mist, wet and chilly, lay on the slopes of the hill, and after some more shouting from one to the other, Brown called out, “Come on, then, but alone, mind!” As a matter of fact—­he told me, writhing with rage at the recollection of his helplessness—­it made no difference.  They couldn’t see more than a few yards before them, and no treachery could make their position worse.  By-and-by Cornelius, in his week-day attire of a ragged dirty shirt and pants, barefooted, with a broken-rimmed pith hat on his head, was made out vaguely, sidling up to the defences, hesitating, stopping to listen in a peering posture.  “Come along!  You are safe,” yelled Brown, while his men stared.  All their hopes of life became suddenly centered in that dilapidated, mean newcomer, who in profound silence clambered clumsily over a felled tree-trunk, and shivering, with his sour, mistrustful face, looked about at the knot of bearded, anxious, sleepless desperadoes.

’Half an hour’s confidential talk with Cornelius opened Brown’s eyes as to the home affairs of Patusan.  He was on the alert at once.  There were possibilities, immense possibilities; but before he would talk over Cornelius’s proposals he demanded that some food should be sent up as a guarantee of good faith.  Cornelius went off, creeping sluggishly down the hill on the side of the Rajah’s palace, and after some delay a few of Tunku Allang’s men came up, bringing a scanty supply of rice, chillies, and dried fish.  This was immeasurably better than nothing.  Later on Cornelius returned accompanying Kassim, who stepped out with an air of perfect good-humoured trustfulness, in sandals, and muffled up from neck to ankles in dark-blue sheeting.  He shook hands with Brown discreetly, and the three drew aside for a conference.  Brown’s men, recovering their confidence, were slapping each other on the back, and cast knowing glances at their captain while they busied themselves with preparations for cooking.

’Kassim disliked Doramin and his Bugis very much, but he hated the new order of things still more.  It had occurred to him that these whites, together with the Rajah’s followers, could attack and defeat the Bugis before Jim’s return.  Then, he reasoned, general defection of the townsfolk was sure to follow, and the reign of the white man who protected poor people would be over.  Afterwards the new allies could be dealt with.  They would have no friends.  The fellow was perfectly able to perceive the difference of character, and had seen enough of white men to know that these newcomers were outcasts, men without country.  Brown preserved a stern and inscrutable demeanour.  When he first heard Cornelius’s voice demanding admittance, it brought merely the hope of a loophole for escape.  In less than an hour other thoughts were seething in his head.  Urged by an extreme necessity, he had come there to steal food, a few tons of rubber or gum may be, perhaps a handful of dollars, and had found himself enmeshed by deadly dangers.  Now