Victory: An Island Tale

d that I did not meet Davidson again for some three months. Whe

seen

berty, that he had not intruded. He was called in. Otherwise

a small steamer to and fro among the islands. But his humanity, which was not less strong and praiseworthy, had induced him to take his s

you in?" I ask

te. Davidson was examining the shore through his glasses with h

He had fastened some sort of enormous flag to a bambo

I suppose; but he steered close inshore, stopped his engines, and lowered a boa

his signalling-pole; and when Davidson arrived, he was kn

and my curiosity being naturally aroused. You must remember that Heyst as the

," said Davidson, "before I laid the boat

ly folding up the flag thing, which struck Da

teeth flashed agreeably below the coppe

the liberty, exactly in his usual manner. Davidson had expected some change in the man, but there was none. Nothing in him betrayed the momentous fact that within that jungle there was a girl, a performer in a ladies' orchest

ve done a certain amount of harm, since I allowed myself to be tempted into action. It seemed innocent enough, but all action is bound to be harmful. It is devilish. That is why this world is evil upon the whole. But I have done with it

ing out of tropical bush. He had never heard anybody speak like this before; certainly not Heyst, whose

" Davidson thou

al talk. Then he remembered-in his surprise he had lost sight of it-that Heyst now had a girl there. This bizarre discourse was probably the

hort of stores or

ed and sho

ken the liberty to detain you, it is not from any uneasiness for myself and my-companion. The

with her," inte

hoped she would

pted Davidson, who was not averse from

rtunity to give it to you? That's good, very good. She'

locutor had carried off a girl, wore off as the minutes went by. "There's a lot of unexpectedness about wo

stuff hanging over his arm. "An Indian thing, I

ular value," said D

Schomberg's wife. That Schomberg seems to be

smiled

a universal and guilty toleration of a manifest nuisance. "I

ake me to Sourabaya, I went to stay there from economy. The Netherlands House is ver

urse," protested

mberg. He said that it might be very awkward for her if she were unable, if asked, to produce it. This

prevent her, he pointed out, from making a fo

aid Heyst. "Yes,

the fellows they wouldn't believe me. How did you get round her, Heyst? How did you think of it? Why, she looks too stupid to understan

nding her position in life," said He

ome idea it was that

surprise, and offered no comment. When Davidson had finished he handed down the shawl into the boat, and Davidson promised to do his best to return it to Mrs. Schomberg in some secret fa

case of odious persecution, don'

sympathetic Davidson was

"Odious enough, I dare say. And you, of course-not

already had the steering lines in h

ou if you give it a chance; but I think

his to me, Davidson

fying the fates-to