Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-11-23
A MILD ORIENTAL.

the case, 1t was the only thing that he
could do. But Pambe Serang had been
hanged by the neck till he was dead,
and nobody cared whether he was right
or wrong.
Three years ago. when the Elsass-
Lothringen steamer Saarbuck was coal
ing at Alden and the weather was very
hot indeed Nurkeed, the big fat Zanzi-
bar stoker who fed the second right
furnace 30 feet down in the hold, got
leave to go ashore He departed a
"Seedee boy" as they call the stokers
He returned the full blooded sultan of
Zanzibar-his royal 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 be-
longed to Pambe, the serang, or head
man Of the lascar sailors. He had lust
cooked it for himself, turned to borrow
some salt, and when he came back Nur-
keed's dirty fingers were spading into
the rice. A serang is person of inn
portance, far above a stoker, though the
stoker draws better pay. He sets the
chorus of 'Hya, hullal Heeah, heh, 3"
when the captain S gig is pulled :p to
the davits. He heaves the lead, too, and
sometimes, when all the ship is lazy,
he puts on his whitest muslin aud a
big red sash and plays with the passen-
gers children on the quarter deck.
Then the passengers give him money,
and he saves it for an orgie at Bombay,
Calcutta or Pulu Penang
''Ho, you fat, black barrel, you re
eating my foodp said Pambe in the
other lingua franca which begins where
the Lovant tongue stops and runs from
Port Said eastward till east is west and
the sealing brigs Of the Kurile islands
gossip with Hakodate junks.
'Son of Eblis, monkey face, dried
sharks liver, pig man, am the Sultan
Sayyid Burgash and the commander Of
all this shipl Take away your garbage, :"
and Nurkeed thrust the empty pewter
rice plate into Pambe's hand. Pambe
beat it into a basin over Nurkeed's S
woolly head. Nurkeed drew his sheath
knife and stabbed Pambe in the leg.
Pambe drew his sheath knife, but Nur-
keed dropped down into the darkness of
the hold and spat through the grating
at Pambe, who was staining the fore
deck 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 Malay, born
in India, married once in Burma,
where his wife had cigar shop on the
Shwe Dagon road; once in Singapore to
Chinese girl and once in Madras 20
Mohammedan woman who sold fowls
The English sailor cannot, owing 20
postal and telegraph facilities, marry
so profusely as he used 10 do, but ma
tive sailors can, being uninfuenoed by
the barbarous inventions Of tho western
savage Pambe was good husband
when he happened 20 remember the OK
istenco Of wife, but ho was also very
good Malay, and IL Is not wise 70 offend
Malay because he does not forget any
thing. Moreover Ia Pambe' case blood
had been drawn and food spoiled. Next
morning Nurkeod rose win blank
mind. He Was no longer sultan ~ Fan
libar, but very hot stoker 30 he wont
On deck aud opened his jacket % the
morniuR breeZe till "a sheath knife came
like lying hsh and stuck uto the
woodwork Of the cook b galley half Ah
inch from his right armpit lieWn down
elbow before bis time. trying ~ romom
Dor what DO could haYe said t1 lho
owner 0f the weapon a. uom when
al tho ships lascals were lpdihR NW
keod advanced into fheir midst anh he.
Ing q plseid man with barge naar0
for his own skip he opened u'Rpllllions.
saying "Mep N che ship last uiHhi J
kuOW that ! lshaYtd uureoly 20 tomt
ons 0r anOihm ~ 200 Who was ihai
man, ihat ! may meat him iHeo io isei
and ssy ihai ! sas dIuuA
Fambe measured iho distance ~
Aurkoad's p nakpd hinaai ~ hn sWapE
"a hinl, hf might bp iiippel ~ HnH .
1liud hloW "a iho clesi f9nfilWif pnl@
means gosh op che Hrhhi hnne ltla
afs Almopi ~ thrust belNun hnl ar
tAe aplloai b asloup ~ hH sald nplh
nv. uai dld iAb dhw ihsHWf ihr1
1865 lmmrdlslUly dlupIfq a'i rkHw
s,0u. A. ~ iAu nNaipW NJ iNr wl.NlHi'
s4n iHmp ~ tlllpR Np ADJ. nsiFi 10
suy ehsp0f ~ IDuDIr huttnl lNihnN
! lula af iNe bmtr 3HHl.f lie pH'
lomg sn huraB Ana mH.l nA inaa
! .hWaA.t a NJ hsh H'H.Fi fi'HN
lmuss ium hm sH1 NN p.Hl lat a
/ M fniuaHa iNe laHHl tHt M lh.
uasmtsum plHlf Ne lsi iniHuNF
li 9WJ islha ~ iNe hfi WN'hYH "A
mlilnH flnH
hmI ua sunl0l considerably d# H
49, las Al lHHlaJ hHm IHt "a % 1.
alg ~ Hl5 iamU m a.ft M Hf''i
sheu sll fllN HHI1 500 HI"aI #I1 .it
lN,ip 4 hlaly NHI WH Hi. liHN
Aaual slihlHe f.Hm h'H N'Hi H'i 4
s,i,agfsilF laaNri HsNNf eNlN
III ~ l.ad isH8H lHIN iN' 'fl
HlW " alsllaNE hlH NN iHf . ~.
; lt litH ltliHl eiH HH iNHI f'f