 difficulty. »Hem! A hand on the windpipe, you know.
Sure you will excuse. I wanted to say - a little gold for a little powder.
What's that?«
    »I know, I know,« said the lieutenant soothingly.
    »No! You don't know. Not one of you knows!« shouted Almayer. »The government
is a fool, I tell you. Heaps of gold. I am the man that knows; I and another
one. But he won't speak. He is -«
    He checked himself with a feeble smile, and, making an unsuccessful attempt
to pat the officer on the shoulder, knocked over a couple of empty bottles.
    »Personally you are a fine fellow,« he said very distinctly, in a
patronizing manner. His head nodded drowsily as he sat muttering to himself.
    The two officers looked at each other helplessly.
    »This won't do,« said the lieutenant, addressing his junior. »Have the men
mustered in the compound here. I must get some sense out of him. Hi! Almayer!
Wake up, man. Redeem your word. You gave your word. You gave your word of
honour, you know.«
    Almayer shook off the officer's hand with impatience, but his ill-humour
vanished at once, and he looked up, putting his forefinger to the side of his
nose.
    »You are very young; there is time for all things,« he said, with an air of
great sagacity.
    The lieutenant turned towards Nina, who, leaning back in her chair, watched
her father steadily.
    »Really I am very much distressed by all this for your sake,« he exclaimed.
»I do not know,« he went on, speaking with some embarrassment, »whether I have
any right to ask you anything, unless, perhaps, to withdraw from this painful
scene, but I feel that I must - for your father's good - suggest that you should
- I mean if you have any influence over him you ought to exert it now to make
him keep the promise he gave me before he - before he got into this state.«
    He observed with discouragement that she seemed not to take any notice of
what he said, sitting still with half-closed eyes.
    »I trust -« he began again.
    »What is the promise you speak of?« abruptly asked Nina, leaving her seat
and moving towards her father.
    »Nothing that is not just and proper. He promised to deliver to
