The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-02-19
Chanter Il
A Hopeless Council

I REMEM 9IR reaching out
1 through all that, exactly as a
man overheard might reach for a
floating spar TO cling TO: and what
found, without any shock of sur
prise, was the clear-cut image of
Christine FORESTER.
II was as if she had always been
there-a dark-eyed girl waiting to
steady a man so that he could meet
without dishonor just such an hour
as this. Curiously, | could not hold
it against her that she was the
cause of all this; | could only be
afraid Of what would happen 10
her now. She could not make me
forget my own danger. or Clyde's.
or the fate of the Linkang. but she
could add something more. That
was because something seemed to
go out of me, trying TO reach down
the sultry darkness of the Side
rong, and speak to her aboard the
yaWI-speak to her so insistently
that she .yould have to understand
me through the hammering of
agongs and the whicper of the reef
Go away, Christine, go away
Catch the ebb tide through Balm
gong pass. Get your helpless little
yawl into the open sea, somehow.
before its too late. In Gods name
get gone. Christine. -.
Clyde was finishing his speech
now. bearing down with set face
at every turn of the Malay phrases.
Whatever he was saying, Mantu-
sen seemed TO disregard it.
you have made me very happy,
Tuan." the Rajah said. when |
learned you had filled the jungle
with these guns, | knew that this
is the place and time that | will
die. | do not mind that But | was
sorry TO think that my kris would
never taste your flesh. Now you
have changed that. It is like a
miracle. feel that God is good.
My uncle turned his eyes toward
me, and we exchanged a long
glance. He SPOKE to me softly. 81
have been a foo"
Eyes said Mantusen.
81 suppose there is no hurry
abou. this" Clyde said at last Il
see no reason why we should not
sit down and talk ff1is over in full"
Nov that We understand each
other the Rajah Mantusen re-
piled. i am sure would enjoy it
very much"
So we sat down. II was only a
delay. which We could string out
as long as the rajah felt social. and
not any longer. / did not know
anything about what kind of cere-
mony Malay rajahs 90 through
when they put away an enemy of
great distinction who is helpless
IN their hands. But we had no rea-
son to think that there would be
much postponement attached TO
the matter. other than for enter
tainment purposes. And the one
thing / had never heard of was a
Malay ralah VIII could be talked
out of anything in any such cir
cumstances as this With the threat
Of superior power eliminated, you
have surprisingly few points OF
contact with a Malay.
And there we were. Nothing is
more difficult for a white man in
dealing with Malays than the in
terminable slowneSs which i'm
pedes any conversation Of any
weight Here we had TO do with
what represented the nobility of
the breed-the proudest and most
regal blood the archlpeiagoS had
developed: and this multiplied the
dellberatIon surrounding the pro-
n0uncefnent of any statement Of
any real account. MantuSen. in at
once showing the rifle and the
head. had exposed cur position
with what amounted 10 a savage
abruptness. This in itself. coming
from chief who would have taken
four days 10 discuss q hunting trip
up a river. showed what an ex-
IRENE pinch we had got ourselves
into.
Too Much Gunpowder'
IN THE end We could. OF course.
4 get ourselves killed trying 10
escape. But the attempt meant. 10
begin with. the out and out aban-
donment OF our boat All CLYDE
could do, and what he now went
ahead with. was 10 attempt the I'M
possible job Of talking our way out.
And this meant that We had 20 sit
stonily croSs-iegged on the mats
for hour after hour. without any
motion. not even fatigue permitted
20 show in our faces.
An awkward. trivial thing en-
tiers into a conference OF that kind.
between a ghite mar. ano an Orr
entail on the Oriental'x ground. and
this thing has distorted the entire
history OF the East. II Is that when
a white man sits eroSs-legEed on q
mat for q long time he gets a ter
ribie backachc. Heaven knows how
many wars have been started be-
s~zsFea an ssre.~nEs .8sx-nfn-@fH E1nrN q