m and Immada are going out to-night to look for you. You are behind
your time and every passing day makes things worse.

Ten days ago three of Belarab's men, who had been collecting turtles'
eggs on the islets, came flying back with a story of a ship stranded on
the outer mudflats. Belarab at once forbade any boat from leaving the
lagoon. So far good. There was a great excitement in the village. I
judge it must be a schooner--probably some fool of a trader. However,
you will know all about her when you read this. You may say I might
have pulled out to sea to have a look for myself. But besides Belarab's
orders to the contrary, which I would attend to for the sake of example,
all you are worth in this world, Tom, is here in the Emma, under my
feet, and I would not leave my charge even for half a day. Hassim
attended the council held every evening in the shed outside Belarab's
stockade. That holy man Ningrat was for looting that vessel. Hassim
reproved him saying that the vessel probably was sent by you because
no white men were known to come inside the shoals. Belarab backed up
Hassim. Ningrat was very angry and reproached Belarab for keeping him,
Ningrat, short of opium to smoke. He began by calling him "O! son,"
and ended by shouting, "O! you worse than an unbeliever!" There was a
hullabaloo. The followers of Tengga were ready to interfere and you
know how it is between Tengga and Belarab. Tengga always wanted to oust
Belarab, and his chances were getting pretty good before you turned up
and armed Belarab's bodyguard with muskets. However, Hassim stopped that
row, and no one was hurt that time. Next day, which was Friday, Ningrat
after reading the prayers in the mosque talked to the people outside. He
bleated and capered like an old goat, prophesying misfortune, ruin, and
extermination if these whites were allowed to get away. He is mad but
then they think him a saint, and he had been fighting the Dutch for
years in his young days. Six of Belarab's guard marched down the village
street carrying muskets at full cock and the crowd cleared out. Ningrat
was spirited away by Tengga's men into their master's stockade. If it
was not for the fear of you turning up any moment there would have been
a party-fight that evening. I think it is a pity Tengga is not chief
of the land instead of Belarab. A brave and foresighted man, however
treacherous at heart, can always be trusted to a certain extent. One can
never get anything clear