I am of course prepared to admit that there are prettier places on the face of this earth of ours than Singapore; there are, however, I venture to assert, few that are more interesting, and certainly none that can afford a better study of human life and character. There, if you are so disposed, you may consider the subject of British Rule on the one hand, and the various aspects of the Chinese question on the other. If you are a student of languages you will be able to hear half the tongues of the world spoken in less than an hour’s walk, ranging say from Parisian French to Pigeon English; you shall make the acquaintance of every sort of smell the human nose can manipulate, from the sweet perfume of the lotus blossom to the diabolical2 odour of the Durien; and every sort of cooking from a dainty vol-au-vent to a stuffed rat. In the harbour the shipping3 is such as, I feel justified4 in saying, you would encounter in no other port of its size in the world. It comprises the stately man-of-war and the Chinese Junk; the P. and O., the Messagerie Maritime5, the British India and the Dutch mail-boat; the homely6 sampan, the yacht of the globe-trotting millionaire, the collier, the timber-ship, and in point of fact every description of craft that plies7 between the Barbarian8 East and the Civilized9 West. The first glimpse of the harbour is one that will never be forgotten; the last is usually associated with a desire that one may never set eyes on it again. He who would, of his own free will, settle down for life in Singapore, must have acquired the tastes of a salamander, and the sensibility of a frog.
Among its other advantages, Singapore numbers the possession of a multiplicity of hotels. There is stately Raffles10, where the globe-trotters do mostly take up their abode11, also the H?tel de l’Europe, whose virtues12 I can vouch14 for; but packed away in another and very different portion of the town, unknown to the wealthy G.T., and indeed known to only a few of the white inhabitants of Singapore itself, there exists a small hostelry owned by a lynx-eyed Portuguese15, which rejoices in the name of the Hotel of the Three Desires. Now, every man, who by mischance or deliberate intent, has entered its doors, has his own notions of the meaning of its name; the fact, however, remains16 that it is there, and that it is regularly patronized by individuals of a certain or uncertain class, as they pass to and fro through the Gateway17 of the Further East. This in itself is strange, inasmuch as it is said that the proprietor18 rakes in the dollars by selling liquor that is as bad as it can possibly be, in order that he may get back to Lisbon before he receives that threatened knife-thrust between the ribs19 which has been promised him so long. There are times, as I am unfortunately able to testify, when the latter possibility is not so remote as might be expected. Taken altogether, however, the Hotel of the Three Desires is an excellent place to take up one’s abode, provided one is not desirous of attracting too much attention in the city. As a matter of fact its patrons, for some reason of their own, are more en evidence after nightfall than during the hours of daylight. They are also frugal20 of speech as a rule, and are chary21 of forming new acquaintances. When they know each other well, however, it is surprising how affable they can become. It is not the smallest of their many peculiarities23 that they seldom refer to absent friends by their names. A will ask B when he expects to hear from Him, and C will inform D that “the old man is now running the show, and that, if he doesn’t jump from Calcutta inside a week, there will be trouble on the floor.” Meanwhile the landlord mixes the drinks with his own dirty hands, and reflects continually upon the villainy of a certain American third mate, who having borrowed five dollars from him, was sufficiently25 ungrateful as to catch typhoid fever and die without either repaying the loan, or, what was worse, settling his account for the board and lodging26 received. Manuel, for this was the proprietor’s name, had one or two recollections of a similar sort, but not many, for, as a rule, he is a careful fellow, and experience having taught him the manners and idiosyncrasies of his customers, he generally managed to emerge from his transactions with credit to himself, and what was of much more importance, a balance on the right side of his ledger27.
The time of which I am now writing was the middle of March, the hottest and, in every respect, the worst month of the year in Singapore. Day and night the land was oppressed by the same stifling28 heat, a sweltering calidity possessing the characteristics of a steam-laundry, coupled with those of the stokehole of an ocean liner in the Red Sea. Morning, noon, and night, the quarter in which the Hotel of the Three Desires was situated29 was fragrant30 with the smell of garbage and Chinese tobacco; a peculiar22 blend of perfume, which once smelt31 is not to be soon forgotten. Everything, even the bottles on the shelves in the bar, had a greasy32 feel about them, and the mildew33 on one’s boots when one came to put them on in the morning, was a triumph in the way of erysiphaceous fungi35. Singapore at this season of the year is neither good for man nor beast; in this sweeping36 assertion, of course I except the yellow man, upon whom it seems to exercise no effect whatsoever37.
It was towards evening, and, strange to relate, the Hotel of the Three Desires was for once practically empty. This was the more extraordinary for the reason that the customers who usually frequented it, en route from one end of the earth to the other, are not affected38 by seasons. Midwinter was to them the same as midsummer, provided they did their business, or got their ships, and by those ships, or that business, received their wages. That those hard-earned wages should eventually find themselves in the pocket of the landlord of the Three Desires, was only in the natural order of things, and, in consequence, such of his guests as were sailors, as a general rule, eventually boarded their ships without as much as would purchase them a pipe of tobacco. It did not, however, prevent them from returning to the Hotel of the Three Desires when next they happened to be that way. If he had no other gift, Manuel at least possessed39 the faculty40 of making it comparatively homelike to his customers, and that is a desideratum not to be despised even by sailor men in the Far East.
As I have said, night was falling on one of the hottest days of the year, when a man entered the hotel and inquired for the proprietor. Pleased to find that there was at last to be a turn in the tide of his affairs, the landlord introduced himself to the stranger, and at the same time inquired in what way he could have the pleasure of serving him.
“I want to put up with you,” said the stranger, who, by the way, was a tall man, with a hawk’s eye and a nose that was not unlike the beak41 of the same bird. “You are not full, I suppose?”
Manuel rubbed his greasy hands together and observed that he was not as full as he had been; thereby42 insinuating43 that while he was not overflowing44, he was still not empty. It will be gathered from this that he was a good business man, who never threw a chance away.
“In that case, I’ll stay,” said the stranger, and set down the small valise he carried upon the floor.
From what I have already written, you will doubtless have derived45 the impression that the Hotel of the Three Desires, while being a useful place of abode, was far from being the caravanserai of the luxurious46 order. The stranger, whoever he might be, however, was either not fastidious, or as is more probable, was used to similar accommodation, for he paid as little attention to the perfume of the bar as he did to the dirt upon the floor and walls, and also upon the landlord’s hands. Having stipulated47 for a room to himself, he desired to be shown to it forthwith, whereupon Manuel led him through the house to a small yard at the back, round which were several small cabins, dignified48 by the name of apartments.
“Splendeed,” said Manuel enthusiastically, throwing open the door of one of the rooms as he spoke1. “More splendeed than ever you saw.”
The stranger gave a ravenish sort of croak49, which might have been a laugh or anything else, and then went in and closed the door abruptly50 behind him. Having locked it, he took off his coat and hung it upon the handle, apparently51 conscious of the fact that the landlord had glued his eyes to the keyhole in order that he might, from a precautionary point of view, take further stock of his patron. Foiled in his intention he returned to the bar, murmuring “Anglish Peeg” to himself as he did so. In the meantime the stranger had seated himself upon the rough bed in the corner, and had taken a letter from his pocket.
“The Hotel of the Three Desires,” he reads, “and on March the fifteenth, without fail.” There was a pause while he folded the letter up and placed it in his pocket. Then he continued, “this is the hotel, and to-day is the fifteenth of March. But why don’t they put in an appearance. It isn’t like them to be late. They’d better not play me any tricks or they’ll find I have lost none of my old power of retaliation52.”
Having satisfied himself that it was impossible for any one to see into the room, either through the keyhole or by means of the window, he partially53 disrobed, and, when he had done so, unbuckled from round his waist a broad leather money-belt. Seating himself on the bed once more he unfastened the strap55 of the pocket, and dribbled56 the contents on to the bed. They consisted of three Napoleons, fifteen English sovereigns, four half-sovereigns, and eighteen one-franc pieces. In his trouser-pocket he had four Mexican dollars, and some cosmopolitan57 change of small value.
“It’s not very much,” he muttered to himself after he had counted it, “but it ought to be sufficient for the business in hand. If I hadn’t been fool enough to listen to that Frenchwoman on board, I shouldn’t have played cards, and then it would have been double. Why the deuce wasn’t I able to get Monsieur ashore58? In that case I’d have got it all back, or I’d have known the reason why.”
The idea seemed to afford him some satisfaction, for he smiled, and then said to himself as if in terms of approbation59, “By Jove, I believe you, my boy!”
When he had counted his money and had returned it once more to its hiding-place, he buckled54 the belt round his person and unstrapped his valise, taking from it a black Tussa coat which he exchanged for that hanging upon the handle of the door. Then he lighted a Java cigar and sat down upon the bed to think. Taken altogether, his was not a prepossessing countenance61. The peculiar attributes I have already described were sufficient to prevent that. At the same time it was a strong face, that of a man who was little likely to allow himself to be beaten, of his own free will, in anything he might undertake. The mouth was firm, the chin square, the eyes dark and well set, moreover he wore a heavy black moustache, which he kept sharp-pointed62. His hair was of the same colour, though streaked63 here and there with grey. His height was an inch and a half above six feet, but by reason of his slim figure, he looked somewhat taller. His hands and feet were small, but of his strength there could be no doubt. Taken altogether, he was not a man with whom one would feel disposed to trifle. Unfortunately, however, the word adventurer was written all over him, and, as a considerable section of the world’s population have good reason to know, he was as little likely to fail to take advantage of his opportunities as he was to forget the man who had robbed him, or who had done him an ill turn. It was said in Hong Kong that he was well connected, and that he had claims upon a Viceroy now gone to his account; that, had he persevered64 with them, might have placed him in a very different position. How much truth there was in this report, however, I cannot say; one thing, however, is quite certain; if it were true, he had fallen grievously from his high estate.
When his meditations65 had continued for something like ten minutes, he rose from the bed, blew a cloud of smoke, stretched himself, strapped60 his valise once more, gave himself what the sailors call a hoist66, that he might be sure his money-belt was in its proper position, and then unlocked the door, passed out, re-locked it after him, and returned to the bar. There he called for certain curious liquors, smelt them suspiciously before using them, and then proceeded deliberately67 to mix himself a peculiar drink. The landlord watched him with appreciative68 surprise. He imagined himself to be familiar with every drink known to the taste of man, having had wide experience, but such an one as this he had never encountered before.
“What do you call it?” he asked, when the other had finished his preparations.
“I call it a ‘Help to Reformation,’ “ the stranger replied. Then, with a sneer69 upon his face, he added, “It should be popular with your customers.”
Taking the drink with him into the verandah outside, he seated himself in a long chair and proceeded to sip34 it slowly, as if it were some elixir70 whose virtue13 would be lost by haste. Some people might have been amused by the motley crowd that passed along the street beyond the verandah-rails, but Gideon Hayle, for such was his name, took no sort of interest in it. He had seen it too often to find any variety in it. As a matter of fact the mere71 sight of a pigtail was sufficient to remind him of a certain episode in his career which he had been for years endeavouring to forget.
“It doesn’t look as if they are going to put in an appearance to-night,” he said to himself, as the liquor in the glass began to wane72. “Can this letter have been a hoax73, an attempt to draw me off the scent74? If so, by all the gods in Asia, they may rest assured I’ll be even with them.”
He looked as though he meant it!
At last he rose, and having returned his glass to the bar, donned his topee, left the hotel, and went for a stroll. It was but a short distance to the harbour, and he presently found himself strolling along the several miles of what I have already described as the most wonderful shipping in the world. To Mr. Hayle the scene was too familiar to call for comment. He had seen it on many occasions, and under a variety of auspices75. He had witnessed it as a deck-hand and as a saloon passenger; as a steerage passenger, and in the humble76 capacity of a stowaway77. Now he was regarding it as a gentleman of leisure, who smoked a cigar that had been paid for, and round whose waist was a belt with gold in it. Knowing the spot where the British India boats from Calcutta usually lie, he made his way to it, and inquired for a certain vessel78. She had not yet arrived, he was informed, and no one seemed to know when she might be expected. At last, tired of his occupation, he returned to his hotel, and in due course sat down to supper. He smoked another cigar in the verandah afterwards, and was on the point of retiring for the night, when two men suddenly made their appearance before him, and accosted79 him by name. He immediately sprang to his feet with a cry of welcome.
“I had made up my mind that you were not coming,” he said as they shook hands.
“The old tub didn’t get in until a quarter to nine,” the taller of the two new-comers replied. “When did you arrive?”
“This afternoon,” said Hayle, and for a moment volunteered no further information. A good poker-player is always careful not to show his hand.
“I suppose this place is not full?” inquired the man who had last spoken.
“Full?” asked Hayle scornfully. “It’s full of cockroaches80 and mildew, if that’s what you mean?”
“The best company we could possibly have,” said the taller man. “Cockroaches and blackbeetles don’t talk and they don’t listen at keyholes. What’s more, if they trouble you, you can put your heel on them. Now let’s see the landlord and see what he’s got to offer us in the way of rooms. We don’t want any dinner, because we had it on board the steamer.”
Hayle accompanied them into the bar, and was a witness of the satisfaction the landlord endeavoured, from business motives81, to conceal82. In due course he followed them to the small, stifling rooms in the yard at the back, and observed that they were placed on either side of himself. He had already taken the precaution of rapping upon the walls in order to discover their thickness, and to find out whether the sound of chinking money was to be heard through them.
“I must remember that thirty-seven and sixpence and two Mexican dollars are all I have in the world,” he said to himself. “It would be bad business to allow them to suppose that I had more, until I find out what they want.”
“The last time I was here was with Stellman,” said the taller of the men, when they met again in the courtyard. “He had got a concession83 from the Dutch, so he said, to work a portion of the West Coast for shell. He wanted me to go in with him.”
“And you couldn’t see your way to it?”
“I’ve seen two Dutch gaols84,” said the other; “and I have no use for them.”
“And what happened to Stellman?” asked Hayle, but without any apparent interest. He was thinking of something else at the time.
“They got his money, his boat, and his shell, with three pearls that would have made your mouth water,” replied the other.
“And Stellman?”
“Oh, they buried him at Sourabaya. He took the cholera85, so they said, but I have heard since that he died of starvation. They don’t feed you too well in Dutch gaols, especially when you’ve got a concession and a consul86.”
The speaker looked up at his companion as he said this, and the other, who, as I have already said, was not interested in the unfortunate Stellman, or had probably heard the tale before, nodded his head in the direction of the room where the smaller man was engaged on his toilet, to the accompaniment of splashing water. The movement of the head was as significant as the nod of the famous Lord of Burleigh.
“Just the same, as ever,” the other replied. “Always pushing his nose into old papers and documents, until you’d think he’d make himself ill. Lord, what a man he would have been for the British Museum! There’s not his equal on Ancient Asia in the world.”
“And this particular business?”
“Ah, you shall hear all about it in the proper time. That’ll be to-morrow morning, I reckon. In the meantime you can go to bed, and content yourself with the knowledge that, all being well, you’re going to play a hand in the biggest scoop87 that ever I or anybody else have tackled?”
“You can’t give me an inkling of what it is to-night, I suppose?”
“I could, but I’m not going to,” replied his companion calmly. “The story would take too long to tell, and I’m tired. Besides, you would want to ask questions of Coddy, and that would upset the little man’s equilibrium88. No! Go to bed and have a good night’s rest, and we’ll talk it over in the morning. I wonder what my curtains are like? If ever there’s a place in this world for mosquitoes, it’s Singapore, and I thought Calcutta was bad enough.”
Having no desire to waste time in discussing the various capabilities89 of this noxious90 insect, Hayle bade the other good-night, and, when he had visited the bar and had smoked another cigar, disappeared in the direction of his own apartment.
Meanwhile Mr. Kitwater, for such was the name of the gentleman he had just left, had begun his preparations for the night, vigorously cursing the mosquitoes as he did so. He was a fine-looking man, with a powerful, though somewhat humorous cast of countenance. His eyes were large, and not unkindly. His head was a good one from a phrenological point of view, but was marred91 by the possession of enormous ears which stood out on either side of his head like those of a bat. He wore a close-cropped beard, and he was famous for his strength, which indeed was that of a giant.
“Hayle, if I can sum it up aright, is just the same as ever,” he said as he arranged the mosquito-netting of his bed. “He doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him. But he’ll be none the less useful for that. Let him try to play me false, and by the Lord Harry92, he’ll not live to do it again.”
With this amiable93 sentiment Mr. Kitwater prepared himself for slumber94.
Then, upon the three worthies95 the hot, tropical night settled down.
Next morning they met at breakfast. All three were somewhat silent. It was as if the weight of the matter which was that day to be discussed pressed upon their spirits. The smallest of the trio, Septimus Codd by name, who was habitually96 taciturn, spoke scarcely a word. He was a strange little man, a nineteenth century villain24 in a sense. He was a rogue97 and a vagabond, yet his one hobby, apart from his business, was a study of the Past, and many an authority on Eastern History would have been astonished at the extent of his learning. He was never so happy as when burrowing98 amongst ancient records, and it was mainly due to his learning in the first place, and to a somewhat singular accident in the second, that the trio were now foregathered in Singapore. His personal appearance was a peculiar one. His height was scarcely more than four feet six inches. His face was round, and at a distance appeared almost boyish. It was only when one came to look into it more closely, that it was seen to be scored by numberless small lines. Moreover it was unadorned by either beard or moustache. His hair was grey, and was worn somewhat longer than is usual. He could speak fluently almost every language of the East, and had been imprisoned99 by the Russians for sealing in prohibited waters, had been tortured by the Chinese on the Yang-tse, and, to his own unextinguishable disgrace, flogged by the French in Tonquin. Not the least curious trait in his character was the affection he entertained for Kitwater. The pair had been together for years, had quarrelled repeatedly, but had never separated. The record of their doings would form an interesting book, but for want of space cannot be more than referred to here. Hayle had been their partner in not a few of their curious undertakings100, for his courage and resource made him a valuable ally, though how far they trusted each other it is impossible to say.
Breakfast over they adjourned101 to the verandah, where the inevitable102 cigars made their appearance.
“Now, let’s hear what you’ve got to say to me?” Hayle began.
“Not here,” Kitwater replied. “There are too many listeners. Come down to the harbour.”
So saying he led his companions to the waterside, where he chartered a native boat for an hour’s sail. Then, when they were out of earshot of the land, he bade Hayle pay attention to what he had to say.
“First and foremost you must understand,” he said, “that it’s all due to Coddy here. We heard something of it from an old Siamese in Hanoi, but we never put much trust in it. Then Coddy began to look around, to hunt up some of his fusty records, and after awhile he began to think that there might be something in the story after all. You see it’s this way: you know Sengkor-Wat?”
“Sengkor how much?”
“Sengkor-Wat — the old ruin at the back of Burmah; near the Chinese Border. Such a place as you never dreamt of. Tumble-down palaces, temples, and all that sort of thing — lying out there all alone in the jungle.”
“I’ve seen Amber,” said Hayle, with the air of a man who makes a remark that cannot be lightly turned aside. “After that I don’t want any more ruined cities. I’ve got no use for them.”
“No, but you’ve got a use for other things, haven’t you? You can use rubies103 as big as pigeon’s eggs, I suppose. You’ve got a use for sapphires104, the like of which mortal man never set eyes on before.”
“That’s certainly so,” Hayle replied. “But what has this Sengkor-Wat to do with it?”
“Everything in the world,” Kitwater replied. “That’s where those rubies are, and what’s more, that’s where we are going to find them.”
“Are you joking, or is this sober earnest?”
He looked from Kitwater to Codd. The little man thus appealed to nodded his head. He agreed with all his companion said.
“It’s quite true,” said he, after a pause. “Rubies, sapphires and gold, enough to make us all millionaires times over.”
“Bravo for Sengkor-Wat, then!” said Hayle. “But how do you know all this?”
“I’ve told you already that Coddy found it out,” Kitwater replied. “Looking over his old records he discovered something that put him on the track. Then I happened to remember that, years ago, when I was in Hanoi, an old man had told me a wonderful story about a treasure-chamber in a ruined city in the Burmese jungle. A Frenchman who visited the place, and had written a book about it, mentions the fact that there is a legend amongst the natives that vast treasure is buried in the ruins, but only one man, so far as we can discover, seems to have taken the trouble to have looked for it.”
“But how big are the ruins?”
“Bigger than London, so Coddy says!”
Coddy nodded his head in confirmation105 of this fact. But still Hayle seemed incredulous.
“And are you going to search all that area? It strikes me that you will be an old man by the time you find the treasure, Kitwater.”
“Don’t you believe it. We’ve got something better to go upon than that. There was an old Chinese traveller who visited this place in the year . . . what was the year, Coddy?”
“Twelve hundred and fifty-seven,” Codd replied without hesitation106.
“Well, he describes the glory of the place, the wealth of the inhabitants, and then goes on to tell how the king took him to the great treasure-chamber, where he saw such riches as mortal man had never looked upon before.”
“But that doesn’t tell you where the treasure-chamber is?” argued Hayle.
“Perhaps not, but there are other ways of finding out; that is, if a man has his wits about him. You’ve got to put two and two together if you want to get on in this world. Coddy has translated it all, and this is what it amounts to. When the king had shown the traveller his treasure, the latter declared that his eyes were so blinded by its magnificence that he could scarcely mount the steps to the spot where his majesty107 gave audience to his people. In another place it mentions that when the king administered justice he was seated on the throne in the courtyard of the Three-headed Elephants. Now what we’ve got to do is to find that courtyard, and find it we will.”
“But how do you know that the treasure hasn’t been taken away years ago? Do you think they were such fools as to leave it behind when they went elsewhere? Not they!”
Though they were well out of earshot of the land, and alone upon the boat, Kitwater looked round him suspiciously before he answered. Then a pleasant smile played over his face. It was as if he were recalling some happy memory.
“How do I know it?” he asked by way of preface. “If you’ll listen for a moment, I’ll tell you. If you want more proof, when I’ve done, you must be difficult to please. When I was up at Moulmein six months ago, I came across a man I hadn’t met for several years. He was a Frenchman, who I knew had spent the most of his life away back in Burmah. He was very flush of money at the time, and kept throwing out hints, when we were alone, of a place he knew of where there was the biggest fortune on earth, to be had for the mere picking up and carrying away. He had brought away as much of it as he could, but he hadn’t time to get it all, before he was chased out by the Chinese, who, he said, were strong in the neighbourhood.”
Kitwater stopped and rubbed his hands with a chuckle108. Decidedly the recollection was a pleasant one.
“Well,” he continued, “to make a long story short, I took advantage of my opportunity, and got his secret out of him by . . . well never mind how I managed it. It is sufficient that I got it. And the consequence is I know all that is to be known.”
“That’s all very well, but what became of the Frenchman? How do you know that he isn’t back there again filling his pockets?”
“I don’t think he is,” Kitwater replied slowly. “It put me to a lot of inconvenience, and came just at the time when I was most anxious to leave. Besides it might have meant trouble.” He paused for a moment. “As a matter of fact they brought it in ‘suicide during temporary insanity109, brought on by excessive drinking,’ and that got me over the difficulty. It must have been insanity, I think, for he had no reason for doing away with himself. It was proved that he had plenty of money left. What was more, Coddy gave evidence that, only the day before, he had told him he was tired of life.”
Hayle looked at both with evident admiration110.
“Well, you two, taken together, beat cockfighting,” he said enthusiastically. Then he added, “But what about the secret? What did you get out of him?”
“Here it is,” said Kitwater, taking an old leather case from his pocket, and producing from it a small piece of parchment. “There’s no writing upon it, but we have compared it with another plan that we happen to have, and find that it squares exactly.”
He leant over Hayle’s shoulder and pointed to a certain portion of the sketch111.
“That’s the great temple,” he said; “and what the red dot means we are going to find out.”
“Well, suppose it is, what makes you send for me?” Hayle inquired suspiciously.
“Because we must have another good man with us,” Kitwater replied. “I’m very well, but you’re better. Codd’s head-piece is all right, but if it comes to fighting, he might just as well be in Kensal Green. Isn’t that so, little man?”
Mr. Codd nodded his head.
“I said, send for Hayle,” he remarked in his quiet little voice. “Kit sent and now you’re here, and it’s all right.”
“Codd speaks the truth,” said Kitwater. “Now what we have to do is to arrange the business part of the matter, and then to get away as quickly as possible.”
The business portion of the matter was soon settled and Hayle was thereupon admitted a member of the syndicate for the exploration of the ancient town of Sengkor-Wat in the hinterland of Burmah.
For the remainder of the day Hayle was somewhat more silent than usual.
“If there’s anything in their yarn112 it might be managed,” he said to himself that night, when he was alone in his bedroom. “Kitwater is clever, I’ll admit that, and Coddy is by no manner of means the fool he pretends to be. But I’m Gideon Hayle, and that counts for something. Yes, I think it might be managed.”
What it was he supposed might be effected he did not say, but from the smile upon his face, it was evident that the thought caused him considerable satisfaction.
Next day they set sail for Rangoon.
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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plies
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的第三人称单数 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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10
raffles
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| n.抽彩售物( raffle的名词复数 )v.以抽彩方式售（物）( raffle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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11
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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14
vouch
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| v.担保；断定；n.被担保者 | |
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15
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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17
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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18
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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19
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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20
frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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21
chary
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| adj.谨慎的，细心的 | |
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22
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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23
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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24
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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25
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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26
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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27
ledger
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| n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿 | |
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28
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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29
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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30
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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31
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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32
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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33
mildew
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| n.发霉；v.（使）发霉 | |
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34
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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35
fungi
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| n.真菌，霉菌 | |
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36
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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37
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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38
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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39
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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40
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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41
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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42
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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43
insinuating
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| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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44
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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45
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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46
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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47
stipulated
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| vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的 | |
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48
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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49
croak
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| vi.嘎嘎叫，发牢骚 | |
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50
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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51
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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52
retaliation
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| n.报复，反击 | |
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53
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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54
buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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55
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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56
dribbled
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| v.流口水( dribble的过去式和过去分词 )；（使液体）滴下或作细流；运球，带球 | |
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cosmopolitan
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| adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的 | |
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58
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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59
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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60
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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61
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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62
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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63
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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64
persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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66
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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67
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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68
appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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69
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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70
elixir
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| n.长生不老药，万能药 | |
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71
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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72
wane
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| n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦 | |
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73
hoax
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| v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧 | |
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74
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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75
auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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76
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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77
stowaway
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| n.（藏于轮船，飞机中的）偷乘者 | |
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78
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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79
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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80
cockroaches
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| n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 ) | |
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81
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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82
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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83
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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84
gaols
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| 监狱，拘留所( gaol的名词复数 ) | |
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85
cholera
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| n.霍乱 | |
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86
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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87
scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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88
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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89
capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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90
noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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91
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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92
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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93
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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94
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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95
worthies
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| 应得某事物( worthy的名词复数 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
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96
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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97
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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98
burrowing
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻 | |
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99
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
undertakings
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| 企业( undertaking的名词复数 )； 保证； 殡仪业； 任务 | |
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101
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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102
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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103
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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104
sapphires
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| n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色 | |
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105
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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106
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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107
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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108
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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109
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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110
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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111
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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112
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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