nderstant Van der Kemp. No man can oonderstant him. He is
goot, right down to zee marrow--kind, amiable, oonselfish, obliging,
nevair seems to zink of himself at all, ant, abof all zings, is capable.
Vat he vill do, he can do--vat he can do he vill do. But he is sad--very
sad."

"I have observed that, of course," said Nigel. "Do you know what makes
him so sad?"

The professor shook his head.

"No, I do not know. Nobody knows. I have tried to find out, but he vill
not speak."

The Orang-Kaya, or rich man, as this hill chief was styled, had provided
lodgings for his visitors in the "head-house." This was a large circular
building erected on poles. There is such a house in nearly all Dyak
villages. It serves as a trading-place, a strangers' room, a
sleeping-room for unmarried youths, and a general council-chamber. Here
Nigel found the hermit and Moses enjoying a good meal when he arrived,
to which he and the professor sat down after paying their respects to
the chief.

"The Orang-Kaya hopes that we will stay with him some time and help to
defend the village," said Van der Kemp, when they were all seated.

"Of course you have agreed?" said Nigel.

"Yes; I came for that purpose."

"We's allers ready to fight in a good cause," remarked Moses, just
before filling his mouth with rice.

"Or to die in it!" added Verkimier, engulfing the breast of a chicken at
a bite. "But as zee pirates are not expected for some days, ve may as
veil go after zee mias--zat is what zee natifs call zee orang-utan. It
is a better word, being short."

Moses glanced at the professor out of the corners of his black eyes and
seemed greatly tickled by his enthusiastic devotion to business.

"I am also," continued the professor, "extremely anxious to go at zee
booterflies before--"

"You die," suggested Nigel, venturing on a pleasantry, whereat Moses
opened his mouth in a soundless laugh, but, observing the professor's
goggles levelled at him, he transformed the laugh into an astounding
sneeze, and immediately gazed with pouting innocence and interest at his
plate.

"Do you alvays sneeze like zat?" asked Verkimier.

"Not allers," answered the negro simply, "sometimes I gibs way a good
deal wuss. Depends on de inside ob my nose an' de state ob de wedder."

What the professor would have replied we cannot say, for just then a
Dyak youth rushed in to say that an unusually large and gorgeous
butterfly had been seen just outside the village!