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manner.  Even Lakamba came out of his stockade in a great pomp of war canoes and red umbrellas, and landed on the rotten little jetty of Lingard and Co.  He came, he said, to buy a couple of brass guns as a present to his friend the chief of Sambir Dyaks; and while Almayer, suspicious but polite, busied himself in unearthing the old popguns in the godowns, the Rajah sat on an armchair in the verandah, surrounded by his respectful retinue waiting in vain for Nina’s appearance.  She was in one of her bad days, and remained in her mother’s hut watching with her the ceremonious proceedings on the verandah.  The Rajah departed, baffled but courteous, and soon Almayer began to reap the benefit of improved relations with the ruler in the shape of the recovery of some debts, paid to him with many apologies and many a low salaam by debtors till then considered hopelessly insolvent.  Under these improving circumstances Almayer brightened up a little.  All was not lost perhaps.  Those Arabs and Malays saw at last that he was a man of some ability, he thought.  And he began, after his manner, to plan great things, to dream of great fortunes for himself and Nina.  Especially for Nina!  Under these vivifying impulses he asked Captain Ford to write to his friends in England making inquiries after Lingard.  Was he alive or dead?  If dead, had he left any papers, documents; any indications or hints as to his great enterprise?  Meantime he had found amongst the rubbish in one of the empty rooms a note-book belonging to the old adventurer.  He studied the crabbed handwriting of its pages and often grew meditative over it.  Other things also woke him up from his apathy.  The stir made in the whole of the island by the establishment of the British Borneo Company affected even the sluggish flow of the Pantai life.  Great changes were expected; annexation was talked of; the Arabs grew civil.  Almayer began building his new house for the use of the future engineers, agents, or settlers of the new Company.  He spent every available guilder on it with a confiding heart.  One thing only disturbed his happiness: his wife came out of her seclusion, importing her green jacket, scant sarongs, shrill voice, and witch-like appearance, into his quiet life in the small bungalow.  And his daughter seemed to accept that savage intrusion into their daily existence with wonderful equanimity.  He did not like it, but dared say nothing.
     

CHAPTER III.
     
    The deliberations conducted in London have a far-reaching importance, and so the decision issued from the fog-veiled offices of the Borneo Company darkened for Almayer the brilliant sunshine of the Tropics, and added another drop of bitterness to the cup of his disenchantments.  The claim to that part of the East Coast was abandoned, leaving the Pantai river under the nominal power of Holland.  In Sambir there was joy and excitement.  The slaves were hurried out of sight into the forest and jungle, and the flags were run up to tall poles in the Rajah’s compound in expectation of a visit from Dutch man-of-war boats.
    The frigate remained anchored outside the mouth of the river, and the boats came up in tow of the steam launch, threading their way cautiously amongst a crowd of canoes filled with gaily dressed Malays.  The officer in command listened gravely to the loyal speeches of Lakamba, returned the salaams of Abdulla, and assured those gentlemen in choice Malay of the great Rajah’s — down in Batavia — friendship and goodwill towards the ruler and inhabitants of this model state of Sambir.
    Almayer from his verandah watched across the river the festive proceedings, heard the report of brass guns saluting the new flag presented to Lakamba, and the deep murmur of the crowd of spectators surging round the stockade.  The smoke of the firing rose in white clouds on the green background of the forests, and he could not help comparing his own fleeting hopes to the rapidly