"Horacker": The Beginning of Chapter 13

And now our tale has become almost too jumbled even for us and threatens to come crashing down all around us! The bright bricks and stones go thumping over our heads and with little effect do we pant and brace back and elbows to prevent ourselves from being buried in the pulsing rubble. Oh, what clever businessmen the Dutch once were in the Moluccas! They would rather set fire to a whole harvest of nutmegs than let the market price of that noble spice sink. Let us take our example from them and keep at least two thirds of the fine things growing for us in the present chapter all to ourselves!

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