theory that Falk was after Captain Hermann's niece, and asserted
confidently that nothing would come of it. It was the same last year
when Captain Hermann was loading here, he said.

Naturally, I did not believe Schomberg, but I own that for a time I
observed closely what went on. All I discovered was some impatience on
Hermann's part. At the sight of Falk, stepping over the gangway, the
excellent man would begin to mumble and chew between his teeth something
that sounded like German swear-words. However, as I've said, I'm not
familiar with the language, and Hermann's soft, round-eyed countenance
remained unchanged. Staring stolidly ahead he greeted him with, "Wie
gehts," or in English, "How are you?" with a throaty enunciation. The
girl would look up for an instant and move her lips slightly: Mrs.
Hermann let her hands rest on her lap to talk volubly to him for a
minute or so in her pleasant voice before she went on with her sewing
again. Falk would throw himself into a chair, stretch his big legs, as
like as not draw his hands down his face passionately. As to myself, he
was not pointedly impertinent: it was rather as though he could not be
bothered with such trifles as my existence; and the truth is that being
a monopolist he was under no necessity to be amiable. He was sure to get
his own extortionate terms out of me for towage whether he frowned
or smiled. As a matter of fact, he did neither: but before many days
elapsed he managed to astonish me not a little and to set Schomberg's
tongue clacking more than ever.

It came about in this way. There was a shallow bar at the mouth of the
river which ought to have been kept down, but the authorities of the
State were piously busy gilding afresh the great Buddhist Pagoda just
then, and I suppose had no money to spare for dredging operations. I
don't know how it may be now, but at the time I speak of that sandbank
was a great nuisance to the shipping. One of its consequences was that
vessels of a certain draught of water, like Hermann's or mine, could not
complete their loading in the river. After taking in as much as possible
of their cargo, they had to go outside to fill up. The whole procedure
was an unmitigated bore. When you thought you had as much on board as
your ship could carry safely over the bar, you went and gave notice to
your agents. They, in their turn, notified Falk that so-and-so was ready
to go out. Then Falk (ostensibly when it fitted in with his other