Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-12-11
A MILD ORIENTAL.

very hot indeed, Nurkeed, the big fat
Zanzibar stoker who fed tho second
right furnace thirty feet down in the
hold. got leave TO go ashore. He de-
parted ''Seedee boy. "as they call the
stokera he returned the full-blo
Sultan OF Ianzibar-his Highness
Sayyid Burgash-with bottle in each
hand. Then he sat on the fore hatch
grating eating salt fish and onions and
singing the songs of far country.
The food belonged to Pambe, the
Sirang. or head man of the Lascar
sailors He had just cooked it for
himself. turned to borrow some salt,
and when he came back Nurkeed's
dirty black fingers were spading into
the rice. A serang is person of i'm
portance, far above a stoker, though
the stoker draws better pay. He sets
the chorus OF "Hya! HULA! Hee-ah!
He! when the captains gig is pulled
up the davits; he heaves the lead too
and sometimes. when all the ship is
lazy. he puts on his whitest muslin and
a big red sash and plays with the pas
sengers' children on the quarterback.
Then the passengers give him money
and he saves it for an orgy at Bombay.
Calcutta or Pulu Penang.
.Ho, you fat, black barrel. you're
eating my food!" said Pambe in the
other Hngus Franco, which begins
whore the Levant tongue stops, and
runs from Port Said eastward till east
is west and the sealing briggs Of the
Kurile islands gossip with the Hako-
date jsnks.
son of Eblis, monkcy-faced, dried
sharks liver, pigman, ] am the Sultan
Ssyyid Burgash. and the commander
OF all this ship. Take away your gar
bage" and Nurkeed thrust the empty
pewter rice plate into Pambe's hand.
Pambe beat it into basin over MUIR
keeds woody head. Nurkoed drew
his sheath-knife and stabbed Pambe
in the leg. Pambe drew his sheath
knife but Nurkeed dropped down into
the darkness of the hold and spat
through the grating at Pambe, who
was staining the foredeck with his
blood.
Only the big white moon saw these
things; for the officers were looking
after the coaling and the passengers
were tossing in their close cabins
"All right" said Pambe. and went
forward TO tie up his leg 1--WE will
settle the account later" He was a
Malay. born in India, married once in
Burmah. where his wife had a cigar
shop on the Shwe-Dagon road; once in
Singapore to a Chinese girl, and once
in Madras. to Mohammedan woman
who sold fowls. The English sailor
cannot owing to postal and telegraph
facilities. marry so profusely as he
used TO do but native sailors can. be-
ing uninfuenced by the barbarous in
ventions OF the western savage. Pambe
was good husband when he hap
pened TO remember the existence OF a
wife; but he was also very good
Malay and it was not wise TO offend
Malay. because he does not forget any
thing. Moreover in Pambe's case. blood
had been drawn and food spoiled. Next
morning Nurkeed rose with blank
mind. He was no longer Sultan of
Zanzibar. but a very hot stoker SO
he went on deck and opened his jacket
to the morning breeze till sheath
knife came like a flying fish and stuck
into the wood OF the cook gal
ley half an inch from his right arm
pit. He ran down below before his
time trying TO remember what he
could have said to the owner OF the
weapon. At noon when all the ships
Lascars were feeding, Nurkeed adj
vanced into their midst, and being a
placid man with "A large regard for
his own skin, he opened negotiations,
saying; Men OF this ship last night /
was drunk, and this morning / know
that | behaved unseemingly to some
one or another of you. Who was that
man. that / may meet him face to face
and say that l was drunk"
Pambe measured the distance to
Nurkeed's naked breast II he sprang
ut him he might be tripped up and a
blind blow at the chest sometimes only
means cash on the breast bones
Ribs are difficult TO thrust between.
unless the subject is asleep. So he
said nothing. nor did the other Las
cars. Their faces Immediately drop
ped all expression. as is the custom OF
the oriental when there is killing on
the carpet or any chance OF trouble.
Nurkeed looked long at the white eye
balls He was only an African and
could not read characters A big sigh
almost a groan-broke from him
and he went back to the furnaces
The Lascars took up the conversation
where he had interrupted it. They
talked of the best methods of cooking
rice
Nurkeed suffered considerably dur
ing the run to Bombay from lack OF
fresh air. He only came on deck to
breathe when all the world was about;
and even then n heavy block once
dropped from derrick within foot
oi his head. and an apparently dashed
grating on which he set his foot began
90 turn over with the intention OF
dropping him on lhe cased cargo fifteen
feet below; and one insupportabls