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