Five-Skull Island And Other Tales of the Malay Archipelago

IT was in Batavia I met him--at the Hôtel des Indes--the leather--visaged, stormy-voiced ruin of a very powerful man. I shall call him Thurston. He laughed when I spoke of Five-Skull Island. "Where they found the five skeletons?" he said. "I see you've made the Aru voyage. Or was it the Ké? Lived in Ké once myself!" "Yes! Would he take anything?" He would, and did--then did again, and expanded. "You're a young chap to have gone poking down into that out-of-the-way corner. Not trade, I can see! Money to throw away, eh? Or was it Science? Never mind! About this Five-Skull business! People here will tell you I'm the man that sailed a prahu single-handed from Ké to Celebes. Well--I didn't! Six of us left Ké--the others stopped half-way--at Five-Skull Island. Don't care if I tell you!" And here--a little dramatized--is what he did tell me...