“Yes, yes, you need not trouble about that, I have only a couple of letters to write.”
“A couple of letters!” cried van Rheijn but half reassured.
“A short report,” said the Controller, “to the Resident, and a request to the native prosecutor and to the doctor to come and view the body and to hold the inquest.”
“Is not that right, van Nerekool?” continued he, turning to his friend. “That is the proper course to take, is it not?”
“What did you say?” said the young lawyer starting up as from a dream, and passing his hand over his forehead;—lost in anxious thought he had hardly heard his friend’s question.
The question was repeated and received an affirmative answer.
“We have a good long ride before us to get back to Banjoe Pahit,” remarked Theodoor Grenits, “and to-morrow morning it will be light very early, eh?”
“Certainly it will,” replied Verstork; “but,” continued he as he looked at his watch, “we must not think of getting back to Banjoe Pahit to-night. It is now quite nine o’clock, and, however brightly the moon may be shining we cannot possibly go faster than at a walk, so that we cannot expect to reach the Controller’s quarters before midnight. No, I shall write my official letters here at the tjarik’s, they can then be at once sent off by the Loerah. The Wedono will ride back to Banjoe Pahit to get everything ready for to-morrow’s work. He has the command of all the beaters there, that has been all arranged and settled and we need not trouble about that, even though we change our quarters for the night.”
“That is all very well,” said August van Beneden, “but where shall we find these quarters?”
“Well,” rejoined Verstork, “we must do the best we can, ‘à la guerre comme à la guerre.’ There is a small passangrahan here in the dessa which is furnished with a single baleh baleh and we must ask the Loerah to fit it up for us somehow or other.”