Evening star., 1936-01-19

the blue sunny waters of Ulum Balang
What swimmer he was never could
keep up with him; the way he'd heave
himself through the water; his broad white
shoulders high; his big hands clawing the
water in that powerful dog paddle Man, the
muscles in his great shoulders! Man. the fine
head of him! The sun of Ulum Balang shining
on his curly yellow mop; for even the suns of
the East never burned Hewett, nor paled the
shining yellow of his hair.
All Hewett's neighbors know is that he
made his money in the East and probably
they think he made it in rubber Even his two
young sons have no idea that he was once
sailor Smiling when l finish telling them
some sea tale, their mother says Strange
isn't it, how fascinated by the sea they are?
and He&ett mods in answer.
Later. when with the woman and bows
asleep, we are alone, we sit and smoke in
silence; our eyes upon the heese above the
mantel; on the keen wavy-edged knife of
which one day l heard Mrs. Hewett say to
an enquiring caller, "A curio my husband
brought from the East" And when nv leave
is up and 60 back to the liner command,
Hewett grips my hand. and grip his; with
no words said. Only the neese will ever
know our secret
Hewett and grew up together. went to
sea as apprentices. and, after sailing together
for four years took our second mates tickets:
then parted because no ship carries two
second mates
1t was some six years after we parted that
letter reached me from him mailed in Singa-
PORE He'd bought small schooner. and was
going ngtostarttradinga amongst theisands his
own. "Ill llwait till you comeout Nowget move
on" And went East as fast as could CO.
1t was a pleasant life we led, taking the
schooner here and there, with four Malays
for crew. And wherever we went the people
of the islands fell for him - so big he was, so
strong, so open faced, and without fear of
first we anchored off Ulum Balang it seemed
that it was going to be different
A small island, Ulum Balang was maybe
two miles long by a half wide. The south end
was bay in the form of half-moon. Away
to the east, about two miles from Ulum
Balang, was large island and behind Ulum
Balang was whole archipelago of islands
large and small.
The long surges rolled up from the South
toward Ulum Balang's half-moon beach, but
never reached it: for south of the bay was
submerged reef in the form of a blunt V, with
the apex seaward. The reef broke the strong
current that flowed from the South and sent
it away eastward. Tide rips swirled between
Ulum Balang and the large island, and onto
the shore of the large island the waves cast
all manner of flotsam and jetsam Dead
whales, crippled sea birds, and all such things
as are cast up by the sea. Because of food to be
found there, sharks haunted the shore of the
large island.
But the half-moon beach of Ulum Balang
was fair, clean place, with its yellow sand
and the palm fronds waving behind. And
half-hid amidst palms. bamboo, and bananas,
the village could be glimpsed; the only village
on the island. And into the lagoon behind the
reef no sharks came.
That first time we anchored inside the reef
the people of Ulum Balang swarmed down to
the beach. And by the CLINT of sun upon the
heeses in their hands we could see that we
weren't wanted there.
"Going ashore?" asked Hewett, and he at
once said: "Yes"
You'll get into rumpus by the looks of