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Ansiktet, med den baconaktige løden, bakkenbartene, bollekinnene, og de leverfargede leppene, så ut som det var satt sammen på en slakterbenk.

"Hei der!Hva er det der for noe?" "Champi," sa barbereren og gjorde en gnikkende bevegelse med hendene. "Champoo-ing er bare godt..." "Sjampo?" Zachary hadde aldri hørt om noe sånt før. Han ville nødig ha det på seg, men han ga etter, og til sin egen overraskelse angret han ikke etterpå, for hodet hadde aldri kjentes så lett, og håret hadde aldri luktet så godt.

Det var en kar med et fryktinngytende ytre, et ansikt som ville ha gjort Djengis Kahn grønn av misunnelse, det var tynt, langt og smalt, med kvikke, svarte øyne som satt hvileløst over kjekt skrånende kinnben.

This answer was so daring, so ingenious, as fairly to rob the women of their breath. Not in a lifetime of thinking, Deeti knew, would she have stumbled upon an answer so complete, so satisfactory and so thrilling in its possibilities. In the glow of the moment, she did something she would never have done otherwise: she reached out to take the stranger's hand in her own. Instantly, in emulation of her gesture, every other woman reached out too, to share in this communioin of touch. Yes, said Deeti, from now on, there are no differences between us; we are jahaz-bhai and jahaz-bahen to each other; all of us children of the ship.

He woke to find himself sitting up, in the darkness. Gradually he became aware that there was an arm around his shoulder, holding him steady, as if in consolation: in this embrace there was more intimacy than he had ever known before, even with Elokeshi, and when a voice sounded in his ear, it was as if it were coming from within himself: "My name Lei Leong Fatt," it said. "People call Ah Fatt. Ah Fatt your friend." Those faltering, childlike words offered more comfort than was in all the poetry Neel had ever read, and more novelty too, because he had never before heard them said - and if he had, they would only have been wasted before, because he would not have been able to value them for their worth.

Listen, he said, wagging a finger at Neel: Listen - if you think you can hide from this man you are wrong. From now on, you will never be able to escape this Aafat. He will be on your shio and you will have to travel with him to your jail across the Black Water. He is all you have, your caste, your family, your friend; neither brother nor wife nor son will ever be as close to you as he will. You will have to make of him what you can; he is your fate, your destiny. Look in a mirror and you will know: you cannot escape what is written on your forehead.

"Why Captain," he said sharply. "You do credit neither to yourself nor to us. Is it your implication that no good will come of this expedition?" "Oh it will, sir; there's no denying that." Captain Chillingworth's words emerged very slowly, as if they had been pulled up from a deep well of bitterness. "I am sure it will do a great deal of good for some of us. But I doubt I'll be of that number, or that many Chinamen will. The truth is, sir, that men do what their power permits them to do. We are no different from the Pharaohs or the Mongols: the difference is only that when we kill people we feel compelled to pretend that it is for some higher cause. It is this pretence of virtue, I promise you, that will never be forgiven by history."