Victory

1  
Samburan, the Island of
our tale, was a lonely,
desert outpost in the Dutch
East Indies.

2
  It was here that Axel
Heyst, for reasons best
known to himself, had
lived for two years in com-
plete, impregnable solitude.

3
  His only visitors were
shadows - the shadows of 
a life foresworn, drawn from 
the books of his father,
a writer of great vision
and charm.

4
  Heyst had permitted
only one creature to
share his self-made exile
- Wang, his houseboy.

5
  Up and down the Islands,
even now, Heyst's myste-
rious desire for seclusion
still excited much comment
adverse and otherwise.

6
  Take Schomberg, the
hotelkeeper of Soerabaja,
who suspected every-
thing he could not
understand.

7
  "A man don't hide 
away in a lonely
island like that unless
he's got something to
hide from -"

8
  "Don't be silly,
Schomberg! Everybody
knows that Heyst, in
spite of his peculiar
ideas, is perfectly
harmless -"

9
  Several weeks later,
Heyst came to Soerabaja
to cut the last links, com-
mercial and otherwise,
which bound him to
civilization.

10
  His business finished,
Heyst found Soerabaja
very dull, while he
awaited a boat to take 
him home.

11
  "These concerts cost
a lot of money - but do
you think that fellow 
Heyst would spend a
florin to hear a little
good music?"

12
  "Please give me a
ticket for the concert,
Mrs. Schomberg -"

13
  Zangiacomo, owner,
manager and director 
of the Ladies Orchestra.

14
  Madame Zangiacomo,
his wife.

15
During the intermission
Schomberg, with an
eye to business, had
stipulated that the lady
performers favor the 
audience with their com-
pany.

16
  If you took Madame
Zangiacomo's word for 
it, Alma, the first
violin, was a stubborn,
good-for-nothing little
hussy!

17
  "I'm sure that horrible
female pinched you just
now when she stood by
your chair -"

18
  "I'm quite sure 
of it myself -"

19
  "Does that woman
always treat you
like that?"

20
  "I'm used to it -
people have been
treating me like
that all my life -"

21
  "You're the one's to
blame - that little piece
wouldn't dare to put on
airs with me unless she
had you and Schomberg
dangling on a string -"

22
  "How did you get 
amongst this lot?"

23
  "Bad luck - that's 
all. I've never had
anything else, I sup-
pose I never will -"

24
  "You mustn't give up 
like that - are you sure
you can't defend your-
self somehow?"

25
  "I'm afraid they're
too many for me -"

26
  After the morning
rehearsal.

27
  Speaking of signs,
a woman who pow-
ders her nose is not
entirely without 
hope.

28
  "Is that a new way
you've got your hair 
fixed? It looks ever
so much better -"

29
  Surely the girl had
not given her hair a 
new primp for this -

30
  "Look here, you pretty
little Hex, when are
you going to give me a
chance to have a nice,
quiet talk with you?"

31
  "Don't worry about
the old woman! Say
the word and I'll soon
get rid of her -"

32
  Heyst soon learned of
Schomberg's clandestine 
pursuit of the girl.

33
  "I've a good notion
to go down and make
a hole in the water -
nobody would care -"

34
  "Oh, if you do care,
take me away - take
me to that island of
yours - anything to 
escape this -"

35
  "Promise that
you'll help me
get away?"

36
  Heyst's whole plan of
life was to avoid situations
like this, yet pity makes
meddlers of us all.

37
  "Schomberg and
Zangiacomo will
probably kick up
an awful row if I try
to walk off with you
in broad daylight -"

38
  "If we can get our
things out of the
hotel I might be able
to hire a native junk
to take us to Sam-
buran."

39
  "Ssh! Schomberg's 
room is right at the 
top of the stairs -"

40
  "Don't you dare to
thank me, you little
hussy! I'm only too
glad to get rid of 
you -"

41
  "I thought I heard
somebody prowling
around in the gar-
den, August -"

42
  Into the beauty of the
tropical dawn, Samburan
bound.

43
  Wherein Schomberg
loses his appetite for an
otherwise perfectly good
breakfast.

44
  "What have you 
done with that 
girl?"

45
  "Your houseboy says
that man Heyst also did
not sleep in his room
last night -"

46
  "Heyst has stolen
her! But I'll pay him
off! I'll search the 
island - I'll search 
every ship -"

47
  Schomberg, torn by the
pangs of wounded vanity
and thwarted passion, pros-
ecuted a most thorough
pursuit.

48
  "Mr. Jones, do you
think I've got time to
run down and tap
the skipper's strong
box?"

49
  "My dear Ricardo, 
I've already attended
to that myself -"

50
  "All right, we'll give 
your hotel a trial; my
secretary, Mr. Ricardo,
must have the room 
next to mine - you can
do what you please with 
Pedro."

51
  Schomberg, looking at
life through a murderous
gloom, soon found reason
to suspect the integrity of
his new guests.

52
  "Why didn't you 
tell them that the
rules of my house 
expressly forbid 
gambling?"

53
  Near their journey's
end.

54
  "Oh, it's nothing 
dangerous - he only
smokes intermit-
tently - a puff or
two after dinner,
as the saying is -"

55
  His hatred of Heyst and
the flagrant conduct of his
unwelcome guests kept
Schomberg in a state of
perpetual misery.

56
  "Look here, I must 
ask you to leave -
you are giving my
house a bad name -"

57
  "There's no use
trying to put us 
out - if you do,
somebody's going
to get hurt -"

58
  "We'll go when 
we get good and 
ready - not be-
fore -"

59
  "Be careful with
Ricardo - I warn you
he would think
nothing of setting
fire to this house of
yours -"

60
  "All right, gentlemen,
do as you like. It is all
one thing to me. I ap-
pear to have nothing to
say in my own house -"

61
  On her arrival at Sam-
buran the girl's first feeling
was one of immense des-
olation and despair.

62
  The junk was gone; 
and she was alone on a
desert isle with a man
she scarcely knew.

63
  "Oh, I'm afraid -
I shouldn't have 
come -"

64
  "You have nothing 
to fear from me - my
scheme of life does
not include women
- I've always kept
away from them -"

65
  "To love, to slay - the
greatest enterprises in 
life! And I have no 
experience of either - I
have never loved a 
woman or killed a man
- I hope I never shall -"

66
  Quite by chance Schom-
berg stumbled on a means
of avenging himself on 
Heyst.

67
  "It's the king
of hearts -"

68
  "You're not the
first card shark
I've seen perform 
that trick -"

69
  "Did you hear
him call me a
card shark?"

70
  "I apologize - don't
stab me - I meant
no harm - let me go
and order a drink -"

71
  "Oh, I wasn't going to 
hurt you - there ain't
no technique, Mr. Jones
often tells me, in ferocity -"

72
  "Mr. Jones is always 
cautioning me against 
violence - he says it'll
be the death of me 
one of these days -"

73
  "I remember the 
time it was nearly 
the death of Pedro 
here -"

74
  "Pedro put an 
edge on this once
- for me and Mr.
Jones -"

75
  "It was three or 
four years ago -
when me and Mr. 
Jones were hunting
buried treasure
down in South 
America -"

76
  "Our bearers -
Pedro and his pal
had been carry-
ing on kind of
peculiar, like, for
two or three days -"

77
  "There they were,
cool as you please,
figuring on killing us
before sundown - just
for the sake of the
few valuables in our
pack -"

78
  "The Guv'nor never
turned a hair when I 
told him at supper.
That's where a gen-
tleman has the best 
of you. He don't get
excited -"

79
  "I was for finishing 
the handsome Pedro
with his own knife -"

80
  "But Mr. Jones, always
the thoughtful gentle-
man, reminded me that
I could hardly carry 
both packs alone -"

81
  "And Pedro's wor-
shipped Mr. Jones
ever since - and I will
say there have been 
times when he was 
a great help -"

82
  "Time and again
I've seen him do it -
crack! And the 
man's back snaps
like a rotten stick -"

83
  "How would you 
like to go on an-
other treasure hunt?"

84
  "Did you ever 
hear of a man 
by the name of 
Heyst?"

85
  Very craftily, Schom-
berg portrayed Heyst's
island as the hiding
place of great stores of
ill-gotten gains....

86
  Somewhat piqued at
Heyst's attitude toward
women, Alma tried to
wound him, after the 
fashion of Eve, with her
beauty.

87
  "Did you 
write it?"

88
  "I've tried to live by 
this plan - but it isn't 
as simple as it looks -
not half -"

89
  "Take your case -
I knew it was dan-
gerous for me to
interfere - but you
had your back to 
the wall, and I felt
sorry for you -"

90
  "Is that the
only reason?"

91
  "Well, I admit that
you are a woman,
and desirable - but
pity formed the tie
- and he who forms 
a tie is lost -"

92
  "It isn't much fun 
to be alone in a
place like this -
with a man - who
just feels sorry for
you -"

93
  "You mustn't take 
me too seriously -
as a matter of fact,
I'm really very fond
of you -"

94
  "May I ask what
brings you gentle-
men to this part of 
the world?"

95
  "My dear fellow,
we're just three 
men in a boat, come
to see what we 
could see...."

96
  "I'm sorry I can't 
offer you a share of 
my own quarters - 
but I think I can 
make you comfort-
able in one of the 
other bungalows -"

97
  "I came to get my 
keys and to tell
you to keep out of
sight - these men
look like pretty
tough characters -"

98
  "Schomberg may
have sent them -
haven't you got a
weapon?"

99
  "What difference 
does it make? I 
wouldn't kill a man 
- even in my own 
defence."

100
  "You have fingers
like steel, my lady -
I never saw a wo-
man put up such a 
fight -"

101
  "I don't blame Heyst 
for stealing you. I bet
he's crazy about you, 
ain't he?"

102
  "Why don't you 
stand in with us?
We're your kind -
we'll treat you right
- I'll see that you 
get your share of
the swag -"

103
  "What d'you say?
Will you come in 
with us?"

104
  A little candle of hope
suddenly flamed up in the
girl's heart, illuminating the 
shrine she had erected to
a man.

105
  "By the way, has
your gentlemen got
a gun?"

106
  "Not that I was 
worrying about it 
- I've got some-
thing better than
a gun myself -"

107
  "Don't you
trust me?"

108
  "Don't you trust
me - now?"

109
  "Mr. Jones said
I come help China
boy cook -"

110
  "I may be foolish,
but I have a feeling
of something slowly
closing in on us -"

111
  "I don't like the 
looks of this thing
- we've got to get
through with this
business as quick-
ly as we can -"

112
  "It may take a
couple of days
to locate the
plunder -"

113
  "That old man up at
Timor came around
in very short order
when we put that red 
hot flatiron on his
stomach -"

114
  "What'll we do
with the girl -
after we finish 
up?"

115
  "Well, if she is
pretty - I may
take her along -"

116
  "I think I'll go 
in and shave -"

117
  Night came with 
heavy stealth, bring-
ing a dreadful murk,
broken now and
then by the infernal 
glare of the pit.

118
  "Mr. Jones is sick,
he wants to see you
for a minute -"

119
  "You and me are
going to leave the 
island tonight -"

120
  "They're up to some-
thing - run and hide in the 
jungle - come back when
I give signal - three lighted
candles on table -"

121
  "I've got fever and chills
- do you think a hot flat-
iron would do me any
good?"

122
  "I think I better go and
help your man locate that
flatiron -"

123
  "You mustn't be shocked,
Mr. Heyst, if I tell you
plainly that we are after 
your money -"

124
  "Look here, girlie, you
haven't been playing 
square with me -"

125
  "Your gentleman is a
dead card - you better
stick to me - if you treat 
me right, I'll do anything
you say -"

126
  "Ricardo must be up 
to something - by Jove,
it's that girl of yours!
Now I know why he 
shaved this evening!"

127
  "They're having their
last talk together; who
shall die first - my gentle-
man or yours?"

128
  "Come, I want you to see 
me kill - their blood will
give our love a touch of 
color -"

129
  "Don't touch me! You
let that swine put his 
hands on you - I could
have killed you both!"

130
  "I did it for you - I was
trying to save you - I
would have done any-
thing -"

131
  "You kill too much -
maybe you don't kill no
more - Pedro he going to
see -"

132
  "When I saw that brute
kissing your hand I went
all to pieces - something
happened to me - I know
what a dreadful, wonder-
ful thing love is -"

133
  Something has indeed 
happened to Heyst. He
was no longer the slave 
of an idea, but a man,
free to slay and die for 
his woman.

134
  "Have you gone 
mad? What are 
you up to?"

135
  "You don't know - but
that man you kill in fire
one time down in South
America - he my brother -"

136
  "I've found it at last -
Love and Death are the 
two great adventures in 
life, but the greater of 
these is Love."

FINIS