"You’llsoongetused——"mutteredLingard，swinginginhisrapidwalkpasthismate。Thenheturnedround，cameback，andaskedsharply。

"Yousaidtherewasnothingafloatinsightbeforedark？Hey？"

"NotthatIcouldsee，sir。WhenItookthedeckagainateight，Iaskedthatserangwhethertherewasanythingabout；andI

understoodhimtosaytherewasnomoreaswhenIwentbelowatsix。Thisisalonelyseaattimes——ain’tit，sir？Now，onewouldthinkatthistimeoftheyearthehomeward—boundersfromChinawouldbeprettythickhere。"

"Yes，"saidLingard，"wehavemetveryfewshipssinceweleftPedraBrancaoverthestern。Yes；ithasbeenalonelysea。Butforallthat，Shaw，thissea，iflonely，isnotblind。Everyislandinitisaneye。Andnow，sinceoursquadronhasleftfortheChinawaters——"

Hedidnotfinishhissentence。Shawputhishandsinhispockets，andproppedhisbackagainstthesky—light，comfortably。

"TheysaythereisgoingtobeawarwithChina，"hesaidinagossipingtone，"andtheFrencharegoingalongwithusastheydidintheCrimeafiveyearsago。Itseemstomewe’regettingmightygoodfriendswiththeFrench。I’venotmuchofanopinionaboutthat。Whatdoyouthink，CaptainLingard？"

"Ihavemettheirmen—of—warinthePacific，"saidLingard，slowly。"Theshipswerefineandthefellowsinthemwerecivilenoughtome——andverycuriousaboutmybusiness，"headdedwithalaugh。"However，Iwasn’ttheretomakewaronthem。Ihadarottenoldcutterthen，fortrade，Shaw，"hewentonwithanimation。

"Hadyou，sir？"saidShawwithoutanyenthusiasm。"Nowgivemeabigship——aship，Isay，thatonemay——"

"Andlateron，someyearsago，"interruptedLingard，"IchummedwithaFrenchskipperinAmpanam——beingtheonlytwowhitemeninthewholeplace。Hewasagoodfellow，andfreewithhisredwine。HisEnglishwasdifficulttounderstand，buthecouldsingsongsinhisownlanguageaboutah—moor——Ah—moormeanslove，inFrench——Shaw。"

"Soitdoes，sir——soitdoes。WhenIwassecondmateofaSunderlandbarque，inforty—one，intheMediterranean，Icouldpayouttheirlingoaseasyasyouwouldafive—inchwarpoveraship’sside——"

"Yes，hewasaproperman，"pursuedLingard，meditatively，asifforhimselfonly。"Youcouldnotfindabetterfellowforcompanyashore。HehadanaffairwithaBaligirl，whooneeveningthrewaredblossomathimfromwithinadoorway，asweweregoingtogethertopayourrespectstotheRajah’snephew。Hewasagood—lookingFrenchman，hewas——butthegirlbelongedtotheRajah’snephew，anditwasaseriousmatter。TheoldRajahgotangryandsaidthegirlmustdie。Idon’tthinkthenephewcaredparticularlytohaveherkrissed；buttheoldfellowmadeagreatfussandsentoneofhisownchiefmentoseethethingdone——andthegirlhadenemies——herownrelationsapproved！Wecoulddonothing。Mind，Shaw，therewasabsolutelynothingelsebetweenthembutthatunluckyflowerwhichtheFrenchmanpinnedtohiscoat——andafterward，whenthegirlwasdead，woreunderhisshirt，hungroundhisneckinasmallbox。Isupposehehadnothingelsetoputitinto。"

"Wouldthosesavageskillawomanforthat？"askedShaw，incredulously。

"Aye！Theyareprettymoralthere。ThatwasthefirsttimeinmylifeInearlywenttowaronmyownaccount，Shaw。Wecouldn’ttalkthosefellowsover。Wecouldn’tbribethem，thoughtheFrenchmanofferedthebesthehad，andIwasreadytobackhimtothelastdollar，tothelastragofcotton，Shaw！Nouse——theywerethatblamedrespectable。So，saystheFrenchmantome：’Myfriend，iftheywon’ttakeourgunpowderforagiftletusburnittogivethemlead。’Iwasarmedasyouseenow；sixeight—poundersonthemaindeckandalongeighteenontheforecastle——andIwantedtotry’em。Youmaybelieveme！However，theFrenchmanhadnothingbutafewoldmuskets；andthebeggarsgottowindwardofusbyfairwords，tillonemorningaboat’screwfromtheFrenchman’sshipfoundthegirllyingdeadonthebeach。Thatputanendtoourplans。Shewasoutofhertroubleanyhow，andnoreasonablemanwillfightforadeadwoman。Iwasnevervengeful，Shaw，and——afterall——shedidn’tthrowthatfloweratme。ButitbroketheFrenchmanupaltogether。Hebegantomope，didnobusiness，andshortlyafterwardsailedaway。I

clearedagoodmanypenceoutofthattrip，Iremember。"

Withthesewordsheseemedtocometotheendofhismemoriesofthattrip。Shawstifledayawn。

"Womenarethecauseofalotoftrouble，"hesaid，dispassionately。"IntheMorayshire，Iremember，wehadonceapassenger——anoldgentleman——whowastellingusayarnaboutthemold—timeGreeksfightingfortenyearsaboutsomewoman。TheTurkskidnappedher，orsomething。Anyway，theyfoughtinTurkey；

whichImaywellbelieve。ThemGreeksandTurkswerealwaysfighting。Myfatherwasmaster’smateonboardoneofthethree—deckersatthebattleofNavarino——andthatwaswhenwewenttohelpthoseGreeks。Butthisaffairaboutawomanwaslongbeforethattime。"

"Ishouldthinkso，"mutteredLingard，hangingovertherail，andwatchingthefleetinggleamsthatpasseddeepdowninthewater，alongtheship’sbottom。

"Yes。Timesarechanged。Theywereunenlightenedinthoseolddays。Mygrandfatherwasapreacherand，thoughmyfatherservedinthenavy，Idon’tholdwithwar。Sinfultheoldgentlemancalledit——andIthinkso，too。UnlesswithChinamen，orniggers，orsuchpeopleasmustbekeptinorderandwon’tlistentoreason；havingnotsenseenoughtoknowwhat’sgoodforthem，whenit’sexplainedtothembytheirbetters——missionaries，andsuchlikeau—tho—ri—ties。Buttofighttenyears。Andforawoman！"

"Ihavereadthetaleinabook，"saidLingard，speakingdownoverthesideasifsettinghiswordsgentlyafloatuponthesea。

"Ihavereadthetale。Shewasverybeautiful。"

"Thatonlymakesitworse，sir——ifanything。Youmaydependonitshewasnogood。Thosepagantimeswillnevercomeback，thankGod。Tenyearsofmurderandunrighteousness！Andforawoman！

Wouldanybodydoitnow？Wouldyoudoit，sir？Wouldyou——"

ThesoundofabellstrucksharplyinterruptedShaw’sdiscourse。

Highaloft，somedryblocksentoutascreech，shortandlamentable，likeacryofpain。Itpiercedthequietnessofthenighttotheverycore，andseemedtodestroythereservewhichithadimposeduponthetonesofthetwomen，whospokenowloudly。

"Throwthecoveroverthebinnacle，"saidLingardinhisdutyvoice。"Thethingshineslikeafullmoon。Wemustn’tshowmorelightsthanwecanhelp，whenbecalmedatnightsoneartheland。

Nouseinbeingseenifyoucan’tseeyourself——isthere？Bearthatinmind，Mr。Shaw。Theremaybesomevagabondspryingabout——"

"Ithoughtallthiswasoveranddonefor，"saidShaw，busyinghimselfwiththecover，"sinceSirThomasCochranesweptalongtheBorneocoastwithhissquadronsomeyearsago。Hedidararelotoffighting——didn’the？WeheardaboutitfromthechapsofthesloopDianathatwasrefittinginCalcuttawhenIwasthereintheWarwickCastle。Theytooksomeking’stownupariverhereabouts。Thechapswerefullofit。"

"SirThomasdidgoodwork，"answeredLingard，"butitwillbealongtimebeforetheseseasareassafeastheEnglishChannelisinpeacetime。Ispokeaboutthatlightmoretogetyouinthewayofthingstobeattendedtointheseseasthanforanythingelse。Didyounoticehowfewnativecraftwe’vesightedforallthesedayswehavebeendriftingabout——onemaysay——inthissea？"

"Ican’tsayIhaveattachedanysignificancetothefact，sir。"

"It’sasignthatsomethingisup。Oncesetarumourafloatinthesewaters，anditwillmakeitswayfromislandtoisland，withoutanybreezetodriveitalong。"

"Beingmyselfadeep—watermansailingsteadilyoutofhomeportsnearlyallmylife，"saidShawwithgreatdeliberation，"Icannotpretendtoseethroughthepeculiaritiesofthemout—of—the—wayparts。ButIcankeepalookoutinanordinaryway，andIhavenoticedthatcraftofanykindseemedscarce，forthelastfewdays：consideringthatwehadlandaboardofus——onesideoranother——nearlyeveryday。"

"Youwillgettoknowthepeculiarities，asyoucallthem，ifyouremainanytimewithme，"remarkedLingard，negligently。

"IhopeIshallgivesatisfaction，whetherthetimebelongorshort！"saidShaw，accentuatingthemeaningofhiswordsbythedistinctnessofhisutterance。"Amanwhohasspentthirty—twoyearsofhislifeonsaltwatercansaynomore。IfbeinganofficerofhomeshipsforthelastfifteenyearsIdon’tunderstandtheheathenwaysofthemtheresavages，inmattersofseamanshipandduty，youwillfindmeallthere，CaptainLingard。"

"Except，judgingfromwhatyousaidalittlewhileago——exceptinthematteroffighting，"saidLingard，withashortlaugh。

"Fighting！Iamnotawarethatanybodywantstofightme。Iamapeaceableman，CaptainLingard，butwhenputtoit，Icouldfightaswellasanyofthemflat—nosedchapswehavetomakeshiftwith，insteadofapropercrewofdecentChristians。Fighting！"

hewentonwithunexpectedpugnacityoftone，"Fighting！Ifanybodycomestofightme，hewillfindmeallthere，Iswear！"

"That’sallright。That’sallright，"saidLingard，stretchinghisarmsabovehisheadandwrigglinghisshoulders。"Myword！I

dowishabreezewouldcometoletusgetawayfromhere。Iamratherinahurry，Shaw。"

"Indeed，sir！Well，Ineveryetmetathoroughseafaringmanwhowasnotinahurrywhenacon—demnedspellofcalmhadhimbytheheels。Whenabreezecomes……justlistentothis，sir！"

"Ihearit，"saidLingard。"Tide—rip，Shaw。"

"SoIpresume，sir。Butwhatafussitmakes。Seldomheardsucha——"

Onthesea，uponthefurthestlimitsofvision，appearedanadvancingstreakofseethingfoam，resemblinganarrowwhiteribbon，drawnrapidlyalongthelevelsurfaceofthewaterbyitstwoends，whichwerelostinthedarkness。Itreachedthebrig，passedunder，stretchingoutoneachside；andoneachsidethewaterbecamenoisy，breakingintonumerousandtinywavelets，amimicryofanimmenseagitation。Yetthevesselinthemidstofthissuddenandlouddisturbanceremainedasmotionlessandsteadyasifshehadbeensecurelymooredbetweenthestonewallsofasafedock。Inafewmomentsthelineoffoamandripplerunningswiftlynorthpassedatoncebeyondsightandearshot，leavingnotraceontheunconquerablecalm。

"Nowthisisverycurious——"beganShaw。

Lingardmadeagesturetocommandsilence。Heseemedtolistenyet，asifthewashoftheripplecouldhavehadanechowhichheexpectedtohear。Andaman’svoicethatwasheardforwardhadsomethingoftheimpersonalringofvoicesthrownbackfromhardandloftycliffsupontheemptydistancesofthesea。ItspokeinMalay——faintly。

"What？"hailedShaw。"Whatisit？"

Lingardputarestraininghandforamomentonhischiefofficer’sshoulder，andmovedforwardsmartly。Shawfollowed，puzzled。Therapidexchangeofincomprehensiblewordsthrownbackwardandforwardthroughtheshadowsofthebrig’smaindeckfromhiscaptaintothelookoutmanandbackagain，madehimfeelsadlyoutofit，somehow。

Lingardhadcalledoutsharply——"Whatdoyousee？"Theanswerdirectandquickwas——"Ihear，Tuan。Ihearoars。"

"Whereabouts？"

"Thenightisallaroundus。Ihearthemnear。"

"Portorstarboard？"

Therewasashortdelayinanswerthistime。Onthequarter—deck，underthepoop，barefeetshuffled。Somebodycoughed。Atlastthevoiceforwardsaiddoubtfully：

"Kanan。"

"Calltheserang，Mr。Shaw，"saidLingard，calmly，"andhavethehandsturnedup。Theyarealllyingaboutthedecks。Looksharpnow。There’ssomethingnearus。It’sannoyingtobecaughtlikethis，"headdedinavexedtone。

Hecrossedovertothestarboardside，andstoodlistening，onehandgraspingtheroyalback—stay，hisearturnedtothesea，buthecouldhearnothingfromthere。Thequarter—deckwasfilledwithsubduedsounds。Suddenly，along，shrillwhistlesoared，reverberatedloudlyamongsttheflatsurfacesofmotionlesssails，andgraduallygrewfaintasifthesoundhadescapedandgoneaway，runninguponthewater。HajiWasubwasondeckandreadytocarryoutthewhiteman’scommands。Thensilencefellagainonthebrig，untilShawspokequietly。

"Iamgoingforwardnow，sir，withthetindal。We’reallatstations。"

"Aye，Mr。Shaw。Verygood。Mindtheydon’tboardyou——butIcanhearnothing。Notasound。Itcan’tbemuch。"

"Thefellowhasbeendreaming，nodoubt。Ihavegoodears，too，and——"

Hewentforwardandtheendofhissentencewaslostinanindistinctgrowl。Lingardstoodattentive。Onebyonethethreeseacanniesoffdutyappearedonthepoopandbusiedthemselvesaroundabigchestthatstoodbythesideofthecabincompanion。

Arattleandclinkofsteelweaponsturnedoutonthedeckwasheard，butthemendidnotevenwhisper。Lingardpeeredsteadilyintothenight，thenshookhishead。

"Serang！"hecalled，halfaloud。

Thespareoldmanranuptheladdersosmartlythathisbonyfeetdidnotseemtotouchthesteps。Hestoodbyhiscommander，hishandsbehindhisback；afigureindistinctbutstraightasanarrow。

"Whowaslookingout？"askedLingard。

"Badroon，theBugis，"saidWasub，inhiscrisp，jerkymanner。

"Icanhearnothing。Badroonheardthenoiseinhismind。"

"Thenighthidestheboat。"

"Haveyouseenit？"

"Yes，Tuan。Smallboat。Beforesunset。Bytheland。Nowcominghere——near。Badroonheardhim。"

"Whydidn’tyoureportit，then？"askedLingard，sharply。

"Malimspoke。Hesaid：’Nothingthere，’whileIcouldsee。HowcouldIknowwhatwasinhismindoryours，Tuan？"

"Doyouhearanythingnow？"

"No。Theystoppednow。Perhapslosttheship——whoknows？Perhapsafraid——"

"Well！"mutteredLingard，movinghisfeetuneasily。"Ibelieveyoulie。Whatkindofboat？"

"Whitemen’sboat。Afour—menboat，Ithink。Small。Tuan，Ihearhimnow！There！"

Hestretchedhisarmstraightout，pointingabeamforatime，thenhisarmfellslowly。

"Comingthisway，"headdedwithdecision。

FromforwardShawcalledoutinastartledtone：

"Somethingonthewater，sir！Broadonthisbow！"

"Allright！"calledbackLingard。

Alumpofblackerdarknessfloatedintohisview。FromitcameoverthewaterEnglishwords——deliberate，reachinghimonebyone；asifeachhadmadeitsowndifficultwaythroughtheprofoundstillnessofthenight。

"What——ship——is——that——pray？"

"Englishbrig，"answeredLingard，afterashortmomentofhesitation。

"Abrig！Ithoughtyouweresomethingbigger，"wentonthevoicefromtheseawithatingeofdisappointmentinitsdeliberatetone。"Iamcomingalongside——if——you——please。"

"No！youdon’t！"calledLingardback，sharply。Theleisurelydrawloftheinvisiblespeakerseemedtohimoffensive，andwokeupahostilefeeling。"No！youdon’tifyoucareforyourboat。

Wheredoyouspringfrom？Whoareyou——anyhow？Howmanyofyouarethereinthatboat？"

Aftertheseemphaticquestionstherewasanintervalofsilence。

Duringthattimetheshapeoftheboatbecamealittlemoredistinct。Shemusthavecarriedsomewayonheryet，forsheloomedupbiggerandnearlyabreastofwhereLingardstood，beforetheself—possessedvoicewasheardagain：

"Iwillshowyou。"

Then，afteranothershortpause，thevoicesaid，lessloudbutveryplain：

"Strikeonthegunwale。Strikehard，John！"andsuddenlyabluelightblazedout，illuminatingwithalividflamearoundpatchinthenight。Inthesmokeandsplutterofthatghastlyhaloappearedawhite，four—oaredgigwithfivemensittinginherinarow。Theirheadswereturnedtowardthebrigwithastrongexpressionofcuriosityontheirfaces，which，inthisglare，brilliantandsinister，tookonadeathlikeaspectandresembledthefacesofinterestedcorpses。Thenthebowmandroppedintothewaterthelightheheldabovehisheadandthedarkness，rushingbackattheboat，swalloweditwithaloudandangryhiss。

"Fiveofus，"saidthecomposedvoiceoutofthenightthatseemednowdarkerthanbefore。"Fourhandsandmyself。Webelongtoayacht——aBritishyacht——"

"Comeonboard！"shoutedLingard。"Whydidn’tyouspeakatonce？

IthoughtyoumighthavebeensomemasqueradingDutchmenfromadodginggunboat。"

"DoIspeaklikeablamedDutchman？Pullastroke，boys——oars！

Tendbow，John。"

Theboatcamealongsidewithagentleknock，andaman’sshapebegantoclimbatonceupthebrig’ssidewithakindofponderousagility。Itpoiseditselfforamomentontherailtosaydownintotheboat——"Sheeroffalittle，boys，"thenjumpedondeckwithathud，andsaidtoShawwhowascomingaft："Goodevening……Captain，sir？"

"No。Onthepoop！"growledShaw。

"Comeuphere。Comeup，"calledLingard，impatiently。

TheMalayshadlefttheirstationsandstoodclusteredbythemainmastinasilentgroup。Notawordwasspokenonthebrig’sdecks，whilethestrangermadehiswaytothewaitingcaptain。

Lingardsawapproachinghimashort，dapperman，whotouchedhiscapandrepeatedhisgreetinginacooldrawl：

"Goodevening……Captain，sir？"

"Yes，Iamthemaster——what’sthematter？Adriftfromyourship？

Orwhat？"

"Adrift？No！Weleftherfourdaysago，andhavebeenpullingthatgiginacalm，nearlyeversince。Mymenaredone。Soisthewater。LuckythingIsightedyou。"

"Yousightedme！"exclaimedLingard。"When？Whattime？"

"Notinthedark，youmaybesure。We’vebeenknockingaboutamongstsomeislandstothesouthward，breakingourheartstuggingattheoarsinonechannel，theninanother——tryingtogetclear。Wegotroundanislet——abarrenthing，inshapelikealoafofsugar——andIcaughtsightofavesselalongwayoff。I

tookherbearinginahurryandwebuckledto；butanotherofthemcurrentsmusthavehadholdofus，foritwasalongtimebeforewemanagedtoclearthatislet。Isteeredbythestars，and，bytheLordHarry，IbegantothinkIhadmissedyousomehow——becauseitmusthavebeenyouIsaw。"

"Yes，itmusthavebeen。Wehadnothinginsightallday，"

assentedLingard。"Where’syourvessel？"heasked，eagerly。

"Hardandfastonmiddlingsoftmud——Ishouldthinkaboutsixtymilesfromhere。Wearethesecondboatsentoffforassistance。

WepartedcompanywiththeotheronTuesday。Shemusthavepassedtothenorthwardofyouto—day。ThechiefofficerisinherwithorderstomakeforSingapore。Iamsecond，andwassentofftowardtheStraitshereonthechanceoffallinginwithsomeship。Ihavealetterfromtheowner。Ourgentryaretiredofbeingstuckinthemudandwishforassistance。"

"Whatassistancedidyouexpecttofinddownhere？"

"Theletterwilltellyouthat。MayIask，Captain，foralittlewaterforthechapsinmyboat？AndImyselfwouldthankyouforadrink。Wehaven’thadamouthfulsincethisafternoon。Ourbreakerleakedoutsomehow。"

"Seetoit，Mr。Shaw，"saidLingard。"Comedownthecabin，Mr。——"

"Carterismyname。"

"Ah！Mr。Carter。Comedown，comedown，"wentonLingard，leadingthewaydownthecabinstairs。

Thestewardhadlightedtheswinginglamp，andhadputadecanterandbottlesonthetable。Thecuddylookedcheerful，paintedwhite，withgoldmouldingsroundthepanels。Oppositethecurtainedrecessofthesternwindowstherewasasideboardwithamarbletop，and，aboveit，alooking—glassinagiltframe。Thesemicircularcouchroundthesternhadcushionsofcrimsonplush。

ThetablewascoveredwithablackIndiantableclothembroideredinvividcolours。Betweenthebeamsofthepoop—deckwerefittedracksformuskets，thebarrelsofwhichglintedinthelight。

Thereweretwenty—fourofthembetweenthefourbeams。Asmanysword—bayonetsofanoldpatternencircledthepolishedteakwoodoftherudder—casingwithadoublebeltofbrassandsteel。Allthedoorsofthestate—roomshadbeentakenoffthehingesandonlycurtainsclosedthedoorways。TheyseemedtobemadeofyellowChinesesilk，andflutteredalltogether，thefourofthem，asthetwomenenteredthecuddy。

Cartertookinallataglance，buthiseyeswerearrestedbyacircularshieldhungslantingabovethebrasshiltsofthebayonets。Onitsredfield，inreliefandbrightlygilt，wasrepresentedasheafofconventionalthunderboltsdartingdownthemiddlebetweenthetwocapitalsT。L。Lingardexaminedhisguestcuriously。Hesawayoungman，butlookingstillmoreyouthful，withaboyishsmoothfacemuchsunburnt，twinklingblueeyes，fairhairandaslightmoustache。Henoticedhisarrestedgaze。

"Ah，you’relookingatthatthing。It’sapresentfromthebuilderofthisbrig。Thebestmanthateverlaunchedacraft。

It’ssupposedtobetheship’snamebetweenmyinitials——flashoflightning——d’yousee？Thebrig’snameisLightningandmineisLingard。"

"Veryprettythingthat：showsthecabinoffwell，"murmuredCarter，politely。

Theydrank，noddingateachother，andsatdown。

"Nowfortheletter，"saidLingard。

Carterpasseditoverthetableandlookedabout，whileLingardtooktheletteroutofanopenenvelope，addressedtothecommanderofanyBritishshipintheJavaSea。Thepaperwasthick，hadanembossedheading："Schooner—yachtHermit"andwasdatedfourdaysbefore。ThemessagesaidthatonahazynighttheyachthadgoneashoreuponsomeoutlyingshoalsoffthecoastofBorneo。Thelandwaslow。Theopinionofthesailing—masterwasthatthevesselhadgoneashoreatthetopofhighwater，springtides。Thecoastwascompletelydesertedtoallappearance。

Duringthefourdaystheyhadbeenstrandedtheretheyhadsightedinthedistancetwosmallnativevessels，whichdidnotapproach。Theownerconcludedbyaskinganycommanderofahomeward—boundshiptoreporttheyacht’spositioninAnjeronhiswaythroughSundaStraits——ortoanyBritishorDutchman—of—

warhemightmeet。Theletterendedbyanticipatorythanks，theoffertopayanyexpensesinconnectionwiththesendingofmessagesfromAnjer，andtheusualpoliteexpressions。

Foldingthepaperslowlyintheoldcreases，Lingardsaid——"IamnotgoingtoAnjer——noranywherenear。"

"Anyplacewilldo，Ifancy，"saidCarter。

"NottheplacewhereIamboundto，"answeredLingard，openingtheletteragainandglancingatituneasily。"Hedoesnotdescribeverywellthecoast，andhislatitudeisveryuncertain，"hewenton。"Iamnotclearinmymindwhereexactlyyouarestranded。AndyetIknoweveryinchofthatland——overthere。"

Carterclearedhisthroatandbegantotalkinhisslowdrawl。Heseemedtodoleoutfacts，todisclosewithsparingwordsthefeaturesofthecoast，buteverywordshowedtheminutenessofhisobservation，theclearvisionofaseamanabletomasterquicklytheaspectofastrangelandandofastrangesea。Hepresented，withconciselucidity，thepictureofthetangleofreefsandsandbanks，throughwhichtheyachthadmiraculouslyblunderedinthedarkbeforeshetooktheground。

"Theweatherseemsclearenoughatsea，"heobserved，finally，andstoppedtodrinkalongdraught。Lingard，bendingoverthetable，hadbeenlisteningwitheagerattention。Carterwentoninhiscurtanddeliberatemanner：

"InoticedsomehightreesonwhatItaketobethemainlandtothesouth——andwhoeverhasbusinessinthatbightwassmartenoughtowhitewashtwoofthem：oneonthepoint，andanotherfartherin。Landmarks，Iguess……What’sthematter，Captain？"

Lingardhadjumpedtohisfeet，butCarter’sexclamationcausedhimtositdownagain。