canoe growing smaller in the distance, with rage, despair, and regret in his heart, and on his face a peace as that of a carved image of oblivion. inwardly he felt himself torn to pieces, but ali--who now aroused--stood close to his master, saw on his features the blank expression of those who live in that hopeless calm which sightless eyes only can give. the canoe disappeared, and almayer stood motionless with his eyes fixed on its wake. ali from under the shade of his hand examined the coast curiously. as the sun declined, the sea-breeze sprang up from the northward and shivered with its breath the glassy surface of the water. "dapat!" exclaimed ali, joyously. "got him, master! got prau! not there! look more tanah mirrah side. aha! that way! master, see? now plain. see?" almayer followed ali's forefinger with his eyes for a long time in vain. at last he sighted a triangular patch of yellow light on the red background of the cliffs of tanjong mirrah. it was the sail of the prau that had caught the sunlight and stood out, distinct with its gay tint, on the dark red of the cape. the yellow triangle crept slowly from cliff to cliff, till it cleared the last point of land and shone brilliantly for a fleeting minute on the blue of the open sea. then the prau bore up to the southward: the light went out of the sail, and all at once the vessel itself disappeared, vanishing in the shadow of the steep headland that looked on, patient and lonely, watching over the empty sea. almayer never moved. round the little islet the air was full of the talk of the rippling water. the crested wavelets ran up the beach audaciously, joyously, with the lightness of young life, and died quickly, unresistingly, and graciously, in the wide curves of transparent foam on the yellow sand. above, the white clouds sailed rapidly southwards as if intent upon overtaking something. ali seemed anxious. "master," he said timidly, "time to get house now. long way off to pull. all ready, sir." "wait," whispered almayer. now she was gone his business was to forget, and he had a strange notion that it should be done systematically and in order. to ali's great dismay he fell on his hands and knees, and, creeping along the sand, erased carefully with his hand all traces of nina's footsteps. he piled up small heaps of sand, leaving behind him a line of miniature graves right down to the water. after burying the last slight imprint of nina's slipper he stood up, and, turning his face towards the headland where he had last seen the prau, he made an effort to shout out loud again his firm resolve to never forgive. ali watching him uneasily saw only his lips move, but heard no sound. he brought his foot down with a stamp. he was a firm man--firm as a rock. let her go. he never had a daughter. he would forget. he was forgetting already. ali approached him again, insisting on immediate departure, and this time he consented, and they went together towards their canoe, almayer leading. for all his firmness he looked very dejected and feeble as he dragged his feet slowly through the sand on the beach; and by his side--invisible to ali--stalked that particular fiend whose mission it is to jog the memories of men, lest they should forget the meaning of life. he whispered into almayer's ear a childish prattle of many years ago. almayer, his head bent on one side, seemed to listen to his invisible companion, but his face was like the face of a man that has died struck from behind--a face from which all feelings and all expression are suddenly wiped off by the hand of unexpected death. * * * * * they slept on the river that night, mooring their canoe under the bushes and lying down in the bottom side by side, in the absolute exhaustion that kills hunger, thirst, all feeling and all thought in the overpowering desire for that deep sleep which is like the temporary annihilation of the tired body. next day they started again and fought doggedly with the current all the morning, till about midday they reached the settlement and made fast their little craft to the jetty of lingard and co. almayer walked straight to the house, and ali followed, paddles on shoulder, thinking that he would like to eat something. as they crossed the front courtyard they noticed the abandoned look of the place. ali looked in at the different servants' houses: all were empty. in the back courtyard there was the same absence of sound and life. in the cooking-shed the fire was out and the black embers were cold. a tall, lean man came stealthily out of the banana plantation, and went away rapidly across the open space looking at them with big, frightened eyes over his shoulder. some vagabond without a master; there were many such in the settlement, and they looked upon almayer as their patron. they prowled about his premises and picked their living there, sure that nothing worse could befall them than a shower of curses when they got in the way of the white man, whom they trusted and liked, and called a fool amongst themselves. in the house, which almayer entered through the back verandah, the only living thing that met his eyes was his small monkey which, hungry and unnoticed for the last two days, began to cry and complain in monkey language as soon as it caught sight of the familiar face. almayer soothed it with a few words and ordered ali to bring in some bananas, then while ali was gone to get them he stood in the doorway of the front verandah looking at the chaos of overturned furniture. finally he picked up the table and sat on it while the monkey let itself down from the roof-stick by its chain and perched on his shoulder. when the bananas came they had their breakfast together; both hungry, both eating greedily and showering the skins round them recklessly, in the trusting silence of perfect friendship. ali went away, grumbling, to cook some rice himself, for all the women about the house had disappeared; he did not know where. almayer did not seem to care, and, after he finished eating, he sat on the table swinging his legs and staring at the river as if lost in thought. after some time he got up and went to the door of a room on the right of the verandah. that was the office. the office of lingard and co. he very seldom went in there. there was no business now, and he did not want an office. the door was locked, and he stood biting his lower lip, trying to think of the place where the key could be. suddenly he remembered: in the women's room hung upon a nail. he went over to the doorway where the red curtain hung down in motionless folds, and hesitated for a moment before pushing it aside with his shoulder as if breaking down some solid obstacle. a great square of sunshine entering through the window lay on the floor. on the left he saw mrs. almayer's big wooden chest, the lid thrown back, empty; near it the brass nails of nina's european trunk shone in the large initials n. a. on the cover. a few of nina's dresses hung on wooden pegs, stiffened in a look of offended dignity at their abandonment. he remembered making the pegs himself and noticed that they were very good pegs. where was the key? he looked round and saw it near the door where he stood. it was red with rust. he felt very much annoyed at that, and directly afterwards wondered at his own feeling. what did it matter? there soon would be no key--no door--nothing! he paused, key in hand, and asked himself whether he knew well what he was about. he went out again on the verandah and stood by the table thinking. the monkey jumped down, and, snatching a banana skin, absorbed itself in picking it to shreds industriously. "forget!" muttered almayer, and that word started before him a sequence of events, a detailed programme of things to do. he knew perfectly well what was to be done now. first this, then that, and then forgetfulness would come easy. very easy. he had a fixed idea that if he should not forget before he died he would have to remember to all eternity. certain things had to be taken out of his life, stamped out of sight, destroyed, forgotten. for a long time he stood in deep thought, lost in the alarming possibilities of unconquerable memory, with the fear of death and eternity before him. "eternity!" he said aloud, and the sound of that word recalled him out of his reverie. the monkey started, dropped the skin, and grinned up at him amicably. he went towards the office door and with some difficulty managed to open it. he entered in a cloud of dust that rose under his feet. books open with torn pages bestrewed the floor; other books lay about grimy and black, looking as if they had never been opened. account books. in those books he had intended to keep day by day a record of his rising fortunes. long time ago. a very long time. for many years there has been no record to keep on the blue and red ruled pages! in the middle of the room the big office desk, with one of its legs broken, careened over like the hull of a stranded ship; most of the drawers had fallen out, disclosing heaps of paper yellow with age and dirt. the revolving office chair stood in its place, but he found the pivot set fast when he tried to turn it. no matter. he desisted, and his eyes wandered slowly from object to object. all those things had cost a lot of money at the time. the desk, the paper, the torn books, and the broken shelves, all under a thick coat of dust. the very dust and bones of a dead and gone business. he looked at all these things, all that was left after so many years of work, of strife, of weariness, of discouragement, conquered so many times. and all for what? he stood thinking mournfully of his past life till he heard distinctly the clear voice of a child speaking amongst all this wreck, ruin, and waste. he started with a great fear in his heart, and feverishly began to rake in the papers scattered on the floor, broke the chair into bits, splintered the drawers by banging them against the desk, and made a big heap of all that rubbish in one corner of the room. he came out quickly, slammed the door after him, turned the key, and, taking it out, ran to the front rail of the verandah, and, with a great swing of his arm, sent the key whizzing into the river. this done he went back slowly to the table, called the monkey down, unhooked its chain, and induced it to remain quiet in the breast of his jacket. then he sat again on the table and looked fixedly at the door of the room he had just left. he listened also intently. he heard a dry sound of rustling; sharp cracks as of dry wood snapping; a whirr like of a bird's wings when it rises suddenly, and then he saw a thin stream of smoke come through the keyhole. the monkey struggled under his coat. ali appeared with his eyes starting out of his head. "master! house burn!" he shouted. almayer stood up holding by the table. he could hear the yells of alarm and surprise in the settlement. ali wrung his hands, lamenting aloud. "stop this noise, fool!" said almayer, quietly. "pick up my hammock and blankets and take them to the other house. quick, now!" the smoke burst through the crevices of the door, and ali, with the hammock in his arms, cleared in one bound the steps of the verandah. "it has caught well," muttered almayer to himself. "be quiet, jack," he added, as the monkey made a frantic effort to escape from its confinement. the door split from top to bottom, and a rush of flame and smoke drove almayer away from the table to the front rail of the verandah. he held on there till a great roar overhead assured him that the roof was ablaze. then he ran down the steps of the verandah, coughing, half choked with the smoke that pursued him in bluish wreaths curling about his head. on the other side of the ditch, separating almayer's courtyard from the settlement, a crowd of the inhabitants of sambir looked at the burning house of the white man. in the calm air the flames rushed up on high, coloured pale brick-red, with violet gleams in the strong sunshine. the thin column of smoke ascended straight and unwavering till it lost itself in the clear blue of the sky, and, in the great empty space between the two houses the interested spectators could see the tall figure of the tuan putih, with bowed head and dragging feet, walking slowly away from the fire towards the shelter of "almayer's folly." in that manner did almayer move into his new house. he took possession of the new ruin, and in the undying folly of his heart set himself to wait in anxiety and pain for that forgetfulness which was so slow to come. he had done all he could. every vestige of nina's existence had been destroyed; and now with every sunrise he asked himself whether the longed-for oblivion would come before sunset, whether it would come before he died? he wanted to live only long enough to be able to forget, and the tenacity of his memory filled him with dread and horror of death; for should it come before he could accomplish the purpose of his life he would have to remember for ever! he also longed for loneliness. he wanted to be alone. but he was not. in the dim light of the rooms with their closed shutters, in the bright sunshine of the verandah, wherever he went, whichever way he turned, he saw the small figure of a little maiden with pretty olive face, with long black hair, her little pink robe slipping off her shoulders, her big eyes looking up at him in the tender trustfulness of a petted child. ali did not see anything, but he also was aware of the presence of a child in the house. in his long talks by the evening fires of the settlement he used to tell his intimate friends of almayer's strange doings. his master had turned sorcerer in his old age. ali said that often when tuan putih had retired for the night he could hear him talking to something in his room. ali thought that it was a spirit in the shape of a child. he knew his master spoke to a child from certain expressions and words his master used. his master spoke in malay a little, but mostly in english, which he, ali, could understand. master spoke to the child at times tenderly, then he would weep over it, laugh at it, scold it, beg of it to go away; curse it. it was a bad and stubborn spirit. ali thought his master had imprudently called it up, and now could not get rid of it. his master was very brave; he was not afraid to curse this spirit in the very presence; and once he fought with it. ali had heard a great noise as of running about inside the room and groans. his master groaned. spirits do not groan. his master was brave, but foolish. you cannot hurt a spirit. ali expected to find his master dead next morning, but he came out very early, looking much older than the day before, and had no food all day. so far ali to the settlement. to captain ford he was much more communicative, for the good reason that captain ford had the purse and gave orders. on each of ford's monthly visits to sambir ali had to go on board with a report about the inhabitant of "almayer's folly." on his first visit to sambir, after nina's departure, ford had taken charge of almayer's affairs. they were not cumbersome. the shed for the storage of goods was empty, the boats had disappeared, appropriated--generally in night-time--by various citizens of sambir in need of means of transport. during a great flood the jetty of lingard and co. left the bank and floated down the river, probably in search of more cheerful surroundings; even the flock of geese--"the only geese on the east coast"--departed somewhere, preferring the unknown dangers of the bush to the desolation of their old home. as time went on the grass grew over the black patch of ground where the old house used to stand, and nothing remained to mark the place of the dwelling that had sheltered almayer's young hopes, his foolish dream of splendid future, his awakening, and his despair. ford did not often visit almayer, for visiting almayer was not a pleasant task. at first he used to respond listlessly to the old seaman's boisterous inquiries about his health; he even made efforts to talk, asking for news in a voice that made it perfectly clear that no news from this world had any interest for him. then gradually he became more silent--not sulkily--but as if he was forgetting how to speak. he used also to hide in the darkest rooms of the house, where ford had to seek him out guided by the patter of the monkey galloping before him. the monkey was always there to receive and introduce ford. the little animal seemed to have taken complete charge of its master, and whenever it wished for his presence on the verandah it would tug perseveringly at his jacket, till almayer obediently came out into the sunshine, which he seemed to dislike so much. one morning ford found him sitting on the floor of the verandah, his back against the wall, his legs stretched stiffly out, his arms hanging by his side. his expressionless face, his eyes open wide with immobile pupils, and the rigidity of his pose, made him look like an immense man-doll broken and flung there out of the way. as ford came up the steps he turned his head slowly. "ford," he murmured from the floor, "i cannot forget." "can't you?" said ford, innocently, with an attempt at joviality: "i wish i was like you. i am losing my memory--age, i suppose; only the other day my mate--" he stopped, for almayer had got up, stumbled, and steadied himself on his friend's arm. "hallo! you are better to-day. soon be all right," said ford, cheerfully, but feeling rather scared. almayer let go his arm and stood very straight with his head up and shoulders thrown back, looking stonily at the multitude of suns shining in ripples of the river. his jacket and his loose trousers flapped in the breeze on his thin limbs. "let her go!" he whispered in a grating voice. "let her go. to-morrow i shall forget. i am a firm man, . . . firm as a . . . rock, . . . firm . . ." ford looked at his face--and fled. the skipper was a tolerably firm man himself--as those who had sailed with him could testify--but almayer's firmness was altogether too much for his fortitude. next time the steamer called in sambir ali came on board early with a grievance. he complained to ford that jim-eng the chinaman had invaded almayer's house, and actually had lived there for the last month. "and they both smoke," added ali. "phew! opium, you mean?" ali nodded, and ford remained thoughtful; then he muttered to himself, "poor devil! the sooner the better now." in the afternoon he walked up to the house. "what are you doing here?" he asked of jim-eng, whom he found strolling about on the verandah. jim-eng explained in bad malay, and speaking in that monotonous, uninterested voice of an opium smoker pretty far gone, that his house was old, the roof leaked, and the floor was rotten. so, being an old friend for many, many years, he took his money, his opium, and two pipes, and came to live in this big house. "there is plenty of room. he smokes, and i live here. he will not smoke long," he concluded. "where is he now?" asked ford. "inside. he sleeps," answered jim-eng, wearily. ford glanced in through the doorway. in the dim light of the room he could see almayer lying on his back on the floor, his head on a wooden pillow, the long white beard scattered over his breast, the yellow skin of the face, the half-closed eyelids showing the whites of the eye only. . . . he shuddered and turned away. as he was leaving he noticed a long strip of faded red silk, with some chinese letters on it, which jim-eng had just fastened to one of the pillars. "what's that?" he asked. "that," said jim-eng, in his colourless voice, "that is the name of the house. all the same like my house. very good name." ford looked at him for awhile and went away. he did not know what the crazy-looking maze of the chinese inscription on the red silk meant. had he asked jim-eng, that patient chinaman would have informed him with proper pride that its meaning was: "house of heavenly delight." in the evening of the same day babalatchi called on captain ford. the captain's cabin opened on deck, and babalatchi sat astride on the high step, while ford smoked his pipe on the settee inside. the steamer was leaving next morning, and the old statesman came as usual for a last chat. "we had news from bali last moon," remarked babalatchi. "a grandson is born to the old rajah, and there is great rejoicing." ford sat up interested. "yes," went on babalatchi, in answer to ford's look. "i told him. that was before he began to smoke." "well, and what?" asked ford. "i escaped with my life," said babalatchi, with perfect gravity, "because the white man is very weak and fell as he rushed upon me." then, after a pause, he added, "she is mad with joy." "mrs. almayer, you mean?" "yes, she lives in our rajah's house. she will not die soon. such women live a long time," said babalatchi, with a slight tinge of regret in his voice. "she has dollars, and she has buried them, but we know where. we had much trouble with those people. we had to pay a fine and listen to threats from the white men, and now we have to be careful." he sighed and remained silent for a long while. then with energy: "there will be fighting. there is a breath of war on the islands. shall i live long enough to see? . . . ah, tuan!" he went on, more quietly, "the old times were best. even i have sailed with lanun men, and boarded in the night silent ships with white sails. that was before an english rajah ruled in kuching. then we fought amongst ourselves and were happy. now when we fight with you we can only die!" he rose to go. "tuan," he said, "you remember the girl that man bulangi had? her that caused all the trouble?" "yes," said ford. "what of her?" "she grew thin and could not work. then bulangi, who is a thief and a pig-eater, gave her to me for fifty dollars. i sent her amongst my women to grow fat. i wanted to hear the sound of her laughter, but she must have been bewitched, and . . . she died two days ago. nay, tuan. why do you speak bad words? i am old--that is true--but why should i not like the sight of a young face and the sound of a young voice in my house?" he paused, and then added with a little mournful laugh, "i am like a white man talking too much of what is not men's talk when they speak to one another." and he went off looking very sad. * * * * * the crowd massed in a semicircle before the steps of "almayer's folly," swayed silently backwards and forwards, and opened out before the group of white-robed and turbaned men advancing through the grass towards the house. abdulla walked first, supported by reshid and followed by all the arabs in sambir. as they entered the lane made by the respectful throng there was a subdued murmur of voices, where the word "mati" was the only one distinctly audible. abdulla stopped and looked round slowly. "is he dead?" he asked. "may you live!" answered the crowd in one shout, and then there succeeded a breathless silence. abdulla made a few paces forward and found himself for the last time face to face with his old enemy. whatever he might have been once he was not dangerous now, lying stiff and lifeless in the tender light of the early day. the only white man on the east coast was dead, and his soul, delivered from the trammels of his earthly folly, stood now in the presence of infinite wisdom. on the upturned face there was that serene look which follows the sudden relief from anguish and pain, and it testified silently before the cloudless heaven that the man lying there under the gaze of indifferent eyes had been permitted to forget before he died. abdulla looked down sadly at this infidel he had fought so long and had bested so many times. such was the reward of the faithful! yet in the arab's old heart there was a feeling of regret for that thing gone out of his life. he was leaving fast behind him friendships, and enmities, successes, and disappointments--all that makes up a life; and before him was only the end. prayer would fill up the remainder of the days allotted to the true believer! he took in his hand the beads that hung at his waist. "i found him here, like this, in the morning," said ali, in a low and awed voice. abdulla glanced coldly once more at the serene face. "let us go," he said, addressing reshid. and as they passed through the crowd that fell back before them, the beads in abdulla's hand clicked, while in a solemn whisper he breathed out piously the name of allah! the merciful! the compassionate! adventures in southern seas a tale of the sixteenth century by george forbes first published august 1920 by george g. harrap & co. ltd. 39-41 parker street, kingsway, london, w.c.2 reprinted july 1924 printed in great britain by neill & co. ltd., edinburgh introductory in the year 1801 was found by the chief coxswain of the "naturalist" (a ship commanded by captain hamelin on a voyage of discovery performed by order of the emperor napoleon i), at shark's bay, on the coast of west australia, a pewter plate about six inches in diameter, bearing a roughly engraved dutch inscription, of which the following is a translation: "1616 "on the 25th of october arrived here the ship 'endraght', of amsterdam; first supercargo gilles miebas van luck; captain dirk hartog, of amsterdam. she set sail again on the 27th of the same month. bantum was second supercargo; janstins first pilot. "peter ecoores van bu, in the year 1616." no connected account of the voyages of dirk hartog is extant, but the report of the discovery of this pewter plate suggested the task of compiling a narrative from the records kept by dutch navigators, in which dirk hartog is frequently referred to, and which is probably as correct a history of hartog's voyages as can be obtained. the aborigines of new holland, as australia was then called, judging by the description given of them by van bu, the author of the writing on the pewter plate, appear to have been a more formidable race of savages than those subsequently met with by captain cook on his landing at botany bay, and the dimensions of the tribe among whom van bu was held captive were certainly larger than those of the migratory tribes of australian blacks in more modern times. the "sea spider" described by van bu in his second adventure was probably the octopus, which attains to great size in the pacific. the "hopping animals" are doubtless the kangaroos, with which australians are now familiar. captain dampier, in 1699, first mentions the water serpents referred to by van bu. "in passing," he says, "we saw three water serpents swimming about in the sea, of a yellow colour, spotted with dark brown spots. next day we saw two water serpents, different in shape from such as we had formerly seen; one very long and as big as a man's leg in girth, having a red head, which i have never seen any before or since." from an examination of the dutch records, it would appear that a ship named the "arms of amsterdam" drove past the south coast of new guinea in the year 1623. this is, perhaps, the voyage described by van bu to the island of gems. the gigantic mass of ice seen by van bu in the south is particularly interesting, since it may have been the first sight of the ice barrier from which glaciers in the antarctic regions break off into the sea. the north portion of new guinea was for the first time rightly explored in the year 1678, by order of the dutch east india company, and found almost everywhere to be enriched with very fine rivers, lakes, and bays. about the north-western parts the natives were discovered to be lean, and of middle size, jet-black, not unlike the malabars, but the hair of the head shorter and somewhat less curly than the kafirs'. "in the black of their eyes," says a report given of this voyage, "gleams a certain tint of red, by which may, in some measure, be observed that blood-thirsty nature of theirs which has at different times caused so much grief from the loss of several of our young men, whom they have surprised, murdered, carried into the woods, and there devoured. they go entirely naked, without the least shame, except their rajahs or petty kings, who are richly dressed. the heathens of nova guinea believe there is some divinity in serpents, for which reason they represent them upon their vessels." the "golden sea-horse" is mentioned as one of the dutch ships said to have taken part in the discovery of australia between the years 1616 and 1624. other vessels noted are the "endraght", "zeewolf", "arms of amsterdam", "pera", and "arnheim". all these vessels lay claim to having touched at the 'great southern continent' as well as at the islands of the south seas. the 'place of the painted hands', the objective of the third voyage of van bu with dirk hartog to new holland, is referred to by the late mr lawrence hargrave, who made a very interesting study of picture-writings discovered in australia, in a collection of pamphlets entitled "lope de vega", now in the possession of the mitchell library at sydney. "there are picture-writings," he says, "which have remained for hundreds of years without any archaeologist discovering their meaning. they are not as ancient as those on the monuments of the egyptians, but they are equally interesting. if they are read in the light of a message to posterity, they may yet reveal something of surprising interest. by whom were they chiselled? what is their meaning? the more recent discoveries show an oval encircling a cross--the symbol of spanish conquest. on an ironstone rock-face on the shoalhaven river are many 'hands.' these have been there to the memory of the oldest inhabitant. no aboriginal will go near them. gold is still washed in this river, and possibly these hands, or fingers, refer to the days worked here washing gold, or to the number of 'quills' of gold obtained. you will understand these 'hands' are not carved, but painted with some pigment that has withstood the weather for some hundreds of years." the malays locate the male and female islands visited by van bu, an account of which appears in many ancient manuscripts from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, as being the islands of engarno, to the south of sumatra. marco polo speaks of them in his voyage round the world, undertaken in 1271, and both spanish and dutch explorers refer to them in the accounts of their travels of more recent date. in "the discovery of australia" (a critical documentary and historic investigation concerning the priority of discovery in australasia by europeans before the arrival of lieutenant james cook in the endeavour in the year 1770), by george collingridge, may be found accounts of spanish and portuguese attempts at settlement upon the great southern continent--'terra australis'. staten land was the name first given to new zealand in honour of the states of holland, and the monstrous birds seen there were probably the now extinct moa. the cannibal islands are doubtless fiji. the data and references to chronicles in this work are genuine, and the result of a careful study of rare and (in some cases) unique books and manuscripts in the mitchell wing of the public library at sydney, said to be the most comprehensive collection known of accounts of discoveries in south seas. g. f. contents chapter i. i fall into captivity ii. the black cannibals of new holland iii. the only white man in new holland iv. the sea spider v. the voyage continued vi. the fight on the sands vii. the spirit of discord viii. pearl island ix. mutiny x. i embark on a second voyage xi. a second voyage with hartog to the south xii. the sea serpent xiii. the floating island xiv. an old acquaintance xv. the seaweed sea xvi. the island of gems xvii. queen melannie xviii. a queen's favourite xix. i become chief cook xx. the snake god xxi. a plan of escape xxii. the night of the sacrifice xxiii. at the mercy of the sea xxiv. how my second voyage ended xxv. i arrive at amsterdam xxvi. happily married xxvii. once more to the south xxviii. the molucca islands xxix. the voyage continued xxx. a spanish settlement xxxi. the place of the painted hands xxxii. marooned xxxiii. captain montbar xxxiv. we again explore the caves xxxv. i am kidnapped xxxvi. the male and female islands xxxvii. a task is set me xxxviii. the slaying of the great crocodile xxxix. i become a victim of domestic infelicity xl. the yellow parchment xli. the ruby mountains xlii. the valley of serpents xliii. we again leave new holland xliv. the islands of armenio xlv. sumatra xlvi. mahomet achmet xlvii. king trinkitat xlviii. staten land xlix. the cannibal islands l. again at the moluccas li. getting back our own lii. conclusion adventures in southern seas chapter i i fall into captivity let those who read this narrative doubt not its veracity. there be much in nature that we wot not of, and many strange countries to explore. the monsters who roamed the earth in ancient times, as their fossil bones attest, are still to be seen in those regions hitherto unvisited by white men, and in the fathomless depths of uncharted seas leviathans find a home. peter ecoores van bu was born upon the island of urk, in the zuider zee, in the year 1596, and was brought up a fisher-lad until the coming to the island of a priest, to whom my parents, ambitious for my advancement, entrusted my education in the arts of reading and writing, accomplishments in little vogue at this time. hence it comes that i am able to set down here a record of perils and adventures by sea and land which may prove entertaining reading to those who have never travelled beyond the limits of their own countries. my parents, who had stinted themselves to provide my education, placed me when i was eighteen years old in a merchant's office at amsterdam, where i became acquainted with dirk hartog, a famous navigator, who, a year later, invited me to become his secretary and engraver of charts on board the ship "endraght", being then commissioned for a voyage of discovery to the south, and having obtained a reluctant consent from my master, de decker, the merchant, to hartog's proposal i gladly abandoned the office desk for the sea. the discovery of america by christopher columbus in 1492 had given rise to a theory that a vast continent known as terra australis existed in the south, and portuguese and spanish ships had made report from time to time of this southern land. it was to confirm or dispel this belief that the voyage of dirk hartog was made. for many months after leaving amsterdam we sailed south, touching at some islands to obtain vegetable food and replenish our water-casks. worn out with hardship, our crew more than once showed signs of mutiny. sometimes for weeks together we lay becalmed in the tropics, when the air hung like a pall of vapour from the sky, and the pitch boiled and blistered in the seams of the deck-planks. in other seasons we were driven by storm and stress. but at length, in spite of every obstacle, an unbroken coast stretched before us far as the eye could reach. for three days we sailed past verdure-covered hills, white, sandy beaches, and bluff headlands, until hartog felt assured the great south continent was at last in very truth before him. the day upon which hartog determined to land was bright and fine; the place a sandy beach upon which the waves broke in frothy spume. we were all keen to be ashore after so long a spell of the sea, and i reckoned myself in luck to be chosen as one of the boat's crew to land the captain. "let peter come," said hartog when the boat was alongside. "i would have him engrave a plate to be set in some safe place, so that it may be known that i, dirk hartog, landed here, to any who may come after me." when we had come to the shore hartog, taking the boat's crew with him, set off inland, leaving me to my work. the plate was soon finished, when i fastened it to a rock out of reach of the waves. it bore the following inscription: "1616 "on the 25th of october arrived here the ship 'endraght,' of amsterdam; first supercargo gilles miebas van luck; captain dirk hartog, of amsterdam. she set sail again on the 27th of the same month. bantum was second supercargo; janstins first pilot. "peter ecoores van bu, in the year 1616." i engraved the date upon which the ship was to sail according to directions given me by the captain, though whether the "endraght" did sail at that time i cannot say, by reason of an adventure which befell me. when i had finished my work i began to think in what manner i might employ myself until my companions returned, and, perceiving a grove of trees not far distant from where i stood, i determined to rest a while in the shade. as i penetrated these silent forests i beheld sights wholly novel. parrots and paroquets flew among the trees, as also large white birds with sulphur crests, the like of which i had never seen before. presently i came to a stream which took its course through a valley, and, kneeling, i was about to quench my thirst when i felt a hand upon my shoulder. springing to my feet, i was confronted by a band of savages, many of whom held their spears its though about to strike. they were all quite naked, their bodies marked with white streaks. i tried to make them understand i came as a friend, and endeavoured to retrace my steps to the open, where i hoped my shipmates might see me and effect a rescue, but i now perceived that whichever way i turned my path was barred by these wild men. the savages now began to jabber to each other in a jargon which i could not comprehend, and presently two of them laid hold of me, one by each arm, and in spite of my protests and such resistance as i made, forced me through the scrub inland. some of the tribe followed, others went on ahead, flitting like shadows among the trees, the journey being performed at a rate which made it hard for me to keep pace with them. all day we continued to penetrate the bush toward the interior of the country, and just before dark we came to a native village, where we found the tribe assembled at their camp fires. there must have been several hundred blacks in this camp, and many gathered round to look at me, although they did not appear to regard me with as much curiosity as might have been expected, from which i conjectured that white men were not unknown to them. after a meal of fish and wild duck, together with a pasty kind of bread made from the bulrush root, which i found palatable, i was permitted to lie down in one of their gunyahs upon a bed of freshly-picked leaves, where, in spite of my anxieties, i soon fell asleep. toward morning i awoke to a full conviction of my sorry plight. the camp was in darkness, save for the glow of the fires and the light of the stars, which shine with a wonderful brilliancy in these southern skies. the cry of some night bird came from the bush beyond the camp. all else was still, but a crouching form at the entrance to the gunyah warned me i was a prisoner. there was no need, however, to set a guard upon me, for without a guide i knew i could never reach the coast, so that even if i succeeded in making my escape from the savages, i must perish miserably in the bush. my thoughts now turned to home and friends whom it seemed unlikely i would ever meet again. dirk hartog and the crew of the "endraght", though rough as became the hardy lives they led, had always shown a kindly disposition toward me. they would miss me, and speak of me perhaps, until, in the changing events of their adventurous career, i would be forgotten. my parents also would mourn me as dead. but there was one at urk who would miss me more than friends or parents; anna holstein, to whom i had plighted my troth, and to whom i looked to be wed on my return. anna was above me in station as the world goes. her father was the governor of urk, who would not willingly give his daughter in marriage to a poor lad such its i. but who in love is wise? who reckons worldly wealth when love, the spirit and spring of the universe, awakens in the soul? like birds who call their mates with love-learned songs, anna and i loved each other, so that nothing bid, death could part us. i had promised anna i would return rich from my voyage as others had done, when her father might be the more inclined to look with favour upon my suit. well--here was the and of my promises, and my hopes--death, or, still worse, life among a savage and barbarous people. chapter ii the black cannibals of new holland on the morning after my capture by the black cannibals of new holland, at daybreak, i was driven, out of the gunyah in which i had passed the night, to be looked at by the tribe, who had now collected in great numbers, and who encircled me with a ring of hazel eyes. their complexion was black, their hair woolly, and many of them were quite naked, as though they lived in a state of brute nature. there did not appear to be anyone in recognized authority among them, for they all talked their outlandish jargon at the same time, and, presently, they began to search me for such small articles of personal property as i possessed. my engraving tools and a sailor's sewing kit, given me by anna, were taken from me, but to my great good fortune they did not rob me of my dagger-knife, or my flint and steel which lay concealed in the inner pocket of my leathern belt, nor of a lock of anna's hair which i carried in a silken bag round my neck; and in the possession of which i found much comfort in my present predicament. my clothes did not interest my captors, and i was thankful not to be deprived of them. i was now startled to observe that some of the natives carried at their girdles a human skull, but i subsequently learned that these trophies were not, as i had at first supposed, the result of a massacre, but were the drinking-cups of these people, who appeared to be the most debased in the scale of humanity i had ever encountered. during the morning, although i could see that a watch was kept upon me, i was allowed my liberty, and, in spite of my wretched plight, i became interested in observing the natives at their daily occupations, one of which consisted in the capture of wild-fowl from a lagoon close to the camp by the ingenious method of floating upon their quarry submerged up to their necks in water, their heads covered by a mass of weeds and bulrushes. when among the birds they suddenly drew some of them under the surface without appearing to disturb the others. and now a loud noise made by the beating of spears and waddies attracted my attention, when i came to the conclusion some tribal ceremony was in progress, and shortly afterward a number of youths were led in procession through the camp. these young men presented a strong and muscular appearance. their naked bodies bore evidence of ill-usage; purple weals and open sores upon their backs and shoulders appeared to have been inflicted by the severe and long-continued stroke of the lash. after a dirge-like song had been sung, a number of the elder warriors stepped forward, and with a piece of quartz formed a deep incision in the nape or the neck of each youth, cutting broad gashes from shoulder to hip, all the while repeating rapidly the following curious incantation: "kangar-marra--marra, kano-marra-marra, pilbirri-marra-marra." a bunch of green leaves was then fastened round each middle and above this a girdle of human hair. they then blackened with charcoal, and their wounds plastered with clay in order to form the hands of gristle which they regard as an ornament upon their flesh. during this performance the lads showed no sign of pain, although their sufferings must have been very severe. further ceremonies then took place, in which the women played a part too degrading to be here set down. that night a feast was held, with dancing, in honour of the morning's ceremonies. the night was warm and the moon shone with a wonderful brilliancy, casting deep shadows upon the earth. in the distance rose a pillar of sparks and fire, which marked the place where the performers were preparing for the corroboree, a name given to their dancing by these savages, and presently 200 men and 60 boys in nudity came from among the forest trees. each dancer was provided with a bunch of leaves fastened above the knee, which, as they stamped in unison, made a loud switching noise. these natives were painted from shoulder to hip, with five or six stripes rising from the breast, their faces streaked with white perpendicular lines, making it appear as the dancing of dead men's bones. for some time the dancers continued to stamp to and fro, and then, assembling at a fire that burned close by, they simultaneously sat down. other dancers then took their places, dressed in fur cloaks, and wearing white and yellow feathers in their hair, their black visages rendered hideous by fish-bones stuck through the cartilage of the nose above their thick lips. these singular beings stamped their way backward and forward, giving vent to yells of excitement, and causing their bodies to tremble and twitch in the most surprising manner. the last act of this strange drama represented the warriors sitting cross-legged round the fire, when suddenly they simultaneously stretched out their right arms as if pointing to some distant object, at the same time displaying their teeth and rolling their eyes, and then, springing to their feet, they uttered a shout that echoed for miles over the surrounding country. and now the preparations for a feast began. a number of women and young girls brought baskets of fish, roasted birds, and prepared bulrush root, whilst some very large eggs, such as i had never seen the like before, with green shells were stacked upon the grass. strange-looking animals also, together with snakes and lizards, were stewed in clay vessels, while the savages gathered round in gloating anticipation of this repulsive food. when all was prepared one of the women gave a peculiar cry, when there came from among the trees the young men who had that morning undergone the baptism of initiation, each carrying upon his shoulder a bundle wrapped in reeds and bulrushes. arrived in front of one who now acted as chief, much laid down his burden, exposing the contents--the body of a native child!--half roasted and drawn--the "long pig" of the cannibals! overcome by what i had seen, i sought my gunyah, where i passed the night a prey to the most dismal forebodings. next morning i became ill, with violent pains and headache, which incapacitated me for some days, during which time a lubra named moira sat beside me, apparently anxious to do what lay in her power to ease my sufferings. helped by the words i had learnt in my former intercourse with savages at the islands we had visited in the early part of the voyage, i was soon able to make myself understood to moira, and to understand what she said when i confided to her my desire to escape to the sea coast at first she would only shake her head, but i became so insistent that at length she consented to help me. a tribal ceremony was very shortly to be celebrated, so moira informed me, when the night would be favourable for the success of our project, since the tribe would then be assembled at the camp fires. on that night, moreover, there was no moon until late, and we trusted to be able to slip away in the darkness unobserved. i had always been impatient of my captivity, but now that escape was in sight i could scarcely control my desire to be rid of these savages. i counted the days, dreading lest some change in the manner of my captivity might prevent the carrying out of the plan we had formed; but all went well until the time came when moira whispered to me our chance had come. the tribe were assembled at the camp fire, engaged in one of their many rites to propitiate the evil spirits whom alone they worship. beyond the glow, darkness complete and compelling hung like a pall. the stars were hid by a curtain of clouds. "come," i whispered to moira, and reckless of consequences, we fled into the pitch black of the scrub. chapter iii the only white man in new holland after leaving the blacks' camp i made my way through the forest, guided by moira, who could see in the dark. i was fearful lest we might be pursued, in which case i resolved i would not be taken alive. moira, however, did not believe that we would be followed. her people, she told me, were afraid to enter the forest at night, when evil spirits were supposed to be abroad, and indeed her own terror was so great that i realized her devotion to me in having braved, for my sake, the superstition in which she had been reared. moira was right in thinking we would not be followed, for no attempt was made to follow us. but now a fresh anxiety arose. there were shapes among the trees which were visible to moira, though i could not see them, which caused her such terror that i was obliged almost to carry her, and i sometimes thought by the chill of her body that she had died in my arms. with the dawn, however, the shapes disappeared, and moira's fears were dispelled. daylight found us several miles on our way to the coast, which we made, as i reckoned, about noon, to the north of where i had first landed. the cliffs here were high and rocky, the waves breaking at the foot in fountains of spray. the sky was dull and overcast, which betokened a storm. a number of white birds with yellow crests, such as i had seen on my first landing, flew inland, and several fur-coated animals, with heads resembling deer, and powerful tails, hopped across the stubble to the shelter of the trees. the prospect was a dreary one, and a feeling of melancholy oppressed me, which i found it hard to dispel. moira did her best to cheer me, but i could not rid myself of the dread of being the only white man upon this desolate shore. when we had walked for some distance we came to a sandy beach, where we found a cave in which to shelter from the storm which now burst upon us. for an hour or more the elements raged with a fury only to be equalled in the tropics. lightning flashed and thunder rolled, whilst rain fell with the force of a deluge. then, suddenly, the storm passed, and the sun shone with renewed splendour, decking the dripping foliage with myriads of raindrop gems. we had depended for food since leaving the blacks' camp upon a supply of dried fish and prepared bulrush root, which moira had brought with her in her dilly-bag, but we were now compelled to seek fresh means for our support. moira collected a quantity of shellfish, for the cooking of which i made a fire of some dried wood. moira showed the greatest astonishment and some alarm at my flint and steel, which i now used for the first time in her presence. nothing would persuade her to touch it. she regarded it as something beyond her comprehension, as a fetish to be worshipped. when we had finished our meal we fell asleep, worn out by the fatigues of the long journey. and now began for me a life of dull monotony, with days devoted to watching the ocean, and sleepless nights of anxiety and despair. i had built a beacon upon the highest part of the cliff above our cave, to be fired in case of sighting a ship, and every morning, with the dawn, i mounted to this look-out to scan the horizon. here i remained all day, and when darkness drove me to the shelter of the cave i tried to persuade myself that each night in this lonesome place would be my last. had it not been for moira i must have perished from want and neglect, for i could not bring myself to do anything for my personal comfort lest it might seem i had abandoned hope of rescue. but moira was never idle. she worked for both, and displayed such ingenuity in converting to our use what nature provided that we lacked nothing for our support. to begin with, she made an oven of baked clay, in which to cook our food. next she plaited fishing lines from grass-tree fibre, and fashioned hooks from the bones of slaughtered birds and animals, to catch the fish which abounded near the rocks. with the aid of my sailor's knife she made a bow and arrows to shoot the hopping animals, the flesh of which when roasted resembled venison, while their fur-coated skins made us warm sleeping mats. she even succeeded, after much labour, in constructing a canoe, in which to paddle along the coast, and sometimes, when it was calm, for some distance out to sea; nor did she appear to regret the loneliness of our lives. but i could not bring myself to take part in her work. hour after hour, in moody silence, i paced the cliff beside the beacon, scanning the ocean, and speculating upon my chances of rescue. if i had not been so absorbed in my selfish thoughts i might possibly have prevented a catastrophe which afterward caused me much self-reproach. moira had more than once told me that food had mysteriously disappeared from a cave in which she kept a store of meat for our use, and she showed me where the rocks in front of this cave had been scraped of seaweed and mussel-shells as though by the passage of some cumbersome body. but i gave no heed to her anxieties, and although she urged me to shift our camp i would not leave the beacon lest a ship might pass during my absence. of the dreadful consequences which followed my selfishness it now only remains for me to tell. chapter iv the sea spider i was occupied one midday, as usual, scanning the horizon from the top of the cliff near the beacon in search of a passing vessel, when i noticed moira urging her canoe toward the shore at a rapid pace. in the wake of the canoe a disturbance of the water betokened the presence of some denizen of the deep, and moira's action in making for the rocks at top speed betrayed her terror of whatever it was that followed her. hastily descending the cliff i ran to her assistance, when i saw moira spring on to a flat rock upon which she generally landed from her canoe. at the same moment a snaky tentacle rose out of the sea and caught her, while other tentacles quickly enveloped her. the monster now dragged its shiny bulk upon the rock, and except in a nightmare surely no man had beheld such a creature before. it resembled a monstrous spider, but out of all proportion to anything in nature. its eyes, like white saucers with jet black centres, stared from its flat head, and the tentacles with which it seized its prey were provided with suckers to hold what they fastened upon. even in her extremity moira thought more of my safety than her own. "go back!" she cried. "you cannot help me. the sea devil has the strength of ten men." not heeding her warning i continued to advance to her assistance but as i approached the sea-spider drew back into its native element, and presently sank with its prey beneath the waves. in my first feeling of dismay for what had happened, i could not believe that moira had been taken from me, and as i remembered my ingratitude to her and thought of how surly i had become, absorbed in my own trouble, i threw myself down upon the rocks in an agony of remorse. alas, poor moira! faithful friend! true heart, and loyal to death! a thousand times i reproached myself with my neglect of her, but my regrets were unavailing, and my repentance came too late. it now became necessary if i would live to provide myself with food, and in this enforced occupation i obtained some relief from the dejection which had formerly obsessed me. i found no difficulty in procuring fish, and i quickly became expert with moira's bow and arrows. salt, also, i gathered from the rocks, and some roots which moira had shown me served as vegetables. of water i had an abundance from a fresh-water lagoon near by. so that i lacked nothing for my support. but although my body was nourished, my mind became so oppressed by solitude that, at times, i even thought of returning to the blacks and conforming to their ways, and had it not been that i knew them to be cannibals i might have spent the remainder of my life among them, so intense had become my longing to meet with others of my kind. another cause for anxiety now made me consider whether i had not better move my habitation to some cave along the coast. within a week from the carrying off of moira by the sea-spider, i began to miss supplies of fish and flesh which i kept in the storehouse cave. strange sounds, also, as of some heavy body dragging itself over the rocks kept me awake at night, and filled me with alarm. could it be that the monster was once more paying its visits to the cave? the sounds continued during the night, but with the break of dawn they ceased. one morning, however, when i had resolved upon moving my camp, on mounting the cliff i sighted a vessel which i recognized as the "endraght", coming up the coast from the south. in a frenzy of excitement i lighted the beacon and taking a silk handkerchief from my neck i waved it to attract attention. a dread overpowered me that my signals might not be observed, and had the ship passed without seeing me i verily believe i would have cast myself from the cliff on which i stood to certain death upon the rocks below. but now i saw that the vessel was heading for the shore, and presently a boat put off for the beach. carried away by the thought of my salvation, i waded knee deep to meet my comrades, and climbing into the boat i soon found myself on board the "endraght". so wild-looking and unkempt had i become that at first my shipmates did not know me, but when they recognized me i was given a hearty welcome. "of a truth, peter," said hartog, smiling at my sorry appearance, "i have small wonder the cannibals did not make a meal off one so skinny." and, indeed, the hard life i had led on the island had reduced me to a bag of bones. but when i had washed and trimmed my hair and after i had clothed myself from my own sea-chest hartog declared me fit to become, once more, his secretary. i sat late that night with my comrades, to whom i recounted my adventures, and when i reflected upon the dangers i had passed i could scarcely contain my joy at my rescue from a fate worse than death. chapter v the voyage continued dirk hartog, convinced that he had discovered the continent known as terra australis, determined now to seek the gold and gems which this fabled land was said to contain. the "endraght" was accordingly brought to anchor near to the mouth of a river on the coast, and preparations were made to explore the stream in one of the ship's boats for some distance along its banks. in the course of the afternoon we attempted a landing, but as the boat neared the shore a number of natives ran down to the water's edge with spears in their hands, and with loud cries forbade our progress. a present of some nails and beads thrown among them seemed, for the moment, to produce a good effect, but on our attempt to land being renewed the natives again showed signs of opposition. hartog endeavoured to make them understand that no injury was intended, but his friendly advances met with no success. a musket was then fired amongst them, which was replied to by a flight of spears, but no damage was done on either side. one of the natives then threw a stone at our boat, which was answered by a discharge of small shot, which struck him in the legs, causing him to jump like one of the hopping animals i had seen on the island. when we pointed our muskets again he and his companions made off into the bush. we then landed, thinking the contest at an end, but we had scarcely quitted the boat when the blacks returned, carrying shields for their defence. they approached us and threw spears, but with no result. another musket shot convinced them their shields were no protection against our firearms, when they again disappeared. we then walked up to the blacks' camp and examined with much curiosity the primitive nature of their dwellings. then, leaving some beads and pieces of cloth in exchange for some spears, which we took away with us, we returned to our boat, observing on our way several light canoes, each made of a single piece of bark, bent and laced up at both ends. in the evening two boats' crews were sent away fishing, and they caught in two hauls of the seine nearly three hundredweight of fish. hartog, after our first landing, made many friendly overtures to the natives, who would not, however, hold any communication with us, from which we came to the conclusion that other navigators had been here before us, not so well disposed. with regard to the gold and precious stones we expected to find, our inspection of the blacks' camp convinced us that nothing of the kind existed, at all events, in this part of the country. such ornaments or utensils as the natives seemed to possess were of the crudest description, made of wood or clay, or consisting of shells and pebbles from the seashore. the stories of fabulous wealth, therefore, to be found in this new land appeared to be myths. it was to seek for treasure that the "endraght" had been equipped by a number of merchants at amsterdam, of whom my master, de decker, made one, and we realized how disappointed they would be if we returned empty-handed. our crew, also, began to show signs of discontent, and to murmur at having been brought so far on a fool's errand. it was only dirk hartog's indomitable personality that prevented a mutiny. it was this same sordid greed for gain which had caused christopher columbus to be sent home in chains from america because he had failed to find gold. the acquisition of new countries did not interest those who equipped the navigators of this time. for this reason, no attempt was made by hartog to take possession of any of the countries we visited. it was to find treasure he had been sent out, and should he return without it he might look for a surly welcome. yet hartog himself, i am convinced, with the spirit of a great navigator, found satisfaction in having accomplished so long a voyage, to reach the goal for which he sailed. "can i help it, peter," he said to me one evening when we sat together in his cabin examining the charts i had drawn under his directions, "that the natives of this country are poor? gold, ivory, precious stones, spices even, seem not to exist in the south as they do in the east. did i make this country, that i should be held responsible for what it contains?" but, although he spoke thus, i could see he was bitterly disappointed at finding the land we had come so far to seek little better than a wilderness, and the people upon it so poor that they went entirely naked, and devoured each other in order to satisfy their hunger. i tried to cheer him by reminding him we might yet find chances to enrich ourselves before returning home, but i could see he was troubled by the thought that the voyage he had accomplished with so much skill and daring might prove resultless in the accumulation of wealth. in order to hearten the crew with fresh adventure, the course of the "endraght" was now directed toward the islands of the pacific. these islands were reported to abound in pearl shell, and whilst cruising among them we looked forward to obtaining a supply of pearls which might compensate the merchants at amsterdam for the expense of our voyage, and send us all home rich men. chapter vi the fight on the sands i must now tell of all incident i would willingly have left unrecorded, but as i have undertaken to set down here, in the order of its sequence, each event which took place upon my voyages with dirk hartog on southern seas, i must not, as a faithful chronicler, omit to record each happening in its order. now it so fell out that our first supercargo, gilles miebas van luck, bore me a grudge, although i could recall no act on my part upon which to attribute it, unless it be that i had gained the favour of the captain, of which i could see van luck was jealous. from the first van luck made no secret of his dislike of me, and more than once he complained to hartog that by reason of my youth; i being at the time of sailing but nineteen years old, it would be more seemly if i took my meals with the men in the forecastle instead of in the cabin. but hartog had overruled his objections. as his secretary he maintained i was entitled to berth with the officers, and after my rescue from the inhospitable shores of terra australis i continued to occupy my former place at the captain's table, although i would as lief have messed with the men sooner than have been the cause of a quarrel. at length matters came to a climax, when van luck ordered me to set about some menial work which i did not consider compatible with my position as the captain's secretary, and which, therefore, i declined to perform. in his rage at my refusal van luck came at me with a belaying pin in his hand, but i had fought many a battle with the fisher lads upon the sands at urk, and was well able to take my own part, so that when van luck was almost upon me i nimbly stepped aside, and with a trick i had been taught by an old smuggler at urk, i tripped him as he passed so that he fell into the scuppers, when, with a muttered oath, he scrambled to his feet, and, plucking a pistol from his belt, he would have shot me had not hartog at this moment appeared on deck, and commanded him to throw down his arms. "how now," said hartog, "am i captain of this ship or not? what means this mutiny? come both of you to my cabin that i may hear the case and see justice done." without so much as a look at either of us hartog then descended to his state room, whither we followed him in shamefaced silence, for when the captain spoke we knew he must be obeyed. when hartog had heard what we had to say, and the argument advanced by each on his own behalf, he delivered judgment in the following terms: "you are both of you in the wrong," said he. "peter should not have refused to obey an order without referring the matter to me, and you van luck ought not to have taken the law into your own hands when i, your captain, am the proper judge upon such matters. still i am willing to overlook your dereliction of duty (though by every rule of the sea you are both deserving of death at the yard arm) provided that at the first suitable place, and time, you fight out your quarrel as man to man, and pass me your words that, whatever the result, the survivor, or victor, shall bear the other no ill will." this was a favourite method of hartog's for settling disputes that were occasionally bound to arise among his crew upon so long a voyage. order upon the ship, he maintained, must, for the common safety, be rigidly observed, but if bad blood arose between men of high spirit and hot temper, the malcontents were landed at some convenient place where, in the presence of the ship's company to see fair play, they fought the matter out, afterwards returning on board with their ardour cooled, and their anger properly chastened. this plan, on the whole, was found to work well. sometimes one and sometimes both of the combatants were killed, but, as a rule, the matter was settled without the sacrifice of life, and the parties returned from their blood-letting the better friends. after hearing hartog's decision we both bowed and retired, and, in the terms of our promise, resumed the ordinary routine of our duties as though nothing out of the common had occurred. but the news of the coming fight spread among the crew and became the subject of gossip throughout the ship. i was now near twenty-one and van luck was three years my senior, we being all young men on board the "endraght"; but i had led a hardy life, and my spell ashore had taken off superfluous flesh, and left me active and alert, with muscles like steel, an advantage not given to my older antagonist, who had, perforce, lived a monotonous existence for months past on shipboard. so i looked forward to the coming trial of strength and endurance with some degree of confidence, notwithstanding that van luck and his supporters promised me i would lose both my ears as forfeit, if not my life, in the encounter. the discussion over the right at length became so keen that hartog, fearing it might lead to further disputes, determined to get it over as soon as possible, and for this purpose he altered the ship's course to an island he sighted on the horizon which we made during the same afternoon, when we came to anchor in a natural harbour formed by a coral reef and opposite to a hard sandy beach well suited to the matter in hand. at daybreak the following morning we landed two boats' crews on the beach, only the watch being left on board, who would nevertheless be able to see the fight from over the ship's bulwarks. it was a fine summer's morning, with little wind and no sea. the waves broke in crisp diamond sparkles upon the sand, and the feathery palms and coconut trees, with which the island abounded, imparted to the place a fairy-like aspect such as the hand of man could never design. the island appeared to be uninhabited and it seemed likely we would have the arena to ourselves, although our men were armed in order to repel attack. when hartog had taken up a position upon a spot he had selected as suitable for the contest, he explained the conditions under which the dispute was to be settled. the fight won to be to the death, or until either party confessed himself vanquished or was unable to continue, and in no case was malice to be shown after the event, whatever might be the result. having then proclaimed strict silence he ordered us to make ready and begin. both my opponent and i were now stripped to the waist, our singlets being used as bandages for the right arm to protect it from a chance wound from the dagger knives with which we were armed, we being allowed no other weapon. my adversary was stouter than i, but we were both of a height, and what i lacked in strength i made up for in agility. and know we began to circle each other, waiting an opportunity to strike, which presently came to my opponent, who aimed a blow at me which i caught when his blade was within an inch of my heart. putting forth my strength i strove to force his hand so that with his own blade he might kill or wound himself, but after a desperate struggle he broke away. not a word was spoken by the onlookers, and no sound was heard save only the tread of our feet as we circled and waited for a chance to strike again. it now occurred to me that since my adversary had proved himself the stronger when i had tried to force his hand, my better plan would be to tire him if possible before taking the offensive again, and to this end i led him on, always nimbly avoiding the strokes he aimed at me instead of spending my strength by attempting to oppose them, and this method proved so successful that i presently had the satisfaction of observing in my opponent evident signs of exhaustion. realizing his impotence, and now beside himself with anger, van luck suddenly rushed upon me, when, using a trick i had learnt, i tripped him so that he fell, dropping his knife, which, before he could recover it, i secured. by all the rules of the game he was now at my mercy, and i called upon him to surrender, but, with a scowl, he refused to give in. the advantage i had gained now entitled me to stab him to death where he stood, or to cut off his ears if i had the mind to do it, but i could not bring myself to kill, or maim, an unarmed man. i therefore threw down both knives at hartog's feet, and returned once more to the fight with bare hands. my superior agility now began to tell in my favour, and i found i was the better boxer and wrestler of the two, so that i rained blows upon my opponent, some of which drew blood. he then tried to clinch with me, but i had waited for this, and when he seized me in his powerful grip i held myself as i had been taught to do by my friend the smuggler, so that when he tried to throw me, he himself, by his own weight and a dexterous twist i gave him, was hurled over my head some distance along the sand, where he fell upon the broad of his back the breath being knocked clean out of his body. for some time he lay to all appearance dead, and it being evident he would not be able to continue the fight, hartog awarded me the victory, and, later, when van luck regained consciousness, he ordered him to shake hands with me, which he did with an ill grace, though of a surety i bore him no malice. "peter," said hartog to me when we were alone together in his cabin after the fight, "henceforth i look upon you as my comrade as well as my secretary; but do not, on that account, believe i shall be less strict to enforce discipline upon you equally with all under my command. at the great distance we are from home it behoves some one to be in authority, if we are ever to see the netherlands again. promise me then to set a curb upon your temper, and when van luck is able to resume his duties after the drubbing you have given him, let there be no bad blood between you." i gave my promise willingly, and i can honestly say that, on, my part, i bore no grudge against van luck, nor against any man of the ship's company, though i could see that van luck would never forgive me for having bested him, nor could i disguise from myself the fact that there were some among the crew who sided with him. chapter vii the spirit of discord the days which followed my fight with van luck were full of anxiety for those who were responsible for the safety of the ship. it was evident that a spirit of discord had begun to show itself among the crew, which threatened a mutiny. janstins, the pilot, whom we knew to be trustworthy, did not attempt to hide the peril that was brewing in the forecastle. "those lubbers for'ard," he said when hartog, he, and i sat together one evening in the cabin, "will make trouble if they can. they are a pig-headed lot, and a dozen apiece at the gratings would do them no harm. but while they outnumber us, as they do, three to one, we must avoid a quarrel. besides, if we got the upper hand, and drove the scum into the sea, we'd be undermanned for the voyage, and unable to weather the first storm that came upon us." "what is it they want?" asked hartog impatiently. "am i a wizard to conjure gold and jewels out of the wilderness? they knew the chances they took when they set sail, and will have their wages paid in full, whereas i shall receive nothing but abuse, so that in this they are in better case than i, their captain." "granted you are right," answered janstins, "yet these dunderheads will not view the matter with such common sense. they believe that gold and jewels are to be found, but we have not the wit to find them." "who has told them this?" demanded hartog with a frown. "they must have a leader amongst them whom we wot not of. if i find him i'll send him adrift upon the sea to look for the treasure he speaks of with none to hinder him." it was the first time i had seen hartog so deeply angered, aroused as he was by the rumoured treachery that was being hatched against his command, and when he spoke of the punishment most dreaded by seamen, of being cast adrift in an open boat with three days' provisions, i knew full well he would not hesitate to inflict this penalty upon whomsoever might be found attempting to undermine his authority. at these consultations held by the officers in the cabin, i noticed van luck was never present. he made an excuse for his absence that, as first officer, his place was on deck when the captain was below. although this could not be disputed, yet i bethought me he might have found an opportunity to add his voice to our councils had he the inclination to do it. but as yet i had no proof of treachery against van luck, and although i suspected him, i was loath to voice my suspicions lest my action might be attributed to malice for his scurvy treatment of me. as luck would have it, an incident now occurred which, for the time, diverted the men's minds from the dangerous brooding in which they had indulged. a dark line appeared on the horizon, which at first we took for a breeze, but which, as it swept down upon us, proved to be a prodigious number of flying fish. these delicate creatures rose out of the water like silver clouds, and as they passed over our vessel numbers fell upon our decks. these fish are excellent eating, and of those that fell aboard of us we soon had an ample supply. hartog, as much to give the crew some novel occupation as from any other motive, set the men to work salting and drying the fish, so that we secured three barrels full, as an addition to our ordinary fare, which was very acceptable. the flying fish were pursued by a shoal of dolphins, which continued to play round our ship for several days, and some of these we captured with the line and converted into food. in the excitement of the sport the sailors soon forgot their mutinous conduct, and resumed something of their former cheerfulness. like children, seamen are easily led and readily influenced. "i thank providence," declared hartog, "for the draught of fishes sent to us at so opportune a time; but for their coming i doubt we would have been at each other's throats ere this." and indeed there is more in chance and circumstance than most believe. i observed that van luck took no part in the fishing. the sport in which the seamen were engaged appeared to afford him more irritation than amusement. i often wondered that hartog did not note the surly demeanour of his chief officer. but he did not appear to do so, and it was no part of my duty to make mischief between the captain and his first mate. when the fishing and salting were over, a breeze sprang up which freshened to half a gale--before which we scudded under furled mizzen and foresails. the men had now plenty to do, and there was no time for brooding or lamenting over lost hopes. it is mostly during a calm, when the ship rides motionless upon a painted sea, that mutinous and rebellious thoughts arise among seamen. when the vessel is ploughing her way through storm and stress, each man seems a part of the ship and to have an interest in her voyage. it is then, too, that the word of command carries weight and meaning, and the knowledge of common dependence upon the captain makes for obedience and discipline, so that while the gale lasted we had no fear of mutiny. at the end of a week, during which time we covered many leagues of sea, the weather moderated, when we found ourselves once more among the islands of the south seas, and the thoughts of being again on shore, and the adventures that might be in store for us, put to flight less wholesome and healthy thoughts. by the time we came in sight of the islands janstins had recovered his spirits, and hartog his good humour. janstins, who was of a sanguine disposition, began to speculate upon our chances of finding treasure, and hartog predicted that fortune stood upon the shores of one of these pleasant islands to welcome us, and send us home rich men. "it is not in nature, peter," he said to me, "that precious stones and metals exist only in the old world. they are as much the elements of the earth as rocks and water. it only needs a patient search to discover a mine of wealth, as yet untouched by civilized man." i did not like to discourage him, but, young as i was, i knew how fickle a jade is fortune, giving to one with both hands, and from another withholding that which he most deserves. besides, who could tell, among these countless islands or the pacific, upon, which one nature had lavished her wealth? as we approached the land i noticed that van luck appeared to have lost the influence he had acquired over the crew, many of whom seemed now as anxious to avoid him as before they had been inclined to follow him. he was, therefore, left much to his own devices, which, from his surly manner, did not seem to be pleasant company. "i am resolved, peter," said hartog to me, "not to return home without sufficient treasure, at all events, to pay for the expenses of this voyage. so make up your mind to grow old among savages unless luck brings us a ransom from this banishment. my reputation, nay more, my honour, is pledged not to go back empty-handed, and i'd face greater perils than any we have encountered sooner than tell those money-grubbers at amsterdam their principal would not be returned to them with interest." i could understand the captain's dilemma, but i sighed when i thought of the time that might elapse before i would again see my betrothed. chapter viii pearl island for some weeks after sighting the south sea islands we continued to cruise among them, visiting many places, some of which were unknown to former navigators. the weather at this time was calm and fine, but one day when in the open sea a tempest drove us among a number of islands, most of which appeared to be little better than barren rocks. as we approached, however, we observed one of large size, mountainous, well wooded, and fertile, and here we hoped to find the fresh water and vegetable food of which we stood in need. on rounding a coral reef which made a natural breakwater, we anchored in a quiet bay opposite a beach, and a party of us made ready to go ashore. the waters of this bay were blue as the sky above, and we could see in the depths below a marine garden of seaweed and coral, and what interested us more, a great quantity of pearl shell. as we rowed towards the shore the beach became thronged with natives who appeared by their gestures to be full of wonder at the sight of our vessel. the people here were of a light coffee colour, with wavy hair. the men, of large stature, well formed, and dressed with a degree of taste far in advance of any of the savages we had hitherto met with. elaborate devices were tattooed upon the exposed parts of their bodies; a petticoat of finely-plaited cloth reached from waist to knee; beautiful necklets made from red and white coral hung round their necks; while their hair was frizzled like a mop upon their heads, powdered red or yellow. the women were similarly attired, save that their petticoats were longer and their hair hung straight, while the children went entirely naked except for garlands of bright flowers. no weapons were carried by these islanders, and upon landing we found them friendly, and inclined to offer us hospitality. the houses in the town to which they welcomed us are of a beehive shape; the sides open during the day, but closed at nights by blinds made from the leaves of the coconut tree. the floor is formed of powdered white coral, and is very clean. the town was built in a semi-circle facing the beach. in the centre was the king's house, a building of the same construction as the others, but of larger size. beautifully-made mats and wooden bowls formed the only furniture in these dwellings, some of the mats being trimmed with red feathers, while others resembled shaggy white wool rugs, which, on closer inspection, proved to be made from the bark of a dwarf hibiscus, with which the islands abound, bearing a bright red flower. the food of the islanders consists of fish, coconuts, taro, yams, and breadfruit, of which there is a plentiful supply. in return for their hospitality, hartog distributed among the natives pieces of bright-coloured cloth, beads, knives, and other trifles, which, in the eyes of these simple savages, were so many wonders hitherto undreamed of. when we had been some days upon the island hartog expressed to the king his desire to obtain the pearl shells of which we could see an abundance at the bottom of the bay, within easy reach of an expert diver, and as these islanders were as much at home in the water as upon land, we soon had a pile of shell upon the beach which some of the crew set to work to open; but although we opened a great number of shells very few pearls were found, and none of any special value. when the king observed what we were in search of he offered hartog for his acceptance a number of pearls, some of large size and perfect colour, which from time to time he had collected. "'twill be enough to satisfy the merchants," said hartog to me when he had safely locked up this treasure on board the "endraght", "but nothing over, unless we can add to the collection by our own exertions." but although we continued to open shells for several days no great haul of pearls was made. the pearl shell we shipped, knowing that it would fetch a good price at amsterdam. hartog was so relieved at having secured something that would repay the expenses of the voyage that he recovered his natural buoyancy of spirits which had lately been oppressed by the prospect of returning home empty-handed. "'tis wonderful, the power of money, peter," he said to me one evening when we were counting, in secret, the pearls which the king of the island had given him; "we have come through some perils, as you know, but i give you my word i was never so afraid of anything as of going back without money's worth to satisfy the men who put their capital into this voyage. it was that which broke the great heart of columbus, and i'd have become a pirate sooner than return empty-handed. the pious rogues who sent us out, and who never miss their churchgoing, would not have cared whence the money came so long as it filled their pouches." hartog had not confided the secret of the king's present to any but me, as he feared the crew, disappointed in the treasure hunt which they had been promised, might try to take forcible possession of it. he was so absorbed in counting the pearls and in speculating upon their value that he gave no heed to the possibility of being spied upon. but since i was to have no share in them, the pearls did not interest me as much as they did the captain, and i allowed my eyes to wander, when, in a flash of summer lightning, i saw the face of van luck looking down upon us from the skylight above our heads. making an excuse to go on deck, i stole cautiously up the companion-stairs, expecting to catch van luck red-handed in the act of playing the spy upon us, but when i reached the skylight i could see no sign of him. from where i stood, however, i was able to observe the captain counting the pearls, and i determined to warn him to have a cover made for the skylight, or a blind inside that might be drawn to ensure privacy. but i did not think it would be wise to say anything about my suspicion. it would be hard to prove, and might be set down to malice, though honestly i bore van luck no ill will. chapter ix mutiny a month after leaving pearl island, when it became known to the crew of the "endraght" that a course had been set for home without having obtained the treasure which had been the object of the voyage, the spirit of discontent in the forecastle which had previously shown itself, became so marked as to threaten a mutiny. had it not been that we held all the arms and ammunition aft, there would have been little doubt of the seamen refusing duty. as it was, they went about their work in so surly a manner, that if hartog had not kept a check upon his temper, a serious outbreak on more than one occasion would have occurred. "i cannot think what evil influence is at work among the men," said hartog to me one evening, when we sat together alone in the cabin, for van luck, except at meals, seldom joined us. "as sailors, they ought to know that treasure hunts often prove disappointing, and they will each receive a good round sum in back pay when the crew is disbanded after the voyage. what, then, would they gain by mutiny? without a navigator they would either lose the ship, or, if they succeeded in making a port, they would become food for the gallows. knowing sailors as i do, i cannot understand, in present circumstances, what it is that fosters rebellion, unless some influence is at work that we wot not of." it was then that i thought it my duty to tell the captain of my suspicions regarding van luck, and of how i had seen him looking down upon us through the skylight at the counting of the pearls. hartog was amazed at such treachery on the part of his first officer. his own nature was so open that he found it hard to credit deception in others. my disclosures, however, enlightened him on much that was taking place, and he bade me keep him advised of anything further i might see or hear. to this end, i made frequent excuses for spending my time in the forecastle among the men, pretending i found the companionship in the cabin irksome. i had not been long among them before i discovered a plot that was hatching to take the ship. hartog and i, together with those who would not join in the mutiny, were to be set adrift with three days' provisions in one of the boats, when van luck would navigate the "endraght" to the nearest port, promising to divide the pearls, the value of which he had greatly exaggerated, equally among all hands, share and share alike. to be forewarned is to be forearmed, and i had no sooner divulged the plan of the mutineers to the captain than hartog began to consider how we might meet the situation. janstins, the pilot, the ship's carpenter, and three of the crew we knew we could depend upon, and they were instructed where to find arms and ammunition, and told to rally to us aft at the first signs of mutiny. having completed these arrangements, hartog's next step was to bring matters to a climax, for he argued rightly there was nothing to be gained, and much might be lost, by delay. stepping boldly upon his quarterdeck, he now issued his orders in his old peremptory style, and, upon one of the crew not moving smartly, he threatened him with a dozen at the ship's gratings. the man turned insolently, and demanded to know to whom hartog was speaking, while, at the same moment van luck, who was standing near, remonstrated with the captain on the man's behalf. i had never seen hartog really roused before. in two quick strides he was beside van luck, and picking him up as easily as if he had been a child, he flung him from the poop on to the deck below. at the same moment the mutineers made a rush aft, but those who were loyal to us were before them, and we presented such a formidable front that the rebels fell back, taking van luck with them. hartog now turned the brass cannon, which had already been loaded upon the mutineers where they crowded together in the fore part of the vessel, swearing he would fire upon them if they did not instantly surrender. a hurried consultation followed, after which van luck stepped forward as spokesman. he complained that the crew had not been fairly dealt by. they had suffered much hardship, he said, and it was understood that all treasure obtained on the voyage was to be shared among them, whereas it appeared that the captain was concealing a parcel of pearls of sufficient value to make them all rich men. to this hartog replied as follows: "i am captain of this vessel, and i claim the right to do as i please. the pearls you speak of none of you helped to obtain, and they will be used to pay the expenses of the voyage, including what may be found to be due to each man as wages when the when the ship is paid off. as for you, van luck, who have acted the spy and played traitor, you may expect nothing from me but the fate you intended for those who have stood by me. the others may now return to duty." it was then seen that van luck had no followers, for rebels are ever prone to abandon their leader when their cause is lost. i would have pleaded with hartog, even then, to spare van luck from being cast adrift upon the sea, but i knew no word of mine would change his purpose. besides, an example must be made, and in the rough life we led the administration of justice was the prerogative of the captain alone. a boat was therefore prepared, three days' provisions were placed on board of her, and van luck was sent upon what promised to be his last voyage. for as long as the boat remained in sight we could see that the castaway made no effort, either with the sail or the oars, to shape a course in any direction. he appeared to have abandoned hope, and to have made up his mind to let the wind and the waves carry him whithersoever they would. at length the boat appeared but a speck upon the ocean, and finally it vanished beyond the horizon. for some time after the quelling of the mutiny hartog maintained strict discipline among officers and crew, issuing his orders in the peremptory manner of one accustomed to command, and seldom speaking to any except upon matters connected with the ship. but when order was restored his mood changed, and we resumed our friendly chats together in the cabin. he never referred to van luck, whom he seemed to have wiped from the slate of his recollection, nor did he again allude to the mutiny. once, when i touched upon it, he had cut me short, and i could see from his manner that all reference to it must henceforth be taboo. but i could not help sometimes recalling the picture of the boat with the solitary man on board of her, drifting upon the grey waste of sea, and i often wondered if dirk hartog had been able to obliterate that picture from his mind. we now once more sailed in familiar waters, and passed many vessels as we neared home, where we arrived, without mishap, towards the end of the year 1620, after an absence of nearly five years, which was not regarded at that time as a voyage of unusual duration. chapter x i embark on a second voyage on my arrival at amsterdam i obtained leave from my master, de decker, to visit my parents, and was received by them at my home at urk with a great show of affection, which, however, i found to be somewhat lessened when it was known i had come back with empty pockets. my father urged me to give up the sea, and to stick more closely to the business of a merchant at amsterdam, for which my education had fitted me, and my mother extorted from me a half-willing promise that i would follow my father's advice. i also met anna holstein, to whom i related my adventures; nor did i conceal from her that my worldly condition was not yet sufficiently improved to warrant my making formal proposals for her hand in marriage. my mother pronounced my appearance much improved, when she heard of my attachment to anna she declared me to be a fit mate for any lady in the land. "of a truth, peter," she said, "thou art become a proper man, like thy father was before thee, and in my day a young man of spirit chose his wife where he would. my own parents made objections to my being married to your father without some payment to them in goods or money, to compensate for the expense of my upbringing. but abel van bu, thy father, came to our house one june morning and bade me make ready to marry him that very day, a clerk in holy orders being come to urk to mate together those islanders who were willing to be wed according to the rites of the church, and abel's manner was so masterful that neither i nor my parents dared say him nay. this is how i came to marry your father, my son, and were i a man such as thou, art, i would take the girl of my choosing, in the same manner as thy father did." but although i laughingly agreed with my mother, i knew that such a way of proceeding would not answer with anna holstein. anna was rich. it would have shamed me to go to her, a penniless husband. still, love is blind, and that anna and i loved each other was not to be denied; so, one evening, by the zuider zee, we once more plighted our troth. it was then that anna confided to me a trouble of which she had kept the knowledge secret, fearing it might vex me, to the neglect of my work at amsterdam. i had become so absorbed in my love for her, that i had given no thought to the question of others paying their court. yet that such should be the case was but natural. anna was young, beautiful, and wealthy, the only child of a proud noble, so that when count hendrick luitken proposed for her, anna's father regarded his suit with approval, and recommended him to his daughter's good graces. but anna, whose heart was wholly mine, had evaded the count's attentions, although she dared not openly reject him, lest the clandestine love we bore each other might become known by reason of too close questioning, so she had been compelled to play the part of a wilful maid who did not know her own mind, and could not be made to see how advantageous the alliance proposed for her would be. "i could never marry anyone but you, peter," she whispered to me, as we sat together on the terrace of the palace by the zuider zee, after she had confided to me her anxieties, "but i find it hard to keep up the deception that i am heart-whole and fancy-free, and yet indifferent to count hendrick's attentions. indeed, my father openly upbraids me with being fickle, inconstant, unmaidenly, and i know not what besides, until i am driven to my wit's end to keep the peace between us. yet i doubt not, if he knew the truth, he would marry me willy-nilly to count hendrick luitken by force." "then it would be to a corpse he would marry you," i cried, "for sooner than see you wedded to count luitken i would strangle him with my bare hands if he refused to meet me as an equal in fair fight." "dear peter," whispered anna, as she nestled closer to me, "if i cannot marry you i'll marry none other, and the church does not now sanction marriage vows given unwillingly. if they drive me to it i can at least seek the cloister or the grave." "do not speak so, dear anna," i entreated. "we are both young, and by patience and industry i may yet win a place in the world." but although i spoke hopefully i could see but little prospect of my advancement at amsterdam. my master, de decker, the merchant, in whose house i was employed, told me plainly that i need expect nothing more than a clerkship so long as i remained in his service. his son, then a boy at school, would inherit his business, and it might be many years before i could hope to buy a partnership in it. de decker's business at this time, moreover, was not in a very flourishing condition. it seemed, therefore, not improbable that i would lose my clerkship unless it improved. in these circumstances i was approached by dirk hartog some twelve months after the return of the "endraght", who offered to take me as first officer on the "arms of amsterdam", a new vessel upon which he was about to make a second voyage of discovery to the south. "it is not because we met no luck with the 'endraght' that there is nothing to be gained, peter," he said. "there is an island i have heard of which, if we can strike it, will make us rich men. nothing venture, nothing win, and there is little prospect here for a man like you to make money by quill-driving." his words impressed me, as well they might, for the love of adventure was strong within me, and i reflected that in my present calling of a merchant's clerk i could not hope to obtain an independence for many years--perhaps not at all. de decker, also, appeared anxious that i should go. the sale of the pearls which the king of pearl island had given hartog had more than repaid the merchants for sending out the "endraght", and with the "arms of amsterdam" they hoped to accumulate further treasure. i was influenced also by hartog's description of the island of gems, and the more i thought of the offer he had made me the more i liked it. finally, i agreed to sign on for this second voyage, and, taking leave of anna and my parents, i embarked upon the "arms of amsterdam", and set sail once more for southern seas. chapter xi a second voyage with hartog to the south for three months after leaving the north sea we sailed south, meeting with no land until we sighted a group of islands which hartog believed to be the group that the spaniard cortes attempted to explore in 1519, when one of his ships was burned by the hostile natives, while he and his crew escaped with difficulty in the other vessel. these islands are mountainous, well wooded, and apparently fertile. in most places that we saw the trees were very thick, with spreading branches, in which we perceived houses to be built, which looked like the nests of some large bird. we approached the land with caution, for we knew from experience that the tides in the vicinity of the south sea islands are very irregular, and seem to be much affected by the prevailing winds and currents. there is only one tide in the twenty-four hours. the flood-tide sets to the north, and the ebb to the south. it therefore behoved us to choose a safe anchorage, which, after consultation, we finally decided upon, selecting a spot sheltered from the prevailing wind, in deep water, close to a beach and opposite to a stream. two boats were then lowered and manned, hartog taking charge of one and i of the other. the natives, who had assembled in great numbers on the beach, did not appear so surprised at the sight of our vessel as might have been expected. as the boats drew near, some of them waded out to meet us, showing no fear, but rather an anxiety to welcome us. they were all entirely naked except for a strip of tapa cloth, which formed a tee-band around the middle and hung down behind like a tail. this was probably the reason for the reports given by the earlier navigators of the existence of tailed men in these regions. some of the natives wore feathers in their hair, and all had fish bones thrust through the cartilage of the nose, which gave them a ferocious aspect. even young boys wore sticks in the same fashion. the women were attired in petticoats of white tapa cloth, which hung down in strips from a girdle round their waists. before trusting ourselves among these savages we gave them, as peace offerings, coloured beads and bright pieces of cloth. our presents were well received, but immediately on becoming possessed of them the natives laid them at the feet of a young man who stood apart from the crowd, surrounded by several tall and fierce-looking savages. from this we concluded the young man to be the king of the country, though we wondered he should be so young, as the leadership amongst savages generally goes to the strongest. we then showed the natives our water-casks, and, pointing to a stream close by, made them understand we desired to fill them, to which they offered no objection, so that we at once began to water the ship. when we had finished our task we were invited by signs to go to the king, and, being well armed against treachery, we boldly marched up in a body to the king's house, which we found to be an immense building, nearly 300 feet long and 30 feet wide. it had a high peaked portico, supported by posts 80 feet high, from which a thatched roof narrowed and tapered away to the end, where it reached the level of the ground. the house resembled nothing so much as an enormous telescope, and here the king lived with his numerous wives and families, together with all his relatives and immediate retainers. from the knowledge i had picked up on my travels, particularly during the time i was captive among the black cannibals of new holland, i had acquired the art of understanding, either by words or signs, what savage people wished, by their language, to convey, which to most would have been unintelligible, and from what i could gather it appeared that the young king, who had but lately inherited his kingdom from his father, whose tomb, perched on the top of a tree, was pointed out to us, was threatened with war by a neighbouring chief, the former king's hereditary enemy, and that if we would help him vanquish his opponent he was willing to hand over to us the property of other white men which had been left upon the island in years gone by. when i had imparted this proposition, so far as i was able to understand it, to hartog, he expressed a wish to see the white men's treasure, and on my repeating this request to the king's councillors, we were invited to accompany them to a part of the island where we were shown what were undoubtedly the remains of cortes' vessel, the one that was burnt and abandoned to the savages. there did not at first sight appear to be anything of value among the ancient relics, but i noticed some iron boxes, which had rusted at the locks, so that it became difficult to open them. with the aid of a crowbar, however, which i sent for from the ship, we were able to prise the lid off one of them, when it was found to be filled with spanish money, much gold coin being amongst it. there were twelve iron boxes, and we reckoned that each box contained money to the value of two thousand english pounds. at the sight of this treasure hartog readily consented to assist the king of the islands against his enemies by every means in his power, and an agreement was come to accordingly. hartog then ordered the specie to be taken on board, when we attended a council of the chiefs to ascertain the part it was proposed for us to play in the war, i acting as interpreter. it then appeared that a number of canoes were expected shortly to arrive from the adjacent islands. they would be met by the young king's fleet, when a naval battle would take place; but the issue was doubtful, since the hostile chief possessed many more canoes than the young king did. it was to neutralize this disadvantage that our services were required. now the "arms of amsterdam" was a more powerful vessel than the "endraght", mounting four guns, so we had little doubt but that we would be able to render valuable assistance to the young king in the defence of his country, and having pledged ourselves to support him we returned to our ship, well pleased with our adventure. next day the beating of war drums and much commotion ashore announced the approach of the enemy fleet, and having loaded our cannon we stood out to meet them. twenty war canoes belonging to the king, each containing 100 men armed with spears and clubs, put off to take part in the battle. they were far outnumbered, however, by the hostile fleet, which now approached. at the sight of our ship the oncoming war canoes appeared to hesitate, and for some minutes ceased rowing, but presently they advanced again in the form of a crescent, evidently intending by their superior line of battle to surround us. we were now midway between the opposing fleets, and when the enemy canoes were well within range hartog delivered a broadside, which had the most remarkable effect ever witnessed in a naval engagement. not wishing to kill the natives if it could be avoided, since the quarrel was not ours, hartog directed that the first broadside should be fired over the heads of the advancing savages, but the result was the same as if we had sunk or crippled the hostile fleet. at the flash and sound of the cannon, with black smoke rolling across the water towards them, the savages turned and fled, driving their canoes back to the place whence they had come at a pace which sent the foam flying from the paddles. but the most unexpected part of our interference was that the savages on board the king's canoes appeared to be as terrified as were the enemy, for they also turned and fled towards the shore. so we had the satisfaction of seeing the opposing fleets flying from each other without blood being shed. having thus brought matters to a satisfactory conclusion, and fulfilled our agreement with the young king to drive off the enemy fleet, we continued our voyage, well satisfied with our first transaction. chapter xii the sea serpent for some days after leaving cortes' island the weather continued fine and the sea calm, but a strong breeze then springing up from the north-west made it necessary to shorten sail. while so engaged we sighted a number of whales, which swam to meet us. never before had i seen so strange a spectacle. their vast numbers, their great bulk, and their quick evolutions impressed me with wonder. the whales in these parts are fearless of man. they have not yet learned to regard him as an enemy. this fearlessness, however, although remarkable, was not to our liking, for some of the whales came so close to us that our decks were often deluged by the water which they spouted upon them. one day, some little time after this adventure, the weather having moderated to a calm, a number of ripples appeared upon the sea, which at first we took to be a breeze, but on drifting among them we found the phenomenon to be caused by a number of water snakes, varying in size from a few inches to many feet in length. some of them appeared to be asleep, whilst others reared their heads at us, although they made no attempt to attack us. suddenly they disappeared, as though scared by the approach of a common enemy. we had now been for some days becalmed, and at length we began to fear we had drifted into a dead sea, where the wind never rose, and the currents ran in a circle. the sun by day blistered the decks so that the tar bubbled in the seams. the nights were more tolerable, but the air below had become so foul that the cabins were deserted for the open. a musty smell rose out of the water, and made it hard to breathe the oppressive atmosphere. we lay about the deck exhausted, like a company of sick men. one night the watch came aft to where hartog and i were trying to obtain some rest, with the report that a monstrous shape had been noticed passing under the vessel, and on looking to leeward we could see that the water was agitated by some large body. hartog inclined to the belief that the disturbance was caused by a number of whales, the one following the other, but the men declared the shape they had seen was a monster of amazing proportions. both hartog and the men were equally resolved upon their respective theories; but while they were arguing the matter, and the dawn being now come, all doubts were set at rest by the appearance of a prodigy so incredible that i scarce dare set down, in this plain tale, a description of it. within fifty yards from the vessel a serpent's head, not unlike those we had seen, but infinitely larger, rose above the surface of the water, and presently a great water-snake began to swim slowly round our ship in decreasing circles. its length could not have been less than 200 feet, while its girth, in the middle, was almost that of a fair-sized whale, tapering towards the head and tail. lashing the sea around it into foam, the serpent drew closer until it looked as though it would crush the ship in its folds. hartog, the only man amongst us who preserved his presence of mind, ordered our guns to be loaded and fired at the monster. this was done, but our broadside had no more effect upon the leviathan than to cause it to swerve from its circling movement, when it made off with incredible speed towards the horizon, whence it returned apparently bent upon destroying us. we now gave ourselves up for lost, when suddenly out of the sea rose another huge bulk, resembling the sea-spider which had carried off poor moira, but ten times larger, when a combat ensued between the leviathans which created waves around our vessel, and caused her to rock and plunge as in a storm. the battle raged for the best part of an hour, and sometimes when the monsters came near it seemed likely that the ship would be swamped by the volume of water which they lashed into the air. suddenly the combat terminated by both monsters disappearing into the depths without our being able to ascertain which had proved the victor. so that some record of this remarkable combat might be preserved, i set down upon paper a description of it, intending to deposit it among the public archives on my return home. i had read that such leviathans existed, and had been seen by early phoenician mariners, though i had always regarded their existence more in the light of fable titan fact. and now, a breeze springing up, we were once more enabled to continue our voyage. some of the crew were anxious to return home in order to spend their share of the spanish money found on cortes' island, but hartog would not consent to such a proposal. he had set his heart upon finding the island of gems, of the existence of which he was firmly convinced, though our chances of finding it among the numerous islands of the south seas appeared remote. the captain, however, would have his way, and a course was set accordingly. we were soon again among the islands, where we found the people more intelligent than those upon the continent of new holland. their language, although consisting of many dialects, possessed some universal key words, of which, by this time, i had acquired a knowledge which enabled me to make myself understood of the various tribes of savages we met with, and to understand also their meaning when they wanted to convey it to us. to this i attributed the friendly reception which, on the whole, was given to us. attacks upon strangers, made by these savages, are not so much from any natural hostility towards them as from an inability to understand that they intend no harm--consequently i was generally able to establish friendly intercourse between us and the tribes we visited. besides this, our ship possessed such a powerful armament that, if molested, we had no fear but that we would be able to protect ourselves. we made many inquiries from the savages concerning the island of gems, but none seemed to have heard of it. chapter xiii the floating island soon after leaving the islands of the south seas we encountered heavy weather, a tempest, the worst we had experienced, driving us before it to the south. the storm lasted for more than a week without abatement, and during this time we covered many leagues of sea. owing to the sun being obscured, it was impossible to ascertain our whereabouts, but hartog reckoned we had passed through the straits set down on an early chart as named after le maire. but for skilful handling we would have lost our ship, so prolonged was the gale, and when, at length, the weather moderated, we found that much damage had been done to our rigging and deck-gear. this made it necessary for us to effect repairs, and while so engaged we continued to run before the wind to the south. as we proceeded, the cold became intense, while the wind gradually decreased. one morning, at sunrise, a snow-covered land rose before our astonished eyes. the sun shining upon it produced an effect which, for beauty, i had never seen, equalled. immense ranges of mountains rose from a flat surface, their summits lost in fleecy clouds, while from one of the mountain tops, incredible as it may appear, belched smoke and fire as from the crater of an active volcano. it may well be believed with what astonishment we beheld a burning mountain in the midst of snow and ice. we coasted for some distance along the shore of this new continent, which formed an ice barrier rising in a long perpendicular line from the sea, making a landing impossible. when the repairs to our ship had been effected, we hauled our wind, and stood away northward, when we found ourselves surrounded by masses of floating ice. in no record of any voyage that hartog or i knew of is any mention made of this phenomenon, so we concluded we were the first to see it. the farther we went the more numerous became the icebergs, and the more difficult the navigation owing to fogs and mists. the whole surface of the water as far as the eye could reach was covered by dense masses of ice, and had not the breeze freshened so that we were able to avoid the ice pack, we might never have made our way to the open sea. some of the icebergs were beautifully formed, and the countless prisms of which they were composed glowed in the sun's rays with the delicate colour of the rainbow. next day the wind had fallen to a calm, and we rode upon a sea of glass. we had left the pack ice, but before us stretched an island of such extent that the end of it could not be seen. this island rose to the height of twenty feet. it was perfectly flat, with steep, perpendicular sides, which made it inaccessible to man. from the masthead, however, it was possible to observe its surface, which we saw to be covered by a vast number of penguins, so we knew a landing must be available somewhere, for these birds are wingless. this island was composed entirely of ice, it being, as hartog reckoned, a glacier which had broken off from the main continent into the sea. it was drifting north, and would gradually melt in the warmer atmosphere to which the current was taking it, but many years must elapse before this would happen. that evening we remained in the vicinity of the island. the twilight of this region in which we now found ourselves continued without fading into night, and to add to the beauty of the scene an aureola appeared in the sky. it was a sight, once seen, never to be forgotten. a world of perpetual day. with the return of sunlight hartog determined, if possible, to effect a landing, and leaving the "arms of amsterdam" in charge of janstins, the cutter was manned, in which the captain and i set out for the shore. after pulling for some distance; and when almost out of sight of our ship, we came to a kind of platform where the ice was broken, making it possible to climb to the top of the island. we had no sooner set foot there than we were surrounded by penguins. they came waddling towards us in the most comical fashion, nor were they in the least afraid of us. the presence of man for the first time in these latitudes appeared to inspire them more with curiosity than alarm. the attentions shown us by these remarkable birds, however, soon caused us considerable inconvenience. they crowded upon us in such numbers that it was difficult to force our way through them, either farther on to the island or back to the boat. some of them stood four feet high, and although they made no attempt to molest us, the bulk of their bodies (the ones at the back pressing upon those in front) made it difficult to push by. it was like passing along a densely-crowded thoroughfare. so numerous became the penguins that hartog ordered a return to the boat. we did not like to kill these birds, as they appeared harmless, and the trust they showed in us was surprising. when we came to the landing place we found it covered with small fur-coated seals, who also showed no fear of us, and made no attempt to escape when we approached them. the skins of these creatures we knew to be rare and of value, so we were impelled to slaughter some of them for their fur coats, and also to give us a supply of fresh meat; but their large brown eyes looked at us so sorrowfully when we attacked them that we had not the heart to kill more than was necessary for our immediate needs. it was too much like murder. the penguins followed us down to the landing-place, until it was full to overflowing. some of the birds pushed the others into the water in their eagerness to witness the killing of the seals, which they appeared to be discussing with much interest. a breeze springing up, we returned to the ship, and toward evening, still steering northward, the floating island was lost to view. we were now in better spirits than heretofore. we had filled our water tanks from the ice floes, and supplied ourselves with sufficient fresh seal meat to last until we came to a warmer climate, to begin again our search for the island of gems. the men we had with us upon this voyage were a better class than were the crew of the "endraght", and we had no fear of mutiny. there were grumblings occasionally at the length of the voyage, but these vanished at each fresh adventure. sailors, as a rule, are easily led, and if there is no evil influence at work among them they seldom incline to mutiny when they know that the safety of all depends upon discipline and obedience to the captain's orders. chapter xiv an old acquaintance most of the islands we visited on our return to the south seas we found to be inhabited. but some, although well-wooded, and possessing a luxuriant vegetation, were unoccupied except by sea-fowl. it was toward one of these islands we now directed our course in order to fill our water tanks, when we observed a solitary figure upon the beach whose hair and beard hung down in a tangled mass upon his chest and shoulders, while the skins of some small fur-coated animal, roughly sewn together, made him a covering for his body unlike any we had seen adopted by savage tribes. his attitude, moreover, as he stood upon the beach, shading his eyes and gazing intently at us as we rowed towards the shore, suggested the european rather than, the savage, and upon coming close up to him we knew him to be some castaway marooned upon the island. he appeared to have lost the power of speech, although he made guttural sounds when he saw us, and, what was more remarkable, he seemed to recognize us. it then came to me in a flash that this solitary man was none other than van luck, whom we had last seen drifting away from the "endraght" upon his lonely voyage after the mutiny, and, in pity at the sight of his forlorn condition, i held out my hand to him in reconciliation. so great, however, was his hatred of me, which he had probably nursed, that, instead of taking my hand, he rushed upon me and tried to strangle me, in which he might have succeeded had not others of our party come to my assistance. he seemed demented, and he had acquired such strength during his exile that it was as much as four men could do to hold him down. but, notwithstanding his unprovoked attack upon me, i felt i could not abandon him again to his solitude. i therefore ordered him to be taken on board our vessel, where hartog would be the judge of his ultimate fate. hartog's surprise at seeing his old officer in such a deplorable condition was equal to my own, but the terrible change which years of solitude had wrought in van luck appealed to the humane side of the captain's nature so forcibly that he determined to give the castaway a chance of redemption. after some days, during which van luck was cared for, he began to regain some semblance to his former self. he also, by degrees, remembered his native tongue, but he spoke in a halting manner like a child. while we remained at this island we visited the cave in which van luck had lived during the time he had been marooned. it contained nothing belonging to the boat in which he had been set adrift, from which we inferred the boat had been lost at the time when he was washed ashore. he seemed to have subsisted chiefly upon turtles, of which there were numbers basking upon the beach, and also upon a small species of squirrel, of the skins of which, roughly sewn together, his robe was made, but we could find no sign of a fire, so we concluded he had devoured his food raw. there were streams and springs on the islands from which to quench his thirst, but his sufferings must have been very severe during his enforced solitude, nor was it a matter for wonder that his mind had become deranged. but although hartog took pity upon van luck to the extent of taking him off the island, he would not admit him to his old place in the cabin at the officers' mess, so he lived with the seamen in the forecastle, where his jealousy wanted to send me on our first voyage. this, however, did not seem to trouble him. he seldom spoke, but went about such work as was given him without complaint. sometimes he would stand for hours watching the sea, with his hand shading his eyes, in the same attitude as we had found him. i could see that hartog was troubled by this man's appearance, as indeed was i also. it seemed a reproach to us to have been the means of bringing a fellow-creature into such a condition. yet we had acted as necessity demanded and in no spirit of malice or revenge. still, the consequences which had sprung from my fight with van luck and his subsequent part in the mutiny were not such as we cared to contemplate. if judges could see those whom they sentence after they have endured their punishment they would pause before passing fresh sentences upon wrongdoers, however guilty. i could see that van luck attributed to me all his misfortunes, for he watched me closely, but when i spoke to him he shifted his gaze uneasily, as though afraid to look me in the face. i can honestly say i felt nothing but pity for him, and i made allowance for his animosity toward me when i remembered his cruel punishment. "of a truth, peter," said hartog to me one evening when we sat together in the cabin, "i had better have shot van luck than let him live to become what he is. never again will i send a man adrift upon such a voyage, though by all the rules of the sea the mutinous dog deserved what he got for his treachery. it was not his fault that you and i were not marooned instead of him." i did not answer, but had i then known the malice in van, luck toward me, of which i shall hereafter tell, the compassion which i felt for him would have been lessened. chapter xv the seaweed sea of all the adventures through which we had passed, perhaps there was none so dangerous as that which now befell us. we had shaped our course to the east, on the look-out for a new group of islands, among which hartog expected to find the island of gems, when, one morning, we observed the horizon to have assumed a black look as though a storm was brewing, but on nearing this phenomenon, we found it to consist of an immense growth of seaweed floating upon the ocean, and extending as far as the eye could reach. the course we were steering would have carried us into the midst of the weed, so we hauled our wind, and coasted along it to the south, hoping either to find an opening through which we might pass, or to come to the end of the floating mass, but the farther we proceeded the thicker the weed became, while other masses now appeared to larboard, so that we feared we might be enmeshed in such a manner that we would find it impossible to extricate ourselves. i had read of a sea covered by a weed which held ships entangled as in a net, and i feared that this was the danger into which fate had now led us. portions of the kelp detached from the main mass, which floated alongside the ship, proved it to be a growth of extraordinary strength, the weed extending twenty feet and more below the surface of the water, and being so tough that two of our men between them were unable to break a specimen we drew on board, so that if we should become entangled in the kelp, we knew that death by slow starvation, when our provisions were exhausted, would await us. during the day upon which we first sighted this phenomenon we attempted every manoeuvre of navigation to keep the ship clear of the weed, but in spite of all we could do, and the ceaseless watch hartog and i between us kept on deck, the dawn of the next day found the ship as stationary as though we had run ashore. "nothing but a gale from the right quarter can save us, peter," said hartog when we held a consultation together in the cabin, "and even a gale will not help us unless it comes soon and before the weed gathers." i knew what he said was plain truth, yet i advised we should keep a brave face before the men, as nothing would be gained by provoking a scare. notwithstanding our assumed cheerfulness, however, we could see the crew were becoming alarmed, and as each day added to the accumulation of the weed which collected between us and the open sea, anxious looks were turned to the horizon in the hope of detecting the long-expected breeze. so as to give the men occupation, and prevent their brooding, hartog gave directions to man the boats in order that an attempt might be made to tow the ship through the weed, but after two days' fruitless effort the attempt was abandoned. it was dreadful to contemplate our impotence in the face of this danger, which hourly grew upon us. the seaweed, in itself so harmless that it becomes the sport of children when washed ashore upon the beaches at home, here, in its original and monstrous growth became more terrifying than all the leviathans of the deep. there was something irresistible in this brown mantle which drew its folds so silently and yet so surely around us that even dirk hartog's indomitable spirit quailed at the thought of what might be before us. "what demon led us hither, peter?" he said to me when a week had passed, and we still rode motionless in the grip of the seaweed. "of all the perils which mariners must face, whoever heard of a ship's company being brought to their doom by floating kelp?" i told him of the sea of which i had read, and which i believed we had come to. he listened to me with patience, and then relapsed into a reverie, from which i found it impossible to arouse him. on coming on deck i detected van luck at his old game of sowing discord among the men. they did not, however, appear to pay much attention to what he said. he had now no authority over them, and none but janstins and bantum, who were with us on this second voyage, remembered him as the first officer of the "endraght". the ingratitude of the man, however, after the consideration we had shown him, angered me, and i spoke to him roughly, and ordered him to quit the deck. "take heed," i warned him, "that i do not have you put in irons, or sent adrift upon a second voyage." van luck obeyed me with a scowl, and slunk below, but i could see an evil light in his eyes which i attributed to madness, though i was subsequently to learn there was much method in it. i did not like to add to hartog's anxieties by telling him of van luck's conduct, and, indeed, when i considered our present predicament, it seemed unlikely that van luck, or anybody else, could do us much harm or good. and now another event occurred to add to our perplexities. the kelp around the vessel suddenly became alive with a small species of black crab. these creatures must have scented the food from our vessel, and they came in millions to besiege us in order to devour it. the deck was soon black with them, and they swarmed below in ever-increasing numbers. nothing escaped them, and most of our provisions were quickly demolished. we killed them in thousands, and the stench from their crushed bodies almost drove us out of our minds, but other thousands quickly filled their places, and the crustaceans continued to pour down the hatches like black streams of evil-smelling water. but this visitation, dreadful though it was, eventually proved our salvation. the weed, now alive with marine life, lost its density, and when, at length, the breeze came, we could feel we were making headway. but had we not been able to force our passage into the open i verily believe we would all have been devoured alive by black crabs, which swarmed upon us. as it was, many of the men suffered severely from the bites of these creatures, and weeks elapsed before the ship was clear of them and the stench which they had brought aboard. but when the breeze freshened from the right quarter, and we felt our vessel moving toward the open sea, we were too thankful for our escape from a horrible death to think of the lesser evils from which we suffered, though the destruction of such a considerable quantity of our stores was a serious loss, and set hartog thinking as to whether our immediate return to amsterdam was not imperative. "i had made up my mind for another year in these latitudes, peter," he said, "and i am loath to go back without setting foot upon the island of gems, but man is but a straw in the hands of destiny, and who am i to set myself against the decrees of fate?" so with mixed feelings of disappointment and pleasure we once more found ourselves homeward bound. i had hoped that from this voyage i might return a rich man, able to make honourable proposals to count holstein for his daughter's hand, but it seemed now that fortune was not to be won so easily. my share of the treasure found on cortes' island might enrich me sufficiently to buy a small interest in my master's business, but this was all i could hope for, and the bright dreams which hartog and i had formed of the island of gems seemed about to dissolve, as is the way with phantoms, into thin air. but who can trace the course of destiny, or fathom the mysteries of fate? chapter xvi the island of gems for some weeks after getting free from the kelp we experienced fine weather, with favourable winds and a smooth sea, when, almost without warning, a storm broke upon us with hurricane force. all hands were ordered to shorten sail, no easy task in the fury of a gale. as chief officer i took command in the fore part of the vessel, while hartog issued his orders aft. the sea ran so high, often breaking over the bows and swamping the decks, that i ordered the men to attach themselves by lifelines to the foremast, and i also secured myself in the same way. as sometimes happens at sea in the heart of a storm, a succession of rollers followed each other, making it impossible to do more than hang on until they pass, and during one of these intervals i observed van luck, whose presence i had forgotten in the hurry of the moment, standing by the foremast with a knife in his hand. i was powerless to reach him from where i stood, and a moment later the lifeline which held me to the foremast was severed, when, despite a desperate effort which i made to retain my hold, i was swept into the sea. for a time, which seemed to me an eternity, i was under water, but when i rose to the surface i could see the ship at some distance from me, fighting her way through the storm. i was almost suffocated by the spray which continually blew over me, and the heavy sea boots which i wore, filling with water, threatened to drag me down. i had given myself up for lost, when i noticed a spar floating near, which must have been washed overboard with me, and, making an effort, i succeeded in laying hold of it, so that i managed to keep afloat. thus holding to the spar and swimming, sometimes with one hand and sometimes with the other, i kept my head above water until my feet touched ground, when i waded upon the shore of an island, where i fell down exhausted, and for the time lost consciousness. when i came to myself it was almost dark. i had fortunately been carried by a current upon the leeside of the island, so that i was protected from the wind and sea, but my limbs felt numb and cold, while the blood coursed feebly in my veins. i felt too weary to move, and presently i fell asleep, from which i awoke, as i judged, about midnight, much refreshed. i was now once more haunted by the thought of being marooned in a strange country, so that i remained awake, bemoaning my fate and blaming myself for not having taken better precautions against such a mishap. these reflections led me so far that i began to form a project against my life, but the dawn dissipated my gloomy ideas, when i made up my mind to trust to providence, which had protected me through so many perils. i then mounted the high land to scan the horizon, but no sign of the ship could i see, so i knew myself to be again a castaway. the island appeared to be one of considerable size, very fertile and well watered. the verdure inland was unusually luxuriant, even for the tropics. from the centre of the island rose a mountain, with a smoke-cloud banging upon it, which proved it to be an active volcano. the storm had passed, and the weather was pleasant, the beat not excessive, being tempered with a land breeze. i descended after a while into a valley, where i noticed a number of fresh-water ponds, at one of which i knelt down to drink, when i perceived a prodigious quantity of bivalve shells of one single species, which formed a kind of beach, in breadth about fifteen feet. the water in the pond was clear, and although it was deep, the sand and shells at the bottom of it were easily seen. whilst i was admiring their beauties i was startled by the approach of a party of natives, the leader of whom, a tall, muscular savage, marched in front of the others, who followed him with some degree of order. from the crown of his head to his waist he was plastered with a red pigment, his frizzled-out hair being ornamented with the plumes of the bird of paradise. his dress, composed of tapa cloth, shells, and feathers, was more elaborate than any i had seen in the islands. in his hand he carried a spear tipped with white quartz. his followers were decked in similar fashion. raising his right arm in token of friendship, an overture to which i responded, the chief then addressed me in the same dialect to that used at cortes' island, which i had little difficulty in understanding, although some of the words puzzled me. "whence come you?" said he. "from the sun or the sea?" "from the sea, o chief, whither i will return when my friends, the white spirits, come for me," i answered. this reply did not seem to surprise my interrogator, who now desired me to follow him. after proceeding for some distance through a luxuriant forest we came to what appeared to be the gates of a town. two large perpendicular stones rose to the height of fourteen feet above the ground. these pillars must have been twelve feet through at the base, and five feet on top, while a still larger stone, some sixteen feet long and four feet thick, was mortised into the perpendicular columns. it was difficult to understand how such huge stones could be quarried and transported inland by a people possessing so few mechanical appliances as these savages, but to my inquiry regarding this curious gateway i was answered that the stones had been there as long as any could remember, having been placed in position by supernatural agency. at the gate of the city crouched some miserable specimens of humanity: old men and women, haggard, shrivelled, and naked. these unfortunates, i afterwards learned, were the aged and infirm, too feeble to perform their share of the work of the tribe and condemned to remain at the gateway, dependent for food upon such charity as might be given them. on entering the town we passed a number of warriors, all fine, athletic men, dressed in the same style as those who accompanied us, and painted with stripes of red, yellow, and white pigment. i was now received by a commanding figure, whom i took to be the king. he was even more gorgeously dressed than the others, with strings of bright stones round his neck and paradise plumes in his hair, while upon his head was a circlet composed of human teeth, set in clay, in the centre of which glowed an opal of extraordinary fire. his face was sullen and cruel, and his hazel eyes, with their dark lashes and yellow-tinged whites, gave to his countenance an expression scarcely human. near to him stood a group of young men, their bodies plastered with a bright red pigment, who appeared to be his personal attendants, or slaves. this savage now addressed me, asking the same questions as the other chief, to which i returned similar answers. i was then led to a house with a beehive-shaped roof, where food was brought to me, consisting of coconuts and bananas, with a luscious kind of fruit i had never before tasted, but which i found very palatable. after my meal i was taken before the queen. chapter xvii queen melannie the queen was white--indeed very pale--with large dark eyes, and brown hair that hung down in its natural beauty, untouched by the pigments with which the savages convert their own hair into mops. she was dressed in a robe of white tapa cloth with strings of bright shells and gold ornaments upon her neck and arms. upon her head was a diadem of white clay encrusted with uncut gems. the throne upon which she sat was of polished marble. her left hand rested upon the woolly head of a black boy, who showed his white teeth as we entered. in her right hand she carried a human skull. the queen, though very beautiful, looked sad. she could not have been more than eighteen years old, and it was evident she came from european descent, and was in no way related to the savages by whom she was surrounded. and now i bethought me if i would gain favour i must make a present to the queen, and remembering a small mirror i had with me, set in a silver frame, which anna had given me as a parting gift, i took it from my pocket and presented it to queen melannie, the name by which her people addressed her. it cost me a pang to part with it, but i reflected that if these savages killed me, as seemed likely unless i could ingratiate myself with them, the mirror would, with equal certainty, pass into their hands as if i voluntarily surrendered it. the queen uttered an exclamation of surprise when she caught sight of her face in the looking glass, nor could some of her attendants who stood near resist the temptation to look over her shoulder in order to see the reflection of their own faces also. nothing that i could have given the queen would have pleased her more. my present at once brought me into favour, for all appeared to regard such a prodigy as the work of immortals. queen melannie, having appropriated anna's mirror, and finding i understood what she said to me, then dismissed her attendants and invited me to a private audience. i asked her how she, a white lady, came to be among savages, but she could tell me nothing except that she remembered standing upon the beach as a child, alone, when it was very cold, and that she cried very much, until the natives had brought her into this house, where she had been reared and cared for ever since. "they tell me i was born of the sea," she said, "but i do not believe that, for i seem to remember other faces, like yours, before i came here." it was then plain to me that this poor girl had been shipwrecked as a child, and cast upon this island. it was sad to think that one so beautiful should be condemned to live among savages, but i reflected that my own case was no better, for it seemed unlikely i would return to civilization. melannie appeared to place full confidence in me from our first meeting. "i am not really queen," she said. "ackbau is king, and i must do as he tells me. he makes me speak his words, but sometimes i would rather not say what he bids me." i sympathized with her, for i could readily understand why this ackbau, who was the chief before whom i had been taken, chose her to be his mouthpiece. she had become a goddess to the tribe, and it was thought she could speak nothing wrong. so that by using her as his medium ackbau gained his ends without accepting responsibility. whilst i was talking to the queen i could not help admiring the jewels in her diadem, and seeing i was pleased with them she invited me to accompany her to a rock cavern near to her dwelling, where i saw such an accumulation of wealth that i began to picture myself among the richest of men. the floor of this cave was carpeted with gold dust, and nuggets of the same precious metal were piled high against its walls. but what caused me to rub my eyes in wonder was a slab of opal, which seemed ablaze with the fire it contained. upon this priceless table were strewn a collection of gems, which, from the knowledge i had acquired in de decker's office at amsterdam, i knew to be of great value, but which did not appear to be so regarded by the queen, for when she had presented me with a double handful she still seemed to consider herself in my debt for the mirror and some other trifles i had given her. i now knew that i had come to the island of gems of which hartog had spoken. but, alas! of what use was all this wealth, since i could not spend it in this place, and it seemed improbable i would ever go back to my own country? melannie now returned to her dwelling, which i subsequently found she seldom left, except at night, which accounted for the fairness of her skin. all festivals were held at night, by moonlight, and what struck me as peculiar was the absence of fire. fish and shellfish were eaten raw, but many subsisted entirely upon coconuts and fruit, which grew upon the island in great profusion. the native city in which i now found myself consisted of a number of dwellings of beehive shape, thatched with grass, and usually about twelve feet high. the queen's house was about three times as large as the others, and was placed in the centre of the town, with an avenue of trees, and a clear space before it for tribal dances or meetings. ackbau also lived in a large house. on the reserve around the queen's palace, the older men spent most of the day in gossiping, or playing upon reed pipes, which furnished their sole musical instrument. the younger men made nets, mended weapons, or shaped stones for their slings. the natives in this island did not appear to understand the use of the bow and arrow, their only weapons being clubs, slings, and spears. the spears were made of hard wood, polished and inlaid with pearl shell and beaten gold. the slings were of plaited fibre, the stones being rounded like an egg. the clubs were of various shapes, some with rounded heads, and others bent and pointed like a pick. chapter xviii a queen's favourite three days after my coming to the island of gems i discovered, to my embarrassment, that queen melannie regarded me with more than royal favour. it had been her custom to seclude herself from her people except upon occasions, but now she preferred to walk with me daily upon the cliffs, or among the rich foliage, which made a natural garden in the valleys. none molested us, for those to whom the queen showed favour were taboo to the rest of the tribe, so that as long as i retained her goodwill i was safe. but who would be dependent upon a woman's whim? "you do not love me, peter," she said, for i had told her my name, "not as i love you. your blood is cold. it does not run warm as mine does when i hold you to me." i tried to pacify her, but she would not be satisfied. "you do not love me! you cannot love me!" she repeated. "they want me to give you to the snake god. why should i keep you if you do not love me?" this was the first time she had threatened me, and i began to realize that the love she professed was tempered by a degree of venom which at any moment might consign me to some cruel death. surely no man was placed in such a dilemma as that in which i now found myself. in all my adventures i had never felt so helpless as i did when dealing with this wilful queen. i dared not tell her of my love for anna holstein, for i knew that such a confession would quickly seal my doom. yet i could not return her love, for anna was never out of my thoughts. meanwhile ackbau watched us closely, content to bide his time. the people upon this island were unlike any i had previously met with. i conjectured that in ages past some tribe of indians had migrated to it, for that indian blood flowed in the veins of its present inhabitants seemed beyond doubt. their intelligence exceeded that of aborigines, and their language contained words of hindu origin. as for the queen, i set her down for a portuguese maiden, whose mother must have accompanied the captain of some trading vessel, probably in search of the island of gems, when, by a stroke of fate, the ship, with all hands, had foundered, leaving melannie the sole survivor. ackbau seldom spoke to me, and when he did his tone was unfriendly. "the white man will make good sport at the coming of the snake god," he said to me once when i had angered him by walking out with the queen, and those with him had laughed, and had looked at me in a manner that made me speculate upon what cruel fate it was to which they, in their own minds, had already consigned me. of the tortures practised by the islanders upon those who offended them, i was not left long in doubt. there had lately been a war, so melannie told me, between this people and those of an adjacent island in which some captives had been taken who, according to custom, would be offered in sacrifice to propitiate one of the many evil spirits whom these benighted people worship. on the day of the sacrifice i was bidden to be present, and not daring to refuse, i accompanied the queen to a barren spot at the foot of the mountain where some gaunt trees rose out of a bed of lava. here we found ackbau haranguing the victims, and describing to them the tortures they would shortly be called upon to suffer. one of the captives had been prepared for the sacrifice, and, but for the gravity of his position, his appearance might have excited mirth. his body was encased in a kind of basket from which his head, arms, and legs protruded, giving him the appearance of a gigantic insect. to the top of the basket, or tamgky, to give it its native name, was attached a rope of flax, the end of which had been thrown over a branch of one of the trees to the height of about forty feet from the ground. by command of ackbau, a file of warriors now began to pull upon this rope, when the victim was drawn up to the branch over his head, where melannie told me he would be allowed to remain until, in the course of time, the rope rotted away, when the skeleton would fall to the ground. the object of enclosing the vital parts of the victim in a basket was that death might come as slowly as possible. some would live, so the queen assured me, for many days, during which time of agony their faces and the exposed parts of their bodies would be devoured by ants and other venomous insects. yet melannie sat unmoved by the sight of these tortures, and even smiled when the poor wretch had been drawn up to his awful doom, and cried out in his agony. for that smile i felt that i could kill her. unable to control myself in the presence of such barbarities, i abruptly left the place of execution and began to ascend the mountain, at the foot of which the sacrifices were made, which i could see was the cause of a commotion among the natives. as none offered to stay me, however, i continued my way up the steep sides, which i found to be composed of rocks and scoria, with occasional patches of coarse grass. among the slag of metals between the crevices of the rocks i unearthed a number of gems, though none so large as those which melannie had given me, which i added to the collection i carried in a belt i had made for the purpose. i knew it was unlikely these bits of coloured crystal would ever be of value to me, but i carried them in the hope that some day i might be rescued, when i would return home possessed of the wealth i had coveted, and which i had risked my life to obtain. as i explored the mountain i could hear the rumbling of the volcanic fire within, while as i proceeded a rain of fine dust descended, making further progress disagreeable. earth tremors also warned me that the crust here was thin, and therefore dangerous. the mountain seemed on the verge of eruption, and i wondered that no alarm for the safety of the town built at the foot of it had been shown by melannie and her people. but i remembered that volcanoes, like all great works of nature, measure time by the lapse of ages, and that a thousand years will often pass between the convulsions of the internal fires which find an outlet through the earth's craters. the smoke and heat of the mountain, however, reminded me of my tinder-box, and i gathered some flints, of which there were a number lying round, before returning to my dwelling in the native town. i had kept my ability to make fire, so far, secret, but if my life was threatened i resolved to kindle a conflagration that would sweep the island. when the queen and her followers returned from the place of execution melannie sent for me. "have a care, peter," she said. "we are ruled here by customs which may not be changed. already ackbau is jealous of the favour i have shown you. to go upon the mountain, which is forbidden country, may be made an argument in favour of thy death, from which even i cannot save you." i pleaded an excuse for infringing the taboo, but melannie shook her head. then she embraced me and begged me to forgive her ill-humour. "you will not leave me, peter," she pleaded. "you are strong--stronger than ackbau, and will protect me from him." "but you are queen, are you not?" i answered. "yes, i am queen," replied melannie, "but i do not love my people as i should do. i wish they would make ackbau king, so that i might be free as others are." she tried to embrace me, but i disengaged myself from her. i could not take her to my heart, coming, as she did, a willing spectator from the place of sacrifice. chapter xix i become chief cook i now resolved to introduce the cooking of food upon the island. from the fish and clams which the natives offered me in their raw state i turned in disgust, but i reflected that, cooked, they would make excellent eating. i was tired of fruit, and craved a more substantial diet. how long i might be compelled to remain upon this island i knew not. perhaps i was destined to spend the rest of my life upon it. why, then, should i be deprived of the luxury of cooking my food, when, with my flint and steel, i possessed the means of making a fire? when i spoke of my intention to melannie she failed to grasp my meaning. she had no notion of fire except in connexion with the smoke on the mountain, and when i told her i could make fire like that and convert it to my use, she became incredulous. "if you can make fire, peter," she said, "you are greater than all the gods upon the island. whoever heard of making fire?" in order to convince her, and to test the effect which my fire might have upon these islanders, i invited her to accompany me to a remote part of the island, seldom visited, where i had already constructed a fire-place and collected a quantity of fuel, of which there was an abundance lying round. she came with me fearlessly, for she trusted me entirely, and her intelligence, which was superior to the islanders', made her less superstitious than the savages over whom she nominally reigned. when she saw the dried wood and leaves i had collected in my fire-place she appeared to think i had become suddenly demented, as sometimes happened to the people on the island, when they were thought to be possessed by evil spirits. when i took up my flint and steel, however, and began to strike sparks on to the prepared tinder, she drew back alarmed, although her woman's curiosity conquered her desire to run away. but when the sparks lighted the dried leaves, causing the wood to crackle and burn, she would have fled if i had not detained her. "there is no magic in fire-making, melannie," i said, trying to allay her fears; "all white men make fires. it is as necessary to them as air and water." but it was hard to convince the queen of this. she looked at my fire, which now burned brightly, with wonder and alarm. "of a truth, peter," she said, "thy magic is beyond me. i know now thou art indeed come from the sun. no man born of men could work such marvel." i had brought with me a fine fish, caught that morning from the rocks, which i had sealed and cleaned with my dagger-knife, and i now toasted it over the hot coals, after which i enjoyed the most satisfying meal i had tasted since i had been cast upon the island. i induced melannie to eat some of the fish, which she found so much to her liking that her fear of the fire changed to admiration for what it could do. "when my people eat of this delicious food," she said, "they will worship you." i had no desire to be worshipped. all i asked was permission to eat my grilled fish in peace. but melannie was so delighted with her meal that she made me promise to prepare a fish each day for our mutual enjoyment. for some days we continued to dine by stealth. fish were plentiful, and we also found the bivalves i had noticed on my first landing round the fresh water pools very palatable. at length our daily absence from the village, always at the same hour, excited suspicion, and spies were set upon us, who reported we were making another smoke mountain, which led to a surprise visit from ackbau, who came upon us one day when our meal was preparing. i had made some rude vessels of clay, hardened by fire, in which to boil the shell-fish, and with these simmering in the pot, and a fine rock cod grilling upon the hot coals, we were awaiting our dinner with pleasurable anticipation, when ackbau appeared. he was too astonished at what he saw to find fault, and when, later, he had eaten of grilled cod and boiled clams, seasoned with salt and cut-up bananas, a recipe which melannie, with her woman's instinct, had invented for the preparation of this delicacy, he was so pleased with his food that he forgot to be ill-tempered. after this surprise visit from ackbau our privacy was at an end. next day the whole council came to dinner. they brought with them a quantity of fish and clams, which they wanted cooked, and it became necessary to make fresh fires, and to instruct them in the art of cooking. this was soon done, for the natives, when shown our simple methods, very quickly began to understand what was required of them, and they became so interested in the cookery that for the time being all other business on the island was suspended. soon the whole tribe took part in the cooking, and fires burned all along the shore at which fish and clams prepared as melannie directed were converted into luscious banquets for the astonished islanders. nothing else was thought of but cooking and eating, and the natives often gorged themselves to such an extent that they were unable for hours to stir from the spot. this soon gave rise to disagreements and led to quarrels, until at length ackbau, who in his own way was a born organizer, called the council together and enacted laws for the regulation of the cookery. by these laws cooks were appointed, of whom i was made chief, and it became an offence, punishable by death, for any except those duly qualified to indulge in cooking. regulations were also made for the distribution of food, and each day, at stated hours, the tribe assembled round the fires, when they were served with their portions, which they greedily devoured. there were no birds upon the island, or i might have added game to our bill of fare, but turtles were plentiful, and, when captured, were cooked under my directions in a manner which convinced the savages that i was of divine origin. the method of fire-making i kept to myself, rightly conceiving that so long as i preserved this secret my life would be spared. but notwithstanding the improvement in their mode of living which i had brought to these people by the introduction of the use of fire amongst them, i could see that ackbau still regarded me with disfavour. his cruel nature, moreover, began to suggest to him another use to which fire might be applied. one of his slaves inadvertently picked up a burning brand, which burnt his fingers, and the pain which it caused suggested to ackbau that fire might be employed in torture. he ruled by fear, and the fear of fire had now become universal among the islanders. ackbau spoke to me privately with regard to the making of this new element, and even offered to give me a seat on the council if i would surrender to him my flint and steel, but i told him that to me alone was committed the power of making fire, and that any other attempting it would bring upon himself inevitable disaster. ackbau's ambition to become a fire-maker was checked for the moment, but i could see it was not satisfied. chapter xx the snake god i was now to meet with a surprise. the chief deity worshipped by the people of the island of gems was a snake god, a monster who at regular, intervals visited a coral cave rising out of a pool of water said to be fathomless, from which i conjectured it was connected with the sea. the water in this pool was of a deep blue colour, salt to the taste, which further convinced me of its link with the ocean. on the first night of each full moon a human sacrifice was offered, with which the monster retreated into the coral cave, where it remained feasting upon its victim three days. during this period the natives continued without sleep, and fasting. at the end of three days the snake god disappeared, nor was it seen again until its next periodical visit. there ran, a legend among the people of the island of gems that if a human sacrifice was not made to the snake god at the time of its coming, the island would be destroyed and its people exterminated, so that great care was taken to provide the monster with its accustomed tribute. prisoners of war, and all strangers found upon the island, were, in the first place, offered to the snake god, and, failing these, a victim was chosen among the tribe. it now appeared, so far as i could gather from ackbau, who made no secret of his intentions regarding me, that had it not been, for the arrival of another stranger upon the island, i myself would have been offered as a sacrifice to the snake god at his next coming, and it was for this reason i had been received with apparent friendship. but a fresh captive being taken soon after i had been washed ashore had caused a change of plan very much to my advantage. queen melannie also had interested herself in my favour, and had refused to speak words at the secret council which would have decreed my death. but i might assure myself, said ackbau, that my fate was only delayed, and at the coming of the snake god, next after the one immediately expected, my death had been decided upon. i appealed to melannie, but she could only confirm what ackbau had told me. "i cannot save you, peter," she said, "unless you will become my husband, when, if you are strong, we may overcome ackbau, and rule as king and queen upon this island. but if that cannot be, let us escape by a means that i know of." i put aside the question of marriage, but i eagerly embraced the proposal to escape. melannie then led me, secretly, by a path known only to ackbau, the council, and herself, to a rock cavern close to the water's edge, in which was kept a ship's boat, which the queen told me had been washed ashore at the same time when, she was found crying upon the beach. it was a well-built, serviceable cutter, with spare oars, and a sail stowed under the thwarts, just as they had been placed in her when she had put to sea, but there was neither food nor water in the boat, although i discovered a water-tank forward, which could readily be filled from one of the many streams on the island. i became so excited at the prospect of escape that melannie looked grave. "you are glad to go, peter," she said. "go, then; take the boat, and leave me to my fate." "not so, melannie," i answered. "i will take you with me, and restore you to your own people. it is not meet that a white girl, such as thou, should abide with savages." at these words melannie recovered her gaiety. "let me go with thee, peter," she said, clapping her hands with pleasure. "it is all i ask. but if we would not be followed by war canoes, which could easily overtake us, we must use much cunning in the manner of our going." we then took counsel together, when melannie advised that our best chance to escape would be at the time of the coming of the snake god. when the monster appeared, and for three days afterward, while it remained in the coral cave, the savages would be held to the spot by their traditions from which nothing would induce them to depart. we might then slip away unobserved, and be out of sight of land before the ceremonies in connexion with the sacrifice were over. this appearing to be our opportunity, we at once set about making preparations. from a stream near the cave i filled the boat's water-tank, and we collected a quantity of coconuts, bananas, and other fruits, which we stowed on board; nor did i forget to take some of the largest gems from the treasure cave, which i stuffed into my belt with the others. the gold i did not touch. it was heavy to carry, and its transport might have caused suspicion. we also launched the boat, with some difficulty, into a natural boat harbour formed by a coral reef, so that no time might be lost in getting away. all being ready, we waited impatiently for the day upon which we had planned to set out upon our voyage. during this time i observed a change upon the mountain in the centre of the island. the smoke cloud, which always hovered over it, had increased until it hung like a funeral pall over the top of the volcano. loud rumblings also were heard like distant thunder, while earth tremors were constantly felt. i mentioned these matters to melannie, but she did not appear to attach any importance to them. "the mountain was always like that," she said. "perhaps the evil spirits who live there are angry." but i knew from my reading and experience that these signs and portents were such as heralded an eruption. in the excitement of leaving the island, however, i forgot my anxieties with regard to the volcano. i now questioned melannie with regard to the white stranger whose coming had saved me from being offered as a sacrifice to the snake god. at first she refused to tell me anything concerning him, but when i pressed her she conducted me to a cavern in which the captive was confined. the door of this dungeon was a swinging rock, which melannie caused to open by some means of which she knew the secret, when the wretched man who was reserved for the sacrifice was seen crouching in darkness at the farther end of the cave. he came toward us bent double. there was a scared look upon his face. the light dazzled him. i knew him at once, and held my breath. it was van luck. when he saw me he threw himself upon his knees and implored me to save him, but i told him i had no power to avert his death even if i would. in answer to my question as to how he came upon the island, he answered, that almost at the same time as i had been washed overboard he himself had been precipitated by a wave into the sea. "well, van luck," i said to him. "it seemeth to me that the hand of providence is in this business. but for your conduct we had both now been on board the 'arms of amsterdam,' yet no sooner was i cast into the sea by your treachery than you were made to follow me, to be brought to this island, where, but for your coming, i would have been subject to the cruel fate which now awaits you." "mercy!" he cried. "i do not fear death. but the death that i am to suffer is not for a human to contemplate. if you cannot save me, at least kill me, so that i may escape the torture of being devoured alive." but i was powerless to aid him, and at a sign from melannie, who was fearful lest our visit might be discovered, i stepped back, as the rock at the mouth of the cave returned to its place, and consigned the miserable captive to a darkness from which he would not emerge until the time for the sacrifice. chapter xxi a plan of escape i was now of two minds, whether to make terms with ackbau or to endeavour to escape with melannie from the island of gems in the boat we had made ready for sea. on the one hand was immediate safety, and the prospect of some ship calling at the island in which i might return to civilization. on the other was a hazardous journey alone with a young girl, who could not be expected to realize the dangers which lay before her. was i justified, i asked myself, in exposing the queen to the tragedy which might await us upon the ocean? if captured i had no doubt that both of us would be condemned by ackbau to a cruel death, and if we succeeded in getting away how should we exist until some chance vessel came to our rescue? i mentioned my fears to melannie, but she would not hear of abandoning the project we had formed. "let us go, peter," she urged. "nothing but death, or worse, awaits us here. as for you, at the next coming of the snake god after the one that is about to take place you will assuredly be offered as a sacrifice, for i may tell you that a solemn vow has been made by the council to that effect. while i, at the same time, am to be given in marriage to ackbau, a fate from which i shrink more than from death. why, then, should we exchange the chance of reaching the country you speak of for the tortures which must certainly await us here? let us trust ourselves to the sea rather than cling to this land of sorrow. if we perish, we perish." i could not but agree that her argument contained much good sense, and i admired the courage with which she was ready to face the worst that fate might have in store for us. "let it be so then, melannie," i answered. "may heaven deal with me as i deal with thee in protecting us both from evil." after arriving at this decision we agreed there must be no turning back, and it only now remained to await the night upon which the unfortunate van luck would be offered to the snake god in order to make good our escape. meanwhile we were allowed to wander about the island together as before. ackbau having obtained the decree of the council for my death, and his own marriage with the queen, could afford to wait, nor did he appear anxious to deprive melannie of the pleasure which she found in my company, until i was removed from his path. melannie, although arrived at woman's estate, was but a child at heart, and, as a child, he knew she would be content to let things drift until the moment for my execution was at hand, when it would be too late even for the queen to prevent it. i had now become much attached to melannie, feeling for her as for a dear sister. her love for me i could not return, since all my love was given to my betrothed, but next to anna i loved melannie more than anyone in the world. so far as the islanders were concerned, i was now left to my own devices. my fire-making had lost its novelty, and since it was discovered that one fire could be lighted from another my flint and steel had depreciated in value. in order to conciliate ackbau i offered to explain to him the secret of my fire-making, but he answered coldly that he himself knew how to make fire by taking a burning brand from one fire and thrusting it among dried wood and leaves, of which there were great quantities on the island, as fire had never been alight there before. "but if your fire should go out you would not know how to light it again," i argued. "i will take care that it does not go out," answered ackbau. the cooking also which i had taught them was easily performed by certain members of the tribe told off for that purpose, and i noticed that much secrecy was observed in the preparation of food. this secret was revealed to me in a startling manner when i unexpectedly came upon ackbau and some members of the council seated together enjoying a stew of what i could see was human flesh. for, indeed, what else could it be, seeing there were no animals upon the island? i mastered my horror as well as i could, for i was now in great dread of these savages, who, since they had acquired the taste for meat, appeared to have become far more ferocious and cruel than before resorting to the dreadful practice of cannibalism. my discovery, however, made me more than ever determined to rescue melannie from the companionship of these wretches who called her their queen. it was better, i argued, for her to die in her youth and innocence upon the sea, if providence so willed, than to become the wife of such a man as ackbau. i did not confide to melannie my dreadful discovery, but she was not slow in noticing a change in the demeanour of the men with whom she formerly had daily intercourse. those who had become eaters of human flesh avoided her, and even ackbau seemed ashamed to intrude himself upon her. "what is it, peter?" she asked me, and i read the questioning fear in her eyes. i did my best to pacify her, but i could see that the repugnance with which she regarded ackbau now almost amounted to a mania. "i feel inclined to run from ackbau when i see him," she said. "if he touched me i am sure that i would scream." "you will soon be beyond his power," i answered. "do not think of him, and you will not fear him." "oh, peter, take me away, i am frightened!" she sobbed. "do not let ackbau and the others come near me. they have done something. i don't know what it is. but they are not as they were before they made the fire. perhaps a curse is upon them for having stolen the secret from the smoke mountain." i tried to comfort her, but i could see that the poor child was greatly alarmed, and i determined to speak to ackbau regarding the abominable practice in which he was engaged. "had i known that my fire-making would have made a cannibal of thee, ackbau," i said, "i would never have kindled the element upon this island. fire is a useful and necessary article in the life of a good man, but it becomes a curse if put to evil purposes." "it is a curse then that will fall most heavily upon thee," answered ackbau. "as for me, this is my country, and i am king of its customs." but although he pretended to resent my interference, i could see that ackbau was ashamed of what he had done, and henceforth he avoided melannie, and seldom entered the queen's presence, so that i gained what i had in view by remonstrating with him. the thought of the fire, however, and the effect which the making of it had upon these savages, set me pondering whether this element was really the primary cause of cannibalism. no savages whom i ever met devour raw flesh, whether human or animal, so that the eating of meat by men would seem to be an acquired habit. fruit and water appear to be the natural food and drink of man, all else being artificial and vicious. chapter xxii the night of the sacrifice at last the night came when the snake god was to appear. the moon shone with wonderful brilliancy, sending a path of dancing light from the island across the sea to the horizon. the air was heavy as though presaging a storm. on the mountain the black pall was conspicuous against the star-spangled sky. a red glow from the crater illumined the dark smoke-cloud hanging over it. the silence was broken by the continued playing of reed pipes, making wonderful music. melannie sat upon a throne, close to the pool in front of the coral cave, in which the stars were reflected as in a mirror. ackbau and other chiefs stood near her. the queen was pale, but her dark eyes were resolute. she smiled when i looked at her, to give me encouragement. her subjects were assembled round the pool in a triple line. presently the beating of a war-drum announced the arrival of a procession, which advanced slowly to the pool, bearing a litter upon which, bound hand and foot, was stretched the unfortunate van luck. when they had come to the edge of the pool they set the litter down and withdrew. i had no cause to love van luck, yet there was something in his helpless misery which appealed to me, and made it impossible for me to abandon him to his fate without an effort to save him. besides, he was of my race, a white man. i could not leave him to be butchered by savages. and now the waters of the pool began to be agitated by the rising of the leviathan from its depths, and suddenly a monstrous head, mounted upon a neck full twenty feet long, rose out of the water. the body of the creature resembled that of a turtle, only ten times larger than. the biggest turtle i had ever beheld. thrice the monster circled the pool. then it began slowly to approach the litter upon which van luck lay, more dead than alive with the terror that had come upon him. i could bear no more, and, throwing prudence to the winds, i ran to help him. i was just in time to drag him beyond reach of the monster, who made a rush to the edge of the pool when he saw his prey being taken from him. a great shout arose from the savages, who seemed amazed at the act of sacrilege i had committed. the reed pipes stopped playing. melannie rose from her throne pale and trembling. ackbau advanced towards me with a threatening gesture. "this must not be, ackbau," i said, pointing to where van luck lay at my feet gazing at the monster in mute terror. "i will prevent it." ackbau gave some directions, when a number of savages advanced, evidently with the intention of taking me alive, so that i might be given to the monster, which continued to swim round the pool lashing the water into foam, and stretching its neck from side to side in anger at having been robbed of its prey. but now a new diversion arose which caused a panic among the savages. we had all been so engrossed by what was taking place at the pool that no heed had been given to the mountain. with a mighty roar which shook the island to its foundations the volcano broke into eruption. the crust had given way, and the internal fires, held in check, belched from the crater. huge rocks and stones glowing red hot were thrown to incredible heights. the earth rocked and opened, so that many were engulfed. streams of lava began to descend. the pool sank, leaving a deep pit into which the monster disappeared. the prophecy was about to be fulfilled. the snake god had been robbed of its tribute, and the island with all upon it was to be destroyed. in, their terror the savages raced for the seashore. nothing was remembered but self-preservation. i now released van luck from his bonds, and bidding him and melannie follow me, i led the way along the secret path to where the boat lay, ready to put to sea. i was rewarded for my rescue of van luck by his ability to help me. not a breath of wind stirred, so that we could not use the sail, and it became necessary to sweep the boat with the oars away from the burning island. alone i could not have accomplished this, and i doubt if melannie could have helped me, ignorant as she was of the use of the heavy oar. but van luck and i had no difficulty in sweeping the boat out to sea. thus does providence recompense a merciful action. when we had gained a safe distance from the island we rested awhile in order to look back on the strangest and most terrific sight i had ever beheld. the island seemed to be blown to atoms. flames and masses of rock shot up from the quickly-widening crater until the island, which had lately risen like a beauty-spot in the ocean, became a mass of fire. the lava, now pouring in red-hot streams into the sea, caused steam-clouds to rise, so that the island disappeared behind a luminous veil. none of the savages escaped, for we saw no canoes making from the shore. thus vanished the island of gems, with its treasure of jewels and gold, the dross of the world, in the pursuit of which so many risk their lives. a light breeze now coming from the south-east, we hoisted the sails, and taking the helm, i placed van luck in charge of the foresail, whilst melannie and i sat together in the stern. the queen did not appear to regret the loss of her country. "i am queen no longer," she said, clapping her hands at the thought of her freedom. "ackbau cannot frighten me any more, nor shall i see again those dreadful sights i was compelled to witness." "you will be happy," i whispered, "among your own people. you will be rich also, for half my jewels will make you wealthy in the land to which you are going." "nay, peter," she answered. "i need not take your jewels. i have jewels of my own. when i saw that you valued the bright stones, i knew they would be of value to me also. i have a bagful of jewels, larger than yours, and brighter." and, laughing to see the surprise she had given me, melannie drew out a handful of gems from a bag which she carried at her girdle, which glowed with a wonderful lustre under the light of the moon. it was then that i saw van luck watching us from the bow of the boat. his countenance wore a cunning, greedy look, and his eyes were fastened upon the jewels in melannie's hand. "put them away," i whispered. "such toys are often the cause of much trouble." melannie replaced the jewels, but seemed disappointed at my words. "i thought you would be glad i had brought away the bright stones," she said. "but if they are unlucky i will cast them into the sea." "nay, melannie," i answered. "keep them, for they will make you the richest among the women of your own country. but do not show them to anyone or let it be known that you have them with you, should we fall in with a passing ship, or they may cause our ruin, perhaps our death." melannie seemed to understand me, but her pleasure in the bright stones had received a check since her display of them had brought a rebuke from my lips. chapter xxiii at the mercy of the sea when morning broke on the day after our escape from the burning island we shaped a course with the wind, for i had no fixed purpose, and our only hope of returning to civilization lay in a chance meeting with some passing vessel. yet i knew how remote that chance would be. the sea in these latitudes was not in the course of trade between any of the countries of the known world, and voyages of discovery such as those undertaken by dirk hartog and other navigators of the time were few and far between. still i conceived it to be my duty to make the best use of the means which providence had placed in my hands of returning to home and friends, and as the cutter danced over the waves, and the salt spray moistened our faces, i felt my spirits rise. melannie, in her new-found freedom, was like a happy child. "let us sail on for ever, peter," she said. "i never want to put my foot on land again." i tried to tell her that we could not live long upon the ocean; that our food and water would fail us; and that unless we fell in with a ship, or landed upon some friendly island, our doom was sealed. but melannie refused to look upon the graver side of our situation, and seemed so happy and contented that i did not like to spoil her enjoyment with my dismal forebodings. time enough, i thought, to meet trouble when it comes. meanwhile we continued our voyage as a pleasure trip, eating the fruit we had brought with us when we felt hungry, and quenching our thirst from the boat's water-tank, with no care for the future. during this time van luck resumed his former air of abstraction, which i had noticed in him on board the "arms of amsterdam". for hours at a time he would remain silent, looking across the sea with his hand shading his eyes in the watchful attitude which had become habitual to him during his solitary vigils at the island upon which we had found him. if spoken to when this fit was upon him, he would not answer, nor did he, at such times, appear to realize where he was. i could see that his mind was deranged, and i dreaded some violent outbreak, such as that which had come over him when, by his treachery, i was cast into the sea. but melannie showed no fear of him; in, her delight at being with me upon the ocean away from the savages, among whom she had been reared, she seemed to have forgotten his presence. for the next week after leaving what had been once the island of gems, we experienced a spell of fine weather, with bright sun and cool breeze. the elements seemed kind to the exiled queen without a throne, who had trusted herself to the wind and the sea, and but for the anxiety which i felt for the future, the voyage would have been a pleasant one. in order to protect melannie from the heat of midday, and to ensure her some measure of privacy, i constructed a temporary cabin for her, with some spare canvas which i found on board the boat, but at night she preferred to sleep in the open so that she might watch the stars, which shone with extraordinary brilliancy. it was then that i lowered the sails when our boat drifted upon the moonlit sea. melannie would at such times creep into my arms, and with her head pillowed upon, my breast would listen to the wonders i had to tell of the world of white people to which i hoped i was taking her. "something warns me i shall never see that country, peter," she said to me one night with a sigh, "but i like to hear you speak of it. it must be a happy land where there are no black men to frighten a poor girl and make her weep. but i shall not see it. the white spirits would not welcome me to their country if they knew of the sights i had seen and the pain i had caused to be inflicted on those whom ackbau hated." "it was not your will, but ackbau's, melannie, which caused such suffering," i answered. "none could blame you for being the mouthpiece of his villainy." but melannie shook her head. "the white man's country is not for me, peter," she declared sorrowfully. "i am too steeped in blood to take the white girls' hands in friendship." then she clung to me weeping, with her head upon my breast, and so she would sob herself to sleep like a child disappointed in play. but, knowing her history, i could not find it in my heart to blame her for what had been done at the dictation of others. i pictured her a queen, among the whites, by reason of her wealth from the sale of her jewels, who would doubtless have many noble suitors at her feet. her beauty was such as i had never seen equalled, and her imperious and sometimes wilful ways only added to her indescribable charms. it was now forced upon me that unless help came soon we must starve. our stock of fruit was almost exhausted, and scarce three quarts of water remained in the tank. i had not been able to impress upon melannie the necessity for economy in our eating and drinking. she had always been used to an abundance of simple fare, and, like a child, lived for the hour, with no thought of the future. van luck had also been in the habit of helping himself to what he wanted from our stock, nor had i liked to interfere with him lest i might cause trouble. but now i resolved to take a firmer stand with both my passengers. to add to my anxieties i could see that van luck had been attracted by the bag of jewels which melannie had so imprudently displayed on the night of our escape from the burning island. he was continually watching it when his eyes were not employed in gazing across the sea, and once i caught him creeping toward melannie when she slept as if with the intention of robbing her of the treasure. i spoke to him roughly, and ordered him back to the fore part of the boat. he obeyed, but his looks were so threatening that i momentarily expected him to attack me. i now determined to keep awake while melannie slept in order that i might watch van luck, and i impressed upon the queen that she must never sleep when i slept. thus we continued for some nights, keeping watch and watch about. but i soon found i could not trust melannie, for when i awoke i discovered her to be asleep. but in this, as in all else, melannie was such a child that i could not find it in my heart to scold her. chapter xxiv how my second voyage ended i now resolved to place van luck under restraint, for it was plain to me he was not responsible for his actions, and with this object in view i went forward one morning with a rope in my hand, intending to secure him in some way from harming himself and others. as i approached him van luck, who seemed to divine my purpose, drew back with a savage, animal-like growl. i tried to pacify him by speaking kindly, but he suddenly sprang at me with a knife in his hand. i caught his arm before he could strike, and we fell together upon the thwarts of the boat, locked in a deadly embrace. van luck was a powerful man, and his madness seemed to give him double strength. i called to melannie to keep away from us, but afraid for my safety, and fearless of her own, she hurried to my assistance. "get my knife," i whispered, for i was unable to draw it myself from its sheath by my side. the brave girl stooped to do my bidding, when the madman, at the same moment, wrenched his arm free and struck her. melannie fell with a low moan upon the thwart beside me, and van luck, snatching the bag of gems from where it hung at her girdle, retreated with his prize to the stern. i was soon upon my feet, and lifting melannie into a more easy position, i turned my attention to van luck. he was sitting in the stern, handling the gems and mumbling over them, and when he saw me he clutched the bag, and, springing up, made as though to run from me, unmindful of the fact that we were tossing in mid-ocean. without turning his head from looking back at me, he stumbled blindly into the sea, where he soon became lost amid the grey waves that rose on every side. when i returned to melannie i could see that she was sinking fast. i did my best to staunch the blood which flowed from her breast. but her whitened face, upon which the dews of death were gathering, warned me she had not many moments to live. "kiss me, peter," she whispered. "it is better that i should go. you do not love me; you cannot love me as i love you. there is some one else whom you love. i know it; i have felt it. go to her, peter, but do not quite forget me." these were her last words, and, when i kissed her, melannie, queen of the island of gems, had crossed the waters of the great divide. next day i consigned her body to the deep wrapped in her robe of white tapa cloth which formed her shroud. i was now alone upon the waste of waters, with barely three days' provisions between me and a slow and painful death. to add to my anxieties i could see that the weather, which had been calm and fine since my leaving the island, was about to change. storm clouds gathered on the horizon. the sun was obscured. rain fell, and the wind rose until it blew with the force of a tempest. i managed, with difficulty, to unship the sail, and devoted myself to baling the boat, which threatened at any moment to be swamped by the green water which came aboard of her. all that day, and the next, i was driven by the storm whither i knew not. the fruit which remained from our store was now rendered uneatable by reason of the salt water, in which it washed from side to side as the boat tossed and buffeted upon her way. a was famished and numb with cold. yet, even in my extremity, i clung to life, and my last act of consciousness was to secure myself by a rope to the thwart upon which i lay. i was brought back to life by a flask of spirits held to my lips, and upon opening my eyes i became conscious of a bronzed, kindly face looking down at me in the water-logged boat. "hold up, lad," said my preserver in english, a language with which i was well acquainted. "we'll have you aboard the 'seagull' in a jiff, and to-morrow you'll be as fit as a buck rat." i then saw that a ship's boat was alongside the cutter, manned by four men. the weather had by this time moderated, but the sea ran high. it was therefore no easy matter to shift me from the cutter into the boat, for i was helpless and weak as a child from exposure to wind and sea. but willing hands at length effected the transfer, when we made for the "seagull", which lay hove to half a mile distant. on coming aboard this vessel i was taken below and treated with great kindness, when, after my wet clothes had been set to dry, i was put into a warm bunk, a bowl of hot soup being brought to me, which, when i had taken it, sent me into a sound sleep. i awoke much refreshed, and on resuming my clothes i was glad to find that the belt in which i carried my jewels had not been interfered with. i thought it more prudent not to make mention of these gems, for i well knew that if they were found upon me i should not be allowed to keep them. the captain, having heard so much of my story as i chose to tell, promised me a passage to england, whither his ship was bound. i found the crew of the brig "seagull" to be a rough lot, of mixed nationalities, but captain bland, who was in command, was an englishman returning home after a voyage of two years in these latitudes. upon learning my rating on the "arms of amsterdam" he made me his second mate, in place of one who had died shortly before my coming on board the brig. it may be imagined with what a thankful heart i welcomed a change from the companionship of savages to that of civilized men, and when i remembered the projects i had formed against my life i realized how unwise it is to become the arbiter of one's own fate. i voyaged in the english ship without mishap so long as we sailed upon uncharted seas, but when we entered home waters we kept a sharp look-out for pirates and free-booters, who at this time took toll from all whom they encountered. off the coast of africa we exchanged signals with passing vessels, from whom we learnt that pirates had been sighted in close proximity, and one morning we noticed two schooners bearing down upon us. as the wind was in favour of the pirates, for such we judged them to be, we could not hope to outrun them, our ship being foul after her long voyage, so the men were mustered and made ready for action. while these preparations were on foot i could not help admiring the cool and fearless manner in which the english sailors set about their work. there was no hurry or confusion in their methods. each man knew his duty, and was ready to do it. with shouts and yells from the pirates on board of her, one of the schooners now ranged alongside, and the grappling irons were hove athwart our bulwarks. i sent a shower of grape from the gun, of which i had charge, upon the deck of the schooner, killing four of the pirates and wounding others, but this failed to stop the boarding party, who now swarmed upon us. the fight became general, and, led by captain bland, we engaged the robbers with such goodwill that we had almost succeeded in driving them over the side when the second schooner came up, and a fresh horde of ruffians joined in the attack. retreating aft, we again made a stand, though it was evident that, in the end, we must be overpowered, outnumbered, as we were, three to one. still we continued to fight on with no thought of surrender, for we knew that capture would mean death by walking the plank. four of the english on our side were killed, besides seven or eight of those of other nationalities, whilst many were wounded. the decks were slippery with blood, and a gathering mist made it impossible to ascertain the extent of our losses. captain bland now placed himself beside me, and together we held the pirates at bay. "this can't last, van bu," he said, "and i am resolved that my ship shall not fall into the hands of these scoundrels." "what can you do?" i answered, without pausing in my defence. "i'll fire the magazine sooner than let them take her," replied bland. "keep them in check for a while and we'll sink together." with these words he sprang to the hatchway while i continued to fight on, expecting every moment to be blown with all hands into eternity. i had given up hope, and the suspense of awaiting the expected catastrophe was so acute that i had almost made up my mind to throw myself overboard and take my chance with the sharks, when two square sails emerged out of the smoke, and the hull of a man-o'-war, with a wide spread of canvas, ranged alongside, while a number of english man-o'-war's men, led by an officer, sprang upon our decks. at the sight of the king's men the pirates flung themselves headlong aboard their schooners, and endeavoured to make off, but they were soon captured and brought back, to be afterwards tried and hanged at the yard-arm. when the man-o'-war's men boarded us, i ran down the companion stairs in search of the captain, whom i found lying senseless at the foot of the ladder. fortunately for him, and for all of us, he had been stunned by a blow from one of the pirates as he descended, and was thus prevented from carrying out his desperate resolve to fire the magazine. this was my last adventure upon the voyage, and some weeks later, without further mishap, we sighted a dutch vessel bound for amsterdam, to which, at my request, i was transferred. chapter xxv i arrive at amsterdam my first care after arriving at amsterdam was to interview the goldsmiths with a view to disposing of the jewels i had brought from the island of gems, which proved to be of such value that i realized a considerable sum by the sale of a small portion, for i wished to keep some of the best as a wedding present for anna. i lost no time in sending my compliments to the count of holstein, with a request that i might be allowed to call upon him. he consented to receive me, and i hastened to the count's palace, where i found the old nobleman prostrated with grief at the continued and unexplained illness of his only child; but when anna had seen me, and satisfied herself of my return, she recovered so rapidly that her father, on hearing from me my improved condition, and the sentiments which i entertained for his daughter, gladly gave his consent to our union. from anna i learnt of the persecution to which she had been subject from count hendrick luitken, which had mainly been the cause of her illness. convinced that she would never accept him willingly, count hendrick, unknown to her father, had attempted to abduct her to his country estate. with the aid of one of her attendants anna had made her escape, and believing me dead, while fearing further persecution, she had determined, should she be restored to health, to seek the cloister as her only safe refuge. as her tale proceeded i found it hard to restrain myself from starting off at once in pursuit of the villain who had treated my loved one so shamefully, and i promised myself to bring him to account when the opportunity should arise. i next sought hartog at the tavern which i knew he frequented. when he saw me he cried out, "is it you or your ghost, peter? i had never looked to see thee again, lad. i'd sooner have thee back than salvage all the gold in the orient." i thanked him for his welcome, which i knew to be genuine, and taking a seat at his right hand, i began to tell him of my adventures since we last met. when he heard it was owing to the treachery of van luck i had been cast into the sea to be washed ashore on the island of gems, and of the subsequent fate of the island and of van luck, he became so interested that he promised to meet me later, when i could give him a more detailed account of all that had befallen me. i offered to share with him my jewels, but to this he would not consent. "nay, peter," he said, "i take no treasure that i had no hand in getting. i am no pirate to rob a friend to whom chance and opportunity have proved kind, but if it would pleasure thee to give me a keepsake, i will wear one of thy jewels set as a brooch, as a reminder of thy goodwill. i am, moreover, in no need of money, for the gold we took at cortes' island proved of greater value than i expected, and of this your share, together with the wages due to you, i will see to it is honestly paid by the merchants at amsterdam. besides, who knows we may sail together again?" but at this i shook my head. "no more voyages for me, hartog," i said, "i have had my share of the rough side of life, and will now be content with the smooth." "and you not thirty!" laughed hartog. "nay, peter, i'll never believe it of you, that having tasted of adventure, you will be satisfied with a humdrum life ashore." i was now rich by the sale of my jewels, and able to choose for myself my future mode of life. count holstein advised me in the disposal of my wealth, and a fine estate being for sale not far from his own, i purchased it. i urged my parents, who still resided upon the island of urk, where my father followed the occupation of a fisherman, to give up this mode of earning a livelihood and retire into private life, when i promised to make them a handsome allowance. but they would not consent to abandon their independence. "i am not an old man, peter," said my father, when i spoke to him on the subject, "and i have, i hope, still many useful years' work in me. i have always been a fisherman. my father was a fisherman, and so was his father before him. fishing is the only work i understand. it is honest work. why then should i live in idleness upon thy bounty, when i can still play my part in the world?" i could not but see the force of his argument, so i contented myself with making my parents comfortable in the old home by adding many improvements which my mother desired but could not afford, while i presented my father with a new fishing-boat fitted with all the latest improvements. it is wonderful, the power of money. it brought a new happiness into the lives of my parents, and it made my mother look ten years younger. my father also, and my two brothers, who were all fishermen, had now come to regard me as the flower of the flock. yet they had not scrupled to knock me about, with little ceremony, in the days of my boyhood; nor do i think they would have been behindhand in finding fault with me for my folly, had i returned from my second voyage as poor and needy as from the first. but such is life, and a man must take what comes, and make the best of it and not the worst; so i accepted my new role as the patron saint of my family with philosophy and content. anna approved my parents' decision not to give up their independence. she came with me to see my mother, and i soon found that, as true women, there was no inequality between them. anna had lost her own mother when she was too young to remember, and she clung to her new mother that was to be with an affection born of her loving nature. in a word, my jewels had brought me the only true happiness which wealth can give--the power of making others happy. chapter xxvi happily married i now resolved to bring count hendrick luitken to account for his treatment of anna, though i did not desire that anna's name should appear in the matter, so that gossip might be avoided. i therefore bided my time, and waited an opportunity which soon came. the count of holstein had resigned the governorship of urk, and now kept a fine establishment at amsterdam, to which he frequently invited company, and at one of his banquets i met, as i expected, count hendrick luitken. as a merchant's clerk, and afterwards as a seaman, the count had taken no notice of me, but now that i was rich and betrothed to anna, he could do no less than treat me with consideration when he met me at her father's house. the banquet was sumptuous, and no effort was spared to make it worthy of the late governor's hospitality. only men were invited, no women being present, so that free scope was given for the gluttony and drunkenness which usually prevailed at such entertainments. great joints of beef and venison vanished like melting snow before the keen-set appetites of the diners, and goblets of wine disappeared down thirsty throats until all present were more or less under the influence of liquor. toward the end of the entertainment, some horse-play was indulged in by the younger guests, among whom count hendrick luitken was conspicuous. i could see he was the worse for liquor, and as often happens to those under the influence of strong drink, his veneer gave place to a quarrelsome arrogance in which his true disposition was displayed. accompanied by some of his friends as boisterous as himself, he came over to where i was sitting, and, planting himself in a vacant chair on the other side of the table in front of me, he asked rudely how the fishing trade prospered at urk. i felt the blood mount to my face as i answered that for all i knew to the contrary it prospered well enough, although i had for some years past been away from urk, and could therefore not answer the question as fully as i might otherwise have done. "you've been a pirate since you gave up the fishing," sneered the count, "and to some purpose if report speaks true." for answer i threw the wine which stood in a half-emptied goblet at my elbow in his face. the count sprang to his feet, the red wine dripping from his handsome doublet, while his face worked with passion. "insolent!" he cried, when he had mastered himself sufficiently to articulate. "my rank will not let me fight you, but i have influence enough to punish you as you deserve." "no difference in rank exists between us, my lord," i answered, "and i claim the right to cross swords in an affair of honour with all save those of royal blood. grant me the satisfaction i demand, or i will brand you as a braggart and a coward throughout every town of the netherlands." i could see that the count changed colour at my words. as the son of a fisherman he could have pleaded his nobility as an excuse for not meeting me, and had me punished by the law, but he had forgotten that my betrothal to anna carried with it a dignity equal to his own, or i doubt he had been so ready with his tongue. a hasty consultation was held among those who were with him, from which it appeared i was judged to be in the right, for presently the count turned and said to me, with a surly frown, "at dawn, then, in the courtyard," and quitted the hall. such scenes were not uncommon at this time, and beyond a question or two in our immediate vicinity, but little notice was taken of what had occurred. but hugh bergin, a friend who offered to second me in my affair with the count, advised some rest before the hour of meeting, which was now almost at hand, for it was said the count was a skilful swordsman, who had never yet failed to kill or maim his adversary in a duel. hugh bergin and i were first in the courtyard at break of day, and here we were presently joined by the count and his seconds. count hendrick luitken and i now stepped forward, and, the rapiers living been handed to us, we fell to the task of i trying to kill one another according to the rules of the duello. at first i parried the count's attack, in order that i might learn the extent of his boasted skill, but i soon found myself to be his equal, if not his superior, in sword play, for i had spent much of my spare time in the gymnasium at amsterdam, where i had become the favourite pupil of the instructor. the count, i thought, seemed surprised at my cunning in fence, and lost the confident smile with which he had first, regarded me. presently i felt the point of my rapier touch his tunic upon the breast, and, in my sensitive grasp, i knew that my blade had encountered steel. the look which i gave him must have conveyed to him the knowledge that i had discovered his treachery, for he set his lips and attacked me with even greater fury than before, but my blood was up, and i beat his guard down with such force that i was presently enabled, by a trick i had learnt, known as binding the blade, to wrest the weapon from his hand. the seconds would now have interfered, but my temper was not to be restrained, and, to the astonishment of those present, i seized the count by the throat, and, tearing open his tunic, laid bare a breastplate which he wore next his skin. no blow that i could have struck this cowardly noble would have hurt him so much as this exposure. with shamefaced looks his seconds led him away. this was the last i saw of him, for he soon after left holland, and took service with the spaniards, with whom he had long been in league. some years later he was condemned as a heretic, and suffered death by torture at the hands of the inquisition. nothing now stood between me and my marriage with anna, which was duly celebrated with much pomp at the count of holstein's town palace, after which anna and i retired to my country estate, there to live, as i thought, the rest of our days in peace. dirk hartog, to whom i bade good-bye after the wedding, for his restless spirit was away again upon a fresh voyage, predicted i would one day become weary of inaction. "if ever the roving spirit comes over thee, peter," he said as he wrung my hand at parting, "there's always a place for thee aboard my ship. travel once tasted is a lodestone that draws the spirit from the cosiest corner to fresh adventure." but at this i shook my head. "here is my lodestone," i said, and i pressed anna to my heart. but who can foretell the future, or predict the decrees of fate? chapter xxvii once more to the south five years of wedded happiness followed my return to amsterdam from my second voyage with dirk hartog into the southern seas. i had now come to regard myself as being past the age of adventure. my income was large, my estate substantial; and the wealth i had brought back with me from the island of gems, shrewdly invested by my father-in-law, the count of holstein, enabled me to maintain a position compatible with the dignity of the noble family into which, through my marriage with anna holstein, i was admitted a member. nothing, therefore, was farther from my thoughts and inclinations than a return to the life of peril through which, in my younger days, i had passed, when suddenly the blow fell which changed all my plans. during the year 1630 an epidemic known as the "black death" raged through the netherlands, and, as one of the victims to the fell disease, anna, my wife, was taken from me. i followed her to the grave, and returned to my desolate hearth determined to die also. to this end i shut myself in the room which anna had lately occupied, where i would permit nothing to be disturbed, nor would allow any to enter. such food as i required was brought, by my orders, into an adjoining apartment, where i ate, when my appetite craved, in moody silence. dust gathered. the air in the room became oppressive. i regarded this mournful chamber as my tomb. my servants, and those who had called themselves my friends, avoided me. i heard whispers at my barred and bolted door, saying that i was mad. a madhouse i knew to be worse than a prison. i therefore resolved to leave my home before i was prevented from doing so. how long i had remained in the state of misery and dejection to which i had abandoned myself i cannot say. it must have been some considerable time, for when, at last, i came out into the light, the sun dazzled me. none offered to stop me when i left the house. many of my one-time servants had been discharged by my father-in-law, who had taken upon himself the management of my estates. the gatekeeper looked at me curiously when i passed his lodge, and that was all the notice vouchsafed me by my former dependents. i knew that dirk hartog had returned from the voyage upon which he had embarked soon after my marriage, and to him i determined to carry my broken heart. only upon that mirror of mystery known as the ocean could i look for peace. i found my old commander in the cabin of the "santa isabel", an ancient spanish vessel, reported to have voyaged to the south in 1595, when mendana, a spaniard, was sent out with instructions to establish a colony at the island of san christobal, in the solomon group, and from thence to make an attempt to discover the great southern continent. mendana's fleet consisted of three large vessels and a frigate, and, since it was intended to settle a colony, many took their wives with them, among the emigrants being mariana, the wife of lope de vega, who commanded the "santa isabel". the total number of men in the fleet was 378, of whom 280 were soldiers. the "santa isabel" became detached from the rest of the fleet, and reached the great south land, where she spent five years in a harbour said to be of great beauty and extent--the finest harbour in the world. all this we learnt, from the log of the "santa isabel", though what became of the expedition, or of those who composed it, the record did not disclose. but the reading which interested hartog most, keen treasure-hunter that he continued to be, was a paper describing some curious drawings he had found in one of the lockers of the vessel, of hands, some with six fingers, some with four, and others with only two. under these drawings was the following inscription, translated into spanish from some ancient language: "these hands are not carved upon the rocks, but are painted with a pigment that withstands the elements, and yieldeth not to time. they mark the measures of gold obtained." then followed a rude chart giving the latitude and longitude of the place which hartog professed his ability to find. "join me, peter," he said, "and let us ship together. there's treasure to be won, dangers to be passed, and forgetfulness to be had in the south. you are still a young man--in your prime. is it fair that you should set yourself against that which plainly hath been decreed by fate?" these words of hartog moved me, as well they might, and i placed myself unreservedly in his hands. my father-in-law, when he was made acquainted with my desire to embark upon another voyage, offered no opposition. he was, i imagine, glad to be rid of me, perceiving that my moods ashore might interfere with the plans he had formed for the management of my estates. so, all being settled to our mutual satisfaction, hartog and i went to work to equip our vessel, in which occupation i found relief from my sorrow, and became more reconciled to submit myself to the will of heaven. in three weeks our preparations were completed. a new ship was purchased, and commissioned without regard to cost. so much money was spent upon her that hartog called her the "golden seahorse". she carried six guns, and a brass bow-chaser, with which hartog declared we might make war upon the whole south pacific in the event of our being forced to hostilities. a great quantity of arms and ammunition was put aboard, together with a supply of beads, knives, and bright-coloured cloths to barter with the natives. berths were also found for bantum and janstins in the officers' quarters, and although hartog and i were joint owners of the "golden seahorse", and shared equally in the profit or loss of the expedition, hartog was given the supreme command. it was not until we had lost sight of land, and when i felt the call of the sea, that i ceased to mourn my lost anna, and realized my obligation to live what remained to me of life in such manner as an all-wise providence might determine. chapter xxviii the molucca islands on this voyage to the place of the painted hands dirk hartog resolved upon a different route from that taken by former navigators to the great south land, and within three months of leaving amsterdam the "golden seahorse" came to anchor among a group of islands to the north of new holland known as the molucca islands, first visited by sir francis drake in the "pelican" during the year 1579. the competition between england and holland for sea supremacy was at this time very keen, and the ships of both nations sometimes carried a broom at the masthead to signify the sweeping of the ocean. we found, however, no english or other vessels to dispute with us our landing at the moluccas, where the king received us with some ceremony. providing ourselves with presents, hartog and i, attended by the ship's officers, went ashore to pay our respects to the king, who accepted our tribute graciously, and, looking up to heaven, said: "i know that nothing happens to men which has not, long since, been decreed by fate. so bring your ship into the harbour and let your companions land in safety, in order that, after so much tossing about on the sea, and so many dangers, you may securely enjoy the comforts of life on shore and recruit your strength." having thus spoken, the king laid aside his diadem, and embraced each of us in turn. he then directed such refreshments as the country produced to be set before us. the people of the moluccas cannot be classed as savages. they possess an intelligence and form of government which lifts them above aboriginal natives. each island has its king, who is, nevertheless, subservient to the chief thedori, by whom we were received. this monarch is a man of small stature, but reputed wise beyond the wisdom of most men. certain it is he made wise laws for the good government of his kingdom, one of which might, with advantage, be followed by law-makers in more civilized nations. this is the law which makes for peace. so long as the king upon each island maintains peace, his people show him almost divine honours; but, if he is anxious for war, they never rest till he is slain by the enemy in battle, and to this end they set him in the front rank, where he has to stand the whole brunt of the combat. his armies, moreover, do not exert themselves vigorously until they know that the king has fallen. then they begin to fight for liberty and their new king. since this law was enacted no king has entered upon a war without being slain in battle. hence peace reigns, where formerly continued hostilities prevailed. the city of porne, in which king thedori reigns as paramount chief, consists of twenty thousand houses, all of which are low-built cabins. some of the men who inhabit these dwellings have such long ears that they reach down to their shoulders, and when we expressed surprise at this, we were assured that on an island, not far off, there were men who had such large ears, that with one ear they could, when they liked, cover the whole of their heads. but hartog disbelieved this story, nor would he visit the island when this prodigy was offered to be shown to him. we were not in, search of monsters, he said, but of treasure. we had been informed by one of the merchants at amsterdam that when we should come to the island of solo, one of the group of the molucca islands, we would find pearls as large as clove's eggs, but thedori did not encourage us when we hinted to him our desire to possess some of these marvels. they were only to be found, he said, in very deep water, and this was not the season to obtain them. we decided not to press the matter, since we desired to leave a favourable impression, but hartog promised himself a return visit, when, should friendly overtures prove of no avail, an appeal, might be made to the king's better judgment with the aid of our six guns and brass bowchaser. it is certain that pearls of great size do exist on these islands. the king wore one in his crown the size of a hen's egg. on our first night in harbour at the molucca islands we witnessed the most remarkable display i have ever beheld. the islands are well wooded, and amongst the trees by night, through the whole island, did show themselves an infinite swarm of fiery worms flying in the air, whose bodies, being no larger than common house-flies, made such a show and light as if every twig or tree had been a burning candle. in the dark recesses of the woods, also, appeared wonderful black bats, with red eyes, of which the inhabitants of this country stand in considerable dread. the bats are thought to be the spirits of departed kings, and none are allowed to molest them. from the security of our vessel, which lay close to the shore, we were able to view these marvels without danger, but the natives remained in their huts, afraid to venture forth, so that nocturnal dances, or meetings at camp fires, were here conspicuous by their absence. we now met with an adventure that was destined to influence our future in a manner we did not, at the time, foresee, or it is doubtful but we would have hesitated before granting an asylum to the miserable fugitive from king thedori's tyranny, who now came aboard. pedro de castro, the name of this refugee, a spaniard, informed us that for some time past he had been held as hostage by thedori. three years before our visit to the moluccas, so ran his tale, a spanish vessel, of which de castro was first officer, had called at the islands. the captain and crew had been well received by the king, who had pretended the same friendliness towards them as he had shown to us. but so soon as a favourable opportunity offered, thedori had looted the ship, and taken pedro prisoner, declaring he would hold him to ransom, until his friends returned to spain, from where they must send cotton, and other goods, not procurable at the moluccas, in order to ensure his release. it was by this means that thedori obtained many useful commodities of european workmanship, the presence of which we had noticed, with surprise, among his people. de castro had contrived to escape his gaolers, and having swum aboard our vessel, he now besought us to save him from the miserable condition to which he had been reduced since his ship had sailed, leaving him dependent upon a vague promise of release from captivity, which he knew might never be fulfilled. "and mark you," he said, when we had assembled the officers in the cabin to hear his story, "thedori will serve you as he served us, when the time is ripe for his treachery, for he possesses many guns, hidden away, together with a great store of ammunition, so that he could send an army against you that you would find it impossible to resist." we thanked pedro for his warning, and since we determined to profit by it, we could do no less than offer him a berth among our officers. but i had no love for spaniards or their ways, and i lived to learn that my distrust of them was not misplaced. that night we made preparations for departure, and, with the first breath of dawn, we hove our anchor aboard, and set a course for the open sea. when it was seen that we were leaving the island the utmost excitement prevailed on shore. the natives crowded upon the beach which bordered the harbour, while some put off in their canoes, making an effort to overtake us. but the "golden seahorse" was a ship very finely built, which caused her to slip through the water, needing but little wind to drive her at a rapid pace, so that we soon outdistanced our pursuers, and an hour later the molucca islands had disappeared beyond the horizon. chapter xxix the voyage continued we had been compelled, by reason of the treachery of thedori, to leave the moluccas without having obtained a supply of fresh water. this made it necessary to keep a sharp look-out for some island from which to replenish our tanks. on most of the islands in the pacific water is readily obtainable. it is only upon the southern continent that great stretches of waterless country prevail. at length we sighted an island, the coast of which was rocky and barren. through stress of weather we were compelled to keep off the shore, steering northward until, on the third day, the weather having moderated, we hove to as near to the coast as we dared approach, and endeavoured to land a boat's crew. in spite of breakers and a heavy sea, six of the sailors leaped overboard opposite a sandy beach, and with great difficulty reached the shore. whilst searching for water the sailors saw four natives, who fled at their approach. they were wild, black, and entirely naked. not finding water, the seamen regained the boat, bruised and half-drowned. again we set sail, and next day we were off an island of considerable size, with two dangerous reefs stretching out into the sea. at length we managed to effect a landing, and fresh water being found, the ship was brought to anchor between the reefs, where some shelter was to be had, although the position of the vessel was by no means secure. upon this island we fell in with a race of savages totally unlike any we had previously met with. these people have no houses or garments of any kind, and, setting aside their human shape, they differ but little from brutes. they have large heads, round foreheads, and great brows. their eyelids are always half-closed to keep the flies out of their eyes, these insects being so troublesome that no fanning will keep them away; so from their infancy being so tormented, they do never open their eyes as other people do, nor can they see far unless they hold up their heads as if they were looking at something over them. they have great bottle noses, full lips, and wide mouths. they appeared to be quite indifferent to our landing upon their island, nor did they exhibit any fear or surprise at seeing us. we endeavoured to make them help us carry some water barrels to the boats. but though the barrels contained only six gallons each, and we put them on their shoulders, all the signs we could make to get them to carry them were useless. they stood like statues, without motion, grinning like so many monkeys. having watered our vessel we once more put to sea. we were now, by our reckoning, somewhere in the vicinity of new holland, and at six o'clock in the evening we shortened sail. we were then in twenty fathoms of water, when suddenly we again found ourselves in deep water, and believed all danger at an end. but in less than an hour, without warning, our ship struck on a rock, and remained immovable. not being near to any shore we were well aware of the gravity of our position. we feared we had struck a submerged coral reef, and all sails were immediately taken in, and the boats lowered. we had struck just before dark, and at daylight i observed land some eight miles distant. high tide was expected at about eleven o'clock, when it was hoped the vessel would float off, though we feared she would sink in deep water. at twenty minutes past ten the ship floated, but the leak she had sprung gained on the pumps, and there was now three feet nine inches of water in the hold. the men were wearied to death. each could only pump a few minutes at a time, and then sink exhausted upon the deck. at first we despaired of saving the ship, but eventually we got a sail drawn over the leak, and anchored seven leagues from the shore. next day we found a safe place where the vessel could be moored near the beach, where, on examining the ship's bottom, we found that a large piece of rock had broken away from the reef and remained stuck in the hole it made. had it not been for this singular fact the "golden seahorse" must have foundered. during the week which followed this adventure, which had almost proved disastrous to our voyage, we lightened the ship as much as possible, and made our camp ashore. we judged we had now come to the coast of new holland, and since i had been the first to observe it on the morning after we had struck upon the reef, hartog named that part of the coast peter's land. the ship being safely careened, the carpenters set to work to repair the damage done to the hull by the sharp rocks, and, as this would occupy some time, we decided to overhaul our stores, of which we made an inventory. at this work we found the services of pedro de castro of great value. de castro was a man well versed in figures, and able to enumerate with surprising facility. indeed, i think he spent most of his spare time in mental arithmetic, calculating the riches and treasure which he hoped some day to obtain. one evening, when hartog and i were seated together in front of our tent, de castro brought us a paper which he said had been given him by a relative at lisbon, who informed him that it was an extract from an ancient portuguese manuscript, supposed to have been written by navigator van nuyts in 1467. the translation of this curious paper ran as follows: "land of gold. while some fishermen of lamakera, in the island of solo, were engaged in their fishing, there arose so great a tempest that they were unable to return to the shore. thus they yielded to the force of the storm, which was such that, in five days, it took them to the land of gold, which is properly called the southern coast. when the fishermen reached the land of gold, not having eaten during those days of tempest, they set about seeking for provisions, and such happy and successful fortune had they after searching the country for yams and batatas, that they alighted on much gold in a cavern, enough to load their boats until they could carry no more, but, when they were ready to start loading, there came upon them so great a trepidation that they did not dare take any of the gold away with them." this further account of gold upon the southern continent strengthened our belief that treasure would be found at the place of the painted hands, to visit which our present voyage had been undertaken. but what could have caused the fishermen of lamakera so great a trepidation we were at a loss to understand. well, perhaps we would soon learn, for hartog reckoned we were not many leagues north of the place marked upon the chart, which had encouraged us to embark upon this voyage. chapter xxx a spanish settlement the "golden seahorse" being now repaired and revictualled, we once more put to sea, and stood to the south at a safe distance from the coast for fear of again meeting shoal water. on the morning of the first day out we passed the shoal upon which we had so nearly lost our ship, it being but a spot of land appearing above the surface, with several rocks about it ten feet high, to be seen at low tide. it is of triangular form, each side one league and a half long. we now approached some formidable cliffs, which rose, like a gateway, shutting out the land beyond. it was here that hartog reckoned we should find the place of the painted hands, if, indeed, such a locality had any real existence. the weather was now calm and fine, the wind fair, with a cloudless sky overhead, so that barely an hour passed from the time we observed the cliffs before we rounded them, when a sight appeared so unlooked for as made us wonder if our eyes had played us false. the coast along which we had sailed since first sighting the great south land had been so barren and desolate as to make the novel and attractive scene which now greeted us the more remarkable. clustered together in a pleasant valley, surrounded by green hills, and facing a white sandy beach, were some two hundred houses, built of stone, and roofed with what appeared to be clay, of such extraordinary whiteness that it glistened, like snow, in the sun's rays. the herbs and grass around the town were green and inviting, while tall, straight trees, not torn by the wind, bore evidence of shelter from tempest which the hills provided. to add to the beauty of the scene, flocks of parakeets and bright-coloured parrots flew among the branches of the trees, while sweet scents, from many kinds of flowers, were wafted to us from the shore. on the beach we perceived a number of white people, dressed in the fashion of some thirty years before. many of them wore ruffs and cloaks, which were now no longer the mode, and, to set our doubts at rest as to their nationality, the spanish ensign floated from a flagstaff in front of the town. it was plain we had chanced upon a spanish colony, probably of some of the people of mendana's fleet, who had succeeded in forming a settlement in new holland. anxious to make a favourable impression upon our first landing, hartog and i now donned our best, and the cutter, being manned, we were pulled toward the beach, where we could see that a number of spaniards had assembled to receive us. on landing we stepped forward as the leaders of our expedition, when we were greeted with the most extravagant demonstrations of delight at our arrival, and were presently conducted by some of those whom we took to be in authority to one of the flat-roofed stone houses, somewhat larger than the others, where donna isabel barreto, the ruler of the settlement, graciously welcomed us. from her we learnt the following strange story. the voyage of mendana, as previously stated, had been undertaken with a view to colonization as well as discovery. after reaching the solomon group the fleet dispersed. the "santa isabel", as her log informed us, spent five years in a fine harbour on the southern continent, from whence she had returned without establishing a settlement. another of the ships and the frigate remained for a time at the islands, where the crews left many evidences of their visit. but it was reserved for us to ascertain what had befallen the "concordia", the third of the vessels of mendana's fleet. this ship, under the command of captain barreto, had reached new holland, where the present settlement had been formed, and the town built. there were turbulent elements, however, among the crew, who had been allowed a license at the islands which their captain was not disposed to continue. he ordered the execution of some, before the rest were brought to submission. but there was sullen discontent remaining. to make matters worse, sickness broke out. it carried off a large number of the spaniards, and barreto himself died, as did his first officer. the pilot then claimed to take command, but to this donna isabel objected. as the captain's wife, she declared it to be her right to rule the settlement, and, marrying a young spanish officer, fernando de castro, she assumed the title of queen, with fernando as prince consort. to complicate matters still further, the pilot and those who were attached to him sailed away in the "concordia", taking the infant son of fernando and isabel with them, and leaving the adherents of the queen marooned in this pleasant and fertile valley. fernando, soon after the sailing of the "concordia", died, since when donna isabel, who had resumed the name of barreto, had reigned alone. this was, in brief, the story the queen had to tell; and on hearing it pedro de castro threw himself at her feet, and claimed to be her son. donna isabel was now past middle age, being near forty years old, but she bore herself with a degree of uprightness and vigour which defied the advance of time. she was readily convinced of the truth of pedro's statement, and when she had bidden him to rise she embraced him, and acknowledged him to be her son. "you have been led back to me," she said, "by the will of heaven, and by the courage of these brave men who shall henceforth be to me my brothers." fair words, but lacking the ring of sincerity, as we were subsequently to find. queen barreto then begged us to consider her dominions at our disposal to the extent of all they contained. houses were allotted us, and servants were instructed to place before us the best the country produced. we fared sumptuously, for the natural growth in this sheltered valley is surprising. the bread given us was made from three kinds of roots, of which there is a great abundance, and they grow without labour, receiving no more help than being dug up and cooked. these roots are pleasant to the taste, very nourishing, and keep for a long while. they are a yard long, and half a yard thick. the fruits, too, were numerous and good, consisting of oranges and lemons, which the spaniards had planted, together with many earth-nuts, almonds, and other fruit, as well as sweet canes. of live stock the settlers possessed goats, pigs, and a few cows. round the houses were many fruit trees, with entwined palisades, by reason of the great quantity of pigs; the town was well arranged, the houses and yards being very clean. queen barreto kept pedro with her in her own house, while hartog and i, together with the officers and crew of the "golden seahorse", were suitably accommodated and made free of the settlement, where we enjoyed a run ashore after so much storm and stress at sea. we had not yet ascertained whether the settlers had been successful in finding gold in this place. pearls and silver they possessed as evidence of their wealth, but we saw no gold among them. pedro, who came to consult with us regarding this, informed us that his mother, the queen, had heard nothing of the place of the painted hands, or of gold being found there, but had told him that some years previously an expedition, sent to punish a tribe of natives who had proved hostile to the settlers, had reported the discovery of caves, very deep and mysterious, into which the natives could not be induced to enter, where, it was reported, gold was to be found by washing the sand from the bed of a subterranean stream which took its course through the caves from none knew where, and emptied itself into the sea. to these caves, therefore, now being rested and refreshed, we determined to direct our steps. chapter xxxi the place of the painted hands upon leaving the spanish settlement, queen barreto provided us with an escort to guide us to the caves in which it was reported gold was to be found. the country outside the settlement was of the same rocky, barren nature as everywhere along the coast, while the natives we encountered were hostile and warlike. armed with spears and slings, they attacked us, and were only driven off after many had been slain. pedro de castro did not accompany us. he had pleaded a disinclination to leave his mother so soon after their long separation. at the time we thought his conduct strange, but in return for the assistance that queen barreto had given us, we promised him a share of any gold obtained. at length, after a day's journey, we came to the entrance to the caves, a gloomy portal to a tunnel which ran into a high rocky cliff from which issued a sluggish stream over a bed of water-worn pebbles. at the entrance to this dark recess, upon the face of a flat rock, appeared painted hands, some with six fingers, some with four, and others with only two. they were painted with a dark brown pigment, and were easily discernible. it was the sight of these hands, and the assertion that they had reference to the measures of gold obtained, as set forth on the paper found by hartog in the locker of the "santa isabel", that decided us to explore farther into the heart of the caves, and, having procured torches, hartog and i, accompanied by janstins and a lad named bruno, a mulatto, entered the tunnel, and made our way along the left bank of the stream. as we advanced the caves increased in size, until at length we stood in a great apartment, formed of colossal fluted pillars, and roofed high above our heads with depending stalactites which glistened in the light of our torches. everywhere in this huge cavern the same mineral formation was to be seen, so that we seemed to be standing in a palace composed of glittering gems. the stream here was wide, moving sluggishly over a bed of black sand. presently a cry from janstins brought us to where he was standing beside a heap of what, at first sight, looked like yellow clay, but which, upon closer inspection, proved to be a quantity of gold dust, interspersed with small nuggets. here, then, was the treasure collected by the fishermen from lamakera, and abandoned by them in 1467, almost two hundred years before the date of our coming. but the cause of the great trepidation which had come upon them, so that they had been unable to carry the gold away, we had yet to learn. we had become so intent upon our gold discovery that we had failed to notice a peculiar humming sound, which became louder as it drew nearer, and suddenly we observed descending upon us, from the vaulted roof, what appeared to be white feathery clouds, which, however, speedily resolved themselves into a prodigious number of flying hornets. bruno was the first to be attacked by these venomous insects. in a moment he was covered with them, and ran screaming into the water of the slowly-moving stream. his cries were pitiful, but we could do nothing to relieve him. in less than a minute he was stung to death. it now became imperative, if we would save ourselves, to make the best of our way out of the caves without attempting to carry off any of the gold we had found. the fate of the boy bruno had caused a diversion among the hornets to which we probably owed our lives. in the hope of distracting them still further, we fired off our muskets, which awoke echoes in that silent place the like of which had never been heard before. had we exploded a barrel of gunpowder, the sound of it would not have been louder nor the concussion greater, than was caused by the discharge of our firearms. huge masses of stalactites fell from the roof, while the air space around us became filled with bats, and flying creatures with heads like foxes, disturbed from their slumbers by the discharge of our guns. the flapping of their wings drove off the hornets, and greatly aided us in our escape from a horrible death. on reaching the entrance to the caves, where we arrived more dead than alive from our adventure, we were met by those of our crew whom we had brought with us, but were informed that our guides had returned to the settlement. for this conduct the guides had offered no explanation. they had said they were acting in accordance with directions given them by queen barreto, and that, having brought us to the mouth of the caves, their mission ended. we did not at the time attach much importance to this desertion of us, being now well acquainted with the path over the cliffs into the valley, opposite to which our ship lay at anchor, so we did not anticipate any difficulty in returning. as we advanced, however, our journey was continually impeded by attacks made upon us by hostile natives, so it was not until toward the evening of the second day after leaving the caves that we succeeded in climbing the cliffs above the settlement. judge then of our dismay when, upon looking seaward, we perceived our ship standing out from the bay under full sail, while at her mizzen floated the flag of spain. chapter xxxii marooned as we stood upon the cliffs overlooking the spanish settlement, watching, with blank faces, the "golden seahorse" sailing seaward under a foreign flag, it was borne in upon us that we owed our loss to the treachery of queen barreto, who, taking advantage of our absence, had pirated our vessel. on descending to the town our suspicions were confirmed. here we found the settlement abandoned by the spaniards, who, before leaving, had imprisoned our crew, bound and gagged, in the queen's house. having released them, we heard from bantum, our second officer, the particulars of what had occurred. "no sooner had you left the town," said he, "than queen barreto, with pedro de castro and a swarm of spaniards, came aboard of us. de castro knew where the arms were kept, and, before i could guess what they intended, they had hoisted their flag at the mizzen, and held possession of the ship. we put up a fight, but what could we do, outnumbered as we were--ten to one? we were quickly overpowered and brought ashore, where they trussed us up and left us as you found us. had you not come in time we would certainly have died of thirst and starvation." when we had listened to bantum's account of what had taken place we could not blame him for the loss of the ship, but hartog swore a great oath that, if ever he should meet de castro again he would reckon with him in such manner as his base betrayal of us gave warrant. the ingratitude of this man will be apparent when it is remembered that we had rescued him from slavery, had admitted him to an equality with our officers, and had loaded him with favours, for which he repaid us by stealing our vessel. it now became necessary to review our situation. of food and fresh water we had an abundant supply, and there were dwellings at our disposal more than enough, for the spaniards had numbered over two hundred, while we mustered but thirty. we possessed, however, no arms or ammunition beyond what we had taken with us upon our expedition to the caves. the thought of this caused us grave anxiety when we reflected upon the small force at our disposal should hostile natives, having discovered our weakness, be tempted to attack us. repining, however, would avail us nothing, so, at hartog's request, i set about organizing our camp. hartog himself was so cast down by the loss of our ship that he seemed incapable of diverting his thoughts from the catastrophe which had overtaken us. i thus found our former positions reversed, hartog being on the brink of the same hopeless despair which had obsessed me when anna was taken from me, while upon me devolved the task of heartening him. and now a new danger threatened us. we had not been a month at the settlement after the piracy of the "golden seahorse" before it became evident to me that our crew had ceased to regard their officers with the same respect as they had formerly shown them on board ship. sailors, ashore, are accustomed to a license they do not look for at sea. hence it was but natural that, since their ship no longer claimed their duty, they should regard themselves as freed from discipline. this revolt against authority, however, i knew to be a menace to our common safety, and i determined to put an end to it. i spoke first to hartog, who spent most of his time in the queen's house, brooding over our misfortune, and thus setting a very bad example. "it is not because you are no longer captain of the 'golden seahorse'," i said to him, "that you should regard your responsibilities at an end. if you can regain your authority over the men, we may yet win through. if not, then let us at once abandon ourselves to the mercy of the savages, whom, i may tell you, i have observed watching us from the cliffs above, and who are only waiting to assure themselves of our weakness before they attack us." for a time hartog remained silent. then he rose, and stretched himself; drawing himself up to his full height, he stood before me, the finest specimen of a man i have ever met. "you are right, peter," he said. "i deserve the scolding you have given me. show me the man who will not obey me, and i will talk to him." now there was one, hoft hugens, a swede, who had made himself a leader among the mutinous and lazy crew. i had intended dealing with this man myself, but it now occurred to me that his schooling would serve to rouse hartog from his apathy. "if you must know, then," i answered, "it is hoft hugens to whom the men look as leader." the next minute hartog was striding through the town, a native club in his hand, which he had taken from the queen's house. although past noon, there were none to be seen outside the huts. all were asleep after their mid-day meal, upon which they had gorged themselves to repletion. at the sight of this defiance of discipline a deep flush overspread hartog's face, as though he felt shame for having allowed his authority to pass from him. then he began to beat with his club upon the doors of the houses until the men came out, some in sleepy remonstrance, and others with curses in their mouths at having been disturbed from their siesta. "well, what have you to say?" demanded hartog. "is it not enough that our condition is such that if only fifty determined savages came against us they could kill us and destroy the settlement, but you must waste your time in gluttony and sleep? where is the watch, whose duty it is to keep a look-out as though i stood upon my quarterdeck?" "nay, hartog," answered hugens, whom the others now pushed forward to be their spokesman, "there must be an end to such talk. we shall never get away from this valley. what need then for so much rule when death is certain?" "certain it is for thee," cried hartog, placing his hand on hugen's shoulder, and tightening his grip so that the man winced with pain. "ask pardon before i tear thine arm from its socket!" at this, those who had begun to advance to their leader's assistance drew back. it was known that the punishment which hartog threatened had actually been carried out by one of the buccaneer captains upon a mutinous seaman, and none doubted but hartog had the strength to fulfil his threat. hugen's face blanched as the grip tightened upon his arm. he tried to free himself. tears started to his eyes. a sob broke from his heaving chest. then he screamed with the intolerable agony he suffered, but none dare interfere, and i verily believe that hartog would have performed his promise and torn the limb from its socket had not one of the men, who had been looking seaward, cried, "a sail! sail!" chapter xxxiii captain montbar the report of a sail having been sighted dispelled every other thought. hartog released hugens, and, hurrying to the queen's house, shortly afterwards returned with his spyglass, with which he anxiously scanned the horizon. "god be thanked, peter," he said presently, "our ship is coming back to us, convoyed by a frigate." so great was my joy at hearing these words that at first i could hardly credit the truth of them, but as the ships drew nearer we could all see that the smaller of the two was the "golden seahorse". the vessels sailed into the bay which formed the port of the settlement, and dropped anchor close to the shore, when a boat put off from the frigate, and was rowed toward the beach. the crew were smart, and the boat was fresh painted, while, seated at the stern, was a striking, yet curious, figure. his dress was that of a french exquisite, very rich, and trimmed with much gold braid. on his head was a curled wig of the latest mode, and a flashing diamond brooch adorned his lace cravat. on nearing the beach upon which we were assembled one of the sailors stepped into the water and waded ashore, carrying this gallant upon his back, who, being deposited upon a dry spot, so that his buckled shoe might escape damage from the salt water, gravely saluted us. hartog then, stepped forward, when the frenchman, for such we took him to be, addressed him as follows:-"i have come, sir," said he, "to restore to you your vessel, which i understand was stolen by spanish treachery." "you are welcome," answered hartog. "i thank providence that my ship has fallen into honest hands. i have yet to learn to whom i owe its recovery. may i hope that you will favour me with your name?" "montbar," replied the stranger, and at the mention of his name both hartog and i started. "you honour us by your visit, sir," said hartog, with a bow as graceful as that with which captain montbar acknowledged it. "your reputation is known to all seamen as that of a brave man and a princely gentleman." hartog then led the way to the queen's house, where we proposed to confer together as to the circumstances which had occasioned captain montbar's arrival. captain montbar was known to us, and to most navigators at this time, as a french gentleman of fortune who, having heard of the cruelties practised by the spaniards, had conceived an aversion against them which amounted almost to frenzy. he had heard of the buccaneers, who were known to be the most inveterate enemies of spain, and, in order to join them, he fitted out a frigate which he placed at their disposal, together with his own services. the achievements of this frigate were so pronounced, and the spaniards suffered so much from montbar's exploits, that he acquired the name of 'exterminator.' his intrepidity would never let him suffer the least signs of cowardice among those who associated with him. in the heat of an engagement he went about his ship, observing his men, and immediately killing those who shrank at the report of pistol, gun, or cannon. this extraordinary discipline had made him the terror of the coward and the idol of the brave. in other respects he readily shared with such of his men as showed spirit the great booty that was acquired by his fearless disposition. when he went upon these buccaneering expeditions he sailed in his frigate, his own property, nor would he take a lion's share of the treasure obtained from captured spanish merchantmen, but divided it equally with those who formed his ship's company. such was the remarkable man to whom we owed the restoration of the "golden seahorse". from captain montbar we learned the particulars connected with the recovery of our ship from the spaniards. "i had been driven out of my course," he said, "by contrary winds, when we sighted a vessel flying the spanish flag, which i am bound, by a solemn oath, whenever an opportunity offers, to destroy. i was about to sink her when i noticed an unusual number of people upon her decks, among whom were several women and children, and, since i war only with men, i sent a boat to demand the surrender of the vessel. this was at once agreed to. her colours were struck, and my own hoisted at the mizzen. i then went on board to hold an enquiry, and decide what was to be done, when i found that the ship had been stolen from a party of dutch navigators on a visit to this country. the object of stealing the ship was for the purpose of conveying the settlers, who had been marooned here for some years, to their homes. it was not difficult, in the crowded state of the vessel, to find many who were prepared to disclose the whole truth. donna isabel barreto, who appeared to be a queen among these people, then offered to make terms with me, promising, if i would suffer her to continue the voyage, she would send, as ransom, a large sum of money, of which she professed to have command at madrid; but, having some experience of spanish promises, i declined this offer, preferring to retain possession of the ship i had captured, which appeared to be of good build and well found. i undertook, however, to disembark donna isabel and her followers upon the first land we sighted, which happened to be a desolate-looking island by no means comparable with this fertile valley. isabel then threw herself on her knees, and implored me not to abandon her, and her people, to death by slow starvation, which the landing of so great a company on such an uninviting shore would mean. but i was obdurate. 'be thankful,' said i, 'that your lives are spared you. it is not for me to interfere with the decrees of fate. this punishment for having stolen their vessel from those who trusted you, and to whom you were bound by the laws of hospitality, has clearly been ordained by providence. land, then, and, by your submission in face of adversity, seek to atone for your treacherous conduct.' "the party being landed and left to shift for themselves, i resolved to continue my voyage to this place, of which i had been given the bearings, in order that i might restore to you your ship, for i take no booty except from spain." we again thanked our generous visitor, nor could we do less than place ourselves and our ship at his disposal. "come back with me, then," said montbar, "and join our band. i have voyaged far into these southern latitudes in search of treasure, and i may tell you that the islands of the south are by no means comparable with those in the west." but at this we asked time to consider. although we had no cause to love the spaniards, we had no reason to hate them with the same inveterate hatred displayed by montbar. besides, in spite of the glamour that surrounded them, we knew the buccaneers to be no better than pirates. still it seemed a poor return to make captain montbar for the service he had rendered us to refuse his request. while we hesitated between two minds what we should do, i bethought me of the gold dust at the place of the painted hands. we had never intended to abandon this treasure by reason of a swarm of insects, however numerous and venomous they might be. the fishermen from lamakera had excuse for doing so, since they lacked the equipment to combat the pests which infested the caves, but, with the resources of a ship at our disposal, it would be strange if we could not devise some means to carry off the gold, share it with montbar, and thus repay the obligation we owed him. i mentioned this project to hartog, who at once fell in with my plan. "you are a wizard, peter," he said, "for finding a way out of a dilemma. if we can get this treasure, and either share it with montbar, or give it all to him should it not prove considerable, our debt will be paid, so that we may continue our voyage whithersoever our fancy leads us, but, with the price of the ship on my conscience, i could never regard myself as a free man. montbar knows this. "it is the rule of the sea that captured vessels are spoils to the victor. for all his fine speeches, i feel convinced that montbar looks upon the ship as his own, and has only come to obtain her crew also to be henceforth under his command. but, should ransom be paid, montbar would consider us freed from all obligation." that evening, therefore, hartog stated plainly our conditions to captain montbar, which, shortly, were that if the treasure proved to be of great value, we would divide it equally among the companies of the frigate and our ship; if not of great value, then the whole of the treasure was to go to the frigate as salvage for our vessel; and if we did not succeed in bringing the treasure away, then our ship and her company were to be at montbar's disposal, to do with as he thought fit. these proposals were received by montbar with a gravity and shrewdness which clearly proved his professed generosity in returning us our vessel was only preliminary to demanding a ransom. "let it be as you say, then," he said. "within a week we shall have ascertained the value of this treasure, when the matter may be adjusted in the manner you propose. meanwhile, the resources of my vessel are at your disposal." we thanked him and withdrew, but we determined only to employ our own men on our second visit to the eaves. a fair remuneration for the salvage of our ship was all that captain montbar looked for or expected, and we saw no reason why we should disclose our secret to any beyond those chosen from our own company, nor did montbar seek to pry into our business, contenting himself with our promise, at the end of the week either to pay him salvage or surrender our ship and ourselves, to be disposed of in such manner as might please him best. chapter xxxiv we again explore the caves during the two days which followed the making of our compact with captain montbar we were busy with our preparations for a second visit to the place of the painted hands, where we knew that gold was to be obtained for those who had the courage to carry it away. this time we sailed round, so that we were saved the journey over the cliffs. we had caused to be made for hartog, janstins, and me dresses of sail-cloth, with masks like those worn by inquisitors, the eye-holes being filled with glass. the sleeves of the jacket were made long, so as to cover our hands. our sea boots and breeches we knew to be impervious to hornet stings, and, thus equipped, we hoped to succeed in carrying away the treasure which the lamakera fishermen had abandoned. we took the smallest of our ship's boats, in which we rowed ashore, and, leaving the crew at the entrance to the caves, we three, as silently as possible, propelled the boat along the stream into the interior. as we progressed we met with evidences of our former visit. lumps of stalactites lay where they had fallen when shaken from the vaulted roof by the discharge of our firearms. the body of the lad bruno was also to be seen, half submerged, in the water of the stream. close to the body was the heap of gold dust, and this we began to load into our boat, making as little noise as possible lest we should disturb the hornets from their nests. we worked rapidly, and in less than an hour we had filled the boat with as much as she could carry of the heavy sand, nearly all of which was gold dust, when a humming warned us of the approach of the hornets. we had brought with us but a single torch, so as to avoid the light which we knew would attract the swarm of venomous insects, as also the bats and flying creatures which had made their home in these wonderful caverns; but the solitary gleam, in so much darkness, seemed to burn with the brightness of a conflagration. the smoke, also, from our torch, ascending into the vaulted roof of the cavern, was beginning to disturb the weird dwellers from their gloomy abode, and already ghostly, bat-like forms began to fill the air space above our heads. it was time to leave, and, reluctantly, we began to push the boat toward the mouth of the cave, promising ourselves to return next day for more of the precious stuff; of which there appeared to be an inexhaustible supply. as we neared the entrance to the cave, however, we were startled to observe a peril which had hitherto escaped our notice. poised over the arch of the narrow passage was a mass of rock so finely balanced that it seemed to be held in its place by the weight of a number of bat-like creatures clustering at one of its angles. as we approached, these bats, startled by the light of our torch, began, one or two at a time, to rise from their resting place, causing the rock to topple toward us. thus we stood in danger of being crushed by the mass should it fall as we passed the entrance, or, worse still, if it fell before we escaped into the cave beyond, we might find ourselves entombed alive in this dreadful place, to become a prey to the horrors of which we had had previous experience. "forward!" roared hartog, and, putting forth his great strength, he began to propel the boat, heavily laden as she was, at a rapid pace toward the entrance of the cavern. with our hearts in our throats, janstins and i came to his assistance, and, pushing frantically together, we drove the boat through the entrance just as the bats, in a body, rose from the balancing rock, which, relieved of their weight, fell with a crash, effectually blocking the path into the cave. fortunately we were on the right side of the obstacle, and our way was open to the sea, but a moment's hesitation would have consigned us to a lingering death, which, i am not ashamed to say, i shuddered to contemplate. we now took off the canvas jackets and masks we had worn as a protection against stings from the hornets, and, without further mishap, conveyed the sand we had brought away with us on board our ship, from which we washed six buckets full of gold dust. each bucketful we reckoned, by weight, to be worth twenty thousand english pounds, so that we had ransom to pay montbar for salvaging our vessel, besides retaining enough to make us all rich men. our crew, who had now become obedient to hartog's authority, were desirous to continue the search of the cavern, in the hope of obtaining more of the precious metal, but on being taken to the entrance to the caves, it was found that an impassable barrier of rock stood between them and their desire for boundless wealth. they were, therefore, compelled to be satisfied with a share in the gold we had already won. and here it may be observed how wise are the ways of providence and how watchful appeared to be the good genius who followed our destiny. had limitless wealth been suddenly showered upon us, what evil consequences might have followed? man is, after all, but an avaricious creature, who requires the discipline of necessity to restrain his covetous nature. the prospect of gold-getting would probably have undermined hartog's authority, and would most likely have ended in disaster for us all. as it was, we had enough, but not more than enough, and the discipline of our ship, so necessary to our common safety, was maintained. we paid montbar, according to our agreement, gold to the value of sixty thousand english pounds, that being half the value of the gold obtained, with which he expressed himself well satisfied. "honesty is, after all, the best policy," he said. "had i not restored to you your ship i would have missed this treasure, that will well repay me for my long voyage, which i had before thought profitless. i regret your decision not to accompany me to the west indies, but since you have paid your ransom you are free to go whithersoever your fancy may lead you, without let or hindrance." we thanked montbar, although i could not help smiling at the tribute which he paid to honesty when i remembered that the lockers in his cabins were crammed with the loot which he had taken as a freebooter upon the seas. chapter xxxv i am kidnapped we were now of two minds, whether to continue the exploration of new holland, or to shape a course for the islands of the south seas; but hartog finally decided for the islands, where there is always adventure and profit to be had. besides, we were anxious to prove the truth, or otherwise, of the existence of the islands of engano, mentioned by marco polo in the account of his voyage round the world in the year 1272, as the male and female islands. the first group of islands we touched at after leaving the abandoned spanish settlement at new holland, appeared to be well wooded and fertile, and approaching one of the largest we cast anchor near the shore. on the following day we endeavoured to work to windward of this dangerous coast, but in spite of skilful seamanship it soon, became certain we were being drawn, probably by some strong current, closer to the land. the ship was so near to the rocks that escape appeared impossible. at three in the afternoon, however, the ship doubled the reefs, it may be said, almost by a miracle. this adventure set us thinking upon a record among the manuscripts we had brought with us of a remarkable phenomenon existing somewhere in these regions. in describing one of the larger islands the record says: "by the coast of this country, toward the north, is the sea called the dead sea, the water whereof runneth into the earth, and if anyone falleth into that water he is never found more. and if shipmen go but a little way into it they are carried rapidly downward, and never return again. and none knoweth whither they are carried, and many have thus passed away, and it hath never been known what became of them." we had hitherto given little credence to this report, but our recent experience proved the currents running between these islands to be strong and treacherous, and warned us to be on guard against them. the great distance we were from home, and the absence of any assistance to be looked for from men of our own race made it doubly necessary to consider every aspect of our voyage in order to escape the many perils which everywhere beset us. we now approached a coast running east and west to the horizon, so that we could not say whether we had come to an island or to another southern continent. the anxieties through which we had passed, particularly our narrow escape from shipwreck upon the reefs, made it desirable we should seek some haven in which to recruit our strength and re-victual our ship before setting out upon our homeward voyage, for hartog was anxious to deposit the gold we had obtained from the place of the painted hands in safe keeping at amsterdam. the carrying about of so much treasure on board the vessel was a risk he thought it imprudent to run, as the presence of gold on the ship would prove a constant temptation to the men to mutiny. besides which, there was always the chance of capture by pirates or freebooters who, at this time, roamed the seas. general satisfaction was, therefore, expressed when hartog announced his intention of returning to amsterdam. on the morning of the next day after sighting the land along which we now coasted the look-out reported a sheltered bay, which promised us the haven we desired, and an hour later we cast anchor under the lee of a bold headland, near to a beach, which bordered what appeared to be a fertile and well-wooded country. we had barely found our moorings when five natives came in a canoe, the middle one vigorously baling the water out of the craft. as they drew nearer we observed that they were all women, one standing up at the prow, whose red hair came down to her waist. she was white as regards colour, beautifully shaped, the face aquiline and handsome, rather freckled and rosy, the eyes black and gracious, the forehead and eyebrows good, the nose, mouth, and lips well-proportioned, with the teeth well-ordered and white. being rich in so many parts and graces she would be judged to be a very beautiful woman, and at first sight she stole away my heart. on arriving alongside she climbed aboard with amazing agility, and without the least sign of fear, from which i conjectured that europeans were not unknown to her. as her eyes swept us her glance halted when it rested upon me, and, without embarrassment, she made signs for me to approach her. "whence come ye?" she said, speaking in spanish, though with an accent that sounded unfamiliar. "from the white man's country," i answered, "to seek adventure in this land." "ye come far to seek little," she replied. "this land is desolate. none may live upon it. it is waterless." "then we must look farther," i answered. "we are in search of water." "i can show you where water is," she continued, "if you will come with me." i hesitated, and hartog, when he caught the drift of her invitation, bade me on no account trust myself alone with these savages. "our boats will be lowered directly," i answered. "then you may show us where to find fresh water, and we shall be grateful." "i cannot wait for your boats," she replied. "come with me now if you are not afraid. your boats can follow." it would have shamed me to confess fear to go with these women, and, not dreaming of treachery, i descended to the canoe, while hartog and the others made ready to follow in the ship's boats. but i had no sooner set foot in the canoe than the four girls, who possessed the strength of young men, began to paddle vigorously toward a point which jutted out on the western side of the bay in which the "golden seahorse" lay at anchor. we soon rounded the point, when we lost sight of the ship. thinking that all this was intended for a jest, i remonstrated with my beautiful captor, and called upon her to bid the girls cease rowing until my companions should come up with us; but at this she only laughed, and at a word from her the girls redoubled their exertions until the canoe seemed to fly over the surface of the water. we now approached a precipice, which rose sheer out of the sea, and, as we drew nearer, i observed a tunnel into which the water rushed with the force of a mill-race. it then came to my mind that this was the current i had read of which ran into the earth, and along which shipmen had been carried, never to be heard of again. i glanced at the woman who had kidnapped me in this strange fashion seemingly with the object of enticing me to my doom. her face was set and stern; with both hands she grasped a steering paddle, with which she guided the canoe into the rushing stream. the girls had ceased rowing, and were crouched together in the frail craft, which now, caught by the hand of nature, was carried with incredible speed into the darkness of the unknown. how long we were in the tunnel i cannot say. it seemed an eternity, but it could not actually have been very long. the speed at which we travelled was so great as to make the drawing of the breath difficult, and a strange humming sound--very loud-made it impossible to speak or even to cry out. i had abandoned hope and resigned myself to death when suddenly we emerged from the tunnel into a blinding sunshine, which dazzled the eyes after the darkness. once more we had come to the open sea. the girls resumed their paddles, and now began to urge the canoe toward one of two islands visible on the horizon about thirty miles apart. chapter xxxvi the male and female islands i was now able to demand an explanation for the cause of my abduction, which i did with some warmth. "in what way have i offended," i asked of the woman who had enticed me on board the canoe, "that you should repay the trust i placed in you with treachery? we came among you as friends, desiring nothing so much as your goodwill. but you have treated me as an enemy, carried me away from my ship, and separated me from my friends take, heed, i am a man, and have some strength. you are but women. why, then, should i not overpower you and return the way i came?" "that is impossible," answered my captor. "none could make their way back through the tunnel against the stream." "at least, tell me then," i continued, "your name, for what purpose i am brought here, and whither you are taking me." "my name is sylvia cervantes," replied my captor, proudly. "as to why you are brought here, ask the wise-ones whom you shall presently see. yonder islands are the islands of engano." in the surprise which her words occasioned i almost forgot the anger which had begun to burn within me when i thought of how basely i had been betrayed. before me were the wonderful male and female islands, fabled by marco polo. i had come upon this voyage with dirk hartog in quest of adventure. well, here was an adventure awaiting me that was likely to prove the most remarkable i had yet encountered. as we drew near, to one of the islands, i was impressed by the extreme beauty of the scene. the cliffs rose to great heights, forming a dark, clear-cut line against the sky, while between the lofty walls, verdant valleys stretched down to the white, sandy beaches, upon which the waves broke in glistening spume. toward a beach, somewhere about the centre of the island, our course was laid, and upon coming to the shallows, the girls shipped their paddles and sprang into the water, when, with others helping them, they ran the canoe on to the beach, making no more of my weight than if i had been a child. i now observed among the woods of the, very ancient stone buildings, which, at one time, must have been occupied by a people possessing a high state of civilization. they were in ruins, and overgrown by flowering shrubs and creepers, but were apparently still used as habitations for it was to one of these houses i was presently conducted. here i was invited to rest and refresh myself with some delicious fruit that was set before me, the like of which i do not remember having tasted before. sylvia cervantes now joined me, and in the witchery of her presence i forgot my perilous plight, and gave myself up to the luxury and enjoyment of the moment. from sylvia i learnt the history of my capture, and why she had come to entice me away with her. having inquired my name, which i gave her, sylvia continued as follows:-"you must know, then, peter," she said, "that we are ruled here by custom which may not be changed. the wise-ones who live on the mountain tops tell us what to do, and we do it without question. the wise-ones are not as others are. they see what others cannot see, and they know many things that others cannot even guess at, so when the wise-ones told me your ship was on the other side of the great barren island, and that i was to take my canoe and bring you here, i could not help but obey." "how is it possible," i asked, "that mortal eyes can see so far?" "the eyes of the wise-ones are not as mortal eyes," replied sylvia, gravely. "rest now, and to-morrow you shall hear what is required of you." i was so affected by the calamity which had overtaken me that i lacked the disposition to question sylvia more closely on the matter. it was plain i was a captive, and helpless to avert my fate, whatever it might be. as well then accept the inevitable, and make the most of the passing hour. i did not value life, since anna's death, at a pin's ransom. if, therefore, the end of all things for me in this world was at hand, let it come. i would welcome it without regret. sylvia now told me as much as she knew about the island to which i had been brought, and of its people. in ages gone by, she said, when the stone houses were new, and a flourishing city stood in the valley, a disagreement had arisen between the king and queen, who held equal sway over the two islands, of such a nature that the breach became impossible to be healed. instead of going to war with each other, and thus sacrificing the lives of many of their respective followers in battle, who had no part in their quarrel, an agreement was come to whereby the king withdrew himself to the western island, leaving the queen in undisputed possession in the east. the king took to him all the men in both islands, giving up to the queen the women, to become her subjects. since then the male and female islands had been managed as separate communities. there was no king or queen now, the people of both islands being ruled by the wise-ones, who lived on the mountain tops in the female island. but the inhabitants of the two islands still continued to live apart, the males on one island and the females on the other. on the male island the males dwelt alone, without their wives, or any other women. every year, in the month of march, the men came to the female island, and tarried there three months, to wit, march, april, and may, dwelling with their wives for that space. at the end of those three months they returned to their own island, and pursued their avocation there, selling ambergris to the traders from sumatra. as for the children whom their wives bore them, if they were girls they stayed with their mothers; but if they were boys their mothers brought them up until they were fourteen years old, and then sent them to their fathers. those women who were married did nothing but nurse and rear their children. their husbands provided them with all necessaries. those who were unmarried, and until marriage, became amazons, doing all the work on the island that would, in the ordinary course, be done by men. they were very strictly reared, and were as hardy as boys. if necessary they could fight in defence of their country with a courage equal to that displayed by the bravest warriors. such were the strange customs of the people on these two islands as related to me by sylvia cervantes. chapter xxxvii a task is set me on the day after i was made captive to the people on the female island in the engano group, i was given an opportunity to observe the customs which prevail among these amazons. they appeared to be a happy, healthy people, nor could i fail to notice the absence of ill-temper and discord, which may be observed in all communities in which men and women live together, and where jealousy between the sexes is too often the cause of lifelong feuds. here the matrons seemed content to devote themselves to the rearing of their offspring, who, in return, rendered heart-whole affection to their mothers. i never witnessed such docility and loving obedience as was displayed by the children of this island to those who had the care of them, and while i remained at engano i never heard a child cry or saw a woman in tears. as the girls reach maturity, which they do in these latitudes at the age of about twelve years, they are instructed by their mothers how to perform the necessary work, and become very skilful at throwing the lance, harpoon, or any manner of dart, being bred to it from their infancy. these girls, from this training, possess wonderful eyesight, and will descry a sail at sea farther than any sailor could see it. the dress adopted by the dwellers on the female island, though scanty to civilized eyes, is nevertheless suited to their manner of life. it consists of tapa cloth cut in a deep fringe depending from waist to knee. their hair, which is long, hangs down their backs. those who, like sylvia, have red hair, are mostly freckled and rosy, which, so far from detracting from their beauty, rather adds to their charms. the dark-haired ones are burnt brown by the sun. i was now taken by sylvia to be presented to the wise-ones, at whose instigation i had been brought to the island. these i found to be men, if indeed they could be called such, but they were so wizened in appearance as more to resemble monkeys. their manner of life is so austere as to make it a matter for marvel that body and soul could cling together. they will not kill an animal for food, or for any other purpose, not even a fly or a flea, or anything in fact that has life; for they say they have all souls, and it would be a sin to kill them. they eat no vegetables in a green state, only such as are dry, for they believe that even green leaves have life. and they sleep on the bare ground, naked, without anything to cover them, or to soften the mountain rocks which form their bed. they fast every day, and drink nothing but water. yet, in spite of the rigour of their discipline, they attain to extreme old age; not one of the wise men, so sylvia informed me, being less than one hundred years old, while some were accredited with upwards of two centuries of life. by reason of their abstinence, they are supposed to be gifted with mysterious occult powers, notably second sight, by which they are able to locate strangers at a great distance from their own country, and to foretell their advent. not long since they had foretold the coming to the island of a spanish fleet, when the whole amazon population had taken refuge in subterranean caves until the spaniards had left, which they did under the belief that the island was deserted. it was by means of this second sight that the "golden seahorse" had been located, and that i had been selected from among the crew to carry out a project which the wise men had in view, and the particulars of which i was about to learn. the chief of the wise-ones, who acted as spokesman, now informed me of the reason i had been brought to the island. "you must know, signor," said he, addressing me as though i was a spaniard; an appellation which i felt inclined to resent, "that we are troubled by a demon we have found it impossible to slay. many of our girls have fallen victims to the monster, while the men from the male island have repeatedly attacked it during the months of their residence here, without being able to overcome it. in length the creature is thirty feet, and of great bulk. it has two forelegs near the head, armed with claws. the head is very big, and the eyes stand out from it on knob-like excrescences. the mouth is big enough to swallow a man whole, and is armed with pointed teeth. in short, the monster is so fierce that all stand in fear at the sight of it. now it is known that the men of your race are brave, and possess weapons of which we have no knowledge, so, when it was revealed to us that your ship was close by on the other side of the great barren island, we resolved to bring you here; who seemed, in our eyes, to be a brave man, so that you may rid us of the demon which threatens our peace, if not our very existence." "alas! oh, wise-one," i answered. "how much better to have brought the ship also! on board of her, it is true, we possess weapons against which even such a monster as you tell me of could not prevail. but these weapons i have not with me. how then can i, single-handed, hope to overcome so terrible a creature as you describe? rather send me back to my ship, when i promise to bring her here, so that a party of us, well armed, may attack the demon, when no doubt we shall be able to destroy it." but at this the wise-one shook his head. "to bring the ship here," said he, "would be easy. but how do we know we could be rid of her without injury to our people?" "i would pass you my word as to that," i answered. "so you say now," replied the wise-one. "but how shall we know that you would keep your word?" an angry retort sprang to my lips, but i restrained myself on receiving a warning glance from sylvia, which reminded me that i stood at the mercy of these monkey men. "give me three days, then," i answered, "to devise some means for destroying the monster. if i succeed, i demand to be sent back to my ship. without this promise i will do nothing for you, let the consequences to me be what they may." the wise-one seemed to ponder my words carefully. "be it so, then," he answered. "if in three days you rid us of this demon i will see that you are restored to your friends. but if you should fail, and survive, you must nevertheless be put to death. we have no room on the islands of engano for strangers." chapter xxxviii the slaying of the great crocodile i now bethought me of how i might best set about the task of vanquishing the monster which held the female island in terror, and which, from the description given me by the wise-ones, i judged to be a crocodile. nor in this was i mistaken, for, being taken by sylvia to a place of safety from which i could see the demon, i was confirmed in the opinion i had formed by what i saw, although i had never seen a crocodile of such amazing proportions before. it lived in a cave close to a fertile plain, where goats belonging to the islanders were pastured. not far off was a stream at which it went to drink, and a deep furrow in the sand marked the road it made to the water. during the day it remained in its cave, but toward evening it would issue forth and attack the goats, three or four of which it would kill, and carry off to its lair. those in charge of the goats dared not interfere, lest the monster, deprived of its accustomed food, might seek its dinner among the ruined stone houses in which the islanders lived. now i noticed that the road along which the crocodile travelled to the water was very deeply furrowed, thus proving how the great lizard had repeatedly dragged its heavy bulk over the same spot on its way to drink at the stream, and i bethought me of a plan to deal with the reptile. the only weapon i had upon me when kidnapped from my ship was a short sabre or manchette, which i wore as a sidearm. but this i hoped would prove a formidable weapon when put to the use for which i now intended it. during the morning of the next day, when we knew that the crocodile would be asleep in his cave, sylvia and i went together to the road which the reptile had made, by the weight of his body, to his usual watering-place. here, with such rude implements as the islanders possessed, we dug a trench the width of the road, and for some distance along it. at the bottom of the trench we laid a stout log, in which was firmly fixed my manchette, its sharp point upward. we then filled up the trench with soft sand, and retired to the place of vantage which i had occupied the previous day, and from which we could see the crocodile make his evening raid. towards sundown he came forth with a rush among the terrified goats, four of which he slew with a stroke from his powerful tail, after which he proceeded to drag their mangled carcases into his lair. we waited an hour, when, just before sundown, the reptile came forth again on his way to the water. we watched him with bated breath, and sylvia, who now, for the first time, began to understand the trap i had set, could hardly contain her excitement. when the crocodile came to the sand-pit we had dug on the road he sank down, when the sharp blade of the manchette entered his breast, and as he dashed forward, rove him to the navel, so that he died on the spot in the greatest agony. sylvia now summoned the islanders to see my work. they came from all parts, and raised so great a shout when they saw their enemy dead that the sound of it reached the wise-ones on the mountain-tops, who peered down at the beast where he lay in a morass of blood which deluged the sand so that it ran into the stream, dyeing the water a deep red. the death of the reptile, and the craft and cunning i had displayed in the killing of it, so impressed the amazons that they came to me in a body, with sylvia as their mouthpiece, asking me to stay and be their king, nor did the wise-ones raise any objection to this proposal. but although i admired sylvia, i had no desire to spend the rest of my days at engano, not even as king of the amazons. i therefore answered that my comrades were no doubt looking for me, nor would they continue their voyage home until all hope of my rescue had been abandoned, and i reminded the wise-ones of the promise they had made me of safe conduct back to my vessel, in case i should succeed in ridding the island of their enemy. the justice of my claim was not to be denied, and with the dawn of the morrow the wise-ones undertook to ascertain the direction in which the ship lay and to send me aboard her. that evening a feast was held in my honour; some of the men from the male island came over, by special permission of the wise-ones, in order to be present, and to see the man who had slain the monster against which they had been unable to prevail. the men from the male island i found to be as free from ill-will toward one another as were the women on the female island. since they had neither wife nor child, they associated in pairs, and mutually rendered each other all the services a master could reasonably expect from a servant, being together in so perfect a community that the survivor always succeeded his dead partner to any property he may have had. they behave to each other with the greatest justness and openness of heart. it is a crime to keep anything hidden. on the other hand, the least pilfering is unpardonable, and punished by death. and indeed there can be no great temptation to steal when it is reckoned a point of honour never to refuse a neighbour what he wants; and when there is so little property of value it is impossible there should be many disputes over it. if any happened, the wise-ones interposed, and soon put an end to the difference. in all my travels i never met with happier or more gently disposed persons than the people of the male and female islands of engano. chapter xxxix i become a victim of domestic infelicity next morning the wise-ones, according to promise, informed me, by means of their power of second sight, that my ship was in the place where i had left her, which seemed probable, as it would no doubt be on land that hartog and my friends would be looking for me. i passed my word to the wise-ones that hartog's vessel would not visit the engano islands, since strangers were not welcome; and, having bid good-bye to the amazons, i once more embarked with sylvia in her canoe, and was paddled round the east end of the great barren island, where, in the distance, was the "golden seahorse" still at anchor in the bay where i had last seen her. when i came aboard hartog was overjoyed at my return. "i shall have to keep thee tied up, peter," he said to me, in jest at my frequent mishaps. "you are for ever either falling overboard or running away." but when i told him of my adventure on amazon island he listened with great interest, expressing regret that i should have pledged my word against the ship's calling there. his disappointment, however, was modified when i told him that nothing of any commercial value was to be found upon either of the engano islands; nothing, in fact, being worthy of notice but the wonderful contentment of the inhabitants, a commodity which could not be carried away. "let us up stick and home, then," answered hartog merrily. so, having presented sylvia and her accompanying amazons with gifts, in return for which they showed us where excellent water was to be obtained with which we might replenish our tanks, we bade farewell to the great barren island, and shaped a course for holland. on our arrival at amsterdam hartog arranged for the disposal and division of our treasure. he and i, as joint promoters of the expedition, each took to the value of twenty thousand english pounds, giving the remainder to be divided among our officers and crew, who had never in their lives before looked to possess so much money. the ship was put out of commission, though, for the present, we determined not to sell her. hartog promised himself a spell ashore, and i also looked forward to a life of ease and recreation. i was now a rich man, with more wealth to my credit than would satisfy my simple needs for the remainder of my life. why then, i asked myself, should i seek further peril and adventure in unknown lands to gain money of which i already possessed more than i knew what to do with? i did not return to my estate, which had become distasteful to me, recalling, as it did, the brief span of nuptial happiness which i had enjoyed with anna, and when, later, my father-in-law, the count of holstein, offered to buy it from me, i was glad to sell it to him. with a portion of my capital i now secured a full share in the business of de decker, my old master, and, having purchased a fine house at amsterdam, i resolved to settle down to the lucrative business of a merchant. before taking possession of my new home i paid a visit to my family at urk, where i found that my father had retired from the active management of his fishing business, which was now carried on by my eldest brother, who was married, and blessed with three sturdy boys. my two younger brothers were also married, and both had begun to rear families. "only you, peter," said my mother, "my favourite son, the flower of the flock, are alone and childless." i had not, since anna's death, given a thought to marrying again, but my mother's words appealed to me with some force when i reflected that i owed it to my country not to lead a life of selfish celibacy. i would never love with the strength of my first love which i had given to anna; but there seemed to be no reason why i should not become the head of a house, and the father of a family, so that i might live again in my children. now, it so fell out that pauline rutter, a niece of de decker, came at this time to stay with her uncle at amsterdam, and as i was a frequent visitor at de decker's house, i often met her. pauline was proud, dark, and self-willed--the very opposite of what anna holstein had been when i married her, and for this reason, perhaps, i liked her the more, since it put an end to all comparison between her and anna, to whom i had given my first love. pauline was flattered by the attention i paid her, and when at length i asked her to become my wife she made no secret of her satisfaction at the prospect of becoming madam van bu. "i have always thought, sir," she said, "that you would marry again. it is a duty which you owe to your wealth and position. that your choice should have fallen upon me is an honour of which i am very sensible." it will thus be seen that in the alliance which pauline and i proposed there was to be no love-making. the bargain was one that might have been made in the course of de decker's business. i was to give pauline my wealth and name, in return for which she promised to become my wife, and to undertake the management of my household. it was a shameful bargain, and i was well served for my part in it. we had not been married a month before each of us began to observe in the other an incompatibility of temper which made any kind of agreement between us, even on the most trivial matters, impossible. pauline declared that i brought the manners of the forecastle into her drawing-room, while the social inanities to which she devoted most of her time angered me into upbraiding her with her frivolity and lack of common sense. these mutual recriminations soon led us into a condition of life which destroyed all prospect of peace and contentment in our home. neither would give way one jot. the more pauline stormed at me for my boorishness and want of consideration for her the more obstinate did i become in ascribing to her frivolous nature the true cause of our unhappiness. i admired pauline, and i looked to her to become the mother of my children; but we could neither of us endure the other's presence for any length of time without a squabble, so that our domestic infelicity became a jest and a byword even among our servants. in these circumstances i felt it would be better that we should part. it is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and i was convinced that i would regard pauline with more kindly feelings if seas between us rolled than were possible if we remained together in the same house, and i have no doubt that pauline thoroughly reciprocated my sentiments. in this mood i sought my old comrade dirk hartog. i found him, as i expected, at a tavern which he frequented. he was seated at a table with bantum and janstins, poring over a chart in which all three appeared to be deeply interested. chapter xl the yellow parchment "welcome, peter!" cried hartog, when he saw me. "i'd have wagered you'd be with us, and here you are in the nick of time." "what's in the wind now?" i asked, as i drew a chair to the table at which the three were seated. "the greatest and best chance that was ever offered to seafarers," answered hartog. "read that, and say whether any man with the blood of a rover in him could sit tamely at home when such a country as this is waiting to be explored." with these words he pushed toward me a parchment yellow with age, but very clearly written, so it was easy to decipher. the paper, a translation in spanish from some ancient tongue, read as follows: "the ruby mountains. among these mountains there are certain great and deep valleys to the bottom of which there is no access. these valleys are full of rubies. wherefore the men who go in search of them take with them a piece of flesh as lean as they can get, and this they east into the bottom of the valley. now there are a number of white eagles that haunt these mountains and feed upon the serpents in which the valley abounds. when the eagles see the meat thrown down, they pounce upon it, and carry it up to some rocky hill-top, where they begin to rend it. but there are men on the watch, and as soon as they see that the eagles have, settled they raise a loud shouting to drive them off. and when the eagles are thus scared away, the men recover the pieces of meat, and find them full of rubies, which have stuck to the meat down in the bottom of the valley. the abundance of rubies in these depths is astonishing, but none can get down, and if any could they would be devoured by the serpents which abound there. this country is inhabited by pygmies and giants. the giants, who are by far the largest men to be seen in this strait, are ruled by the pygmies." "and who is the author of this fairy tale?" i asked. "one to whom i take my hat off," answered hartog. "marco polo, the first and greatest navigator in the world's history. where he could go we can follow." "and where does he place the ruby mountains?" i inquired. "that is what troubles me," replied hartog. "marco polo knew the great south land, but not so thoroughly as we are beginning to know it now. from this chart i place the ruby mountains on the north-west coast of the continent of new holland." "whose chart is it?" i inquired. "marco polo's own," said hartog. "it was given to me by a man i once befriended, together with the parchment you have just read. how he came by it i need not say. the man is dead, and i trust his sins are forgiven him. but i know he would not lie to me, not willingly." "it seems a wild goose chase," i said, although my doubts were rapidly dissolving under the witchery of hartog's sanguine temperament. "so did our last voyage," answered hartog. "yet every word that was written upon the paper that guided us was true. and why should we presume that men would give so much labour to preparing these charts and manuscripts in order to perpetuate lies?" i could not but admit this. the ability to make these drawings, and to inscribe these manuscripts, i knew was confined to a very few, who were mostly men of truth and honour. such accounts as were available of the wonderful voyages of marco polo i had read with avidity, and i saw no reason to doubt the assertions of this brave and learned man. "what do you propose, then?" i asked hartog, although in my own mind, i knew the old sea-dog was impatient to be off on a new treasure-hunt. "what else can i do, peter?" replied hartog, "than take ship for this place? i could never rest content, nor would you either, with the thought of these ruby mountains still unexplored." "you have settled the matter, then, so far as i am concerned," i said, with a laugh. "and why not, partner?" answered hartog. "we own a fine ship that was surely never intended only to make a maiden voyage. we could visit this place, and be back in twelve months--two years at most. what is to keep us, then, from our pleasure trip?" before hartog had done speaking, i knew my mind was made up to go with him. my life at home with pauline had become intolerable, nor did i take any active part in de decker's business, finding the drudgery of the counting-house irksome after my more exciting experiences on sea and land, so, without further ado, i expressed to hartog my willingness to join him in a fresh adventure to the south. hartog was overjoyed at my decision. "i made no doubt you would come with me, peter," he said. "we have been shipmates too long to sail our separate ways alone. with bantum and janstins, who are willing to sign on, and a picked crew; we can explore the ruby mountains and be back within the year." chapter xli the ruby mountains on our second voyage to the south in the "golden seahorse" we followed the route we had originally taken with the "endraght", avoiding as far as possible the calms and currents which had then impeded our progress, as also those islands where we had met with a hostile reception. it became necessary, however, to call at some of the groups we passed, and it surprised us to find how diversified are the manners and customs of the natives who inhabit the numerous islands of the south seas. not only are the people of each group governed by different laws, but frequently each island is distinct from the others in the language spoken and the manner of life followed upon it. hence it would require a bulky volume to describe in detail the many and varied tribes we met with on our journey. we made the coast of new holland within five months after leaving amsterdam (a record voyage), somewhere about the same place where i had affixed the metal plate at the time of our first visit. but we did not land here, as the weather was unfavourable, a strong breeze blowing and a high sea running at the time, making it necessary to keep a good offing from the shore. as we coasted toward the south, however, the weather moderated, so that we were able to bring our ship with safety nearer land. from an observation we took when the weather was favourable, we ascertained that we were three hundred miles to the north, with an unbroken coastline extending before us; so we concluded we had rounded a promontory, and were now upon the west coast of new holland. this encouraged us in the belief that we were following the right course to the ruby mountains, for marco polo's parchment informed us that the giants whom he saw were by far the largest men to be seen "in this strait," from which it seemed the intrepid venetian navigator had sailed through this strait as early as the year 1272, when he made his famous voyage round the world. as we proceeded along the coast, the weather being now clear and fine, we observed great stretches of country, flat and uninviting, upon which there appeared to be no sign of life. indeed, the whole of this southern continent seems to be sparsely populated when compared with the islands, upon most of which the native inhabitants are very numerous. in this may be seen the hand of an all-wise providence. in the ages to come a white population will, no doubt, emigrate to new holland, and if this great continent was found to be densely populated by a black people, it would be a work of great difficulty to overcome them. whereas, the aboriginal population being scant by reason of the barren nature of the country, the task of colonization by the whites would be easy. we often sailed for more than a week at a time along this coast without seeing any sign of human habitation, and those natives whom we did see were of so poor a description and appeared to be so frightened of us and of our vessel as hardly to deserve the name of humans. and now we approached some cliffs, beyond which appeared a lofty range, which, from our present position, and the bearings given on marco polo's chart, hartog declared to be the ruby mountains. as we approached the cliffs, a bold headland, which stood between us and a view of the coast beyond, assumed the appearance of a lion's head. the resemblance was so striking that it appeared as if the mighty hand of nature had hewn a colossus from the living rock in the shape of a lion to guard the entrance into this land. upon rounding this remarkable promontory, we found ourselves opposite a beach bordered by a broad line of surf, which indicated that the water here was very shallow for some distance from the shore. both the surf and the beach seemed to be alive with black children, so diminutive were the forms who disported themselves in the breakers, or ran up and down upon the sand with the eagerness and agility generally displayed by boys at the seaside. as to the real ages of these people, however, we were not left long in doubt. four canoes put off from the shore and came alongside. they were manned by twenty-five blacks, who, notwithstanding their small stature, we could see at a glance were full-grown men. we made signs to them to come aboard, but they were evidently in doubt whether or not to accept our invitation. we then threw out to them some small pieces of iron and strings of beads, at which they showed great satisfaction. these little men appeared to be an intelligent race. their bodies were small, but their heads, in proportion, were large. they wore no beards, but their hair was curly like the kafirs, some of them wearing it tied to the neck in a knot, and others letting it fall loose down to the waist. all of them had holes through their noses to carry fish bones, polished white. some wore strings of human teeth round their necks. at length, five, bolder than the rest, ventured aboard. they did not appear to be afraid, and what astonished us most was that they seemed ready to take charge of us. they made signs that we should go ashore, and one of them, who appeared to be a chief, attempted to drive janstins into the sea by hitting him with a kind of hammer with a wooden handle, and at one end a black conch shell. janstins laughingly disarmed his small antagonist, which seemed to surprise him as well as the others, and brought them together in consultation. ten of the pygmies now came aboard, to whom we gave nutmegs and cloves, thinking to please them. they took what we gave them, although they appeared surprised that we should offer them anything. the little chief, not more than three feet high, who had so amusingly attempted to drive janstins into the sea, again made signs to us to go ashore. so hartog ordered the pinnace to be manned, and armed against treachery. but we had not come within musket shot of the beach when the water became so shallow that we could not take the boat any farther, whereupon a number of us stepped out into the shallows, up to our waists in mud and kelp, and with some difficulty made our way to the beach, where the pygmies mustered in great force. on the beach we noticed fresh human footprints that must have been made by men of great stature. they were twice as long as the footprints we made, and none of us were noted for small feet. on going a short distance into the woods we saw a vast number of huts made of dried grass, so cramped that a man of ordinary size could not creep into them on all fours, yet many of them contained families of pygmies. we afterwards tried to penetrate somewhat farther into the wood, in order to ascertain the nature and situation of the country, when, on coming to an open place, a number of tall savages, none of them less than eight feet high; came out from the brushwood as though to attack us. on the neck of each giant sat one of the pygmies, who directed him in the same way that a man would guide a charger. the pygmies then began to let fly their arrows at us with great fury, by which janstins was wounded, and one of the men hit in the leg. we were all hard pressed, so i ordered a volley to be fired, which killed one of the giants, so that the others dragged the dead man into the wood, from which all quickly disappeared. being so far from the beach, and having a very difficult path to travel, we determined to return to the ship and report to hartog what had occurred. hartog, upon learning what had befallen us, resolved to make no further overtures of peace to these treacherous natives, who appeared to be more like wild beasts than men, and who, by their conduct, had placed themselves beyond all claim to consideration. it seemed that the pygmies possessed a greater intelligence than the giants, whom they used as ordinary men would use horses or beasts of burden. it was for this reason that the little chief had attempted to drive janstins into the sea with his conch-shell hammer, regarding him as some smaller species of giant whom he could easily frighten into obeying him. during the afternoon some canoes came off in which were a number of pygmies, but they made no attempt to come aboard of us, remaining, as they thought, at a safe distance from the ship. in order to convince them of the error of this, however, and to punish them for their treachery of the morning, hartog ordered our brass bow-chaser to be loaded with grape, and fired amongst them, which caused great consternation, and sent them back to their woods howling in terror, taking their dead and wounded with them. hartog was determined to explore the range of mountains which we could see not far distant from the coast, in order to ascertain the truth, or otherwise, of the existence of rubies in the valleys as set forth in marco polo's account of this country. although we had carefully looked for these gems among the ornaments worn by the pygmies, we had not seen any, from which we concluded that the men spoken of by polo as having procured the rubies must have been of a different race, or possibly his own sailors. toward evening we observed a large bird in the sky, which hartog, with the aid of his spy-glass, pronounced to be a white eagle. chapter xlii the valley of serpents we now equipped an expedition to explore the ruby mountains, of which i was appointed leader. hartog wished to come with us, but i persuaded him that his place was on board our ship, which, remembering how the spaniards had, on a former occasion, pirated the vessel, he could not deny. "you are right, peter," he said, when we had argued the matter. "we cannot both go, and, since i am captain of the 'golden seahorse', i clearly perceive my duty is to stand by her through fair and foul." the matter being thus concluded, i took command of the party for the shore. in the forenoon we rowed for the beach in two pinnaces, well manned and armed. in all the places where we had landed we had treated the blacks with kindness, offering them pieces of iron, strings of beads, and pieces of cloth, hoping by these means to win their friendship, and to be allowed to explore the country; but, in spite of our friendly overtures, the blacks received us everywhere as enemies, and nowhere more so than in this land of pygmies and giants. we therefore determined to waste no more time in making useless efforts for peace, but to meet force with force. twelve men, well armed, we considered to be a match for all the savages we were likely to encounter during a day's march inland. we had brought with us some coils of stout rope in order to assist us in descending from the mountain heights into the valleys below, for i did not place much reliance upon the fable of the eagles and the pieces of fresh meat as a means to procure the rubies which it was said were washed down by torrential rains at certain seasons. if rubies were to be obtained, i argued, it must be by a more practical method than that employed by marco polo's men. besides, we had no fresh meat with which to give polo's experiment a trial. after our recent brush with the natives these wild men gave us a wide berth, and we saw no sign of them on our way to the mountains, to which we came after two hours of walking. the sides of these mountains are rocky, with no verdure of any kind upon them except a species of stubble which grows in patches. when we came to the top of one of these hills, we looked down a sheer cliff into the valley. i never before saw any place so inaccessible to man. nothing without wings, it appeared, could descend into those depths. after exploring the mountains for the best part of an hour, however, we came to a position where it was possible, with caution, to descend for some distance, and by aid of our rope, one end of which we fastened to rocks or stubble as opportunity offered, we succeeded in reaching a cliff from which there was a drop of not more than two hundred feet. this i calculated to be the entire length of the rope we had brought with us, by which i resolved to be lowered. bantum tried to dissuade me from my project, urging that the risk was too great; but i was determined that, having come so far, i would not go back without being able to make some report of the valley we had undertaken to explore, and a descent by means of the rope seemed to be the only method, nor could bantum suggest any other. i now knotted at one end of the rope a cradle in which i could sit. while being lowered, and so long as the rope held, of which there appeared to be no reason to doubt, for my weight was well within its compass, i did not anticipate danger. all being made ready, and every possible precaution taken against accident, i was let down from the top of the cliff to what looked like the dried-up course of a stream composed of pebbles and wash-dirt. the whole valley presented the most dreary and desolate appearance. the high cliffs by which it was surrounded rose like perpendicular walls, casting deep shadows, so that the sun's rays never penetrated to the floor, for which reason it was destitute of verdure, barren to the eye, and depressing to the senses. as i descended it seemed to me as though i was being lowered into some forgotten tomb. at length my feet touched ground, and, extricating myself from my cradle, i began to explore the course of the stream. the light in these depths, although it was noonday, was not greater than twilight, and i found some difficulty in ascertaining of what the bed of the stream was composed, but by crawling on all fours i was able to form some idea of its composition, and among the wash-dirt i found a number of dark stones, which, from the experience i had gained at amsterdam, i knew to be rubies of a size and weight that promised great value. i now became so absorbed in my hunt for rubies that the dismal nature of my surroundings was forgotten. the greed of gain obsessed me, and as i gathered the precious stones into my pocket i would not have exchanged this desolate valley for the most beautiful spot on earth. but i was soon to learn how the wealth of the world is for ever encompassed by dangers that we wot not of. a shout drew my attention, and on looking up a sight met my gaze which drove all thoughts of ruby-hunting from my mind, and made self-preservation my only concern. the rope by which i had descended, relieved of my weight, swayed like a serpent endowed with life, and for this reason, perhaps, it was being fiercely attacked, about midway from the top, by a flock of white eagles which tore at the hemp with beak and claws. i ran to the cradle; but i had barely come to it when the rope parted, a hundred feet or more of it falling down to where i stood scarcely able, as yet, to realize the extent of the disaster which had overtaken me. a return to the ship for a fresh rope would occupy, i knew, six hours at the least, provided my companions were not molested on their way by hostile savages, and i shuddered to think what my sufferings must be during such a period of enforced solitude in this dreadful place. i shouted to my comrades on top of the cliff, who answered me, but it was impossible to understand what was said. i noticed, however, that some had already set off on a return to the ship, as i conjectured, for a fresh rope; while others continued to watch me. thus i did not feel so deserted as i would otherwise have done, though i dreaded the weary hours before me, particularly when it should become dark, as would happen sooner here than above. and now, to add to my terrors, i became aware of a low, hissing sound which seemed to come from all around me, first from one quarter and then from another. the air seemed to menace me with the hisses that were borne upon it. then, in spite of the gloom, by straining my eyes i could see the cause of this hissing. a number of serpents were crawling out of the crevices of the rocks around, and making toward me. i shouted in the hope of frightening them away, but, although they paused, irresolute, at the sound of my voice, they came on again, drawing closer every minute. they were of all sizes, some of great length, black and venomous-looking. one monstrous reptile of the constrictor species continued to watch me from an adjacent rock upon which it lay, its forked tongue darting in and out of its mouth. i felt that my reason was leaving me. endurance has its limits--i could bear no more. death or madness awaited me. then a miracle happened. the white eagles, the cause of my mishap, now proved my salvation. they descended upon the serpents like bolts from above, carrying them off in their talons to the mountain tops, there to be devoured at their leisure. the dark valley became alive with flapping white wings and squirming serpents, in the midst of which pandemonium i mercifully lost consciousness. when i came to myself hartog was beside me. it was pitch dark, but he carried a ship's lantern in his hand. chapter xliii we again leave new holland "courage, comrade," said hartog, who held a flask of spirits to my lips, and at the sound of his familiar voice life returned to me. i was so weak, however, and the shock to my nervous system had been so great, that i could not speak. i pressed his hand to let him know how thankful i was that he had come himself to my assistance. none, i firmly believe, but hartog could have saved me at that moment from madness or death. with the tenderness of his great heart, which could be gentle as a woman's upon occasions, he lifted me in his arms, and bore me to the cradle at the end of the rope by which he had descended. i was soon drawn to the top of the cliff, where my companions awaited me, and presently hartog himself joined us. we did not fear the pygmies and giants at night-time, for the dread of evil spirits in the dark is universal among the aborigines of new holland, making it unlikely they would attack us, but it was a melancholy procession which made its way through the woods to the beach where our boats lay, with me carried on a stretcher by willing hands, since i was incapable of making any exertion. next day, after a night of delirium, during which i raved, so hartog told me, of eagles and serpents, i awoke refreshed, though still very weak. i could not bear to be left alone, not even for a moment, and hartog nursed me with a tenderness that my mother would have given me had she been at my bedside. at length i pulled through, and was able to come on deck; but it was a shadow of my former self who crept up the companion ladder to where a couch had been prepared for me. as i lay thus, recovering my strength in the sun, i was able to give hartog some account of my adventure. at first, when i spoke of rubies, he evidently regarded what i said as a flight of fancy inseparable from the dreadful ordeal through which i had passed. but when i insisted that i had told him nothing but truth, he brought me the clothes i had worn on my descent into the valley, the pockets of which we found to be full of the rubies i had collected. but, after consultation, we determined to say nothing about these rubies to any member of the crew. the wealth of the indies would not have tempted me to descend into the valley again, and hartog considered the risk too great for him to run, upon whom the safety of us all depended. to have asked others to undertake a danger from which we shrank would have been to undermine our authority and sow the seeds of mutiny. thus we kept our secret, and after a further week's rest, during which i fully regained my strength, we made sail for the open sea. the land which we had up to now skirted and touched at was not only barren and inhabited by savages, but also the sea in these parts seemed to yield nothing but sharks, swordfish, and the like unnatural monsters, while the birds also were as wild and shy as the men. what pleasure the wretched inhabitants of this country can find in their lives it is hard to understand. we were now once more in need of water, and having sighted an island, we made for it, but could find no means to get near the land, owing to the heavy surf. we found the coast very precipitous, without any foreland or inlets. in short, it seemed to us a barren, accursed place, without leaf or grass. the coast here was steep, consisting of red rocks of the same height almost everywhere, and impossible to touch at owing to the breakers. during the whole of the next day the current carried us northward against our will, since we were running with small sail, and had but little control over the rudder. in the afternoon we saw smoke rising up from the shore, when i took charge of a boat's crew, in order to effect a landing, with our spirits somewhat revived, for i concluded if there were men on the island there must be water also. coming near to the shore, we found it to be a steeply-rising coast, full of rocks and stones, with a violent surf running. nevertheless, two of our men swam ashore, and succeeded in drawing the pinnace close to the reef, upon which we landed. we now began our search for water, without, however, finding any, when we observed coming toward us, from the direction in which we had seen the smoke, three men creeping on all fours. their appearance was so wretched that we began to doubt if they were humans. they made no sound, apparently being incapable of speech, but they signed to us with beckoning fingers to approach them. then they raised themselves upon their knees, and stretched out their hands to us in mute appeal. they were white men--some of the spaniards marooned by captain montbar as a punishment for having stolen our vessel. and, with a shock, i recognized among them pedro de castro, the traitor to whom we owed the piracy of our ship. when we came close to the unfortunate spaniards whom montbar had left to shift for themselves on this desolate shore i bent over to examine them. but that they moved i would not have thought them to be alive. the pupils of their eyes were strangely dilated, and there were black circles under their eyes. their hollow cheeks were deeply wrinkled. their lips glued to their yellow teeth. they exhaled an infectious odour, and might well have been taken for dead men come forth from the tombs. we had some salt junk and biscuits on the boat, kept in one of the lockers against, as sometimes happened, the boat being unable to return to the ship in time for meals, and i sent one of the crew to fetch a portion, which he set before the famished men. when the spaniards saw the food their limbs were affected with a shivering, and tears came into their eyes. then they fell upon it, and devoured it with sobs of joy. in astonishment and pity we watched them at their wolfish meal. when they had finished i asked de castro for some account of what had befallen them. the devil montbar, he said, had abandoned them upon this desolate island, telling them to make shift for themselves, and to learn from the hardship of their lot repentance for the act of piracy they had committed in stealing our ship. on searching the island they found it to contain no water except a brackish liquid, to be had by digging, the only food obtainable was shell-fish, and occasionally the rank flesh of sea birds. they had neither the tools nor materials to build habitations, and were forced to shelter themselves from the scorching sun in summer and from the bitter cold in winter with a few bushes. when de castro spoke of montbar he became livid, and a very evil light shone in his eyes. for two years they had endured upon this island untold suffering. all the women and children were long since dead, except donna isabel barreto, who clung to life with the tenacity born of a desire for revenge. of the two hundred and forty spaniards marooned by captain montbar but thirty now survived, the rest having perished miserably from starvation and exposure, when their bodies had been cast from the cliffs into the sea. when pedro and his companions had somewhat recovered they led us to where their wretched settlement had been made among a clump of gaunt, wind-swept trees, and, in pity for their forlorn condition, i ordered all the provisions we had in the boat to be brought for their refreshment. donna isabel threw herself at my feet, clasping my knees, and covering my hands with kisses. she had lost all trace of the proud beauty she had formerly possessed. her skin had been burnt almost black by the sun, and a mane of tangled white hair surrounded what had once been a noble countenance. only her eyes retained their brightness, and at thought of rescue, and possible revenge upon her enemy montbar, they seemed to glow with unnatural fire. i knew that hartog would not have wished me to leave these wretched outcasts to their fate, however little deserving they may have been of our sympathy, so i invited them to accompany us back to the ship. they came protesting they would henceforth be our slaves, ready, in all things, to obey our slightest behest. but i had little faith in their promises when their necessities should be relieved. hartog, as may well be imagined, was considerably surprised when we returned on board with the remnant of the spanish settlement in such sorry plight, but he approved of what i had done in bringing them off the island. they were sent forward, where they received every attention. donna isabel was the only one allowed to berth in the cabin. we had no women's dress on board, but we found her warm clothing, in which she appeared as a man. after a while she recovered her good looks, and we found her companionship agreeable. a week later we came to an island which promised more favourable conditions than the one we had just left, and where we obtained a supply of good water for our tanks. chapter xliv the islands of armenio it was now brought home to me that donna isabel barreto was henceforth to play no unimportant part in the prosecution of our voyage. she had recovered her good looks, and although she was older than any of us on board the "golden seahorse", and probably ten years older than hartog, she nevertheless exerted an influence over the captain which i could see he found it impossible to resist. donna isabel had once more resumed her feminine attire, having stitched together for herself a wardrobe from the ship's stores of cloth and calico, and hartog begged from me three of the rubies which i had found in the valley of serpents, which he presented to her, and which she wore sewn on to a black velvet cap. donna isabel openly expressed her desire to amass treasure in order to follow up montbar and take her revenge upon him for having marooned her and her people upon a desert island. this desire for revenge obsessed her. her spanish blood burned to repay the insults and indignities which montbar had heaped upon her, and she looked forward with pleasure to the tortures which she promised herself she would inflict upon montbar when once she held him in her power. in order to obtain means to make war upon her enemy, donna isabel persuaded hartog to embark upon a fresh adventure, which promised to provide the necessary funds to equip a frigate equal to that owned by montbar, so that she might engage him upon equal terms. the story that donna isabel had to tell was one confided to her by her late husband, captain barreto, which she had kept locked in her memory ever since, waiting for some such opportunity as the present, when the information she possessed might be turned to account. the story was, briefly, as follows: a long time ago a spanish vessel sailed from manila for mexico, and east of japan had by a violent storm been driven toward a small but high-rising island. when the crew went ashore, the island proved to be a country, strange and unknown to anyone; the people being of handsome stature, white skinned, and of good proportions, very affable, and amiably disposed. on their arrival in mexico, the sailors related many marvels about the wealth of this island, giving their hearers to understand that, so to say, gold and silver were almost to be picked up at discretion on the shore, while the kettles and other cooking utensils of the natives were made of these metals. these islands were named the islands of armenio, after an armenian merchant who was on board the ship. donna isabel professed to have received from her late husband the true bearings of these islands, which she confided to hartog, and a course was set accordingly. pedro de castro, donna isabel's son, had now been forgiven his treachery toward us in stealing our vessel, since hartog considered his punishment in having been marooned upon a desert island commensurate with his offence. he was, therefore, permitted to join us in the cabin, and was given employment as ship's purser, for which he was well suited. he expressed great contrition for what he had done, and i honestly believe at the time he intended to serve us faithfully. but treachery once practised is oft-times repeated, so i made up my mind to keep a watchful eye on pedro de castro lest we again be caught tripping. we now proceeded northward, coasting with great care a succession of small rocky islands that appeared to be uninhabited. as we proceeded, the weather became rough and tempestuous, the sea running so high that it sometimes threatened to engulf us. during the whole of our voyage we had not met with such a mountainous sea. at last we perceived a land to the north, trending to the north-east, of which the coast seemed to be one continuous rock, remarkably level at the top, and of a reddish colour, against which the sea broke with such fury as to make a landing impossible, but donna isabel declared this rock to be one of the islands of armenio we had come in search of. as there were no other islands to be seen, we concluded that during the ages which had passed since the white-skinned people inhabited them, the continuous beating of the waves had gradually demolished the islands until nothing remained but the plateau of red rock to which we had come, and over which the sea sometimes swept in a mass of foam. but, having come to the island of her dreams, donna isabel would not leave it until we had ascertained, beyond doubt, that a landing was impracticable. it was not handsome, white-skinned natives whom we had come in search of, she said, but solid gold, which neither tempests nor seas can destroy. in order to satisfy her, we remained several days in the vicinity of this mass of rocks, hoping that the weather would moderate, so as to make possible a landing upon it, and at last we were rewarded for our patience by a lull in the heavy breakers, so that the pinnace, of which i took charge, was able to approach close to the steep and jagged shore. thereupon six of the spaniards leaped overboard, trusting to their skill as swimmers to make the land, which they did, remaining on shore for upward of an hour. when they returned they reported the rock to be a mass of auriferous quartz, in which was embedded more gold than they had ever thought to see in one place, but so tightly wedged was it between the crevices that they had been unable to bring any of it away except a few small specimens which they showed us. with picks and crowbars, however, they declared it would be easy to obtain an unlimited supply of gold. when we reported the finding of the gold to donna isabel, she vowed she would never consent to abandon the treasure. "the sea cannot always be rough," she said. "a calm must follow. let us, therefore, wait in patience until it comes, so that we may land and enrich ourselves." hartog, also, was in no mood to leave the gold until every effort had been made to obtain it, so we continued to beat about in the vicinity of the island awaiting a calm. after three weeks tossing on the ocean, during which time of stress we suffered much hardship by reason of our decks being continually drenched by the seas which swept us fore and aft, a calm suddenly fell, as it does in the tropics, without the least warning. fortunately we were not far from the island when the calm fell, so that we lay within easy reach of it. without loss of time we manned the two pinnaces, i taking command of one and janstins of the other, and made for the shore. donna isabel insisted upon coming in my boat. she had discarded her feminine apparel, and now appeared in the sailor's clothes we had given her when she first came aboard. hartog, as captain, remained in charge of the ship. when we came to the island we found no difficulty in landing, and were soon engaged with the picks and crow-bars we had brought with us, in the work of gold-getting. we found the report given by the spanish sailors, who had been the first to land, to be somewhat exaggerated. still, there was an abundance of gold between the crevices of the rock, and, what was more remarkable, we came upon what had evidently been vessels of beaten gold, thus proving beyond doubt that the island had formerly been inhabited. during the course of the morning we obtained as much gold mixed with quartz as the boats could conveniently carry, when we returned to the ship, intending, after our midday meal, to come back for a fresh supply of the precious metal, but on getting aboard we found hartog much perturbed by the extraordinary behaviour of the compass, and the strange appearance of the sky. "i don't like the look of it, peter," said hartog, when we descended together to the cabin to discuss the situation. "i never knew this to happen before but once, and i am not anxious to repeat the experience. unless i am greatly mistaken, there's something big coming." when we returned to the deck, a low moaning sound came to us across the sea, but, otherwise, there seemed to be nothing to cause anxiety. donna isabel wished to return to the island for more gold, but hartog would not permit of any further expedition being made that day. he ordered the boats to be hoisted, and the treasure carried below. every stitch of canvas had already been taken off the ship by the captain's orders, and we now rode upon a glassy sea under bare poles. then the moaning increased, and presently there appeared upon the horizon a black line over which lightning played, although no clouds were visible. the atmosphere was at this time so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe. hartog then ordered the helm to be lashed, the hatches to be put on, and all hands below, he and i being the last to quit the deck just as the storm broke upon us with hurricane force. for three days and nights we remained between, decks, with the hatches battened down, not knowing but that each moment might be our last. the noise was deafening, while the violent motion of the vessel made the getting about from one part of the ship to another difficult and dangerous. food and water we obtained with difficulty, not at regular intervals, but when opportunity offered, crawling from one to another, and helping those who, from exhaustion, were least able to help themselves. the air became so foul in the cabin as to cause the ship's lanterns to burn dimly, so that we feared they would soon be extinguished. thus we lived amid the raging elements, shut up in a storm-tossed coffin which we knew might go to pieces at any moment. at length, on the third day, hartog ventured to open one of the hatches, when a rush of cool air came to us as we lay gasping below, bringing with it new life and vigour. the hurricane had passed, and although the wind and sea still ran high, we were told we might come on deck. but the happiness we felt at being released from our dreadful imprisonment was checked when we saw the havoc which had been wrought by the wind and the waves upon our ship. the decks were swept clean, the masts gone by the board, the larboard bulwarks stove in, while the cook's galley had disappeared. chapter xlv sumatra all hands now set to work to cut away the wreckage of our masts and rigging, which, as the ship rolled in the trough of the sea, threatened to stave in the hull as the spars dashed against it with each recoil. had it not been that the "golden seahorse" was a new ship, upon which no expense had been spared in the building, we must have foundered. but it was amid such scenes of storm and stress that the indomitable spirit of dirk hartog asserted itself, and seemed to animate both officers and crew with something of his own courage and determination. forgetting the hardships and privations through which we had passed, we set to work, under the magic of his influence, with such goodwill that, in the space of some six hours, order had been evolved out of chaos, and our vessel once more rode the sea in safety. the pumps were then manned, when it was found that although much water was in the hold, it was easily gained upon, from which we concluded that no leak had sprung in our timbers, notwithstanding the battering they had received. jury-masts were then rigged, upon which sufficient sail was set to give the ship steering way, when we hoped to make a harbour where we might refit, and effect necessary repairs. we were now anxious to reach some port where new masts and rigging might be obtained, as our progress under jury-masts, which carried only a limited spread of canvas, was necessarily slow. donna isabel was in favour of abandoning the "golden seahorse" at the first port we came to where another ship could be purchased to convey our treasure to spain, but neither hartog nor i would consent to this proposal, having no desire to see the interior of a spanish prison, or to taste of the horrors of the inquisition. it was astonishing how quickly donna isabel and her son, pedro de castro, appeared to have forgotten the obligation they were under to us for having rescued them from the desert island upon which they had been marooned. both now spoke as if we were indebted to them for having put us in the way of enriching ourselves with the gold obtained from the islands of armenio, and donna isabel declared that the treasure really belonged to her, since she had possessed the secret which led to its discovery. i was so disgusted by the ingratitude of these spaniards that i could hardly bring myself to speak of the matter with patience. hartog now proposed that we should make for sumatra, and as this proposal appeared to promise a way out of, our difficulties, i had nothing to say against it. sumatra is one of the sunda islands, having malacca on the north, borneo on the east, java on the south-east, and the indian ocean on the west. it is eight hundred miles long and about one hundred and fifty broad, and it possesses a fine harbour capable of containing any number of the largest ships. here we arrived without mishap, within three weeks after setting our course for this port, and cast anchor in a sheltered spot close to the shore. the harbour is commanded by a strong fortress, well fortified, and mounted with cannon. three ships were at anchor, a spanish frigate and two smaller vessels, one flying the flag of england, and the other displaying the colours of the netherlands. we had barely found our moorings when a boat from the man-o'-war came alongside, steered by a young spanish officer, who bore as much arrogance in his demeanour as there was to be seen gold lace and brass buttons upon his uniform. he haughtily demanded an interview with the captain, but upon hartog stepping forward his manner became less offensive, and finally they descended together to the cabin, being shortly afterward joined by donna isabel. since i was not invited to this conference, i was forced to remain on deck, feeling very jealous of the influence which donna isabel exerted over hartog, to the destruction of the mutual trust and confidence which had formerly existed between us. i felt, also, there was trouble in store for us. hartog, although brave and resourceful upon the sea, was but a child when it came to dealing with business matters ashore, and i well knew that he would prove no match for the wily spaniards with whom he was now in consultation. presently the party from the cabin came on deck, when i perceived that pedro de castro was one of those who had been present at the conference. the young spanish officer was now all smiles and affability, and donna isabel and her son, accompanying him to his boat, were rowed aboard the frigate. hartog then came to me, and i could see he was worried, and ashamed at having shut me out from what had taken place in the cabin. "forgive me, comrade," he said, "but donna isabel would have none present at the interview with the spaniard save only myself and her son pedro." "since when has donna isabel barreto become captain of this ship?" i asked. "nay, peter, i forgive thee that sneer," answered hartog, "though i would not take it from another. it has been decided to transfer the treasure to the spanish frigate, the captain of the warship undertaking to protect us while we remain in this port and to pay for all necessary repairs to our ship. these were the best terms i could make, and they seem to me fair enough." i had no desire to haggle over terms, for i was already rich enough to make me careless of what became of the gold we had taken from the island of armenio, but i realized how great was the influence donna isabel had acquired over hartog in order to induce him to lay aside his claim to a part of the treasure. during the day a boat came from the frigate into which the gold was loaded and transferred to the warship, together with the spaniards we had aboard of us, whom i was glad to be rid of on any terms, and that evening was the first upon which i had felt at home in our cabin since donna isabel and her people had joined us. it was a beautiful evening, with a gentle breeze off the shore--the very night, as i remarked to hartog, to put to sea. "i wish we could up anchor and be off," answered hartog. "but we have work to do ashore in attending to the ship's repairs before we may hope to leave this place where, i make no doubt, we shall be imposed upon and robbed by the sweepings of europe who inhabit this island. it is fortunate we have the word of the spanish captain that he himself will be responsible for all we need." i did not answer, for i did not share in hartog's sanguine expectations regarding the spaniards. i had experienced too many acts of treachery to trust them, and there existed, as i knew, at this time, a natural antipathy between the netherlands and spain, which made any binding compact between the people of these rival nations impossible. i did not, however, voice my suspicions lest my opposition might be attributed to jealousy. as sometimes happens, i was unable to sleep that night, my thoughts taking wing among the many scenes of adventure through which i had passed, and refusing to compose themselves to rest. with the dawn i was up and on deck. as i stepped upon the poop and looked around upon the quiet harbour where the ships rode at anchor, i became aware of a certain emptiness in the bay. i rubbed my eyes and looked again. the spanish frigate was gone. chapter xlvi mahomet achmet when hartog was told of the treachery of donna isabel barreto, in stealing our portion of the gold obtained from the island of armenio, and leaving us, for all she knew or cared, without the means to repair our vessel, he did not show so much anger as i expected. he seemed more to regret the loss of donna isabel than the treasure with which she had so heartlessly decamped. "she was a clever woman, peter," was all he said to me in reference to the matter, "and i shall miss her." then he clapped me on the shoulder, and bade me not despond. "we still have the rubies," he reminded me, "which, properly invested, will more than pay for all we need." i had forgotten the rubies, but i stipulated that the disposal of them should be left in my hands. "willingly, peter," replied hartog, "for, between ourselves, i doubt not i am more at home on the sea than in making a bargain with land-rogues ashore. take you command of the ship until she is once more taut and trim." to this i agreed, although i had no intention of depriving hartog of his authority, and, after breakfast, i landed with a boat's crew, in order to interview the islanders, and, if possible, to make arrangements with some of them for the equipment of our vessel. achin, the metropolis of sumatra, is situated at the north-west end of the island. it stands on a plain, surrounded by woods and marshes, about five miles distant from the sea, near to a pleasant rivulet. the city consists of some eight thousand houses which take up more ground than a city of this size would demand by reason of every person surrounding his dwelling with a palisade that stands some yards distant from it. the inhabitants are, in general, small, and of very swarthy complexion. they have black eyes, flat faces, and high check-bones. their hair is long and black, and they take great pains to dye their teeth black. they also besmear their bodies with oil, as do the natives of other hot countries, to protect themselves from being stung by insects, while they let their nails grow exceedingly long, scraping them until they are transparent, and dyeing them vermilion. the poorer class go almost naked, having only a small piece of cloth round the waist, and a piece of linen about the head, or a cap made of leaves resembling the crown of a hat. the richer sort wear white breeches to above the knee, and a piece of calico, or silk, wrapped round their loins and thrown over the left shoulder. some wear sandals, but all are bare-legged and bare-bodied from the waist upward. the common language among them is the malayan language, and, by speaking to some whom i met on landing, i found i was able to make myself understood, and to understand, though imperfectly, what was said to me. the sumatrans are a very indolent race of people, which accounted for the small interest they took in the arrival of our ship, none thinking it worth while to come aboard, or to make any inquiry concerning us. when i explained that my business was to obtain new masts and rigging i was directed to the house of an arab named mahomet achmet, a carpenter and ship chandler, if such he could be called, who traded with vessels visiting the island, and dealt with them in the matter of repairs or refitting. mahomet, like all the inhabitants of sumatra, spoke the malayan language, but we occasionally helped each other with spanish or dutch words, of which he had acquired the meaning by his intercourse with crews of these nationalities. when i told him we required masts as well as rigging, he seemed to consider my request unreasonable. there were masts on the island, he said, good ones too, made of beech, but they belonged to the king, who set great store by them, since they had come to him as the result of a victory by the fort over a foreign vessel which had attempted to raid the island and take by force what could only honestly be obtained by trade. on my asking to see the king mahomet turned up his eyes with an exclamation of astonishment at my audacity. no foreigners were permitted to see the king, he said. it was death to enter without permission the inner apartments of the palace where the king lived. but when i produced one of my rubies he became less demonstrative in his protestations against my proposed visit. "it is for these toys that i would trade with the king," i said to him, as i held up the red crystal to the light in order that he might see it better. "such toys the king likes well," answered achmet. "give it me, and i will send it to the king, and ask if he will receive you." "nay, achmet," i answered, "i will not part with my jewels save only to the king himself. send, therefore, and tell him that a rich merchant from the east is here to trade for gems such as are only fit for kings to handle." i could now see that mahomet achmet was on the horns of a dilemma. his natural cupidity urged him to rob me of my jewels, but should this come to the king's knowledge he would doubtless suffer for having taken the law into his own hands. finally he consented to send a message to the king on my promising that not only would i pay him liberally for such ship-chandlery as he might supply us with, but that if all went well i would present him with a ruby of equal value to that which i had shown him before i left the island. while the messenger was absent on his mission, mahomet gave me some interesting information regarding his malayan majesty. the king, he said, owned a large number of horses, as well as elephants, all having magnificent trappings. he was at no expense in time of war, for all his subjects were obliged to march at their own expense, and to carry with them provisions for three months. in peace time his majesty's living and that of his household cost him nothing, for his subjects supplied him with all kinds of provisions. he was, besides, heir to all those of his people who died without male issue, and to all foreigners who died within his territories, while he succeeded to the property of all those who were put to death for offences against the law. from this it will be seen that the revenue of this prince is very considerable, and that he is personally interested in the death of foreigners within his kingdom, whether from natural causes or in the execution of the law, of which he is the sole arbiter. chapter xlvii king trinkitat the space of an hour had barely elapsed since the sending of the messenger to king trinkitat of sumatra, announcing my arrival in his dominions, before an answer was brought me that his majesty desired my attendance at the palace forthwith, so i made ready to accompany those he had sent for me, and who acted as my bodyguard. the king's palace stands in the middle of the town, its grounds being oval in shape, and about a half-mile in circumference, surrounded by a moat twenty-five feet broad, and as many deep. all round the palace there are cast up great heaps of earth instead of a wall, planted with reeds and canes that grow to a prodigious height and thickness. these reeds are continually green, so that there is no danger of fire. there is no ditch or drawbridge before the gates leading to the palace, but, on each side, a wall of stone, about ten feet high, that supports a terrace on which some guns are planted. a small stream runs through the middle of the palace, which is lined with stone, and has steps down to the bottom of it for the convenience of bathers. there were four gates and as many courts to be passed before we came to the royal apartments, and in some of these outer courts are kept the king's magazines of rifles and cannon. here also are stalls for the king's elephants. in the king's magazines are to be found numerous cannon, and a quantity of small arms, while his guards consist of a thousand men. but his greatest strength is in his elephants, which are trained to trample upon fire, and to stand unmoved at the report of artillery. when we came to the inner courts, beyond which were the apartments of the king, our bodyguard halted, and mahomet achmet and i entered the king's presence unattended. we found his majesty seated on a divan surrounded by his numerous wives and slaves, to the number of several hundred, for the apartment in which the king received us was a very large one, more resembling a courtyard than a room, since the roof was open to the sky. the king seemed to be a man of middle age, whom i judged to be about forty years old, but his attendants were all young, some of them scarcely more than children. all were attired in the same manner, so that it was difficult to tell their sex, with short white breeches to above the knee, silken scarves of various colours wrapped round their waists, the end being thrown over the left shoulder, and white turbans upon their heads, into which their long hair was gathered. some were yellow-skinned, others brown, others again jet-black. all had been rubbed with oil so that their skins glistened like polished marble, and they stood about the courtyard or around the king in silent groups, like so many statues. mahomet achmet prostrated himself when he came into the king's presence, as is the manner of the east; but i contented myself with bowing low as i approached the divan upon which his majesty sat, very gorgeously dressed in red and blue silk robes embroidered with golden dragons, which i concluded he had obtained from china. upon his head he wore a white turban with a jewelled aigrette of great value. his countenance was intellectual, and his expression shrewd. king trinkitat received me graciously, and ordered a stool to be placed near to the divan so that i might sit and converse with him upon the matter in hand. when i showed him some of my rubies he at once said, "these come from the south land," and upon my asking him how he had arrived at this conclusion, he answered that some of his people visited annually the south land to trade with the natives, and had reported a white ruler there among a tribe of savages who had in his possession a great quantity of valuable jewels, which he would not part with for money, but only in exchange for certain commodities, by the aid of which he was making the tribe he governed the most powerful upon the southern continent. "what is the name of this white chief, your majesty?" i asked, deeply interested. "king luck," answered trinkitat; "but i thought you came from him." "that is not so, o king," i replied. "these rubies are magic rubies that are found only in a valley guarded by serpents. if they are honestly acquired they bring great happiness to those who possess them, but if they are stolen, or dishonestly come by, they bring a curse upon the robbers, and upon the land in which they dwell and all the people who inhabit it." at this i thought the king appeared disappointed. i had reckoned on his being superstitious, and indeed it is well known that certain jewels do possess mysterious qualities that influence the lives of those who own them, although i had no authority, beyond my own perspicacity, for endowing my rubies with supernatural charm. "how many of these jewels have you?" asked the king, holding one of the rubies up to the light. i mentioned the number as being thirty, that being half of all i possessed. "there is not enough money upon the island to pay a fair price for these stones," declared trinkitat, "and how should it benefit me if i acquire them for less than their fair value if, in that case, they are to bring upon me and my people a curse rather than a blessing?" "nay, o king," i answered, "i ask no money for these gems, but rather your good offices in helping us repair our vessel, which, after much storm and stress, has found in your harbour a haven of rest." "that you shall have, and welcome," replied the king, and after some further explanation as to what was required, and more bargaining, it was finally agreed that i would allow the king to retain the six rubies i had brought with me, and that the balance of the thirty, which i offered, was to be paid over when our vessel had been new masted and fresh rigged at the king's expense. mahomet achmet was given directions to see that this work was promptly carried out, after which we bowed ourselves from the king's presence, i being well satisfied with the bargain i had made. next day the work of repairing the ship began. she was careened in the shallows of a safe and convenient harbour, and such an army of workers set to work upon her that in the course of a week the "golden seahorse" was once more ready for sea. while the repairs to our vessel were in progress we received welcome assistance from the crews of the english and dutch ships in the harbour, with whom we soon became acquainted. the dutch vessel "speedwell" belonged to the dutch east india company, a company which, at this time, was growing in wealth and importance. she was bound on a voyage to the north for a cargo of furs, and captain smuts, in command of her, was anxious that we should join him in this expedition, for, said he, two ships will more readily succeed than one, since each may help the other. but we not being equipped for northern travel decided to continue our voyage south, though we arranged with captain smuts to meet him later at the molucca islands, where we had resolved to call king thedori to account for his treacherous conduct toward us on our former visit. before leaving the island of sumatra i paid a second visit to achin, where i was given a final audience with king trinkitat, when i paid him over the balance of the rubies. i found the king well disposed toward me, and apparently satisfied with the payment made him in return for the refitting of our vessel, which indeed was at a princely rate, when the value of the rubies was considered. he did not attempt to extort more than was justly due to him according to promise, as is the habit with these half-savage potentates, when dealing with foreigners, but this i attributed to the superstition i had so happily aroused in him that the rubies would bring misfortune if not honestly come by. i questioned his majesty more closely with regard to king luck, and, from what he told me, i felt convinced that this man, now a chief among the savages of new holland, was none other than my old antagonist van luck, though how he came to be rescued from the sea i had no means, at that time, of knowing. king trinkitat possessed no chart of the place to which his ships traded, as the captains of his vessels mostly steered by the stars. but he promised me that, if ever i should again visit his island, he would send a pilot with me to conduct me to king luck. mahomet achmet, with whom i parted the best of friends, expressed the hope that we would one day meet again. "i will not sell this jewel, signor peter," he said to me when i paid him for his work with some money we had aboard the ship, and presented him with a fine ruby, according to promise. "i will keep it in memory of a shrewd man whose wit did more to save him than his money, for i may tell you that neither you nor your ship's company would have been allowed to leave this place had you not spoken to the king of the ill-luck which these rubies bring to those who come not honestly by them." i thanked mahomet for his frankness, which i promised to remember should i ever have occasion to revisit sumatra. and now, all being ready, we put to sea, and by evening the island of sumatra had disappeared beyond the horizon. chapter xlviii staten land hartog believed, from an ancient portuguese chart which we had with us, that an island continent lay to the south-east, and after a lengthened period, during which we encountered bad weather and rough sea, we sighted a formidable coastline, which appeared to be a mainland extending on either side as far as the eye could reach. we coasted along this new-found country for several days in search of a landing place, without being able to find one, the coast being a continuous line of precipitous rocks. toward the end of the third day we encountered a canoe, the largest we had seen, containing upward of one hundred natives. we offered food and other articles, but, although the canoe came quite close to us, none of her people could be induced to come on board. these natives appeared to be strong and fierce, nor did they show the least fear of us, but rather an intention to begin hostilities when an opportunity should offer. in view of this we loaded our brass cannon, and made ready a supply of ammunition in case they should attack us. but after keeping company with us for some time the canoe made off, and hartog had no mind to follow it. next morning we hove to off a pebbly beach, upon which i undertook to land a boat's crew and examine the country. hartog sent two boats, one in my charge and the other in charge of janstins. the sea was smooth, so that we had no difficulty in running the boats ashore, where, leaving a man aboard each, the rest of us followed the course of a stream inland. here we soon came to a valley so beautiful as almost to defy description. colossal trees rose to a great height above our heads, festooned with a flowering creeper which resembled a bridal veil, whilst emerald green ferns stretched their fronds into a stream which descended from the higher land beyond by a series of cascades. a kind of flax plant grew here, with leaves over nine feet long, and bearing a flower which looked like a bunch of feather plumes, whilst palms and cabbage trees abounded everywhere in great profusion. my attention was diverted from the beauties which surrounded us by some strange footprints which i noticed on the soft ground near the stream, and which appeared to have been made by a bird or two-legged animal of prodigious size. the footprints measured fully three feet in length, and i fell to wondering what kind of a creature it could be who had made them, when i was startled by a cry from one of our men, which caused me to look in the direction whence it came. at a distance of some fifty yards from where i stood i then perceived a huge, wingless bird. its head, armed with a formidable beak, reared full twenty feet from the ground; its body, big as an ox, and covered with black bristles, supported upon legs thicker than the girth of a man. as yet this prodigy had not observed us, for it was stalking quietly among the trees, followed by a brood of chickens, each larger than the biggest ostrich i had ever seen. i now noticed that one of these chickens had strayed from the others, and i saw janstins, who had evidently not observed the mother-bird, aiming his matchlock at it as though about to fire. i shouted to him to desist, but too late to save the mad fellow from his folly. there was a flash, and a loud report, and the giant chicken lay on its back, its legs kicking in the air. "to the boats!" i cried, and the scared sailors, when they saw the mother-bird, needed no second warning. there was a rush for the boats by all but janstins, who seemed as one amazed, and incapable of action at the sight of the monster. i could not leave him to the fate which threatened him, so, running to his assistance, i dragged him down behind some fern trees, where we hid out of sight of the mother-bird, who seemed bewildered by the unaccustomed sound of firearms, and perplexed at the death of her chick, for which she could not account. but we both knew that her inaction was momentary, and that when she discovered us we must expect the full force of her rage, which could only result in the loss of our lives. whispering to janstins, i bade him remember that in courage and caution alone lay our hope of escape, and he presently recovered his presence of mind sufficiently to follow me when we ran, bent double, under cover of the luxuriant foliage, to the beach, where we arrived only just in time to scramble into the second boat that was being shoved off by the terrified sailors, before the mother-bird, now joined by her mate of even larger proportion, came in pursuit of us, and so carried away were these monsters by rage at our escape that they advanced into the sea, stretching their necks at us while uttering a loud, drumming noise which we could hear repeated when we were on board the ship, and even after we were out at sea. next morning, at daybreak, we again made the coast, and toward evening we found ourselves opposite a sandy beach upon which a number of natives appeared to be engaged in some tribal ceremony. fires were lighted along the sea shore, and, upon drawing nearer, we were able to distinguish groups of men, apparently captives, with their hands bound behind them, standing together while their captors performed an extravagant dance round them. armed warriors then rushed upon each other in mimic warfare, and the sound of their bare feet, as they stamped in unison upon the hard sand, came to us with measured cadence across the sea. when the dance was ended, the captives were made to lie flat, one behind the other, till they formed a black patch upon the beach. then appeared a number of men pushing from above high-water mark a war canoe, the prow of which, elaborately carved, and upstanding to the height of thirty feet, was decorated with shells and bunches of feathers. on came the canoe, slowly at first, and then with increasing speed, until it reached the row of victims, over whom it crunched, taking the water reddened with their blood amid an uproar of shrieks and groans most dreadful to listen to. not wishing to engage these savages, hartog stood out to sea, but so fearless were they that when they saw us they came in pursuit of us. over twenty canoes crowded with natives put off from the shore, but we greeted them with shots from our brass cannon, which sent them back quicker than they came, many being observed to fall after each discharge of grapeshot and canister amongst them. we left this country, which hartog named staten land, in honour of the states of holland, with an unfavourable impression of its inhabitants, who appeared to be bloodthirsty savages, prone to hostility without provocation. chapter xlix the cannibal islands after leaving staten land we sailed west to between the fifteenth and twenty-first parallels of south latitude, when we fell in with a number of islands, some of considerable extent, while others were mere islets of sand and rock, uninhabited except by sea-fowl and turtle. a great barrier reef surrounds the group to the eastward, leaving the southern quarter open. this barrier is broken by numerous passages, between which navigation is possible, but dangerous, except in fine weather. in addition to the great barrier, every island has an encircling reef of its own. the general appearance of these islands is bold and striking. they are perhaps the mountain tops of some sunken continent. the island upon which we landed was one of the largest of the group, with a background of wooded hills, and a fringe of palm trees to the beach, beyond which a native village stood among green foliage. we found the inhabitants of this island not nearly so friendly as other savages we had met with. the men were larger, and bore a ferocious aspect. the chief wore a necklace of whales' teeth, his hair frizzled into a mop, which stood out from his head, coloured to a reddish-brown. his skin was a light brown, with no tattoo marks upon it, but shiny, as if rubbed with oil. he carried a club and spear of elaborate workmanship, and wore a cloth petticoat made from the bark of a tree, and painted with some skill in its design. his followers were similarly, but not so strikingly, clad, the women wearing feathers in their hair, and a peculiar leaf from a tree, which looked like white satin. altogether this race appeared to be possessed of a far higher state of civilization than the people in terra australis. they were, however, openly addicted to cannibalism, and made no secret of this abominable practice. these natives did not display any hostility at our landing, nor did they express any surprise at the presents we made them of beads and bright cloth, although they accepted what we gave them with avidity. we stayed at this island for nearly two months, during which time we learnt something of the customs of the people, and i was able, after a while, to understand some of their language. it seemed that these savages were continually at war with one another, and the boom of the great wooden war drums was always sounding somewhere in the group. it was from prisoners taken in battle that men were provided for cannibal feasts, hence there was never lacking a cause for quarrel. the prisoners were kept in a compound, where they were fattened for the pot and killed when wanted. these islanders were industrious in their own way. they built comfortable houses, and made excellent pottery capable of withstanding the heat of fire when used for cooking. their boat-builders constructed sea-going canoes capable of travelling long distances. they also made a delicate cloth from the bark of the mulberry tree, upon which they printed from wooden blocks patterns of great elegance. their spears and clubs also showed much taste in their construction and ornamentation. the women made fishing nets of coconut fibre, with which they captured an abundance of fish. the tribes on the different islands kept up a system of barter with one another, exchanging commodities, the making of which was their hereditary occupation. a son followed the occupation of his father, and for him to have followed any other occupation would have been regarded as an offence against ancestors. a son was expected to do exactly as his father did before him, and to do it in the same way. one day when i was fishing outside the reef, i was startled by a cry, and looking toward whence it came i perceived a young girl in evident terror, swimming for the reef with the black fin of a shark close upon her. going to her assistance i managed, at some risk, to drive off the shark, and, pulling the girl into my boat i took her on board our ship, where i delighted her with a present of printed calico with which to reign as a queen of fashion among her tribe. when i took her ashore she showed her gratitude by taking my hand in hers, and placing it upon her forehead, which meant the making of a compact between us that she would lay down her life for me if occasion should require. it was to this that we subsequently owed our escape from death. we had not found anything profitable to trade from these islands with the exception of sandal wood and tortoiseshell, of which we obtained a supply, but i noticed that the chief did not appear to grudge anything we took from him. it became a joke among our crew that they could have anything for the asking, and the ship was soon a museum of island curiosities. this aroused my suspicion, for i knew the cupidity of savages, and how they always try to take all and give nothing in return. toward the end of our visit, i also observed that numbers of savages from the adjacent islands began to arrive in canoes, and that preparations were being made for a feast. it was then that i noticed the girl i had saved from the shark was often to be seen standing on the beach opposite to the ship, gazing at the vessel long and earnestly. thinking she wished to come on board again, i went in my boat to fetch her, but when i met her she showed great alarm lest we should be seen speaking together, and, urging me to follow her, she led me to a secluded spot of the island, in order that we might be free from observation. here she confided to me the treachery of vale vulu, the chief whose guests we were. it appeared from this girl's account of the matter that vale vulu's professed friendship for us was only a blind in order that he might attack us unawares. to this end he had invited certain tribes from some of the adjacent islands, with whom he happened to be on friendly terms, to a feast, the principal food of which was to consist of the dead bodies of our crew. his own tribe, unaided, he did not consider strong enough for this enterprise, but with the assistance of the friendly cannibals, whom he invited to the banquet, he made no doubt that he would easily be able to overcome us, particularly as we were to be taken unawares. the plan was to invite us to the feast, which we would be told was to consist only of fish, coconuts, and bananas, but, when we were seated, at a given signal we would be massacred and eaten, after which vale vulu would take possession of our ship and all that belonged to us. the poor girl, when she had finished her story, confessed she would no doubt suffer death by torture for having betrayed the plot. i tried to induce her to come on board with me, but she refused, saying that if she did so an attack would be made upon us at once, where our ship lay, helpless, in the lagoon. i could not but see the force of her argument, and, as the matter was too urgent to admit of delay, i hurried on board and informed hartog of what i had heard. our plans were soon made. all hands were told to be in readiness to man the boats in order to tow the ship out of the lagoon during the night, when we would depend upon a breeze to escape from these bloodthirsty savages. arms and ammunition were served to the crew, and our brass cannon was loaded to the muzzle with grape and canister. during the early part of the night we could see lights on the shore, whilst the beating of war drums and the sound of wooden horns continued to a late hour. at last all was still, when we slipped our anchor, and began the arduous task of towing the ship out of the lagoon through the opening in the reef which marked a break in the line of white surf. during the night we laboured at the oars, and when morning broke we had succeeded in towing the ship into the open sea for some distance from the land. but our peril was by no means at an end. an absolute calm prevailed, and unless a breeze came in time we feared the savages would put off in their war canoes to attack us. nor in this were we mistaken, for we presently heard a great beating of drums and blowing of horns, while we could see the savages crowding on to the reef, from which they watched us lying becalmed. ten canoes then came through the opening in the reef, each containing some one hundred savages, and were paddled rapidly toward us. when the canoes came within range our brass cannon accounted for one of them, on board of which i hoped was the traitor vale vulu, but the others came on, and there is little doubt that by force of numbers we must have been overpowered had not the breeze, which we could now see approaching, come in time to save us. the canoes were all round us, and the savages had already begun to swarm on to our decks, when the sails filled and the "golden seahorse" began to gather way. we were now incensed against the cannibals for their treacherous conduct, and many fell to the discharge of our muskets. with our cutlasses we soon drove those who had ventured upon the ship into the sea, and a second discharge from our brass cannon disabled one of the largest remaining canoes, when the others made off. as our ship bowed to the waves of the ocean we were able once more to breathe freely, and, taking a last look at the island, i fancied i saw a dark form hurl itself from one of the highest cliffs upon the rocks below. was it the brave girl, i wondered, who had saved us, and who had thus escaped torture by destroying herself? chapter l again at the moluccas hartog was anxious, before returning home, that we should call again at the molucca islands, and demand an explanation, together with a ransom of pearls, from king thedori, for having treated us so scurvily on our former visit. we knew that this treacherous chief depended for the success of his piratical schemes on taking by surprise those for whom he pretended friendship, and for that reason we had arranged to meet the "speedwell" so that we might, by strategy, pay thedori back in his own coin, capture him, and hold him to ransom. now we knew that if thedori, or any of the people, caught but a glimpse of the "golden seahorse", they would make ready to attack her with all the force at their command, but the "speedwell" was unknown to them, and there were many harbours among the moluccas where our ship might remain unnoticed while our plans were matured. the plan we had formed was a simple one, and was therefore the more likely to succeed. it was, shortly, as follows. on reaching the moluccas we would choose a convenient harbour as the base of our enterprise, when the "speedwell" would set out alone for the island ruled over by thedori, where we had no doubt the captain and crew would be well received, as is the habit of this crafty king when dealing with strangers, in order that he may eventually pillage them. thedori was to be invited by captain smuts to go aboard his vessel to inspect the cargo of furs and other goods in which he proposed to trade. once on board the "speedwell", the king of the moluccas would be kidnapped, and brought away to where the "golden seahorse" was at anchor, when hartog undertook to deal with him. captain smuts, whom we found waiting us at the moluccas, was very ready to fall in with this plan when we told him of the large pearls that were to be found at the island, some of which we intended to demand as the king's ransom for being allowed to return to his people. the island we had chosen as the base for our operations happened to be the one of which we had been told on our former visit that the men possessed such large ears that with one ear they could, when they liked, cover the whole of their heads; for when we landed, and met the natives, we observed in them this remarkable peculiarity. their heads were the smallest and their ears the largest that i have ever seen in human beings. the intelligence of these savages was as small as their heads. they showed no interest in us, and seemed to be indifferent to our appearance among them. this stupidity on their part, however, so far from giving us any anxiety, rather commended itself to us, since it appeared unlikely they would attempt to interfere with our plans. when we had rested and refreshed ourselves for three days at this island, the "speedwell" set out upon her voyage to the main island, leaving the "golden seahorse" to await her return. in order that i might advise and consult with captain smuts with regard to our project, i became his passenger on the "speedwell", it being understood that i was to keep out of sight until thedori was safely aboard. so, every precaution being taken in order to ensure success, we arrived at the main island during the afternoon of the day we had set out, and cast anchor in the bay from which, nearly six years before, in the "golden seahorse", i had escaped with hartog and our crew from the captivity which thedori had intended for us after capturing our vessel. i had no pity for the man whom we had come to call to account, for, to my mind, treachery is the worst of crimes. an open enemy may be fairly encountered, but a snake in the grass can only be met by the same serpent tricks as he plays upon others, and when i thought of the welcome thedori had given us at our first interview with him, when he had exhorted us to land in safety so that we might enjoy the comforts of life and recruit our strength, in order, as it subsequently transpired, that he might betray us, i felt that no reprisals could be too severe against one guilty of such roguish deception. the city of porne appeared unchanged from when i had last seen it. there were a few new houses close to the beach, but otherwise the city itself, with its low-built cabins and regular streets, was the same. i was greatly surprised, however, upon entering the harbour to see the spanish frigate, upon which donna isabel barreto had decamped with the gold taken front the island of armenio, at anchor close to the shore. what could have brought the frigate here, and kept her here for so long a time since i had last seen her at sumatra, i was at a loss to understand. the unexpected appearance of this vessel seemed likely to complicate our plans, and i determined to elucidate the mystery before proceeding with the matter in hand. it was late in the afternoon when we cast anchor in porne harbour, and that night the same wonderful display of glow-worms showed itself among the woods on shore. it was then also that i knew that the black bats would be abroad, so as to make it unlikely our movements would be observed, since the inhabitants of porne would be shut up in their houses. so, when all was still, i took the smallest of the ship's boats, and was rowed in the direction of the frigate. chapter li getting back our own we took no lantern with us in the boat upon our expedition to board the spanish frigate, trusting to the light of the stars, and that given by the glow-worms on shore, to guide us, and as we approached the frigate we observed her also to be in darkness, with no sign of life on board. when we came alongside i climbed to the deck by the anchor-chain, when i found the ship to be deserted, with hatches on, and the doors to the cabins securely locked. so, judging we had nothing to fear from the spaniards, we returned to the "speedwell" as silently as we had come. i did not tell captain smuts of the treasure which i believed to be still upon the frigate, as i desired, in the first place, to consult with hartog as to the course to be adopted regarding it. captain smuts, on receiving my report that the spanish ship was apparently out of commission, concluded that no change need be made in our original plan, the preparations for the carrying out of which were accordingly proceeded with. next morning, after breakfast, the captain of the "speedwell" and his officers, in their best uniforms, and with a picked boat's crew, set out for the shore, taking with them presents for king thedori and his chiefs, with a view to establishing friendly relations with them. in the course of an hour they returned, when, the captain repeated to me the greeting given him by the king of the moluccas, which was almost word for word that extended to hartog at the time of his visit in the "golden seahorse". evidently king thedori had a set speech wherewith to welcome his guests whom he afterwards intended to plunder. captain smuts was so impressed by the amiable bearing and fair words of the king that he found it hard to believe so much treachery could lurk behind such a frank and open exterior. thedori, he said, had promised to come on board the "speedwell" next day to inspect the furs, and arrange about the price to be paid for them. on my asking if any spaniards had been met with ashore, captain smuts replied that he had not seen any, so we had no means of ascertaining what had become of donna isabel and her people, as well as the captain and crew of the frigate. next morning king thedori came on board the "speedwell" in the captain's boat, which had been sent for him. he did not bring with him any of his guards or attendants, not having the least suspicion of the trap we had laid. it was only when he came into the cabin that his suspicions were aroused, and it was then too late for him to retreat. i was sitting at the table when smuts brought him in, and was presented to him as part owner of the furs. i saw him start when our eyes met, but otherwise he gave no sign that he knew me. there was wine and other refreshment upon the table, of which he was invited to partake, but declined, and then, after some further conversation between us, captain smuts, according to arrangement, made excuse to go on deck, leaving thedori and i alone together. thedori was the first to speak, and i could see that his small black eyes glittered dangerously when he looked at me. "we have met before, senor," he said, addressing me, as he had done at our first meeting, as though i was a spaniard. "yes," i answered; "i was once the king's guest, welcomed with fair words, and offered the hospitality of his kingdom. yet, had not chance intervened, i doubt i had been here to-day to welcome the king as a guest, in my turn, aboard this vessel." thedori rose, and went to the cabin door. it was locked, but he showed no surprise at finding himself a prisoner. he had probably heard the captain turn the key on the other side of the door when he went out. "what is it you want of me?" he asked, coming back to the table and resuming his seat. he spoke with assumed carelessness, but i could see that his face was livid. i pushed the wine-jar toward him. "drink," i said. "you will need it. the wine is not poisoned." with the ghost of a smile he filled a goblet which stood at his elbow, but his hand shook when he raised it to his lips. and now the noise of the anchor being hove aboard, and the usual commotion on deck preparatory to setting sail, arrested his attention. "come," said he, "i would make terms with you. what is it you want." but at this i shook my head. "promises and fair words once broken cannot be repeated," i answered. "besides, i am not alone in this business. there are others who must be consulted. but you will soon learn the terms of your ransom." at this i thought he appeared relieved. he probably expected that we intended to murder him. i had given instructions for a prize crew to be put on board the frigate, so that both vessels might leave the harbour together and presently i felt, by the motion of the ship, that the "speedwell" was at sea. during our passage to the place where hartog awaited us, king thedori and i continued to sit, one on each side of the cabin table, without speaking, and when we had cast anchor, and hartog joined us, thedori, who had made up his mind to the inevitable, calmly awaited our terms, which, stated briefly, were that he should pay for his ransom, to each ship, one hundred pearls of the size of dove's eggs, and that the cargo of the frigate was to be transferred to the "golden seahorse". to the first part of our demand the king made some demur, but when we threatened to take him away with us on our voyage home, he promised to send some of the big-eared men for his ransom if we would give him speech with their chief. to the latter part of our demand thedori readily agreed. "you will find nothing on board the frigate," he said, "but some bags of stone ballast in the hold. everything else of value has long since been taken on shore, and is being made use of by my people." while the messengers were away procuring the king's ransom, we questioned thedori as to how the spanish frigate came to fall into his hands, when we learnt that some time since, during a calm, the frigate, caught by one of the strong currents which prevail among these islands, had drifted into the harbour of porne, where an attack had been made upon her, and she, being short of ammunition, has been taken as a lawful prize. the spaniards had been allowed to depart in their boats. so, for the second time, donna isabel and her people were probably castaways upon some unknown shore. thus does providence reward treachery. when, in the course of three days, the messengers returned with the king's ransom, we sent his majesty ashore, to find his way back to his own kingdom as best he could. a more splendid lot of pearls than those paid to us i had never seen, and these we divided equally between the "golden seahorse" and the "speedwell", to be allotted among the officers and crews of both vessels in such proportions as might be decided upon on our return to amsterdam. the stone ballast, which, as we expected, turned out to be the gold-bearing quartz we had obtained from the island of armenio, we transferred to our own ship. and now, with a cargo which for richness had surely never been surpassed, we once more set sail for home. chapter lii conclusion as we neared amsterdam i began to think, with some trepidation, of my inevitable meeting with pauline. it was now three years since i had set out upon my second voyage in the "golden seahorse", compelled to this course by reason of the incompatibility of temper which existed between my wife and me, making a happy union between us impossible. yet when i took myself to task i could not but blame myself for much that had occurred. pauline was vain, but so are most women, and most men too for that matter, for while a woman seeks admiration for her personal charms a man is equally proud of his achievements, and he is never so happy as when he is being praised for what he has done. so, on reviewing the matter of our matrimonial squabbles calmly and dispassionately, i came to the conclusion that there had been faults on both sides, and i made up my mind to be more conciliatory and less exacting in my conduct toward pauline in the future, hoping by these means to effect a reconciliation so that i might live with some degree of comfort in my own house. to this end also i resolved to give pauline my share of the pearls aid as ransom by king thedori, in order that she might possess a necklace unequalled at amsterdam. besides which i had my rubies. hartog also had become graver and more reserved than was his habit before we had set out upon this voyage. he seemed to regret the well-deserved fate which had overtaken donna isabel barreto, and he would have asked nothing better than to set off on a voyage of discovery in search of her. so it was with subdued and chastened spirits that hartog and i arrived at amsterdam, where it was arranged that hartog should dispose of our rich cargo and apportion the profits of the venture. as a peace offering to pauline i took with me twenty splendid pearls and six silver fox-skins, and, thus provided, i presented myself at my house at amsterdam, to which i was at first denied admittance by the man-servant, who opened the door to me, and who had no knowledge of my identity. while we were arguing the matter; however, pauline appeared in the hall, into which i advanced to meet her. she was changed, i thought, and her face had wonderfully softened. i held out my arms to her, and she came to me, nestling into my embrace as though she indeed belonged to me. then she rested her head upon my shoulder, and gave way to tears. i was touched by this kindly greeting, and had begun to mentally upbraid myself for my former conduct, and to promise amendment in the future, when the cause of my wife's changed disposition was suddenly, in a flash, revealed to me by a series of yells from a room upstairs, accompanied by a low voice of pleading in remonstrance, and what sounded like the, throwing about of some hard substance on the floor. i looked into my wife's eyes, and read in them the secret of the great happiness which had come to me. "he is quarrelling with his nurse," she said, smiling up at me through her tears. "he is such a masterful baby." next moment i was bounding up the stairs, and on entering the nursery i saw my boy seated on the floor, his face red with passion, while with his chubby little hands he was tearing the sails off a toy ship that had been given him to play with. the clever lad, even in his infancy, must have noticed that the wretched apology for a ship which they offered him was not rigged in seaman-like fashion. well, i promised myself that i would make him a model of the "golden seahorse", perfect in every detail, and big enough for him to sail in. when i came into the nursery he stopped crying and looked at me, but the nurse kept on saying, "oh, master peter, master peter, you must not be naughty like that," as though she were repeating a formula. i ran to master peter and picked him up, when he tried to bite my hard hand with his little pearly teeth. ah, what a lad of spirit he was! he was not a bit afraid of me or of anyone. a boy after my own heart. then he looked at me, and the passion in his rosy face melted into a dimpled smile. he knew me, i am certain of it, and putting his little arms round my neck, he seemed to ask pardon for his wilfulness. we were comrades from that moment, he and i, and although not a word was spoken we understood each other thoroughly. pauline and the nurse watched us. both women were weeping, as is the way with women when they seek to relieve their feelings. but the tears they shed were tears of joy. when we were more composed, pauline and i and young peter went together to look at the presents i had brought back with me. pauline was delighted with the pearls and the fox-skins, but she at once decided that the skins would make a warm winter coat for baby, and a splendid rug for his little carriage. i believe she would have given master peter the pearls to play with had he shown a fancy for them, but fortunately he did not notice them, so taken up was he in burying his face in the thick fur of the silver fox-skins. what a home-coming this was for me after so much tossing upon the ocean, and so many wanderings into unknown lands, and how i trembled when i thought on the dangers i had passed, and how easily i might have lost my life, and thus forfeited the happiness that i knew was in store for me! well, my voyages were over now. never again would i leave my wife and child for the hazards of the sea. when i told hartog of my great good fortune he was warm in his congratulations. i took my boy on board the "golden seahorse", and presented him to hartog. "we must make a sailor of him," said hartog, when he had sat master peter upon the table between us in the cabin. "he is a sturdy lad, and has the look in his eyes that seeks for space--the look of the sailor, whose natural home is the sea." could it be? who can tell? little peter had a steadfast, far-off look in his eyes. i had not noticed it until hartog directed my attention to it. was it the call of the ocean? the call to the dutch, and the english--seeking for space? 