" I must say, Tom, the prau is the best craft of
the kind I have ever seen. I said you paid him well for the help. "And
I also would pay," says he, "if you let me have a few guns and a little
powder for my men. You and I shall share the loot of that ship outside,
and Tuan Lingard will not know. It is only a little game. You have
plenty of guns and powder under your care." He meant in the Emma. On
that I spoke out pretty straight and we got rather warm until at last
he gave me to understand that as he had about forty followers of his own
and I had only nine of Hassim's chaps to defend the Emma with, he could
very well go for me and get the lot. "And then," says he, "I would be so
strong that everybody would be on my side." I discovered in the course
of further talk that there is a notion amongst many people that you have
come to grief in some way and won't show up here any more. After this
I saw the position was serious and I was in a hurry to get back to the
Emma, but pretending I did not care I smiled and thanked Tengga for
giving me warning of his intentions about me and the Emma. At this he
nearly choked himself with his betel quid and fixing me with his little
eyes, muttered: "Even a lizard will give a fly the time to say its
prayers." I turned my back on him and was very thankful to get beyond
the throw of a spear.
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