till you are
safe beyond his reach."

The hermit looked at the lad with kindly surprise.

"How comes it," he said, "that you are so much interested in me? I
remember seeing you two years ago, but have no recollection of having
done you any service."

"Do you not remember that my mother was ill when you spent a night in
our hut, and my little sister was dying? You nursed her, and tried your
best to save her, and when you could not save her, and she died, you
wept as if the child had been your own. I do not forget that, Van der
Kemp. Sympathy is of more value than service."

"Strangely mistaken again!" murmured the hermit. "Who can know the
workings of the human mind! Self was mixed with my
feelings--profoundly--yet my sympathy with you and your mother was
sincere."

"We never doubted that," returned Babu with a touch of surprise in his
tone.

"Well now, what do you propose to do, as you refuse to leave me?" asked
the hermit with some curiosity.

"I will go on with you to the next village. It is a large one. The chief
man there is my uncle, who will aid me, I know, in any way I wish. I
will tell him what I know and have heard of the pirate's intention, of
which I have proof. He will order Baderoon to be arrested on suspicion
when he arrives. Then we will detain him till you are beyond his reach.
That is not unjust."

"True--and I am glad to know by your last words that you are sensitive
about the justice of what you propose to do. Indifference to pure and
simple justice is the great curse of mankind. It is not indeed the root,
but it is the fruit of our sins. The suspicion that detains Baderoon is
more than justified, for I could bring many witnesses to prove that he
has vowed to take my life, and I _know_ him to be a murderer."

At breakfast-time Van der Kemp announced to his friends his intention of
quitting the village at once, and gave an account of his interview with
the Malay lad during the night. This, of course, reconciled them to
immediate departure,--though, in truth, the professor was the only one
who required to be reconciled.

"It is _very_ misfortunate," he remarked with a sigh, which had
difficulty in escaping through a huge mass of fish and rice. "You see
zee vonderful variety of ornizological specimens I could find here, ant
zee herbareum, not to mention zee magnificent _Amblypodia eumolpus_ ant
ozer bootterflies--ach!-a leetle mor' feesh if you please. Zanks. My
frond, it is a great sacrif