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on　the　strength　of　that　gift；　ask　for　a　house；　posing　mysteriously



as　a　very　special　trader。　　He　would　spin　them　no　end　of　yarns；　live



on　the　fat　of　the　land；　for　a　while；　and　then　do　some　mean　swindle



or　other　…　or　else　they　would　get　tired　of　him　and　ask　him　to　quit。



And　he　would　go　off　meekly　with　an　air　of　injured　innocence。　　Funny



life。　　Yet；　he　never　got　hurt　somehow。　　I've　heard　of　the　Rajah　of



Dongala　giving　him　fifty　dollars'　worth　of　trade　goods　and　paying



his　passage　in　a　prau　only　to　get　rid　of　him。　　Fact。　　And　observe



that　nothing　prevented　the　old　fellow　having　Bamtz's　throat　cut　and



the　carcase　thrown　into　deep　water　outside　the　reefs；　for　who　on



earth　would　have　inquired　after　Bamtz？







〃He　had　been　known　to　loaf　up　and　down　the　wilderness　as　far　north



as　the　Gulf　of　Tonkin。　　Neither　did　he　disdain　a　spell　of



civilisation　from　time　to　time。　　And　it　was　while　loafing　and



cadging　in　Saigon；　bearded　and　dignified　（he　gave　himself　out　there



as　a　bookkeeper）；　that　he　came　across　Laughing　Anne。







〃The　less　said　of　her　early　history　the　better；　but　something　must



be　said。　　We　may　safely　suppose　there　was　very　little　heart　left　in



her　famous　laugh　when　Bamtz　spoke　first　to　her　in　some　low　cafe。



She　was　stranded　in　Saigon　with　precious　little　money　and　in　great



trouble　about　a　kid　she　had；　a　boy　of　five　or　six。







〃A　fellow　I　just　remember；　whom　they　called　Pearler　Harry；　brought



her　out　first　into　these　parts　…　from　Australia；　I　believe。　　He



brought　her　out　and　then　dropped　her；　and　she　remained　knocking



about　here　and　there；　known　to　most　of　us　by　sight；　at　any　rate。



Everybody　in　the　Archipelago　had　heard　of　Laughing　Anne。　　She　had



really　a　pleasant　silvery　laugh　always　at　her　disposal；　so　to



speak；　but　it　wasn't　enough　apparently　to　make　her　fortune。　　The



poor　creature　was　ready　to　stick　to　any　half…decent　man　if　he　would



only　let　her；　but　she　always　got　dropped；　as　it　might　have　been



expected。







〃She　had　been　left　in　Saigon　by　the　skipper　of　a　German　ship　with



whom　she　had　been　going　up　and　down　the　China　coast　as　far　as



Vladivostok　for　near　upon　two　years。　　The　German　said　to　her：



'This　is　all　over；　MEIN　TAUBCHEN。　　I　am　going　home　now　to　get



married　to　the　girl　I　got　engaged　to　before　coming　out　here。'　　And



Anne　said：　　'All　right；　I'm　ready　to　go。　　We　part　friends；　don't



we？'







〃She　was　always　anxious　to　part　friends。　　The　German　told　her　that



of　course　they　were　parting　friends。　　He　looked　rather　glum　at　the



moment　of　parting。　　She　laughed　and　went　ashore。







〃But　it　was　no　laughing　matter　for　her。　　She　had　some　notion　that



this　would　be　her　last　chance。　　What　frightened　her　most　was　the



future　of　her　child。　　She　had　left　her　boy　in　Saigon　before　going



off　with　the　German；　in　the　care　of　an　elderly　French　couple。　　The



husband　was　a　doorkeeper　in　some　Government　office；　but　his　time



was　up；　and　they　were　returning　to　France。　　She　had　to　take　the　boy



back　from　them；　and　after　she　had　got　him　back；　she　did　not　like　to



part　with　him　any　more。







〃That　was　the　situation　when　she　and　Bamtz　got　acquainted　casually。



She　could　not　have　had　any　illusions　about　that　fellow。　　To　pick　up



with　Bamtz　was　coming　down　pretty　low　in　the　world；　even　from　a



material　point　of　view。　　She　had　always　been　decent；　in　her　way；



whereas　Bamtz　was；　not　to　mince　words；　an　abject　sort　of　creature。



On　the　other　hand；　that　bearded　loafer；　who　looked　much　more　like　a



pirate　than　a　bookkeeper；　was　not　a　brute。　　He　was　gentle　…　rather



…　even　in　his　cups。　　And　then；　despair；　like　misfortune；　makes　us



acquainted　with　strange　bed…fellows。　　For　she　may　well　have



despaired。　　She　was　no　longer　young　…　you　know。







〃On　the　man's　side　this　conjunction　is　more　difficult　to　explain；



perhaps。　　One　thing；　however；　must　be　said　of　Bamtz；　he　had　always



kept　clear　of　native　women。　　As　one　can't　suspect　him　of　moral



delicacy；　I　surmise　that　it　must　have　been　from　prudence。　　And　he；



too；　was　no　longer　young。　　There　were　many　white　hairs　in　his



valuable　black　beard　by　then。　　He　may　have　simply　longed　for　some



kind　of　companionship　in　his　queer；　degraded　existence。　　Whatever



their　motives；　they　vanished　from　Saigon　together。　　And　of　course



nobody　cared　what　had　become　of　them。







〃Six　months　later　Davidson　came　into　the　Mirrah　Settlement。　　It　was



the　very　first　time　he　had　been　up　that　creek；　where　no　European



vessel　had　ever　been　seen　before。　　A　Javanese　passenger　he　had　on



board　offered　him　fifty　dollars　to　call　in　there　…　it　must　have



been　some　very　particular　business　…　and　Davidson　consented　to　try。



Fifty　dollars；　he　told　me；　were　neither　here　nor　there；　but　he　was



curious　to　see　the　place；　and　the　little　Sissie　could　go　anywhere



where　there　was　water　enough　to　float　a　soup…plate。







〃Davidson　landed　his　Javanese　plutocrat；　and；　as　he　had　to　wait　a



couple　of　hours　for　the　tide；　he　went　ashore　himself　to　stretch　his



legs。







〃It　was　a　small　settlement。　　Some　sixty　houses；　most　of　them　built



on　piles　over　the　river；　the　rest　scattered　in　the　long　grass；　the



usual　pathway　at　the　back；　the　forest　hemming　in　the　clearing　and



smothering　what　there　might　have　been　of　air　into　a　dead；　hot



stagnation。







〃All　the　population　was　on　the　river…bank　staring　silently；　as



Malays　will　do；　at　the　Sissie　anchored　in　the　stream。　　She　was



almost　as　wonderful　to　them　as　an　angel's　visit。　　Many　of　the　old



people　had　only　heard　vaguely　of　fire…ships；　and　not　many　of　the



younger　generation　had　seen　one。　　On　the　back　path　Davidson



strolled　in　perfect　solitude。　　But　he　became　aware　of　a　bad　smell



and　concluded　he　would　go　no　farther。







〃While　he　stood　wiping　his　forehead；　he　heard　from　somewhere　the



exclamation：　　'My　God！　　It's　Davy！'







〃Davidson's　lower　jaw；　as　he　expressed　it；　came　unhooked　at　the



crying　of　this　excited　voice。　　Davy　was　the　name　used　by　the



associates　of　his　young　days；　he　hadn't　heard　it　for　many　years。



He　stared　about　with　his　mouth　open　and　saw　a　white　woman　issue



from　the　long　grass　in　which　a　small　hut　stood　buried　nearly　up　to



the　roof。







〃Try　to　imagine　the　shock：　　in　that　wild　place　that　you　couldn't



find　on　a　map；　and　more　squalid　than　the　most　poverty…stricken



Malay　settlement　had　a　right　to　be；　this　European　woman　coming



swishing　out　of　the　long　grass　in　a　fanciful　tea…gown　thing；　dingy



pink　satin；　with　a　long　train　and　frayed　lace　trimmings；　her　eyes



like　black　coals　in　a　pasty…white　face。　　Davidson　thought　that　he



was　asleep；　that　he　was　delirious。　　From　the　offensive　village



mudhole　（it　was　what　Davidson　had　sniffed　just　before）　a　couple　of



filthy　buffaloes　uprose　with　loud　snorts　and　lumbered　off　crashing



through　the　bushes；　panic…struck　by　this　apparition。







〃The　woman　came　forward；　her　arms　extended；　and　laid　her　hands　on



Davidson's　shoulders；　exclaiming：　　'Why！　　You　have　hardly　changed



at　all。　　The　same　good　Davy。'　　And　she　laughed　a　little　wildly。







〃This　sound　was　to　Davidson　like　a　galvanic　shock　to　a　corpse。　　He



started　in　every　muscle。　　'Laughing　Anne；'　he　said　in　an　awe…struck



voice。







〃'All　that's　left　of　her；　Davy。　　All　that's　left　of　her。'







〃Davidson　looked　up　at　the　sky；　but　there　was　to　be　seen　no　balloon



from　which　she　could　have　fallen　on　that　spot。　　When　he　brought　his



distracted　gaze　down；　it　rested　on　a　child　holding　on　with　a　brown



little　paw　to　the　pink　satin　gown。　　He　had　run　out　of　the　grass



after　her。　　Had　Davidson　seen　a　real　hobgoblin　his　eyes　could　not



have　bulged　more　than　at　this　small　boy　in　a　dirty　white　blouse　and



ragged　knickers。　　He　had　a　round　head　of　tight　chestnut　curls；　very



sunburnt　legs；　a　freckled　face；　and　merry　eyes。　　Admonished　by　his



mother　to　greet　the　gentleman；　he　finished　off　Davidson　by



addressing　him　in　French。







〃'BONJOUR。'







〃Davidson；　overcome；　looked　up　at　the　woman　in　silence。　　She　sent



the　child　back　to　the　hut；　and　when　he　had　disappeared　in　the



grass；　she　turned　to　Davidson；　tried　to　speak；　but　after　getting



out　the　words；　'That's　my　Tony；'　burst　into　a　long　fit　of　crying。



She　had　to　lean　on　Davidson's　shoulder。　　He；　distressed　in　the



goodness　of　his　heart；　stood　rooted　to　the　spot　where　she　had　come



upon　him。







〃What　a　meeting　…　eh？　　Bamtz　had　sent　her　out　to　see　what　white　man



it　was　who　had　landed。　　And　she　had　recognised　him　from　that　time



when　Davidson；　who　had　been　pearling　himself　in　his　youth；　had　been



associating　with　Harry　the　Pearler　and　others；　the　quietest　of　a



rather　rowdy　set。







〃Before　Davidson　retraced　his　steps　to　go　on　board　the　steamer；　he



had　heard　much　of　Laughing　Anne's　story；　and　had　even　had　an



interview；　on