The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-03-28

II
and the river was empty onct
more except for the perpetua
pelting OF the rain The shrinking
prau line Of the white Tuan moved
I'D the Tomarrup still. and there
were dead men In the current be
hind. Christine was boiling out
her sun-broWned hand 10 me, anc
il was q beautiful hand But shs
was speaking of the Rajah Clyde
That is brave n7an-dnd some
thing more than that ...l car
imagine @ tCoHlGH lOUing such
man
Those words Of hers kept COM
ing back TO me, clearer than the
beat or agongs or the drumming
OF the monsoon rain. THAT is c
brave man - and som thing
more"
'Tuan. you are hurtI You are
bleeding, Tuani"
Ihad been nicked under the arm
by a spear, and though It amounted
to nothing the slight wound would
not close, but kept seeping q little
blood day after day. Il am bleed
ing because ] have too much
blood"
"Tuan, we VIII never take an
o.her town"
How many men have WEI"
'STuan, there are seven tens and
six"
with that many men / can
sweep this island - and all
islands,"
But Tuan-"
Ny skin felt strange, and nv
ears were ringing, but ] reached
forward and caught the cord of the
Tenyalang jimat which circled the
neck Of the speaker. @Are you
afraid TO die?s
gigQo, TuaH!7n izD.m
7 SECT the pEsus into the river
again--We5re going en.bT
Once ! raised my eyes to break
OF moonlight along ragged cloud
bank, a crooked Liver scrawl upon
the sky. Then the fever cloud
closed again and could not see the
sky. Instead / was seeing a girl
lying asleep in deck chair, with
the folds Of grey robe falling
from one shoulder. | wanted &c
touch her, but though I could see
her so well, and though she seemed
so near, / knew that she was far
away-as far as the moon and as
unreachable.
Surrounded!
COON she would be Rance Of
- Balingong - perhaps she was
that already, IN fact as well as In
name. Balingong could not be the
sinking shanty town on pilings
that some part Of my mind remem-
bered-hoW could it be since she
was there? I saw vague glittering
cities that must have come out Of
the Arabian Nights. -.
'Tuan. the river is very narrow.
He cannot get through here, Tuan-
They can almost reach US with
their spears"
Leave four paddlers IN each
prau and take to the banks, half OF
you on each side. I'll e oQ.in mid
stream You must keep aEreaSt Of
me along the shore, and you must
clean the jungle out as you 60.
When ! call TO you, stop and lie
down; when / call gain, get up
and 60 on"
The worst Of the fighting was
there in those tangles, after had
to send the skirmishers ashore. Il
seemed to me that that fighting
lasted many weeks, but ! believe
that It was only or one day. was
still bleeding a little-had been
bleeding for days-but / had not
been wounded any more.
] seem to remember stopping
and going on. stopping and going
on, while my three Tenyalang
rifles kept cracking sporadicaIly in
the jungle. and ] could hear the
shouting and the thrashing in the
brush when the parangmen fought.
(Christine, Christine. must de-
stroy this: ! must 90 on and on,
trying 10 destroy this black hell
/ must break a way through il so
there VIII be a way in here for a
little light For you must always
have light There must be sunlight
on your quick hands, and sunlight
weaving gold through your hair,
and the water muStTef1ect golden
nipples OF light across your eyelids,
across your lips. ThereIs a light
behind your eyes that / have never
s8e9s it pnst soHts intosyeHF smile.
You must be happy again There
has TO be a way. There viii be a
9aH III W0ge uns for you are 90
ing 70 be guarded forever by a new
kind OF Kamang y
Tuan, We must 60 back It's
there It's ahead"
What is?"
The great village. Tuanl They
are all there-ten times as many
as we've killed. They're all around
us There are Malaysl Malays!"
We'll, that's fine. Send the Ten
yalang forward INTO ~ boat"
Tuan. the Tenyalang are deadI
We nave lost their gunsl"
THAT'S all right Parangs are
better, anyway. against Malays.
Bring up the other praus; we're
going on"
Tuan. We cannotI Tuan-we-
we've"
Through the mists that were not
all rain ! saw il then-fhe long
stockades. waist high. such as the
Malays build.
Drive those przus ashore
Drive those paddles inl Damna-
ton, you viii 90 oni Get up that
beachi"
fcssTviEAG Isfa. Alss EsksyI
l. eaal taking . ene-way tsaFneys