"Who is there?" called Liem King as he cautiously drew nearer.
"It is I," replied a very feeble voice in answer to the challenge.
"What?" cried Liem King, "Ardjan of the Kiem Ping Hin."
A faint cry at these words issued from the lips of one of the castaways.
Both then bent forward over the figure which had given the name of Ardjan; but in that thick darkness it was impossible to distinguish anything.
One of them pulled a dark lantern out of his pocket, struck a match and, with some trouble, managed to procure a light. As soon as he had recognised the features he cried out:
"By ----! it is Ardjan! What in the world are you doing here?"
"I have fallen overboard," was the reply.
"Indeed you have? with that 'djoekoeng?'" sneered Liem King.
"I found her in the water as I was swimming about," was the reply.
"And that woman?" continued Liem King; "how about her? Did you pick her up also floating about? Who is she?"
"She is Moenah, my sister," faintly said Ardjan.
"Ah! your sister," exclaimed Than Khan with a low, dirty laugh. "I daresay she also managed to tumble overboard?"
With these words he threw the light of the lantern full on the face of the so-called sister. The uncertain gleam revealed the well-shaped form of a beautiful Javanese maiden of sixteen who, in her confusion, strove to conceal her face under a veil, which, like all the rest of her clothing, was dripping wet.
"Hallo!" cried Than Khan as he roughly tore the veil from the girl's face, "what have we here? Dalima! the little 'baboe' of His Excellency the Resident."
At these words the maiden cowered down in the most abject terror. The two Chinamen exchanged a few hasty words in whispers in which the name Lim Ho could be distinguished. That name seemed to have an extraordinary effect upon the poor girl. When she heard it her face became the very picture of terror.
This Lim Ho was one of the sons of the great opium farmer at Santjoemeh and the man was madly in love with the poor little Javanese girl. He had offered her large sums of money, he had tempted her with costly gifts, but all in vain. He had addressed himself to her father, a poor peasant in the "dessa" of Kaligaweh close by the principal township, again without success. Then the wretch had sworn that, at any price, the girl should be his, even if to possess her he might have to commit a crime. He was a kind of scoundrel who would stick at nothing.