Was
he going to be tormented for ever, sleeping or waking, and have no peace
either night or day? What was the meaning of this?
He shouted the last words aloud. The shadowy woman seemed to shrink and
recede a little from him towards the doorway, and there was a shriek.
Exasperated by the incomprehensible nature of his torment, Almayer made a
rush upon the apparition, which eluded his grasp, and he brought up
heavily against the wall. Quick as lightning he turned round and pursued
fiercely the mysterious figure fleeing from him with piercing shrieks
that were like fuel to the flames of his anger. Over the furniture,
round the overturned table, and now he had it cornered behind Nina's
chair. To the left, to the right they dodged, the chair rocking madly
between them, she sending out shriek after shriek at every feint, and he
growling meaningless curses through his hard set teeth. "Oh! the
fiendish noise that split his head and seemed to choke his breath.--It
would kill him.--It must be stopped!" An insane desire to crush that
yelling thing induced him to cast himself recklessly over the chair with
a desperate grab, and they came down together in a cloud of dust amongst
the splintered wood. The last shriek died out under him in a faint
gurgle, and he had secured the relief of absolute silence.
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