`Iwassilentforawhile。“Isittobenever，then？“Isaid。“Never，“
herepeated，dreamily，withoutlookingatme，andthenflewintosuddenactivity。“Jove!Twoo’clock，andIsailatfour!“
`Itwastrue。AbrigantineofStein’swasleavingforthewestwardthatafternoon，andhehadbeeninstructedtotakehispassageinher，onlynoorderstodelaythesailinghadbeengiven。IsupposeSteinforgot。
HemadearushtogethisthingswhileIwentaboardmyship，wherehepromisedtocallonhiswaytotheouterroadster。Heturnedupaccordinglyinagreathurryandwithasmallleathervaliseinhishand。Thiswouldn’tdo，andIofferedhimanoldtintrunkofminesupposedtobewater-tight，oratleastdamp-tight。Heeffectedthetransferbythesimpleprocessofshootingoutthecontentsofhisvaliseasyouwouldemptyasackofwheat。Isawthreebooksinthetumble；twosmall，indarkcovers，andathickgreen-and-goldvolume——ahalf-crowncompleteShakespeare。“Youreadthis？“Iasked。“Yes。Bestthingtocheerupafellow，“hesaidhastily。
Iwasstruckbythisappreciation，buttherewasnotimeforShakespeariantalk。Aheavyrevolverandtwosmallboxesofcartridgeswerelyingonthecuddy-table。“Praytakethis，“Isaid。“Itmayhelpyoutoremain。“
NosoonerwerethesewordsoutofmymouththanIperceivedwhatgrimmeaningtheycouldbear。“Mayhelpyoutogetin，“Icorrectedmyselfremorsefully。
He，however，wasnottroubledbyobscuremeanings；hethankedmeeffusivelyandboltedout，callingGood-byeoverhisshoulder。Iheardhisvoicethroughtheship’ssideurginghisboatmentogiveway，andlookingoutofthestern-portIsawtheboatroundingunderthecounter。Hesatinherleaningforward，excitinghismenwithvoiceandgestures；andashehadkepttherevolverinhishandandseemedtobepresentingitattheirheads，IshallneverforgetthescaredfacesofthefourJavanese，andthefranticswingoftheirstrokewhichsnatchedthatvisionfromundermyeyes。Thenturningaway，thefirstthingIsawwerethetwoboxesofcartridgesonthecuddy-table。
Hehadforgottentotakethem。
`Iorderedmygigmannedatonce；butJim’srowers，undertheimpressionthattheirliveshungonathreadwhiletheyhadthatmadmanintheboat，madesuchexcellenttimethatbeforeIhadtraversedhalfthedistancebetweenthetwovesselsIcaughtsightofhimclamberingovertherail，andofhisboxbeingpassedup。Allthebrigantine’scanvaswasloose，hermainsailwasset，andthewindlasswasjustbeginningtoclinkasI
steppeduponherdeck：hermaster，adapperlittlehalf-casteoffortyorso，inablueflannelsuit，withlivelyeyes，hisroundfacethecolouroflemon-peel，andwithathinlittleblackmoustachedroopingoneachsideofhisthick，darklips，cameforwardsmirking。Heturnedout，notwithstandinghisself-satisfiedandcheeryexterior，tobeofacareworntemperament。
InanswertoaremarkofminewhileJimhadgonebelowforamomenthesaid，“Oh，yes。Patusan。“Hewasgoingtocarrythegentlemantothemouthoftheriver，butwould“neverascend。“HisflowingEnglishseemedtobederivedfromadictionarycompiledbyalunatic。HadMr。Steindesiredhimto“ascend，“hewouldhave“reverentially“——Ithinkhewantedtosayrespectfully——butdevilonlyknows——“reverentiallymadeobjectsforthesafetyofproperties。“Ifdisregarded，hewouldhavepresented“resignationtoquit。“Twelvemonthsagohehadmadehislastvoyagethere，andthoughMr。Cornelius“propitiatedmanyoffertories“toMr。RajahAllangandthe“principalpopulations，“onconditionswhichmadethetrade“asnareandashesinthemouth，“yethisshiphadbeenfireduponfromthewoodsby“irresponsiveparties“allthewaydowntheriver；whichcausinghiscrew“fromexposuretolimbtoremainsilentinhidings，“thebrigantinewasnearlystrandedonasandbankatthebar，whereshe“wouldhavebeenperishablebeyondtheactofman。“Theangrydisgustattherecollection，theprideofhisfluency，towhichheturnedanattentiveear，struggledforthepossessionofhisbroadsimpleface。Hescowledandbeamedatme，andwatchedwithsatisfactiontheundeniableeffectofhisphraseology。Darkfrownsranswiftlyovertheplacidsea，andthebrigantine，withherfore-topsailtothemastandhermainboomamidships，seemedbewilderedamongstthecat’s-paws。
Hetoldmefurther，gnashinghisteeth，thattheRajahwasa“laughablehyena“can’timaginehowhegotholdofhyenas；whilesomebodyelsewasmanytimesfalserthanthe“weaponsofacrocodile。“Keepingoneeyeonthemovementsofhiscrewforward，heletloosehisvolubility——comparingtheplacetoa“cageofbeastsmaderavenousbylongimpenitence。“Ifancyhemeantimpunity。Hehadnointention，hecried，to“exhibithimselftobemadeattachedpurposefullytorobbery。’Thelong-drawnwails，givingthetimeforthepullofthemencattingtheanchor，cametoanend，andheloweredhisvoice。“PlentytoomuchenoughofPatusan，“heconcluded，withenergy。
`Iheardafterwardshehadbeensoindiscreetastogethimselftiedupbytheneckwitharattanhaltertoapostplantedinthemiddleofamud-holebeforetheRajah’shouse。Hespentthebestpartofadayandawholenightinthatunwholesomesituation，butthereiseveryreasontobelievethethinghadbeenmeantasasortofjoke。Hebroodedforawhileoverthathorridmemory，Isuppose，andthenaddressedinaquarrel-sometonethemancomingafttothehelm。Whenheturnedtomeagainitwastospeakjudicially，withoutpassion。HewouldtakethegentlemantothemouthoftheriveratBatuKringPatusantown“beingsituatedinternally，“
heremarked，“thirtymiles“。Butinhiseyes，hecontinued——atoneofbored，wearyconvictionreplacinghispreviousvolubledelivery——thegentlemanwasalready“inthesimilitudeofacorpse。““What？Whatdoyousay？“I
asked。Heassumedastartlinglyferociousdemeanour，andimitatedtoperfectiontheactofstabbingfrombehind。“Alreadylikethebodyofonedeported，“
heexplained，withtheinsufferablyconceitedairofhiskindafterwhattheyimagineadisplayofcleverness。BehindhimIperceivedJimsmilingsilentlyatme，andwitharaisedhandcheckingtheexclamationonmylips。
`Then，whilethehalf-caste，burstingwithimportance，shoutedhisorders，whiletheyardsswungcreakingandtheheavyboomcamesurgingover，JimandI，aloneasitwere，toleewardofthemainsail，claspedeachother’shandsandexchangedthelasthurriedwords。Myheartwasfreedfromthatdullresentmentwhichhadexistedsidebysidewithinterestinhisfate。
Theabsurdchatterofthehalf-castehadgivenmorerealitytothemiserabledangersofhispaththanStein’scarefulstatements。Onthatoccasionthesortofformalitythathadbeenpresentinourintercoursevanishedfromourspeech；IbelieveIcalledhim“dearboy，“andhetackedonthewords“oldman“tosomehalf-utteredexpressionofgratitude，asthoughhisrisksetoffagainstmyyearshadmadeusmoreequalinageandinfeeling。
Therewasamomentofrealandprofoundintimacy，unexpectedandshort-livedlikeaglimpseofsomeeverlasting，ofsomesavingtruth。Heexertedhimselftosoothemeasthoughhehadbeenthemorematureofthetwo。“Allright，allright，“hesaid，rapidly，andwithfeeling。“Ipromisetotakecareofmyself。Yes；Iwon’ttakeanyrisks。Notasingleblessedrisk。Ofcoursenot。Imeantohangout。Don’tyouworry。Jove!Ifeelasifnothingcouldtouchme。Why!thisisluckfromthewordGo。Iwouldn’tspoilsuchamagnificentchance!“……Amagnificentchance!Well，itwasmagnificent，butchancesarewhatmenmakethem，andhowwasItoknow？Ashehadsaid，evenI——evenIremembered——his——hismisfortunesagainsthim。Itwastrue。
Andthebestthingforhimwastogo。
`Mygighaddroppedinthewakeofthebrigantine，andIsawhimaftdetacheduponthelightofthewesteringsun，raisinghiscaphighabovehishead。Iheardanindistinctshout，“You——shall——hear——of——me。“Ofme，orfromme，Idon’tknowwhich。Ithinkitmusthavebeenofme。
Myeyesweretoodazzledbytheglitteroftheseabelowhisfeettoseehimclearly；Iamfatednevertoseehimclearly；butIcanassureyounomancouldhaveappearedless“inthesimilitudeofacorpse，“asthathalf-castecroakerhadputit。Icouldseethelittlewretch’sface，theshapeandcolourofaripepumpkin，pokedoutsomewhereunderJim’selbow。
He，too，raisedhisarmasifforadownwardthrust。Absitomen!’
LordJim：Chapter24CHAPTERXXIV`THEcoastofPatusanIsawitnearlytwoyearsafterwards
isstraightandsombre，andfacesamistyocean。Redtrailsareseenlikecataractsofruststreamingunderthedark-greenfoliageofbushesandcreepersclothingthelowcliffs。Swampyplainsopenoutatthemouthofrivers，withaviewofjaggedbluepeaksbeyondthevastforests。Intheoffingachainofislands，dark，crumblingshapes，standoutintheeverlastingsunlithazeliketheremnantsofawallbreachedbythesea。
`Thereisavillageoffisher-folkatthemouthoftheBatuKringbranchoftheestuary。Theriver，whichhadbeenclosedsolong，wasopenthen，andStein’slittleschooner，inwhichIhadmypassage，workedherwayupinthreetideswithoutbeingexposedtoafusilladefrom“irresponsiveparties。“Suchastateofaffairsbelongedalreadytoancienthistory，ifIcouldbelievetheelderlyhead-manofthefishingvillage，whocameonboardtoactasasortofpilot。Hetalkedtomethesecondwhitemanhehadeverseenwithconfidence，andmostofhistalkwasaboutthefirstwhitemanhehadeverseen。HecalledhimTuanJim，andthetoneofhisreferenceswasmaderemarkablebyastrangemixtureoffamiliarityandawe。They，inthevillage，wereunderthatlord’sspecialprotection，whichshowedthatJimborenogrudge。IfhehadwarnedmethatIwouldhearofhimitwasperfectlytrue。Iwashearingofhim。Therewasalreadyastorythatthetidehadturnedtwohoursbeforeitstimetohelphimonhisjourneyuptheriver。Thetalkativeoldmanhimselfhadsteeredthecanoeandhadmarvelledatthephenomenon。Moreover，alltheglorywasinhisfamily。
Hissonandhisson-in-lawhadpaddled；buttheywereonlyyouthswithoutexperience，whodidnotnoticethespeedofthecanoetillhepointedouttothemtheamazingfact。
`Jim’scomingtothatfishingvillagewasablessing；buttothem，astomanyofus，theblessingcameheraldedbyterrors。Somanygenerationshadbeenreleasedsincethelastwhitemanhadvisitedtheriverthattheverytraditionhadbeenlost。TheappearanceofthebeingthatdescendeduponthemanddemandedinflexiblytobetakenuptoPatusanwasdiscomposing；
hisinsistencewasalarming；hisgenerositymorethansuspicious。Itwasanunheard-ofrequest。Therewasnoprecedent。WhatwouldtheRajahsaytothis？Whatwouldhedotothem？Thebestpartofthenightwasspentinconsultation；buttheimmediateriskfromtheangerofthatstrangemanseemedsogreatthatatlastacrankydug-outwasgotready。Thewomenshriekedwithgriefasitputoff。Afearlessoldhagcursedthestranger。
`Hesatinit，asI’vetoldyou，onhistinbox，nursingtheunloadedrevolveronhislap。Hesatwithprecaution——thanwhichthereisnothingmorefatiguing——andthusenteredthelandhewasdestinedtofillwiththefameofhisvirtues，fromthebluepeaksinlandtothewhiteribbonofsurfonthecoast。Atthefirstbendhelostsightoftheseawithitslabouringwavesforeverrising，sinking，andvanishingtoriseagain——theveryimageofstrugglingmankind——andfacedtheimmovableforestsrooteddeepinthesoil，soaringtowardsthesunshine，everlastingintheshadowymightoftheirtradition，likelifeitself。AndhisopportunitysatveiledbyhissidelikeanEasternbridewaitingtobeuncoveredbythehandofthemaster。He，too，wastheheirofashadowyandmightytradition!Hetoldme，however，thathehadneverinhislifefeltsodepressedandtiredasinthatcanoe。Allthemovementhedaredtoallowhimselfwastoreach，asitwerebystealth，aftertheshellofhalfacoconutfloatingbetweenhisshoes，andbailsomeofthewateroutwithacarefullyrestrainedaction。
Hediscoveredhowhardthelidofablock-tincasewastositupon。Hehadheroichealth；butseveraltimesduringthatjourneyheexperiencedfitsofgiddiness，andbetweenwhileshespeculatedhazilyastothesizeoftheblisterthesunwasraisingonhisback。Foramusementhetriedbylookingaheadtodecidewhetherthemuddyobjecthesawlyingonthewater’sedgewasalogofwoodoranalligator。Onlyverysoonhehadtogivethatup。Nofuninit。Alwaysalligator。Oneofthemfloppedintotheriverandallbutcapsizedthecanoe。Butthisexcitementwasoverdirectly。Theninalongemptyreachhewasverygratefultoatroopofmonkeyswhocamerightdownonthebank$$Word$$madeaninsultinghullabalooonhispassage。Suchwasthewayinwhichhewasapproachinggreatnessasgenuineasanymaneverachieved。Principally，helongedforsunset；
andmeantimehisthreepaddlerswerepreparingtoputintoexecutiontheirplanofdeliveringhimuptotheRajah。
“`IsupposeImusthavebeenstupidwithfatigue，orperhapsIdiddozeoffforatime，“hesaid。Thefirstthingheknewwashiscanoecomingtothebank。Hebecameinstantaneouslyawareoftheforesthavingbeenleftbehind，ofthefirsthousesbeingvisiblehigherup，ofastockadeonhisleft，andofhisboatmenleapingouttogetheruponalowpointoflandandtakingtotheirheels。Instinctivelyheleapedoutafterthem。
Atfirsthethoughthimselfdesertedforsomeinconceivablereason，butheheardexcitedshouts，agateswungopen，andalotofpeoplepouredout，makingtowardshim。Atthesametimeaboatfullofarmedmenappearedontheriverandcamealongsidehisemptycanoe，thusshuttingoffhisretreat。
“`Iwastoostartledtobequitecool——don’tyouknow？andifthatrevolverhadbeenloadedIwouldhaveshotsomebody——perhapstwo，threebodies，andthatwouldhavebeentheendofme。Butitwasn’t……““Whynot？“