下载辰思小说免费APP
opposeitspassage。Thisdouble-dealingansweredhispurpose，whichwastokeeptheBugisforcesdividedandtoweakenthembyfighting。Ontheotherhand，hehadinthecourseofthatdaysentwordtotheassembledBugischiefsintown，assuringthemthathewastryingtoinducetheinvaderstoretire；hismessagestothefortaskedearnestlyforpowderfortheRajah’smen。ItwasalongtimesinceTunkuAllanghadhadammunitionforthescoreorsoofoldmusketsrustingintheirarm-racksintheaudience-hall。
Theopenintercoursebetweenthehillandthepalaceunsettledalltheminds。Itwasalreadytimeformentotakesides，itbegantobesaid。
Therewouldsoonbemuchbloodshed，andthereaftergreattroubleformanypeople。Thesocialfabricoforderly，peacefullife，wheneverymanwassureofto-morrow，theedificeraisedbyJim’shands，seemedonthateveningreadytocollapseintoaruinreekingwithblood。Thepoorerfolkwerealreadytakingtothebushorflyinguptheriver。AgoodmanyoftheupperclassjudgeditnecessarytogoandpaytheircourttotheRajah。TheRajah’syouthsjostledthemrudely。OldTunkuAllang，almostoutofhismindwithfearandindecision，eitherkeptasullensilenceorabusedthemviolentlyfordaringtocomewithemptyhands：theydepartedverymuchfrightened；
onlyoldDoraminkepthiscountrymentogetherandpursuedhistacticsinflexibly。
Enthronedinabigchairbehindtheimprovisedstockade，heissuedhisordersinadeepveiledrumble，unmoved，likeadeafman，intheflyingrumours。
`Duskfell，hidingfirstthebodyofthedeadman，whichhadbeenleftlyingwitharmsoutstretchedasifnailedtotheground，andthentherevolvingsphereofthenightrolledsmoothlyoverPatusanandcametoarest，showeringtheglitterofcountlessworldsupontheearth。Again，intheexposedpartofthetownbigfiresblazedalongtheonlystreet，revealingfromdistancetodistanceupontheirglaresthefallingstraightlinesofroofs，thefragmentsofwattledwallsjumbledinconfusion，hereandthereawholehutelevatedintheglowupontheverticalblackstripesofagroupofhighpiles；andallthislineofdwellings，revealedinpatchesbytheswayingflames，seemedtoflickertortuouslyawayup-riverintothegloomattheheartoftheland。Agreatsilence，inwhichtheloomsofsuccessivefiresplayedwithoutnoise，extendedintothedarknessatthefootofthehill；buttheotherbankoftheriver，alldarksaveforasolitarybonfireattheriver-frontbeforethefort，sentoutintotheairanincreasingtremorthatmighthavebeenthestampingofamultitudeoffeet，thehumofmanyvoices，orthefallofanimmenselydistantwaterfall。Itwasthen，Brownconfessedtome，while，turninghisbackonhismen，hesatlookingatitall，thatnotwithstandinghisdisdain，hisruthlessfaithinhimself，afeelingcameoverhimthatatlasthehadrunhisheadagainstastonewall。Hadhisboatbeenafloatatthetime，hebelievedhewouldhavetriedtostealaway，takinghischancesofalongchasedowntheriverandofstarvationatsea。Itwasverydoubtfulwhetherhewouldhavesucceededingettingaway。However，hedidn’ttrythis。Foranothermomenthehadapassingthoughtoftryingtorushthetown，butheperceivedverywellthatintheendhewouldfindhimselfinthelightedstreet，wheretheywouldbeshotdownlikedogsfromthehouses。Theyweretwohundredtoone——hethought，whilehismen，huddlingroundtwoheapsofsmoulderingembers，munchedthelastofthebananasandroastedthefewyamstheyowedtoKassim’sdiplomacy。Corneliussatamongstthemdozingsulkily。
`Thenoneofthewhitesrememberedthatsometobaccohadbeenleftintheboat，and，encouragedbytheimpunityoftheSolomonIslander，saidhewouldgotofetchit。Atthisalltheothersshookofftheirdespondency。
Brown，appliedto，said，“Goandbed——dtoyou，“scornfully。Hedidn’tthinktherewasanydangeringoingtothecreekinthedark。Themanthrewalegoverthetree-trunkanddisappeared。Amomentlaterhewasheardclamberingintotheboatandthenclamberingout。“I’vegotit，“hecried。
Aflashandareportattheveryfootofthehillfollowed。“Iamhit，“
yelledtheman。“Lookout，lookout——Iamhit，“andinstantlyalltherifleswentoff。Thehillsquirtedfireandnoiseintothenightlikealittlevolcano，andwhenBrownandtheYankeewithcursesandcuffsstoppedthepanic-strickenfiring，aprofound，wearygroanfloatedupfromthecreek，succee
