some king's town up a river hereabouts. The chaps were full of it."

"Sir Thomas did good work," answered Lingard, "but it will be a long
time before these seas are as safe as the English Channel is in peace
time. I spoke about that light more to get you in the way of things to
be attended to in these seas than for anything else. Did you notice how
few native craft we've sighted for all these days we have been drifting
about--one may say--in this sea?"

"I can't say I have attached any significance to the fact, sir."

"It's a sign that something is up. Once set a rumour afloat in these
waters, and it will make its way from island to island, without any
breeze to drive it along."

"Being myself a deep-water man sailing steadily out of home ports nearly
all my life," said Shaw with great deliberation, "I cannot pretend to
see through the peculiarities of them out-of-the-way parts. But I can
keep a lookout in an ordinary way, and I have noticed that craft of any
kind seemed scarce, for the last few days: considering that we had land
aboard of us--one side or another--nearly every day."

"You will get to know the peculiarities, as you call them, if you remain
any time with me," remarked Lingard, negligently.

"I hope I shall give satisfaction, whether the time be long or short!"
said Shaw, accentuating the meaning of his words by the distinctness
of his utterance. "A man who has spent thirty-two years of his life on
saltwater can say no more. If being an officer of home ships for the
last fifteen years I don't understand the heathen ways of them there