Victory: An Island Tale

ooked as if that side of the island had been altogether abandoned. This was what he expected. Presently, above the dense mass of vegetation that Samburan presents to view, he saw the head of the fla

be no one

book in his hand. He looked exactly as we have always seen him-very neat, white shoes, cork helmet. He explained to me that he had always had a taste for solitude. It was th

ou thinking of keeping possess

sort,' he says. '

Caesar,' I cried. 'In fact, you have

e, putting his hand to his helmet s

ass and vanished-all but the top of his white cork helmet, which seemed to swim in a green sea. Then that too disappeared, as if it had sunk into the living depths of the tropical vegetat

was a fellow of fine feeling, I think, though of course he had no more polish than the rest of us. We were naturally a hail-fellow-well-met crowd, with standards of our own-no worse, I daresay, than other people's; but polish was not one

ed Davidson. Then he had an afterthought: "I

oint of correct behaviour

to Davidson's round trip, but as that was s

it," said the conscientio

ows in prosperity, puts on inches of girth and stature. To serve a Chinese firm is not so bad. Once they become convinced you

, all right. You do w

though. From time to time the Chinaman used to ask D

ld peer at him silently through round, horn-rimmed spectacles, s

ccasions he

e vexed with Heyst. "Funny thing," he went on. "Of all the people I speak to, nobody

on into the most scandalous shape his imagination could invent. From time to time he would step

jungle has choked the very sheds in Black Diamond Bay. Fact. He's a hermit i

r would inquire wit

What m

saying "a certain brigand." "Well known here. He's turned her

to Heyst during his aimless pilgrimage in this section of the tropica

to see whether there were any letters for him at the Tesmans. I don't know. No one knows. But this reappearance shows that his detachment from the world was not complete. And incompleteness of any sort leads to trouble. Axel He

ed the shadow of Morrison's death. Naturally, it was Davidson who had given him a lift out of his forsaken island. There were no other opportunities, unless some native craft were passing by-a very re

oolishness, Heyst explained that when the company came i

ed Heyst, having any belongings of the sort that can furnish a house was startlin

s and tables?" Davidson asked

died in London. It has been all sto

thinking how long we all had known Heyst

d Heyst, who had u

me under our observation. In what regions? And what early ag

son, on the passage. "It was in England. A very

ison, who was dead-had ever heard so much of his history. It looks as if th

f that innate curiosity about our fellows which is a trait of human nature. Davidson's existence, too, running the Sissie along the Java Sea and back again, was distinctly monotonous and, in a sense, lonely. He never had any sort of company on board. Na

sort of father you would expect Heyst to have. Isn't he a bit of a crank himself? He told me that directly his father died he lit out into the wide w

when Davidson refused to hear of it he seized him heartily by the hand, gave one

touched by your humanity." Another shake. "Believe me, I am profoundly aware of having been an object of it." Final shake of the

vidson said to us. "I was real

where he ha

ourabaya-w

business to attend to. We said Sourabaya, of course, and took it for granted that he would stay with one of the Tesmans. One of us even wondered what sort of reception he would get; for it was known that Julius Tesman was unreasonably bitter about the Tropical Belt Coal fiasco. But Davidson set us right.

retended not to know who it was-at first, anyway. I didn't go ashore with them. We didn't stay more than a couple of hours alt