“We are now returning to Ternate, and will take you with us.  Our king will be pleased to receive any Hollanders, especially as you are enemies to the Portuguese dogs.  I forgot to tell you that we have one of your companions with us in the boat; we picked him up at sea, much exhausted, but he is now doing well.”

“Who can it be?” observed Krantz, “it must be some one belonging to some other vessel.”

“No,” replied Philip, shuddering, “it must be Schriften.”

“Then my eyes must behold him before I believe it,” replied Krantz.

“Then believe your eyes,” replied Philip, pointing to the form of Schriften, who was now walking towards them.

“Mynheer Vanderdecken, glad to see you.  Mynheer Krantz, I hope you are well.  How lucky that we should all be saved.  He! he!”

“The ocean has then, indeed, given up its dead, as I requested,” thought Philip.

In the meantime, Schriften, without making any reference to the way in which they had so unceremoniously parted company, addressed Krantz with apparent good-humour, and some slight tinge of sarcasm.  It was some time before Krantz could rid himself of him.

“What think you of him, Krantz?”

“That he is a part of the whole, and has his destiny to fulfil as well as you.  He has his part to play in this wondrous mystery, and will remain until it is finished.  Think not of him.  Recollect, your Amine is safe.”

“True,” replied Philip, “the wretch is not worth a thought; we have now nothing to do but to embark with these people; hereafter we may rid ourselves of him, and strive then to rejoin my dearest Amine.”

Chapter XXVIII

When Amine again came to her senses, she found herself lying on the leaves of the palmetto, in a small hut.  A hideous black child sat by her, brushing off the flies.  Where was she?

The raft had been tossed about for two days, during which Amine remained in a state of alternate delirium and stupor.  Driven by the current and the gale, it had been thrown on shore on the eastern end of the coast of New Guinea.  She had been discovered by some of the natives, who happened to be on the beach trafficking with some of the Tidore people.  At first, they hastened to rid her of her garments, although they perceived that she was not dead; but before they had left her as naked as themselves, a diamond of great value, which had been given to her by Philip, attracted the attention of one of the savages; failing in his attempt to pull it off, he pulled out a rusty, blunt knife, and was busily sawing at the finger, when an old woman of authority interfered and bade him desist.  The Tidore people, also, who were friends with the Portuguese, pointed out, that to save one of that nation would ensure a reward; they stated moreover, that they would, on their return, inform the people of the factory establishment that one of their country-women had been thrown on shore on a raft.—­To this Amine owed the care and attention that was paid to her; that part of New Guinea being somewhat civilised by occasional intercourse with the Tidore people, who came there to exchange European finery and trash for the more useful productions of the island.