To his dinner probably.

But a man busy contemplating the wreckage of his past in the dawn of new hopes cannot be hungry whenever his rice is ready.

Time he went home, though; it was getting late.
He stepped cautiously on the loose planks towards the ladder.

A lizard, disturbed by the noise, emitted a plaintive note and scurried through the long grass growing on the bank.

Almayer descended the ladder carefully, now thoroughly recalled to the realities of life by the care necessary to prevent a fall on the uneven ground where the stones, decaying planks, and half-sawn beams were piled up in inextricable confusion.