alternating watchfully between the writing and the black chief

before him, while the black chief himself speculated and studied the



chance of getting behind him and, with the single knife-thrust he

knew so well, of severing the other's spinal cord at the base of the



neck.

"Sati," Van Horn read. "Last monsoon begin about this time, him



fella Sati get 'm sick belly belong him too much; bime by him fella

Sati finish altogether," he translated into beche-de-mer the written



information: Died of dysentery July 4th, 1901.

"Plenty work him fella Sati, long time," Nau-hau drove to the point.



"What come along money belong him?"

Van Horn did mentalarithmetic from the account.



"Altogether him make 'm six tens pounds and two fella pounds gold

money," was his translation of sixty-two pounds of wages. "I pay



advance father belong him one ten pounds and five fella pounds. Him

finish altogether four tens pounds and seven fella pounds."



"What name stop four tens pounds and seven fella pounds?" Nau-hau

demanded, his tongue, but not his brain, encompassing so prodigious



a sum.

Van Horn held up his hand.



"Too much hurry you fella Nau-hau. Him fella Sati buy 'm slop chest

along plantation two tens pounds and one fella pound. Belong Sati



he finish altogether two tens pounds and six fella pounds."

"What name stop two tens pounds and six fella pounds?" Nau-hau



continued inflexibly.

"Stop 'm along me," the captain answered curtly.



"Give 'm me two tens pounds and six fella pounds."

"Give 'm you hell," Van Horn refused, and in the blue of his eyes



the black chief sensed the impression of the dynamite out of which

white men seemed made, and felt his brain quicken to the vision of



the bloody day he first encountered an explosion of dynamite and was

hurled through the air.



"What name that old fella boy stop 'm along canoe?" Van Horn asked,

pointing to an old man in a canoe alongside. "Him father belong



Sati?"

"Him father belong Sati," Nau-hau affirmed.



Van Horn motioned the old man in and on board, beckoned Borckman to

take charge of the deck and of Nau-hau, and went below to get the



money from his strong-box. When he returned, cavalierly ignoring

the chief, he addressed himself to the old man.



"What name belong you?"

"Me fella Nino," was the quavering response. "Him fella Sati belong



along me."

Van Horn glanced for verification to Nau-hau, who nodded affirmation



in the reverse Solomon way; whereupon Van Horn counted twenty-six

gold sovereigns into the hand of Sati's father.



Immediately thereafter Nau-hau extended his hand and received the

sum. Twenty gold pieces the chief retained for himself, returning



to the old man the remaining six. It was no quarrel of Van Horn's.

He had fulfilled his duty and paid properly. The tyranny of a chief



over a subject was none of his business.

Both masters, white and black, were fairly contented with



themselves. Van Horn had paid the money where it was due; Nau-hau,

by virtue of kingship, had robbed Sati's father of Sati's labour



before Van Horn's eyes. But Nau-hau was not above strutting. He

declined a proffered present of tobacco, bought a case of stick



tobacco from Van Horn, paying him five pounds for it, and insisted

on having it sawed open so that he could fill his pipe.



"Plenty good boy stop along Langa-Langa?" Van Horn, unperturbed,

politely queried, in order to make conversation and advertise



nonchalance.

The King o' Babylon grinned, but did not deign to reply.



"Maybe I go ashore and walk about?" Van Horn challenged with

tentative emphasis.



"Maybe too much trouble along you," Nau-hau challenged back. "Maybe

plenty bad fella boy kai-kai along you."



Although Van Horn did not know it, at this challenge he experienced

the hair-pricking sensations in his scalp that Jerry experienced



when he bristled his back.

"Hey, Borckman," he called. "Man the whaleboat."



When the whaleboat was alongside, he descended into it first,

superiorly, then invited Nau-hau to accompany him.

• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• anchor [´æŋkə] n.锚 v.抛锚 (初中英语单词)


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• ashore [ə´ʃɔ:] ad.向岸上 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)


• unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象… (初中英语单词)


• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)


• aboard [ə´bɔ:d] ad.&prep.在…上 (初中英语单词)


• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)


• interfere [,intə´fiə] vi.干涉；妨碍；打扰 (初中英语单词)


• despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• tobacco [tə´bækəu] n.烟草(叶)；卷烟 (初中英语单词)


• miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全；总而言之 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• vision [´viʒən] n.视觉；想象力；幻影 (初中英语单词)


• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)


• reverse [ri´və:s] v.颠倒；(使)反向 (初中英语单词)


• properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• challenge [´tʃælindʒ] n.&vt.向….挑战；怀疑 (初中英语单词)


• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• efficient [i´fiʃənt] a.有效的，有能力的 (高中英语单词)


• resemblance [ri´zembləns] n.类似；肖像；外表 (高中英语单词)


• boldly [´bəuldli] ad.大胆地；醒目地 (高中英语单词)


• ridiculous [ri´dikjuləs] a.荒谬的；可笑的 (高中英语单词)


• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)


• consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)


• royalty [´rɔiəlti] n.王位；特权阶层；版税 (高中英语单词)


• ladder [´lædə] n.梯子；阶梯 (高中英语单词)


• extremity [ik´stremiti] n.末端；危机 (高中英语单词)


• handful [hændful] n.一把，少数，一小撮 (高中英语单词)


• correctly [kə´rektli] ad.正确地；恰当地 (高中英语单词)


• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)


• translation [træns´leiʃən, trænz-] n.翻译；译文；译本 (高中英语单词)


• plantation [plæn´teiʃən] n.种植园；栽植；移民 (高中英语单词)


• quicken [´kwikən] v.加快；加速；鼓舞 (高中英语单词)


• explosion [ik´spləuʒən] n.爆炸；爆发；发作 (高中英语单词)


• alongside [əlɔŋ´said] ad.在旁 prep.横靠 (高中英语单词)


• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)


• solomon [´sɔləmən] n.所罗门 (高中英语单词)


• thereafter [ðeə´rɑ:ftə] adv.此后，其后 (高中英语单词)


• tyranny [´tirəni] n.暴政；专制政治 (高中英语单词)


• contented [kən´tentid] a.满足的；心满意足的 (高中英语单词)


• lesser [´lesə] a.较小的；次要的 (英语四级单词)


• lookout [´lukaut] n.警戒；景色；前途 (英语四级单词)


• coconut [´kəukənʌt] n.椰子(果)；头 (英语四级单词)


• protector [prə´tektə] n.保护者；防御者 (英语四级单词)


• warning [´wɔ:niŋ] n.警告；前兆 a.预告的 (英语四级单词)


• muzzle [´mʌzəl] n.枪口，炮口 (英语四级单词)


• stronghold [´strɔŋhəuld] n.要塞；根据地 (英语四级单词)


• unbroken [ʌn´brəukən] a.未破的；不间断的 (英语四级单词)


• violate [´vaiəleit] vt.违背；冒犯；侵害 (英语四级单词)


• kingly [´kiŋli] a.国王的 ad.国王似地 (英语四级单词)


• morsel [´mɔ:səl] n.佳肴 vt.少量地分配 (英语四级单词)


• cutter [´kʌtə] n.裁剪师；刀具；快艇 (英语四级单词)


• knives [naivz] knife的复数 (英语四级单词)


• calico [´kælikəu] n.白棉布；印花布 (英语四级单词)


• composed [kəm´pəuzd] a.镇静自若的 (英语四级单词)


• arithmetic [ə´riθmətik] n.算术 (英语四级单词)


• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)


• landmark [´lændmɑ:k] n.界标；里程碑 (英语六级单词)


• lagoon [lə´gu:n] n.濒海湖，泻湖 (英语六级单词)


• departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)


• visage [´vizidʒ] n.面容，面貌 (英语六级单词)


• cracked [krækt] a.有裂缝的；碎的；粗哑 (英语六级单词)


• insolent [´insələnt] a.傲慢的；无礼的 (英语六级单词)


• dynamite [´dainəmait] n.&vt.(用)炸药(爆破) (英语六级单词)


• impact [´impækt] n.影响，作用；冲击 (英语六级单词)


• spinal [´spainl] a.脊椎骨，脊骨的 (英语六级单词)


• extended [iks´tendid] a.伸长的；广大的 (英语六级单词)