My wife, gentlemen, does not come out; my daughter may. Meantime
have some more drink. It is a hot day."
The lieutenant took the cigar out of his mouth, looked at the ash
critically, shook it off and turned towards Almayer.
"We have a rather unpleasant business with you," he said.
"I am sorry," returned Almayer. "It can be nothing very serious,
surely."
"If you think an attempt to blow up forty men at least, not a serious
matter you will not find many people of your opinion," retorted the
officer sharply.
"Blow up! What? I know nothing about it," exclaimed Almayer. "Who did
that, or tried to do it?"
"A man with whom you had some dealings," answered the lieutenant. "He
passed here under the name of Dain Maroola. You sold him the gunpowder
he had in that brig we captured."
"How did you hear about the brig?" asked Almayer. "I know nothing about
the powder he may have had."
"An Arab trader of this place has sent the information about your goings
on here to Batavia, a couple of months ago," said the officer. "We were
waiting for the brig outside, but he slipped past us at the mouth of the
river, and we had to chase the fellow to the southward. When he sighted
us he ran inside the reefs and put the brig ashore.
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