The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-03-21

alongside the other boa"
/ called out an order, and my
paddlers picked up their beat. The
bankong began 10 Lift and drive
over the water. We were nearly
az the end OF II now. In little
while more what magic there was
IN Balingong was going out OF II.
and nothing would be left OF the
thing this girl had bewitched Us
into except war and fever, and q
struggle against going broke.
There were years Of It ahead with
out anything IN them that a rea-
sonable person would want. Yet
I knew that Clyde could not quit,
and neither could /. And / knew
that we were fools.
We were alongside Robert For
rester,s bankOng; we were under
the Avon's black hulk Clyde and
Marvin StOcker were calling back
and forth. Christine CROPPED for my
hand, and for a moment pressed
If against her cheek; her face was
wet, but il was impossible to tell
nov whether with rain or tears
Then abruptly she threw my hand
away.
Il can't do II" she said. Its too
much to ask"
You can't-what are you talk
ing about?"
She was silent for a long mo-
ment. Then she called out across
the narrow strip Of black water.
"Goodby. Bob. =. I'm going
back"
I would have supposed that our
LIE here would now 90 on as be-
f6re, Unaffected by the fact that
Chris me had made . false start at
aepat ture, but baked. But il was
not the same as before-nothing
coud have been more different.
Harassed By Desperation
A TAUT, hard strain came upon
"A both Clyde and me, IN spite OF
everything Christine could do to
make things smooth. After we had
got over the first shock Of the idea
that she was going to stay with
US we had the feeling that Balm
gong must somehow be pulled
and hauled and hammered into q
fit place for Christine Il must be
done immediately-and il was i'm
possible. Clyde and ] fought our
work harder than ever before.
harassed by housekeeping desper-
alton. That whanging nerve
strain. in itself. later accounted
for many things.
made no further move to per-
susde Christine that she must
leave Balingong. had already
done all ! could. and perhaps more
than was appropriate; il was hard
~ my place 70 try 10 send away
the girl with whom my uncle was
in love. And Clyde, although he
agreed that she should not be here,
seemed strangely b fled
! took 10 avoiding them both a
much as could. winch was easy,
for was now seldom in Balm
gong. The need Of protecting the
Dyaks from Malay extortions in
creased in importance as the fam
inc had now reached proportions
Of real calamity.
IN the previous year most OF the
Dyaks had delayed planting until
il was all but too late-in the case
Of some villages too late altogether
for no better reason than that
the magic auguries were unfav-
orable. Throw against the poor
crop the waste and Spoilage of
war, and IL is hard TO see why they
expected anything but famine.
When a one-crop food supply
runs out it runs out suddenly;
most villages had come TO the end
Of their rice long ago. and il was
very difficult to see how they lived
at all. Il was a fortunate thing that
whatever rice was going 70 be
planted was already in the ground,
for am certain that in their ex-
tremity the people would have
eaten the seed. They knew better
than that. and It was against Gus
tom, but these people were
at the end Of their string. Game
WIS scarce. and the fishing bad.
The situation could hardly have
been any worse.
Daily the Siderong before the
bamboo palace was banked with
TIE ofalls Of people who had come
70 beg the white rajah for aid. We
Did what we could: but il we were
able 70 give a few handfuls Of rice
to the exhausted men at the pad
dies We could no longer expect 70
do anything more
The jungle was stripped OF
everything fit 20 eat. and il was
strange TO see so much vegetation
and yet so little food. The people
were eating weeds. and soup made
OF boiled grasses and scraped
moss. They ate the bark OF trees,
and even weighted their poo fat
Stomachs with a kind OF clay
found on the river banks
II was q temptation 20 send our
vessels 20 distant islands with our
precious store Of rifles. 20 trade for
food where and however we could.
But We knew this would have been
fatal. Il would not only have IN
iShed rs. but would have finished
Balingong. We had 10 SIT there and
endure il while We watched Ia
people die.
ff-..-s-Af saaR A. F.Mea