March 21, 2025 • 38 mins
Almayer’s Folly is a dramatic tale of ambition, greed, and personal downfall. European trader Kaspar Almayer, obsessed with finding gold in Malaysia, watches his dreams crumble as his family and fortune slip away. A haunting study of colonialism and failure.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sorting by Tom Weiss, chapter eleven. In the middle of
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a shadowless square of moonlight shining on the smooth and
level expanse of young rice shoots, a little shelter hut
perched on high post, the pile of brushwood nearby, and
the glowing embers of a fire with a man stretched
before it seemed very small and as if lost in
the pale green iridescence reflected from the ground. On three
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sides of the clearing, appearing very far away in the
deceptive light, the big trees of the forest, lashed together
with manifold bonds by a mass of tangled creepers, looked
down at the growing young life at their feet with
a somber resignation of giants that had lost faith in
their strength and in the midst of them. The merciless
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creepers clung to the big trunks in cable like coils,
leaped from tree to tree, hung in thorny festoons from
the lower boughs, and sending slender tendrils on high to
seek out the smallest branches, carried death to their victims
in an exulting riot of silent destruction. On the fourth side,
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following the curve of the bank of that branch of
the pan tie that formed the only access to the
clearing ran a black line of young trees, bushes, and
thick second growth, unbroken save for a small gap chopped
out in one place. At that gap began the narrow
footpath leading from the water's edge to the grass bilt
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shelter used by the night watchers when the ripening crop
had to be protected from the wild pigs. The pathway
ended at the foot of the piles on which the
hut was built, in a circular space covered with ashes
and bits of burnt wood. In the middle of that space,
by the dim fire, lay Dame. He turned over on
his side with an impatient sigh, and pillowing his head
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on his bent arm, lay quietly with his face to
the dying fire. The glowing embers shone redly in a
small circle, throwing a gleam into his wide open eyes,
and at every deep breath, the fine white ash of
bygone fires rose in a light cloud before his parted lips,
and danced away from the warm glow into the moonbeams
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pouring down upon Balanzi's clearing. His body was weary with
the exertion of the past few days, his mind more weary,
still with the strain of solitary waiting for his fate.
Never before had he felt so helpless. He had heard
the report of the gun fired on board the launch,
and he knew that his life was in untrustworthy hands,
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and that his enemies were very near. During the slow
hours of the afternoon, he roamed about on the edge
of the forest or hiding in the bushes, watched the
creek with unquiet eyes for some sign of danger. He
feared not death, yet he desired ardently to live. For
life to him was Nina. She had promised to come
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to follow him, to share his danger and his splendor.
But with her, by his son, he cared not for danger,
and without her there could be no splendor and no
joy in existence. Crouching in his shady hiding place, he
closed his eyes, trying to evoke the gracious and charming
image of the white figure that for him was the
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beginning and the end of life. With eyes shut tight,
his teeth hard set, he tried, in a great effort
of passionate will, to keep his hold on that vision
of supreme delight. In vain. His heart grew heavy as
the figure of Nina faded away to be replaced by
another vision, this time a vision of armed men, of
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angry faces, of glittering arms, and he seemed to hear
the hum of excited and triumphant voices as they discovered
him in his hiding place. Startled by the vividness of
his fancy, he would open his eyes, and, leaping out
into the sunlight, resume his aimless wanderings around the clearing.
As he skirted in his weary march the edge of
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the forest. He glanced now and then into its dark shade,
so enticing in its deceptive appearance of coolness, so repellent
with its unrelieved gloom, where lay entombed and rotting countless
generations of trees, and where their successors stood as if
mourning in dark green foliage, immense and helpless, awaiting their turn.
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Only the parasites seemed to live there, in its sinuous
rush upwards into the air and sunshine, feeding on the
dead and the dying alike, and crowning their victims with
pink and blue flowers that gleamed amongst the bows, incongruous
and cruel, like a strident and mocking note in the
solemn harmony of the doomed trees. A man could hide there,
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thought Dane, as he approached the place where the creepers
had been torn and hacked into an archway that might
have been the beginning of a path. As he bent
down to look through, he heard angry grunting, and a
sounder of wild pig crashed away into the undergrowth. An
accurate smell of damp earth and a decaying leave took
him by the throat, and he drew back with a
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scared face, as if he had been touched by the
breath of death itself. The very air seemed dead in there,
heavy and stagnating, poisoned with the corruption of countless ages.
He went on staggering on his way, urged by the
nervous restlessness that made him feel tired, yet caused into
loathe the very idea of immobility and repose. Was he
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a wild man to hide in the woods and perhaps
be killed there in the darkness, where there was no
room to breathe He would wait for his enemies in
the sunlight, where he could see the sky and feel
the breeze. He knew how a meleey chief should die.
The somber and desperate fury, that particular inheritance of his
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race took possession of him, and he glared savagely across
the clearing, towards the gap in the bushes by the
river side. They would come from there. In imagination he
saw them now. He saw the bearded faces and the
white jackets of the officers, the light on the leveled
barrels of the rifles. What is the bravery of the
greatest warrior? Before the arms in the hand of a slave.
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He would walk toward them with a smiling face, with
his hands held out in a sign of submission, till
he was very near them. He would speak friendly words.
Come nearer, yet yet nearer, so near that they could
touch it with their hands and stretch them out to
make him a captive. That would be the time. With
a shout and the leap, he would be in the
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midst of them, Chris in hand, killing, killing, killing, and
would die with the shouts of his enemies in his ears,
their warm blood spurting before his eyes. Carried away by
his excitement, he snatched the Chris hidden in his haarrang and,
drawing a long breath, rushed forward, struck at the empty air,
and fell on his face. He lay as if stunned
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in the sudden reaction from his exultation, thinking that even
if he died thus gloriously, it would have to be
before he saw better. So if he saw her again,
he felt that death would be too terrible. With horror,
he the descendant of Rajas and of conquerors, had to
face the doubt of his own bravery. His desire of
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life tormented him in a paroxysm of agonizing remorse. He
had not the courage stir a limb. He had lost
faith in himself, and there was nothing else in him
of what makes a man. The suffering remained, for it
is ordered that it should abide in the human body,
even till the last breath, and fear remained. Dimly. He
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could look into the depths of his passionate love, see
its strength and its weakness, and fell afraid. The sun
went down slowly. The shadow of the western forest marched
over the clearing, covered the man's scort shoulders with its
cool mantle, and went on hurriedly to mingle with the
shadows of other forests on the eastern side. The sun
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lingered for a while amongst the light tree gray of
the higher branches, as if in friendly reluctance to abandon
the body stretched in the green paddy field. Then Dane,
revived by the cool of the evening breeze, sat up
and stared round him. As he did so, the sun
dipped sharply, as if ashamed of being detected in the
sympathizing attitude, and the clearing, which during the day was
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all light, became suddenly all darkness, where the fire gleamed
like an eye. Dane walked slowly towards the creek, and,
divesting himself of his torn sarong his only garment, entered
the water cautiously. He had had nothing to eat that
day and had not dared to show himself in daylight
by the water side to drink. Now, as he swam silently,
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he swallowed a few mouthfuls of water that lapped about
his lips. This did him good, and he walked with
greater confidence in himself and others. As he returned towards
the fire, and he had been betrayed by Lakamba, all
would have been over by this. He made up a
big blaze, and while at last it, dried himself and
then lay down by the embrus He could not sleep,
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but he felt a great numbness in all his limbs.
His restlessness was gone, and he was content to lay still,
measuring the time by watching the stars that rose in
endless succession above the forest, while the slight puffs of
wind under the cloudless sky seemed to fan their twinkle
into a greater brightness. Dreamily, he assured himself over and
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over again that she would come, till the certitude crept
into his heart and filled him with a great peace. Yes,
when the next day broke, they would be together on
the great blue sea that was like life, away from
the forests that were like death. He murmured the name
of Nina into the silent space with a tender smile.
This seemed to break the spell of stillness, and far
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away by the creak of frog croaked loudly, as if
in answer, a chorus of loud roars and plaintive calls
rose from the mud along the line of bushes. He
laughed heartily, doubtless it was their love song. He felt
affectionate towards the frogs and listened, pleased with the noisy
light near him. When the moon peeped above the trees,
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he felt the old impatience and the old restlessness steal
over him. Why was she so late? True, it was
a long way to come with a single paddle. With
what skill and what endurance could those small hands manage
a heavy paddle? It was very wonderful, such small hands,
such soft little palms, that knew how to touch his
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cheek with a feel lighter than the fanning of a
butterfly's wing. Wonderful. He lost himself lovingly in the contemplation
of this tremendous mystery, And when he looked at the
moon again, it had risen the hand's breadth above the trees.
Would she come? He forced himself to lay still, overcoming
the impulse to rise and rush round the clearing again,
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he turned this way and that. At last, quivering with
the effort, he lay on his back and saw her
face among the stars, looking down on him. The croaking
of frogs suddenly ceased. With the watchfulness of a haunted man,
Dane sat up, listening anxiously, and heard several splashes in
the water as the frogs took rapid headers into the creek.
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He knew that they had been alarmed by something, and
stood up suspicious and attended a slight grating noise, then
the dry sound as of two pieces of woods dropped
against each other. Somebody was about to land. He took
up an arm of brushwood, and without taking his eyes
from the path, held it over the embers of the fire.
He waited undecided, and saw something gleam amongst the bushes.
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Then a white figure came out of the shadows and
seemed to float towards him in the pale light. His
heart gave a great leap and stood still, then went
on shaking his frame in furious beats. He dropped the
brushwood upon the glowing coals, and had an impression of
shouting her name, of rushing to meet her. Yet he
emitted no sound. He stirred not an inch, but he
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stood silent and motionless, like chiseled bronze, under the moonlight
that streamed over his naked shoulders. As he stood still,
fighting with his breath, as if bereft of his senses
by the intensity of his delight, she walked up to
him with quick, resolute steps, and with the appearance of
one about to leap from a dangerous height, threw both
her arms round his neck. With a sudden gesture, a
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small blue gleam crept amongst the dry branches, and the
crackling and reviving fire was the only sound as they
faced each other in the speechless emotion of that meeting.
Then the dry fuel caught at once, and a bright,
hot flame shot upwards in a blaze as high as
their heads, and in its light they saw each other's eyes.
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Neither of them smoke. He was regaining his senses in
a slight tremor that ran upwards along his rigid body
and hung about his trembling lips. She drew back her
head and fastened her eyes on his, in one of
those long looks that are a woman's most terrible weapon,
A look that is more stirring than the closest touch,
and more dangerous than the thrust of a dagger, because
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it also whips the soul out of the body, but
leads the body, alive and helpless, to be swayed here
and there by the capricious tempests of passion and desire.
A look that enraps the whole body, and that penetrates
into the innermost recesses of the being, bringing terrible defeat
in the delirious uplifting of accomplished conquest. It has the
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same meaning for the man of the forest and the
sea as for the man threading the pass of the
more dangerous wilderness of houses and streets. Men that had
felt in their breast the awful exultation such a look awakens,
become mere things of today, which is paradise. Forget yesterday,
which was suffering. Care not for tomorrow, which may be perditioned.
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They wish to live under that look forever. It is
the look of woman's surrender, he understood, and, as if
suddenly released from his invisible bonds, fell at her feet
with a shout of joy, and, embracing her knees, hid
his head in the folds of her dress, murmuring disjointed
words of gratitude and love. Never before had he felt
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so proud as now, when at the feet of that
woman that half belonged to his enemies. Her fingers played
with his hair in an absent minded caress as she
stood absorbed in thought. The thing was done. Her mother
was right, the man was her slave. As she glanced
down at his kneeling form, she felt a great pitying
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tenderness for that man. She used to call, even in
her thoughts, the master of life. She lifted her eyes
and looked sadly at the southern heavens, under which lay
the path of their lives, her own and that man's
at her feet. Did he not say himself, is that
she was the light of his life. She would be
his light and his wisdom. She would be his greatness
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and his strength. Yet hidden from the eyes of all men,
she would be above all his only and lasting weakness.
A very woman in the sublime vanity of her kind.
She was thinking already of molding a god from the
clay at her feet, a god for others to worship.
She was content to see him as he was now,
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and to feel him quiver at the slightest touch of
her light fingers. And while her eyes looked sadly at
the southern stars, a faint smile seemed to be playing
about her firm lips. Who can tell. In the fitful
light of a camp fire, it might have been a
smile of triumph, or of conscious power, or of tender pity,
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or perhaps of love. She spoke softly to him, and
he rose to his feet, putting his arm round her.
In quiet consciousness of his ownership. She laid her head
on his shoulder with a sense of defiance to all
the world. In the encircling protection of that arm, he
was hers. With all his qualities and all his faulse,
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his strength and his courage, his recklessness and his daring,
his simple wisdom and his savage cunning, all were hers.
As they passed together out of the red light of
the fire into the silver shower of rays that fell
upon the clearing. He bent his head over her face,
and she saw in his eyes the dreamy intoxication of
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boundless felicity from the close touch of her slight figure
clasped to his side. With the rhythmical swing of their bodies,
they walked through the light towards the outlying shadows of
the forest that seemed to guard their happiness In solemn immobility,
Their forms mellet in the play of light and shadow
at the foot of the big trees. But the murmur
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of tender words lingered over the empty clearing, grew faint
and died out. A sigh as of immense sorrow passed
over the land in the last effort of the dying breeze,
and in the deep silence which succeeded. The earth and
the heavens were suddenly hushed up in the mournful contemplation
of human love and blindness. They walked slowly back to
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the fire. He made for her a seat out of
the dry branches, and, throwing himself down at her feet,
lay his head in her lap, and gave himself up
to the dreamy delight of the passing hour. Their voices
rose and fell, tender or animated, as they spoke of
their love and of their future. She, with a few
skillful words spoken from time to time, guided his thoughts,
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and he let his happiness flow in a stream of talk,
passionate and tender, grave, or menacing, according to the mood
which she evoked. He spoke to her of his own island,
where the gloomy forest and the muddy rivers were unknown.
He spoke of its terraced fields, of the murmuring clear
fields of sparkling water that flowed down the sides of
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great mountains, bringing life to the land and joy to
its tillers. And he spoke also of the mountain peak that,
rising lonely above the bell of trees, knew the secrets
of the passing clouds, and the dwelling place of the
mysterious spirit of his race, of the guardian genius of
his house. He spoke of vast horizons swept by fierce
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winds that whistled high above the summits of burning mountains.
He spoke of his forefathers that conquered ages ago, the
island of which he was to be the future ruler.
And then, as in her interest, she brought her face
nearer to his. He, touching lightly the thick tresses of
her long hair, felt a sudden impulse to speak to
her of the sea he loved so well, And he
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told her of its never ceasing voice to which he
had listened as a child, wondering at its hidden meaning
that no living man had penetrated, yet, of its enchanting glitter,
of its senseless and capricious fury, how its surface was
forever changing and yet always enticing, while its depths were
forever the same, cold and cruel and full of the
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wisdom of destroyed life. He told her how it held
men's slaves of its charm for a lifetime, and regardless
of their devotion, swallowed them up, angry at their fear
of its mystery, which it would ever disclose, not even
to those that loved it most. While he talked, Nina's
head had been gradually sinking lower, and her face almost
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touched his now. Her hair was over his eyes, her
breath was on his forehead, her arms were about his body.
No two beings could be closer to each other. Yet
she guessed, rather than understood the meaning of his last
words that came out after a slight hesitation, in a
faint murmur, dying out imperceptibly into a profound and significant silence.
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The sea, o Nina, is like a woman's heart. She
closed his lips with a sudden kiss and answered, in
a steady voice. But to the men that have no fear,
O master of my life, the sea is ever true.
Over their heads, a film of dark threadlike clouds, looking
like immense cobwebs drifting under the stars, darkens the sky
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with the presage of the coming thunderstorm from the invisible hills.
The first distant rumble of thunder came in a prolonged roll, which,
after tossing about from hill to hill, lost itself in
the forests of the Pantaie. Dane and Nina stood up,
and the former looked at the sky uneasily. It is
time for Babolachi to be here, he said. The night
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is more than half gone. Our road is long, and
a bullet travels quicker than the best canoe. He will
be here before the moon is hidden behind the clouds,
said Nina. I heard a splash in the water, She added,
did you hear it too? Alligator, answered Dane shortly, with
a careless glance towards the creek. The darker the night,
he continued, the shorter will be our road, for then
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we could keep in the current of the main stream.
But if it is light even no more than now,
we must follow the small channels of sleeping water with
nothing to help our paddles. Dane interposed Nina earnestly. It
was no alligator. I heard the bushes rustling near the
landing place, Yes, said Dane, after listening. Awhile, it cannot
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be Babolachi, who would come in a big war canoe
and openly. Those that are coming, whoever they are, do
not wish to make much noise. But you have heard,
and now I can see, he went on quickly. It
is but one man stand behind Mi, Nina. If he
is a friend, he is welcome. If he is an enemy,
you shall see him die. He laid his hand on
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his crisps and awaited the approach of his unexpected visitor.
The fire was burning very low, and small clouds precursors
of the storm, crossed the face of the moon in
rapid succession, and their flying shadows darkened the clearing. He
could not make out who the man might be, but
he felt uneasy at the steady advance of the tall
figure walking on the path with a heavy tread, and
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hailed it with the command to stop. The man stopped
at some little distance, and Dane expected him to speak,
but all he could hear was his deep breathing. Through
a break in the flying clouds, a sudden and fleeting
brightness descended upon the clearing. Before the darkness closed in again,
Dane saw a hand holding some glittering object extended towards him,
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heard Nina's cry of father, and in an instant the
girl was between him and all Meyer's revolver. Nina's loud
cry woke up the echoes of the sleeping goods, and
the three stood still, as if waiting for the return
of silence before they would give expression to the various
feelings At the appearance of Nina, all Meyer's arm fell
by his side, and he made a step forward. Dane
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pushed the girl gently aside. Am I a wild beast
that you should try to kill me? Suddenly and in
the dark town, Almyer said, Dane, breaking the strange silence,
throw some brushwood on the fire. He went on speaking
to Nina while I watched my white friend. Lest harm
should come to you or to me, O delight of
my heart. Almyer ground his teeth and raised his arm
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again with a quick bound. Dane was at his side.
There was a short scuffle during which one chamber of
the revolver went off harmlessly. Then the weapon wrenched out
of Almyer's hand, whirled through the air and fell in
the bushes. The two men stood close together, breathing hard.
The replenished fire through out an unsteady circle of light,
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and shone on the terrified face of Nina, who looked
at them with outstretched hands. Daign, She cried out warningly. Danne.
He waved his hand towards her in a reassuring gesture,
and turning to Almyer, said, with great courtesy, now we
may talk twan. It is easy to send out death.
But can your wisdom recall the light? She might have
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been harmed, he continued, indicating, Nina, your hand shook much
for myself. I was not afraid. Nina exclaimed, Almyr, come
to me at once. What is this sudden madness? What
bewitched you? Come to your father, and together we shall
try to forget this horrible nightmare. He opened his eyes
with a certitude of clasping her to his breast. In
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another second, she did not move. As it dawned upon
him that she did not mean to obey. He felt
a deadly cold creep into his heart, and pressing the
palms of his hands to his temples, he looked down
on the ground in mute despair. Dame took Nina by
the arm and led her towards her father. Speak to
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him in the language of his people, he said, he
is grieving, as who would not grief at losing thee
my pearl. Speak to him the last words he shall
hear spoken by that voice, which must be very sweet
to him, but is all my life to me. He
released her, and, stepping back a few paces out of
the circle of light, stood in the darkness, looking at
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them with calm interests. The reflection of a distant flash
of lightning lit up the clouds over their heads, and
was followed, after a short interval, by the faint rumble
of thunder, which mingled with Almyer's voice as he began
to speak. Do you know what you are doing? Do
you know what is waiting for you? If you follow
that man? Have you no pity for yourself? Do you
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know that you shall be at first his plaything, and
then a scorned slave, a drudge, and a servant of
some fancy of that man. She raised her hand to
stop him, turning her head slightly in nest you hear
this dain? Is it true? By all the gods? Came
the impassioned answer from the darkness, by heaven and earth,
by my head and thine. I swear this is a
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white man's lie. I have delivered my soul into your
hands for ever. I breathe with your breath, I see
with your eyes, I think with your mind, and I
take you into my heart for ever, you thief, shouted
the exasperated Almyer. A deep silence succeeded this outburst. Then
the voice of Dane was heard again. Nay twan he said,
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in a gentle tone. That is not true. Also the
girl came of her own will. I have done no
more but to show her my love like a man.
She heard the cry of my heart, and she came.
And the dowry I have given to the woman you
call your wife all my are groaned in his extremity
of rage and shame. Nina laid her hand lightly on
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his shoulder, and the contact light as the touch of
a falling leaf, seemed to calm him. He spoke quickly,
and in English this time. Tell me, he said, Tell me,
what have they done to you? Your mother? And that man?
What made you give yourself up to that savage? For
he is a savage. Between him and you, there is
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a barrier that nothing can remove. I can see in
your eyes the look of those who commit suicide when
they are mad. You are mad. Don't smile. It breaks
my heart. If I were to see you drowning before
my eyes, and I without the power to help you,
I could not suffer a greater torment. Have you forgotten
the teaching of so many years? No, she interrupted, I
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remember it well, I remember how it ended. Also scorn
for scorn, contempt for contempt for hate I am not
of your race. Between your people and me, there is
also a barrier that nothing can remove. You ask why
I want to go, and I ask you why I
should stay. He staggered, as if struck in the face,
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but with a quick, unhesitating grasp she caught him by
the arm and steadied him. Why you should stay, he
repeated slowly in a dazed manner, and stopped short, astounded
at the completeness of his misfortune. You told me yesterday,
she went on again, that I could not understand and
see your love for me. It is so, how can I.
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No two human beings understand each other. They can understand
but their own voices. You wanted me to dream your dreams,
to see your own visions, the visions of light amongst
the white faces of those who cast me out from
their midst and angry contempt. But while you spoke, I
listened to the voice of my own self. Then this
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man came, and all was still. There was only the
murmur of his love. You call him a savage? What
do you call my mother? Your wife? Nina cried, almayer,
take your eyes off my face. She looked down directly,
but continued speaking only a little above a whisker. In time,
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she went on. Both our voices, that man's in mind
spoke together in his sweetness that was intelligible to our ears.
Only you were speaking of gold. Then, when our ears
were filled with the song of our love and we
did not hear you, then I found that we could
see through each other's eyes, that he saw things that
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nobody but myself and he could see. We entered a
land where no one could follow us, and least of
all you. Then I began to live. She paused al
Meyer's sighed deeply, with her eyes still fixed on the ground.
She began speaking again. And I mean to live. I
mean to follow him. I have been rejected with scorn
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by the white people, and now I am a melee.
He took me in his arms, he laid his life
at my feet. He is brave, he will be powerful.
And I hold his bravery and his strength in my hand,
and I shall make him great. His name shall be
remembered long after both our bodies are laid in the dust.
I love you no less than I did before, but
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I shall never leave him, for without him I cannot live.
If he understood what you have said, answered Almyer scornfully.
He must be highly flattered. You want him as a
tool for some incomprehensible ambition of yours. Enough, Nita, if
you do not go down at once to the creek
where Ali is waiting with my canoe, I shall tell
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him to return to the settlement and bring the Dutch
officers here. You cannot escape from this clearing, for I
have cast adrift your canoe. If the Dutch catch this
hero of yours, they will hang him as sure as
I stand here. Now go. He made a step towards
his daughter and laid hold of her by the shoulder,
his other hand pointing down the path to the landing place. Beware,
(30:07):
exclaimed Dane, this woman belongs to me. Nina wrenched herself
free and looked straight at Almyer's face. No I will
not go, she said, with desperate energy. If he dies,
I shall die too. You die, said Almyer contemptuously. Oh, no,
you shall live a life of lies and deception till
some other vagabound comes along to sing. How did you
(30:30):
say that the song of love to you? Make up
your mind quickly? He waited for a while, then added, meaningly,
Shall I call out to Ali call out, She answered
in Malay. You that cannot be true to your own countrymen.
Only a few days ago you were selling the powder
for their destruction. Now you want to give up to them.
The man that yesterday you called your friend, Oh Dane,
(30:53):
she said, turning towards the motionless but attentive figure in
the darkness. Instead of bringing you life, I bring you death,
for he will betray unless I leave you forever. Dane
came into the circle of light, and, throwing his arm
around Nita's neck, whispered in her ear. I can kill
him where he stands before a sound can pass his lips.
(31:14):
For you, it is to say yes or no. Bab
Alachi cannot be far off. He straightened himself up, taking
his arm off her shoulder, and confronted Almayer, who looked
at them both with an expression of concentrated fury. No,
she cried, clinging to Dane in wild alarm. No kill me,
then perhaps he will let you go. You do not
(31:36):
know the mind of a white man. He would rather
see me dead than standing where I am. Forgive me
your slave, but you must not. She fell at his feet,
sobbing violently and repeating kill me, kill me. I want
you alive, said Almayer, speaking also in melee, with somber calmness.
You go, or he hangs, Will you obey? Dane shook
(31:59):
Nina off, and, making a sudden lunge, struck Almyre full
in the chest with a handle of his crisp, keeping
the point towards himself. AI. Look, it was easy for
me to turn the point the other way, he said,
in his even voice. Go twan p two, he added,
with dignity. I give you your life, my life, and
her life. I am the slave of this woman's desire,
(32:21):
and she wills it. So. There was not a glimmer
of light in the sky now, and the tops of
the trees were as invisible as their trunks, being lost
in the mass of clouds that hung low over the woods,
the clearing, and the river. Every outline had disappeared in
the intense blackness that seemed to have destroyed everything but space.
Only the fire glimmered like a star forgotten in this
(32:43):
annihilation of all visible things, and nothing was heard after
Danes ceased speaking but the sobs of Nina, whom he
held in his arms. Kneeling beside the fire, Almyer stood
looking down at them in gloomy thoughtfulness. As he was
opening his lips to speak, they were artled by a
cry of warning by the river side, followed by the
splash of many paddles and the sound of voices. Babolachi
(33:06):
shouted Dane, lifting up Nina as he got upon his
feet quickly. Ada Ada, came the answer from the Pandic statesman,
who ran with the path and stood amongst them. Run
to my canoe, he said to Dane excitedly, without taking
any notice of Almyer. Run we must go. That woman
has told them all. What woman asked Dane, looking at Nina.
Just then there was only one woman in the whole
(33:28):
world for him, the she dog with white teeth, the
seven times, a cursed slave of Bulangi. She yelled at
Abdullah's gate till she woke up all Sambert. Now the
white officers are coming. Guide it by her, Rashid. If
you want to live, do not look at me, but go.
How do you know this, asked almyr oh Twan, what matters?
How I know? I have only one eye, but I
(33:51):
saw lights in Abdullah's house and in his kampong as
we were paddling past. I have ears, and while we
lay under the bank, I have heard the messengers sent
out to the white men's house. Will you depart without
that woman who is my daughter? Said Almayer, addressing Dane,
while Babolachi stamped with impatience, muttering run run at once. No,
(34:12):
answered Dane steadily. I will not go to no man.
Will I abandon this woman? Then kill me and escape yourself,
sobbed out Nina. He clasped her close, looking at her tenderly,
and whispered, we will never part onin I shall not
stay here any longer, broke in Babolachi angrily. This is
great foolishness. No woman is worth a man's life. I
(34:34):
am an old man, and I know. He picked up
his staff, and, turning to go, looked at Dane as
it offering him his last chance of escape. But Dane's
face was hidden amongst Nina's black tresses, and he did
not see this last appealing glance. Babolachi vanished into the darkness.
Shortly after his disappearance, they heard the war canoe leave
(34:55):
the landing place in the swish of the numerous paddles
dipped in the water together Almah. At the same time
Ali came up from the river's side, two paddles on
his shoulder. Our canoe is hidden up the creek, twan Almayer,
He said, in the dense bush where the forest comes
down to the water. I took it there because I
heard from Babolachi's paddlers that the white men are coming here.
(35:16):
Wait for me there, said Almayer. But keep the canoe hidden.
He remained silent, listening to Ali's footsteps. Then turned to Nina. Nina,
he said, sadly, will you have no pity for me?
There was no answer. She did not even turn her head,
which was pressed close to Dane's breast. He made a
movement as though to leave them, and stopped by the
(35:38):
dim glow of the burning fire. He saw their two
motionless figures, the woman's back turned to him, with the
long black hair streaming down over the white dress, and
Dane's calm face looking at him above her head. I cannot,
he muttered to himself. After a long pause, he spoke again,
a little lower, but in an unsteady voice. It would
(36:00):
be too great a disgrace. I am a white man.
He broke down completely there and went on tearfully. I
am a white man and of good family very good family,
he repeated, weeping bitterly. It would be a disgrace all
over the islands, the only white man on the east coast. No,
(36:21):
it cannot be white men finding my daughter with this
melee my daughter, he cried aloud, with a ring of
despair in his voice. He recovered his composure after a
while and said distinctly. I will never forgive you, Nina. Never.
If you were to come back to me now, the
memory of this night will poison all my life. I
(36:42):
shall try to her again. I have no daughter. There
used to be a half caste woman in my house,
but she is going even now. You, dame, or whatever
your name may be. I shall take you and that
woman to the island at the mouth of the river myself.
Come with me. He led the way, following the bank
(37:02):
as far as the forest. Ali answered to his call,
and pushing their way through the dense bush, they stepped
into the canoe hidden under the overhanging branches. Dane laid
Nina in the bottom and sat holding her head on
his knees. Almayer and Ali each took up a paddle.
As they were going to push out. Ali hissed warningly.
(37:24):
All listened in the great stillness before the bursting out
of the thunder storm, they could hear the sound of
oars working regularly in their row locks. The sound approached steadily,
and Dane, looking through the branches, could see the faint
shape of a big white boat. A woman's voice said,
in a cautious tone, this is the place where you
may land white men. A little higher there. The boat
(37:47):
was passing them so close in the narrow creek that
the blades of the long oars nearly touched the canoe
way enough stand by to jump on shore. He is
alone and unarmed, was the quiet order in a man's voice,
and in Dutch. Somebody else whispered, I think I could
see a glimmer of fire through the bush. And then
the boat floated past them, disappearing instantly into the darkness.
(38:10):
Now whispered Ali, eagerly. Let us push out and paddle away.
The little canoe swung out into the stream, and as
it sprung forward in response to the vigorous dig of
the paddles, they could hear an angry shout, he is
not by the fire. Spread out men and search for him.
Blue lights blazed out in different parts of the clearing,
and the shrill voice of a woman, cried in accents
(38:32):
of rage and pain. Too late, Oh, senseless white men.
He has escaped. End of Chapter eleven. Recording by Tom Weiss,
Tom's audiobooks dot com.
Sorting by Tom Weiss, chapter eleven. In the middle of
(00:05):
a shadowless square of moonlight shining on the smooth and
level expanse of young rice shoots, a little shelter hut
perched on high post, the pile of brushwood nearby, and
the glowing embers of a fire with a man stretched
before it seemed very small and as if lost in
the pale green iridescence reflected from the ground. On three
(00:26):
sides of the clearing, appearing very far away in the
deceptive light, the big trees of the forest, lashed together
with manifold bonds by a mass of tangled creepers, looked
down at the growing young life at their feet with
a somber resignation of giants that had lost faith in
their strength and in the midst of them. The merciless
(00:46):
creepers clung to the big trunks in cable like coils,
leaped from tree to tree, hung in thorny festoons from
the lower boughs, and sending slender tendrils on high to
seek out the smallest branches, carried death to their victims
in an exulting riot of silent destruction. On the fourth side,
(01:07):
following the curve of the bank of that branch of
the pan tie that formed the only access to the
clearing ran a black line of young trees, bushes, and
thick second growth, unbroken save for a small gap chopped
out in one place. At that gap began the narrow
footpath leading from the water's edge to the grass bilt
(01:27):
shelter used by the night watchers when the ripening crop
had to be protected from the wild pigs. The pathway
ended at the foot of the piles on which the
hut was built, in a circular space covered with ashes
and bits of burnt wood. In the middle of that space,
by the dim fire, lay Dame. He turned over on
his side with an impatient sigh, and pillowing his head
(01:50):
on his bent arm, lay quietly with his face to
the dying fire. The glowing embers shone redly in a
small circle, throwing a gleam into his wide open eyes,
and at every deep breath, the fine white ash of
bygone fires rose in a light cloud before his parted lips,
and danced away from the warm glow into the moonbeams
(02:10):
pouring down upon Balanzi's clearing. His body was weary with
the exertion of the past few days, his mind more weary,
still with the strain of solitary waiting for his fate.
Never before had he felt so helpless. He had heard
the report of the gun fired on board the launch,
and he knew that his life was in untrustworthy hands,
(02:33):
and that his enemies were very near. During the slow
hours of the afternoon, he roamed about on the edge
of the forest or hiding in the bushes, watched the
creek with unquiet eyes for some sign of danger. He
feared not death, yet he desired ardently to live. For
life to him was Nina. She had promised to come
(02:54):
to follow him, to share his danger and his splendor.
But with her, by his son, he cared not for danger,
and without her there could be no splendor and no
joy in existence. Crouching in his shady hiding place, he
closed his eyes, trying to evoke the gracious and charming
image of the white figure that for him was the
(03:16):
beginning and the end of life. With eyes shut tight,
his teeth hard set, he tried, in a great effort
of passionate will, to keep his hold on that vision
of supreme delight. In vain. His heart grew heavy as
the figure of Nina faded away to be replaced by
another vision, this time a vision of armed men, of
(03:37):
angry faces, of glittering arms, and he seemed to hear
the hum of excited and triumphant voices as they discovered
him in his hiding place. Startled by the vividness of
his fancy, he would open his eyes, and, leaping out
into the sunlight, resume his aimless wanderings around the clearing.
As he skirted in his weary march the edge of
(03:59):
the forest. He glanced now and then into its dark shade,
so enticing in its deceptive appearance of coolness, so repellent
with its unrelieved gloom, where lay entombed and rotting countless
generations of trees, and where their successors stood as if
mourning in dark green foliage, immense and helpless, awaiting their turn.
(04:20):
Only the parasites seemed to live there, in its sinuous
rush upwards into the air and sunshine, feeding on the
dead and the dying alike, and crowning their victims with
pink and blue flowers that gleamed amongst the bows, incongruous
and cruel, like a strident and mocking note in the
solemn harmony of the doomed trees. A man could hide there,
(04:41):
thought Dane, as he approached the place where the creepers
had been torn and hacked into an archway that might
have been the beginning of a path. As he bent
down to look through, he heard angry grunting, and a
sounder of wild pig crashed away into the undergrowth. An
accurate smell of damp earth and a decaying leave took
him by the throat, and he drew back with a
(05:02):
scared face, as if he had been touched by the
breath of death itself. The very air seemed dead in there,
heavy and stagnating, poisoned with the corruption of countless ages.
He went on staggering on his way, urged by the
nervous restlessness that made him feel tired, yet caused into
loathe the very idea of immobility and repose. Was he
(05:25):
a wild man to hide in the woods and perhaps
be killed there in the darkness, where there was no
room to breathe He would wait for his enemies in
the sunlight, where he could see the sky and feel
the breeze. He knew how a meleey chief should die.
The somber and desperate fury, that particular inheritance of his
(05:45):
race took possession of him, and he glared savagely across
the clearing, towards the gap in the bushes by the
river side. They would come from there. In imagination he
saw them now. He saw the bearded faces and the
white jackets of the officers, the light on the leveled
barrels of the rifles. What is the bravery of the
greatest warrior? Before the arms in the hand of a slave.
(06:09):
He would walk toward them with a smiling face, with
his hands held out in a sign of submission, till
he was very near them. He would speak friendly words.
Come nearer, yet yet nearer, so near that they could
touch it with their hands and stretch them out to
make him a captive. That would be the time. With
a shout and the leap, he would be in the
(06:30):
midst of them, Chris in hand, killing, killing, killing, and
would die with the shouts of his enemies in his ears,
their warm blood spurting before his eyes. Carried away by
his excitement, he snatched the Chris hidden in his haarrang and,
drawing a long breath, rushed forward, struck at the empty air,
and fell on his face. He lay as if stunned
(06:52):
in the sudden reaction from his exultation, thinking that even
if he died thus gloriously, it would have to be
before he saw better. So if he saw her again,
he felt that death would be too terrible. With horror,
he the descendant of Rajas and of conquerors, had to
face the doubt of his own bravery. His desire of
(07:14):
life tormented him in a paroxysm of agonizing remorse. He
had not the courage stir a limb. He had lost
faith in himself, and there was nothing else in him
of what makes a man. The suffering remained, for it
is ordered that it should abide in the human body,
even till the last breath, and fear remained. Dimly. He
(07:36):
could look into the depths of his passionate love, see
its strength and its weakness, and fell afraid. The sun
went down slowly. The shadow of the western forest marched
over the clearing, covered the man's scort shoulders with its
cool mantle, and went on hurriedly to mingle with the
shadows of other forests on the eastern side. The sun
(07:58):
lingered for a while amongst the light tree gray of
the higher branches, as if in friendly reluctance to abandon
the body stretched in the green paddy field. Then Dane,
revived by the cool of the evening breeze, sat up
and stared round him. As he did so, the sun
dipped sharply, as if ashamed of being detected in the
sympathizing attitude, and the clearing, which during the day was
(08:21):
all light, became suddenly all darkness, where the fire gleamed
like an eye. Dane walked slowly towards the creek, and,
divesting himself of his torn sarong his only garment, entered
the water cautiously. He had had nothing to eat that
day and had not dared to show himself in daylight
by the water side to drink. Now, as he swam silently,
(08:44):
he swallowed a few mouthfuls of water that lapped about
his lips. This did him good, and he walked with
greater confidence in himself and others. As he returned towards
the fire, and he had been betrayed by Lakamba, all
would have been over by this. He made up a
big blaze, and while at last it, dried himself and
then lay down by the embrus He could not sleep,
(09:06):
but he felt a great numbness in all his limbs.
His restlessness was gone, and he was content to lay still,
measuring the time by watching the stars that rose in
endless succession above the forest, while the slight puffs of
wind under the cloudless sky seemed to fan their twinkle
into a greater brightness. Dreamily, he assured himself over and
(09:27):
over again that she would come, till the certitude crept
into his heart and filled him with a great peace. Yes,
when the next day broke, they would be together on
the great blue sea that was like life, away from
the forests that were like death. He murmured the name
of Nina into the silent space with a tender smile.
This seemed to break the spell of stillness, and far
(09:50):
away by the creak of frog croaked loudly, as if
in answer, a chorus of loud roars and plaintive calls
rose from the mud along the line of bushes. He
laughed heartily, doubtless it was their love song. He felt
affectionate towards the frogs and listened, pleased with the noisy
light near him. When the moon peeped above the trees,
(10:12):
he felt the old impatience and the old restlessness steal
over him. Why was she so late? True, it was
a long way to come with a single paddle. With
what skill and what endurance could those small hands manage
a heavy paddle? It was very wonderful, such small hands,
such soft little palms, that knew how to touch his
(10:32):
cheek with a feel lighter than the fanning of a
butterfly's wing. Wonderful. He lost himself lovingly in the contemplation
of this tremendous mystery, And when he looked at the
moon again, it had risen the hand's breadth above the trees.
Would she come? He forced himself to lay still, overcoming
the impulse to rise and rush round the clearing again,
(10:55):
he turned this way and that. At last, quivering with
the effort, he lay on his back and saw her
face among the stars, looking down on him. The croaking
of frogs suddenly ceased. With the watchfulness of a haunted man,
Dane sat up, listening anxiously, and heard several splashes in
the water as the frogs took rapid headers into the creek.
(11:17):
He knew that they had been alarmed by something, and
stood up suspicious and attended a slight grating noise, then
the dry sound as of two pieces of woods dropped
against each other. Somebody was about to land. He took
up an arm of brushwood, and without taking his eyes
from the path, held it over the embers of the fire.
He waited undecided, and saw something gleam amongst the bushes.
(11:41):
Then a white figure came out of the shadows and
seemed to float towards him in the pale light. His
heart gave a great leap and stood still, then went
on shaking his frame in furious beats. He dropped the
brushwood upon the glowing coals, and had an impression of
shouting her name, of rushing to meet her. Yet he
emitted no sound. He stirred not an inch, but he
(12:04):
stood silent and motionless, like chiseled bronze, under the moonlight
that streamed over his naked shoulders. As he stood still,
fighting with his breath, as if bereft of his senses
by the intensity of his delight, she walked up to
him with quick, resolute steps, and with the appearance of
one about to leap from a dangerous height, threw both
her arms round his neck. With a sudden gesture, a
(12:27):
small blue gleam crept amongst the dry branches, and the
crackling and reviving fire was the only sound as they
faced each other in the speechless emotion of that meeting.
Then the dry fuel caught at once, and a bright,
hot flame shot upwards in a blaze as high as
their heads, and in its light they saw each other's eyes.
(12:47):
Neither of them smoke. He was regaining his senses in
a slight tremor that ran upwards along his rigid body
and hung about his trembling lips. She drew back her
head and fastened her eyes on his, in one of
those long looks that are a woman's most terrible weapon,
A look that is more stirring than the closest touch,
and more dangerous than the thrust of a dagger, because
(13:10):
it also whips the soul out of the body, but
leads the body, alive and helpless, to be swayed here
and there by the capricious tempests of passion and desire.
A look that enraps the whole body, and that penetrates
into the innermost recesses of the being, bringing terrible defeat
in the delirious uplifting of accomplished conquest. It has the
(13:31):
same meaning for the man of the forest and the
sea as for the man threading the pass of the
more dangerous wilderness of houses and streets. Men that had
felt in their breast the awful exultation such a look awakens,
become mere things of today, which is paradise. Forget yesterday,
which was suffering. Care not for tomorrow, which may be perditioned.
(13:53):
They wish to live under that look forever. It is
the look of woman's surrender, he understood, and, as if
suddenly released from his invisible bonds, fell at her feet
with a shout of joy, and, embracing her knees, hid
his head in the folds of her dress, murmuring disjointed
words of gratitude and love. Never before had he felt
(14:14):
so proud as now, when at the feet of that
woman that half belonged to his enemies. Her fingers played
with his hair in an absent minded caress as she
stood absorbed in thought. The thing was done. Her mother
was right, the man was her slave. As she glanced
down at his kneeling form, she felt a great pitying
(14:35):
tenderness for that man. She used to call, even in
her thoughts, the master of life. She lifted her eyes
and looked sadly at the southern heavens, under which lay
the path of their lives, her own and that man's
at her feet. Did he not say himself, is that
she was the light of his life. She would be
his light and his wisdom. She would be his greatness
(14:57):
and his strength. Yet hidden from the eyes of all men,
she would be above all his only and lasting weakness.
A very woman in the sublime vanity of her kind.
She was thinking already of molding a god from the
clay at her feet, a god for others to worship.
She was content to see him as he was now,
(15:19):
and to feel him quiver at the slightest touch of
her light fingers. And while her eyes looked sadly at
the southern stars, a faint smile seemed to be playing
about her firm lips. Who can tell. In the fitful
light of a camp fire, it might have been a
smile of triumph, or of conscious power, or of tender pity,
(15:40):
or perhaps of love. She spoke softly to him, and
he rose to his feet, putting his arm round her.
In quiet consciousness of his ownership. She laid her head
on his shoulder with a sense of defiance to all
the world. In the encircling protection of that arm, he
was hers. With all his qualities and all his faulse,
(16:00):
his strength and his courage, his recklessness and his daring,
his simple wisdom and his savage cunning, all were hers.
As they passed together out of the red light of
the fire into the silver shower of rays that fell
upon the clearing. He bent his head over her face,
and she saw in his eyes the dreamy intoxication of
(16:20):
boundless felicity from the close touch of her slight figure
clasped to his side. With the rhythmical swing of their bodies,
they walked through the light towards the outlying shadows of
the forest that seemed to guard their happiness In solemn immobility,
Their forms mellet in the play of light and shadow
at the foot of the big trees. But the murmur
(16:40):
of tender words lingered over the empty clearing, grew faint
and died out. A sigh as of immense sorrow passed
over the land in the last effort of the dying breeze,
and in the deep silence which succeeded. The earth and
the heavens were suddenly hushed up in the mournful contemplation
of human love and blindness. They walked slowly back to
(17:03):
the fire. He made for her a seat out of
the dry branches, and, throwing himself down at her feet,
lay his head in her lap, and gave himself up
to the dreamy delight of the passing hour. Their voices
rose and fell, tender or animated, as they spoke of
their love and of their future. She, with a few
skillful words spoken from time to time, guided his thoughts,
(17:27):
and he let his happiness flow in a stream of talk,
passionate and tender, grave, or menacing, according to the mood
which she evoked. He spoke to her of his own island,
where the gloomy forest and the muddy rivers were unknown.
He spoke of its terraced fields, of the murmuring clear
fields of sparkling water that flowed down the sides of
(17:47):
great mountains, bringing life to the land and joy to
its tillers. And he spoke also of the mountain peak that,
rising lonely above the bell of trees, knew the secrets
of the passing clouds, and the dwelling place of the
mysterious spirit of his race, of the guardian genius of
his house. He spoke of vast horizons swept by fierce
(18:09):
winds that whistled high above the summits of burning mountains.
He spoke of his forefathers that conquered ages ago, the
island of which he was to be the future ruler.
And then, as in her interest, she brought her face
nearer to his. He, touching lightly the thick tresses of
her long hair, felt a sudden impulse to speak to
her of the sea he loved so well, And he
(18:32):
told her of its never ceasing voice to which he
had listened as a child, wondering at its hidden meaning
that no living man had penetrated, yet, of its enchanting glitter,
of its senseless and capricious fury, how its surface was
forever changing and yet always enticing, while its depths were
forever the same, cold and cruel and full of the
(18:53):
wisdom of destroyed life. He told her how it held
men's slaves of its charm for a lifetime, and regardless
of their devotion, swallowed them up, angry at their fear
of its mystery, which it would ever disclose, not even
to those that loved it most. While he talked, Nina's
head had been gradually sinking lower, and her face almost
(19:15):
touched his now. Her hair was over his eyes, her
breath was on his forehead, her arms were about his body.
No two beings could be closer to each other. Yet
she guessed, rather than understood the meaning of his last
words that came out after a slight hesitation, in a
faint murmur, dying out imperceptibly into a profound and significant silence.
(19:38):
The sea, o Nina, is like a woman's heart. She
closed his lips with a sudden kiss and answered, in
a steady voice. But to the men that have no fear,
O master of my life, the sea is ever true.
Over their heads, a film of dark threadlike clouds, looking
like immense cobwebs drifting under the stars, darkens the sky
(20:00):
with the presage of the coming thunderstorm from the invisible hills.
The first distant rumble of thunder came in a prolonged roll, which,
after tossing about from hill to hill, lost itself in
the forests of the Pantaie. Dane and Nina stood up,
and the former looked at the sky uneasily. It is
time for Babolachi to be here, he said. The night
(20:22):
is more than half gone. Our road is long, and
a bullet travels quicker than the best canoe. He will
be here before the moon is hidden behind the clouds,
said Nina. I heard a splash in the water, She added,
did you hear it too? Alligator, answered Dane shortly, with
a careless glance towards the creek. The darker the night,
he continued, the shorter will be our road, for then
(20:45):
we could keep in the current of the main stream.
But if it is light even no more than now,
we must follow the small channels of sleeping water with
nothing to help our paddles. Dane interposed Nina earnestly. It
was no alligator. I heard the bushes rustling near the
landing place, Yes, said Dane, after listening. Awhile, it cannot
(21:05):
be Babolachi, who would come in a big war canoe
and openly. Those that are coming, whoever they are, do
not wish to make much noise. But you have heard,
and now I can see, he went on quickly. It
is but one man stand behind Mi, Nina. If he
is a friend, he is welcome. If he is an enemy,
you shall see him die. He laid his hand on
(21:28):
his crisps and awaited the approach of his unexpected visitor.
The fire was burning very low, and small clouds precursors
of the storm, crossed the face of the moon in
rapid succession, and their flying shadows darkened the clearing. He
could not make out who the man might be, but
he felt uneasy at the steady advance of the tall
figure walking on the path with a heavy tread, and
(21:50):
hailed it with the command to stop. The man stopped
at some little distance, and Dane expected him to speak,
but all he could hear was his deep breathing. Through
a break in the flying clouds, a sudden and fleeting
brightness descended upon the clearing. Before the darkness closed in again,
Dane saw a hand holding some glittering object extended towards him,
(22:12):
heard Nina's cry of father, and in an instant the
girl was between him and all Meyer's revolver. Nina's loud
cry woke up the echoes of the sleeping goods, and
the three stood still, as if waiting for the return
of silence before they would give expression to the various
feelings At the appearance of Nina, all Meyer's arm fell
by his side, and he made a step forward. Dane
(22:35):
pushed the girl gently aside. Am I a wild beast
that you should try to kill me? Suddenly and in
the dark town, Almyer said, Dane, breaking the strange silence,
throw some brushwood on the fire. He went on speaking
to Nina while I watched my white friend. Lest harm
should come to you or to me, O delight of
my heart. Almyer ground his teeth and raised his arm
(22:57):
again with a quick bound. Dane was at his side.
There was a short scuffle during which one chamber of
the revolver went off harmlessly. Then the weapon wrenched out
of Almyer's hand, whirled through the air and fell in
the bushes. The two men stood close together, breathing hard.
The replenished fire through out an unsteady circle of light,
(23:17):
and shone on the terrified face of Nina, who looked
at them with outstretched hands. Daign, She cried out warningly. Danne.
He waved his hand towards her in a reassuring gesture,
and turning to Almyer, said, with great courtesy, now we
may talk twan. It is easy to send out death.
But can your wisdom recall the light? She might have
(23:38):
been harmed, he continued, indicating, Nina, your hand shook much
for myself. I was not afraid. Nina exclaimed, Almyr, come
to me at once. What is this sudden madness? What
bewitched you? Come to your father, and together we shall
try to forget this horrible nightmare. He opened his eyes
with a certitude of clasping her to his breast. In
(23:59):
another second, she did not move. As it dawned upon
him that she did not mean to obey. He felt
a deadly cold creep into his heart, and pressing the
palms of his hands to his temples, he looked down
on the ground in mute despair. Dame took Nina by
the arm and led her towards her father. Speak to
(24:19):
him in the language of his people, he said, he
is grieving, as who would not grief at losing thee
my pearl. Speak to him the last words he shall
hear spoken by that voice, which must be very sweet
to him, but is all my life to me. He
released her, and, stepping back a few paces out of
the circle of light, stood in the darkness, looking at
(24:40):
them with calm interests. The reflection of a distant flash
of lightning lit up the clouds over their heads, and
was followed, after a short interval, by the faint rumble
of thunder, which mingled with Almyer's voice as he began
to speak. Do you know what you are doing? Do
you know what is waiting for you? If you follow
that man? Have you no pity for yourself? Do you
(25:02):
know that you shall be at first his plaything, and
then a scorned slave, a drudge, and a servant of
some fancy of that man. She raised her hand to
stop him, turning her head slightly in nest you hear
this dain? Is it true? By all the gods? Came
the impassioned answer from the darkness, by heaven and earth,
by my head and thine. I swear this is a
(25:25):
white man's lie. I have delivered my soul into your
hands for ever. I breathe with your breath, I see
with your eyes, I think with your mind, and I
take you into my heart for ever, you thief, shouted
the exasperated Almyer. A deep silence succeeded this outburst. Then
the voice of Dane was heard again. Nay twan he said,
(25:47):
in a gentle tone. That is not true. Also the
girl came of her own will. I have done no
more but to show her my love like a man.
She heard the cry of my heart, and she came.
And the dowry I have given to the woman you
call your wife all my are groaned in his extremity
of rage and shame. Nina laid her hand lightly on
(26:10):
his shoulder, and the contact light as the touch of
a falling leaf, seemed to calm him. He spoke quickly,
and in English this time. Tell me, he said, Tell me,
what have they done to you? Your mother? And that man?
What made you give yourself up to that savage? For
he is a savage. Between him and you, there is
(26:30):
a barrier that nothing can remove. I can see in
your eyes the look of those who commit suicide when
they are mad. You are mad. Don't smile. It breaks
my heart. If I were to see you drowning before
my eyes, and I without the power to help you,
I could not suffer a greater torment. Have you forgotten
the teaching of so many years? No, she interrupted, I
(26:53):
remember it well, I remember how it ended. Also scorn
for scorn, contempt for contempt for hate I am not
of your race. Between your people and me, there is
also a barrier that nothing can remove. You ask why
I want to go, and I ask you why I
should stay. He staggered, as if struck in the face,
(27:16):
but with a quick, unhesitating grasp she caught him by
the arm and steadied him. Why you should stay, he
repeated slowly in a dazed manner, and stopped short, astounded
at the completeness of his misfortune. You told me yesterday,
she went on again, that I could not understand and
see your love for me. It is so, how can I.
(27:38):
No two human beings understand each other. They can understand
but their own voices. You wanted me to dream your dreams,
to see your own visions, the visions of light amongst
the white faces of those who cast me out from
their midst and angry contempt. But while you spoke, I
listened to the voice of my own self. Then this
(27:58):
man came, and all was still. There was only the
murmur of his love. You call him a savage? What
do you call my mother? Your wife? Nina cried, almayer,
take your eyes off my face. She looked down directly,
but continued speaking only a little above a whisker. In time,
(28:19):
she went on. Both our voices, that man's in mind
spoke together in his sweetness that was intelligible to our ears.
Only you were speaking of gold. Then, when our ears
were filled with the song of our love and we
did not hear you, then I found that we could
see through each other's eyes, that he saw things that
(28:39):
nobody but myself and he could see. We entered a
land where no one could follow us, and least of
all you. Then I began to live. She paused al
Meyer's sighed deeply, with her eyes still fixed on the ground.
She began speaking again. And I mean to live. I
mean to follow him. I have been rejected with scorn
(29:02):
by the white people, and now I am a melee.
He took me in his arms, he laid his life
at my feet. He is brave, he will be powerful.
And I hold his bravery and his strength in my hand,
and I shall make him great. His name shall be
remembered long after both our bodies are laid in the dust.
I love you no less than I did before, but
(29:24):
I shall never leave him, for without him I cannot live.
If he understood what you have said, answered Almyer scornfully.
He must be highly flattered. You want him as a
tool for some incomprehensible ambition of yours. Enough, Nita, if
you do not go down at once to the creek
where Ali is waiting with my canoe, I shall tell
(29:45):
him to return to the settlement and bring the Dutch
officers here. You cannot escape from this clearing, for I
have cast adrift your canoe. If the Dutch catch this
hero of yours, they will hang him as sure as
I stand here. Now go. He made a step towards
his daughter and laid hold of her by the shoulder,
his other hand pointing down the path to the landing place. Beware,
(30:07):
exclaimed Dane, this woman belongs to me. Nina wrenched herself
free and looked straight at Almyer's face. No I will
not go, she said, with desperate energy. If he dies,
I shall die too. You die, said Almyer contemptuously. Oh, no,
you shall live a life of lies and deception till
some other vagabound comes along to sing. How did you
(30:30):
say that the song of love to you? Make up
your mind quickly? He waited for a while, then added, meaningly,
Shall I call out to Ali call out, She answered
in Malay. You that cannot be true to your own countrymen.
Only a few days ago you were selling the powder
for their destruction. Now you want to give up to them.
The man that yesterday you called your friend, Oh Dane,
(30:53):
she said, turning towards the motionless but attentive figure in
the darkness. Instead of bringing you life, I bring you death,
for he will betray unless I leave you forever. Dane
came into the circle of light, and, throwing his arm
around Nita's neck, whispered in her ear. I can kill
him where he stands before a sound can pass his lips.
(31:14):
For you, it is to say yes or no. Bab
Alachi cannot be far off. He straightened himself up, taking
his arm off her shoulder, and confronted Almayer, who looked
at them both with an expression of concentrated fury. No,
she cried, clinging to Dane in wild alarm. No kill me,
then perhaps he will let you go. You do not
(31:36):
know the mind of a white man. He would rather
see me dead than standing where I am. Forgive me
your slave, but you must not. She fell at his feet,
sobbing violently and repeating kill me, kill me. I want
you alive, said Almayer, speaking also in melee, with somber calmness.
You go, or he hangs, Will you obey? Dane shook
(31:59):
Nina off, and, making a sudden lunge, struck Almyre full
in the chest with a handle of his crisp, keeping
the point towards himself. AI. Look, it was easy for
me to turn the point the other way, he said,
in his even voice. Go twan p two, he added,
with dignity. I give you your life, my life, and
her life. I am the slave of this woman's desire,
(32:21):
and she wills it. So. There was not a glimmer
of light in the sky now, and the tops of
the trees were as invisible as their trunks, being lost
in the mass of clouds that hung low over the woods,
the clearing, and the river. Every outline had disappeared in
the intense blackness that seemed to have destroyed everything but space.
Only the fire glimmered like a star forgotten in this
(32:43):
annihilation of all visible things, and nothing was heard after
Danes ceased speaking but the sobs of Nina, whom he
held in his arms. Kneeling beside the fire, Almyer stood
looking down at them in gloomy thoughtfulness. As he was
opening his lips to speak, they were artled by a
cry of warning by the river side, followed by the
splash of many paddles and the sound of voices. Babolachi
(33:06):
shouted Dane, lifting up Nina as he got upon his
feet quickly. Ada Ada, came the answer from the Pandic statesman,
who ran with the path and stood amongst them. Run
to my canoe, he said to Dane excitedly, without taking
any notice of Almyer. Run we must go. That woman
has told them all. What woman asked Dane, looking at Nina.
Just then there was only one woman in the whole
(33:28):
world for him, the she dog with white teeth, the
seven times, a cursed slave of Bulangi. She yelled at
Abdullah's gate till she woke up all Sambert. Now the
white officers are coming. Guide it by her, Rashid. If
you want to live, do not look at me, but go.
How do you know this, asked almyr oh Twan, what matters?
How I know? I have only one eye, but I
(33:51):
saw lights in Abdullah's house and in his kampong as
we were paddling past. I have ears, and while we
lay under the bank, I have heard the messengers sent
out to the white men's house. Will you depart without
that woman who is my daughter? Said Almayer, addressing Dane,
while Babolachi stamped with impatience, muttering run run at once. No,
(34:12):
answered Dane steadily. I will not go to no man.
Will I abandon this woman? Then kill me and escape yourself,
sobbed out Nina. He clasped her close, looking at her tenderly,
and whispered, we will never part onin I shall not
stay here any longer, broke in Babolachi angrily. This is
great foolishness. No woman is worth a man's life. I
(34:34):
am an old man, and I know. He picked up
his staff, and, turning to go, looked at Dane as
it offering him his last chance of escape. But Dane's
face was hidden amongst Nina's black tresses, and he did
not see this last appealing glance. Babolachi vanished into the darkness.
Shortly after his disappearance, they heard the war canoe leave
(34:55):
the landing place in the swish of the numerous paddles
dipped in the water together Almah. At the same time
Ali came up from the river's side, two paddles on
his shoulder. Our canoe is hidden up the creek, twan Almayer,
He said, in the dense bush where the forest comes
down to the water. I took it there because I
heard from Babolachi's paddlers that the white men are coming here.
(35:16):
Wait for me there, said Almayer. But keep the canoe hidden.
He remained silent, listening to Ali's footsteps. Then turned to Nina. Nina,
he said, sadly, will you have no pity for me?
There was no answer. She did not even turn her head,
which was pressed close to Dane's breast. He made a
movement as though to leave them, and stopped by the
(35:38):
dim glow of the burning fire. He saw their two
motionless figures, the woman's back turned to him, with the
long black hair streaming down over the white dress, and
Dane's calm face looking at him above her head. I cannot,
he muttered to himself. After a long pause, he spoke again,
a little lower, but in an unsteady voice. It would
(36:00):
be too great a disgrace. I am a white man.
He broke down completely there and went on tearfully. I
am a white man and of good family very good family,
he repeated, weeping bitterly. It would be a disgrace all
over the islands, the only white man on the east coast. No,
(36:21):
it cannot be white men finding my daughter with this
melee my daughter, he cried aloud, with a ring of
despair in his voice. He recovered his composure after a
while and said distinctly. I will never forgive you, Nina. Never.
If you were to come back to me now, the
memory of this night will poison all my life. I
(36:42):
shall try to her again. I have no daughter. There
used to be a half caste woman in my house,
but she is going even now. You, dame, or whatever
your name may be. I shall take you and that
woman to the island at the mouth of the river myself.
Come with me. He led the way, following the bank
(37:02):
as far as the forest. Ali answered to his call,
and pushing their way through the dense bush, they stepped
into the canoe hidden under the overhanging branches. Dane laid
Nina in the bottom and sat holding her head on
his knees. Almayer and Ali each took up a paddle.
As they were going to push out. Ali hissed warningly.
(37:24):
All listened in the great stillness before the bursting out
of the thunder storm, they could hear the sound of
oars working regularly in their row locks. The sound approached steadily,
and Dane, looking through the branches, could see the faint
shape of a big white boat. A woman's voice said,
in a cautious tone, this is the place where you
may land white men. A little higher there. The boat
(37:47):
was passing them so close in the narrow creek that
the blades of the long oars nearly touched the canoe
way enough stand by to jump on shore. He is
alone and unarmed, was the quiet order in a man's voice,
and in Dutch. Somebody else whispered, I think I could
see a glimmer of fire through the bush. And then
the boat floated past them, disappearing instantly into the darkness.
(38:10):
Now whispered Ali, eagerly. Let us push out and paddle away.
The little canoe swung out into the stream, and as
it sprung forward in response to the vigorous dig of
the paddles, they could hear an angry shout, he is
not by the fire. Spread out men and search for him.
Blue lights blazed out in different parts of the clearing,
and the shrill voice of a woman, cried in accents
(38:32):
of rage and pain. Too late, Oh, senseless white men.
He has escaped. End of Chapter eleven. Recording by Tom Weiss,
Tom's audiobooks dot com.
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