Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 2, 2025
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."
Mahmat and one of his brothers appeared coming up from the landing-place, their lances in their hands, to look for their passengers. Aissa coming now empty-handed out of the house, caught sight of the two armed men. In her surprise she emitted a faint cry, vanished back and in a flash reappeared in the doorway with Willems' revolver in her hand.
We do not go," said the man, in a hoarse whisper. "Why?" "We start on another journey." "Where?" "To a place we know of," said Mahmat, a little louder, in a stubborn manner, and looking at the floor. Almayer experienced a feeling of immense joy. He said, with affected annoyance "You men live in my house and it is as if it were your own. I may want my house soon." Mahmat looked up.
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.
Then Mahmat says that when Joanna struck her and ran off, the other two seemed to become suddenly mad together. They rushed here and there. Mahmat says those were his very words: 'I saw her standing holding the pistol that fires many times and pointing it all over the campong. I was afraid lest she might shoot me, and jumped on one side. Then I saw the white man coming at her swiftly.
"I am a materialist," declared the man of science, tilting the bottle shakily over the emptied glass. Almayer shook his head and went on "Nobody saw how it really happened but that man Mahmat. He always said that he was no further off from them than two lengths of his lance. It appears the two women rowed each other while that Willems stood between them.
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.
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.
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!"
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.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking