The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-02
At the Court of Pelesu.
Story of the Malay Peninsula In ten

(story of the Malay Peninsula In ten
parts)
eff thou so desirest.'' said Norris, i
will speak with the king on TINS mat
ter
NAY. Tuan, I pray thee do not So!
cried the Chinaman, aghast at the mere
suggestion. Nay, I pray thee lot III
very truth I should die at the hands OF
the king did he but know that mad NAG
speech with thee
IF that be So said Norris. the oet-
ter course were for thee and thine TO quit
Pelesu, and seek refuge in the colony
THAT, also, l can not do" said the chi
naman; my business is here in Pelesu,
and were 1 to quit it both my children
and nv wife would die of famine. That
NAV not be. Also the month of the river
closes tomorrow or the day after; VINO
can tell when the winds of the monsoon
will descend upon US? No-I can not quit
Pelesu now, but I will do so when the
river-mouth is once more open, II all then
be well. I have sought thee only that
thou highest know the heavy bearing
at the hands of the king; and that know
ing thou shouldst aid me if occasion
arises
THAT I will do, and willingly" said
Norris. TT is a little thing. But the
words Of the men of old times are true
when they say: Tt is well 10 be econom-
zeal before thy substance is wasted ana
to be upon thy guard before thou are
smitten' If it were in truth better 10
suffer me to speak with the king now,
and so save thee and thine and mine and
me from trouble yet to come
Il dare not suffer it, Tuan-I dare not!'
thou but speak, I would be as one al
| ready dead. l pray thee, thlhK not VI
| it,
ct is enough" said Norris. discomfort
edly. at is enough! Have no fear-I viii
hold nv peace, though 1 doubt not thai
evil things will result. But now return
thee to thy dwelling. and if trouble as
sails thee, come thou to me in thy houl
| of need.
The Chinaman salaamed. rose and with
drew. It is not customary to offer an!
verbal thanks in Malay. When one i
thanked by a native IT is silently, and b.
deeds. not nOsly and in words
amongst ourselves. 1t may be open Z
doubt, however, whether the former meth
cd. rarely thou it may be employed, !
not. on the whole, superior to the pro
fuse use of the latter. to which we ar
all so well accustomed in the west, an
which, in the majority Of cases, mean
little enough.
When Che All Ku.. the Chinaman, ha
. departed. Norris called Raja Hail Hamlc
, the chief of his followers, TO his side
and the two sat talking far into IN
> night.
Rata Hail was man who, on the otne
, side of the Peninsula, had won for hin
for cOlll
age, and a very evil name for other qua
E tiles which by no stretch of the imagine
? ton and from no conceivable point
9 view, could possibly be regarded as vi
tues He had been one of the most reel
less and untamed of a lawless race
f raias in an Independent native state b.
= fore the advent Of the white men reduce
things to the dull monotony of order ar
thus he had acquired a knowledge OF II
seamy side of Malay human nature whlc
was as curious as 1t was profound MORT
knew something of the same subject ais
hut when matters of difficulty arose
S usually took counsel with the hoary
william who loved him, and looked upc
the affairs of Pelesu as a game in Wh1t
s they were partners, with the king and Il
t people of the land as their adversaries.
at have also seen the woman Chik-tl
wife of All Ku. the Chinaman-and 81
= is fair to look upon said Raja Haji la
: that night; but there be many IN PeIe'
Il far more beautiful. It is not her love
ness which causes the heart OF the XII
TO wax hot. He desires her with an e.
g ceeding great longing because she alo
e of all the people of the land dares TO de-
herself to him. Men say that he h
sought all manner of love-potions. b
n thew profit him not with her. 1t is Gle
: 10 see that the aged man. her husbar
knows the occult arts, and has cast oV
her a glamour; how else should she
, faithful TO one so old and ugly? No
- the less. Tuan, 1t is certain that trout
- will arise. 1t was but yesterday that
- dreamed that the king babe US eat duri
and other round fruit, and that needs
skiII in the Interpretation. The fruit a
IT bullets and cannon-balls, and the dres
h hetokens strife. Well. 1t is long since
is bathed me in the smoke and the bulle
and I am ketageh, longing for that
which I am accustomed, as the opiu
smoker longs for the drug. Mine Will
=. the greater pleasure if war results W
- these men of Pelesu. All! it recalls
'e nv mind the ancient days in mine o.
land. Listen, Tuan.'
And Raja Hail plunged into the re
| ton OF OeeuS OF "IoilS anu idFtiiO "a
n in bygone days in which his soul
al lighted. and with which he was wont
regale Jack Norris for hours at time.
1t is only by dwelling among Mali
k in intimacy and good-fellowship that
he stranger may really learn what mani
an of men they are. Jack Norris. who. WI
he came 10 Pelesu. thought he knew m
about natives than any man in the
ninsuIa soon found out that he was S
NC stumbling over the a OF his stu
co and was now daily learning little o.
DO and ends Of knowledge which would gr
xt uallv piece themselves together, until
should eventually find himself mas
Of his subject.
he -