FROM JUNGLE TO JAVA

 THE TRIVIAL IMPRESSIONS OF A SHORT EXCURSION TO NETHERLANDS INDIA. 

 BY ARTHUR KEYSER, AUTHOR OF "OUR CRUISE IN NEW GUINEA, " "CUT BY THE MESS, " "AN EXILE'S ROMANCE, " ETC. , ETC. 

 [Publisher's Logo]

 THE ROXBURGHE PRESS, LIMITED, FIFTEEN, VICTORIA STREET, WESTMINSTER. 

 CONTENTS

 I. A SELECT COMMUNITY 1

 II. THE START 7

 III. SINGAPORE 14

 IV. ON THE WAY TO JAVA 19

 V. BATAVIA 23

 VI. AN OFFICIAL CALL 34

 VII. A CONCERT AT THE CONCORDIA CLUB 39

 VIII. CONCERNING THE LOMBOH WAR 44

 IX. BUITENZORG 49

 X. CUSTOMS AND COSTUMES 56

 XI. AN UNTIMELY CALL 62

 XII. A MODEL ESTATE 66

 XIII. AMONG THE ROSES 76

 XIV. GARVET 84

 XV. BATHS AND VOLCANOES 89

 XVI. THE QUEST FOR A MOTHER 94

 XVII. THE QUEST CONTINUED. TJILATJAP 99

 XVIII. THE QUEST SUCCESSFUL. THE WODENA'S HOUSE 109

 XIX. A VILLAGE HOME IN JAVA 115

 XX. BACK TO THE JUNGLE 120

FROM JUNGLE TO JAVA

CHAPTER I. 

A SELECT COMMUNITY. 

Mr. X. , whose impressions and mild adventures I have undertaken the taskof editing, has asked me to narrow his personal introduction to suchlimits as is consistent with the courtesy due to my readers, if haply Ifind any. He prefers, as his pseudonym implies, to remain an unknownquantity. I need only explain that he is an officer employed in one ofthe small States of the Malay Peninsula, which are (very much) under theprotection of the Colonial Government of the Straits Settlements. Thelatter, with careful forethought for their ease-loving rulers, appointsofficers to relieve them of all the cares and duties of administration, and absolves them from the responsibility of a Government somewhat moreprogressive in its policy than might commend itself to Oriental ideas, if left without such outside assistance. 

As the title intimates, Mr. X. 's duties compel him to make his home inthe jungle. The word has many significations in the East, where it isoften used to express a region remote from civilization, althoughperhaps consisting of barren mountains or treeless plains. Mr. X. 'sjungle, however, is one realizing what it represents to the untravelledEnglishman. It is a land of hill and dale covered with thickly growingforest trees, with here and there by the side of the rivers, which areNature's thoroughfares, or the main roads made by man, small oases ofcultivation. It is a beautiful country, with a climate which those wholive in it--and they are the best witnesses--declare to be healthy andagreeable. And the members of the small community who form the Europeanpopulation take a personal pride in the amenities of their beautifulretreat, with its perennial verdure, and glory in their "splendidisolation. " Criticisms are resented, and suggestions of indispositiondue to climatic influence held to be little short of traitorous. So, asmay be imagined, it was a matter of no ordinary interest when X. Notonly complained of being unwell, but also developed signs of a chronicdiscontent. For X. --no Mr. Was necessary in that little round-tableclub--certainly was unwell. Of this there could be no doubt, and such acondition of body was little short of an abuse of the privileges of theplace. But since he could give no real explanation of his feelings, andonly sighed vaguely when engaged in the daily preprandial game ofbilliards at the club, it was thought best to ignore his new departure, and to leave the subject severely alone. 

However, the effect of this wise treatment was entirely ruined by thearrival of the doctor, who bore the sounding official designation of theResidency surgeon. This gentleman was wont to be sceptical in the matterof ailments, limiting his recognition only to honest, downright illnessworthy of the attention of a medico whose name stood in front of aformidable array of honourable letters, too numerous for him to mention. But even really great people are not always strictly consistent, andoccasionally make small lapses from the straight path of precedent--andso this man of science deigned to cast an eye of interest upon theailment of X. That it should be worthy of notice at all was enough forthe companions of the now much-appreciated invalid, but when the greatman added to his notice by bestowing a classical name, expressions ofsympathy knew no bounds, and the unwonted solicitude was almost morethan the sufferer could bear with the dignified attitude of consciousmerit fitting to the occasion. Something rather _distingué_ had happenedto the place, something quite new. A vulgar complaint was a subject forreprobation and not sympathy, as casting discredit on this salubriousretreat, but a malady composed of two words out of the Greek Lexiconconferred a distinction perhaps unknown to, and to be envied by, thelarger communities beyond the pass. The matter was most seriouslydiscussed, and the decision arrived at that X. Wanted a change. Notexactly that a change would do him good, but because, when he came back, the change, from the place he went to, to his happy home in Pura Pura, would work wonders for his health. As the doctor endorsed the formerpart of the verdict, rather modifying it by suggesting, that there werefew conditions of health when a change would not be beneficial to ahard-worked official, there remained nothing but to select the spot towhich X. --his leave once granted--must go. It would never, of course, dothat he should go to Penang, or even to Hong Kong or Japan, such anexpedition would be too ordinary and commonplace. It was felt that X. Should do something worthy of the occasion, and show his appreciation ofthe place he lived in by going to one as similar in respect of peopleand scenery as could be found, and so, when the person chieflyconcerned, knowing what was expected of him, suggested Java, the ideawas accepted, and Java it was settled to be. And that night at the Clubthere was a long sitting, and Manop, the patient barman, had to recordthe disappearance of many extra "stengahs, "[1] as the matter wasdiscussed in all its bearings. Those of the community who had been toJava recalled their experiences and recollections of that country, rather to the annoyance of those others whose travels, though perhapsmore extended, had not led them in the same direction, and thus had toaccept the unwelcome rôle of silent listeners. However, goaded by longendurance, one of the party, the scene of whose stories mostly lay inthe Antipodes, remarked that certainly when X. Returned from Java hemust write a book about it, because if he had only half as much tocommunicate as the present speakers, the book would be full ofinformation. This little sarcasm was entirely spoilt by being takenliterally, as it was at once decided that X. Must write a book. Vainlyhe protested that it would be impossible to write a book after only abrief visit to a place, as he could only put into it what was alreadyknown to others; his objections were over-ruled, and he was remindedthat only the other day, when H. E. , the Governor, progressed (which isthe official rendering of travelled) through a neighbouring State (knownto those present only too painfully well, through many weary days spentin the jungles while exploring and actually constructing the path overwhich this "progress" was subsequently made), one of the party wrote abook which announced the discovery of a newly found place, and evenwent so far as to sniff severely at the presumption of those who hadundergone these early days of toil, because certain grateful pioneershad named various landmarks after friends who had assisted them in thefirst months of settlement. "If that State, which we know so well, wasdiscovered so recently, " urged one of the speakers, "why not discoverJava?" "And as for a fortnight being too brief a time, " suggestedanother--"did the Progress take longer?" And thus, it being an unwrittenlaw in Pura Pura that the wishes of the community should be respected, X. Having now returned from leave, has commissioned a chronicler towrite about what he saw in Java, though it would be an easier task werethe latter allowed to write about the community. But that must notbe--at any rate now. Java is the theme--that, and no other. 

 [Footnote 1: Local name for "peg. "]

CHAPTER II. 

THE START. 

In the few days which elapsed before the due arrival of officialpermission for X. To leave the jungle, it might have been observed thathe was changed. The hitherto sedate individual became fussy and worried, and members of The Community agreed that he was "journey-proud"--a happyexpression used by one of the neighbouring Malay potentates when wishingto describe _his_ feelings at a time of emerging from the security ofhis own retreat. But there was much to do--clothes not looked at sincethe distant days when they left those cities on the other side of thepass, had to be inspected and all their lapses laid bare--moths hadeaten holes in most conspicuous places, and in others rats had, literally, made their nests. The shirts were whitened shams, as theylay, no more than so many "dickeys, " in a row, for when unfolded it wasfound that they had lost their tails, long since the prey of cockroachesor bedding for the young of mice; collars, when severed from theirfray, were sadly diminished in height, and the overhauling of the bootdepartment revealed the fact that there was nothing that would bear amore critical eye than that of "The Community. " However, the best had tobe made of a bad job, and one Bo Ping, a stitcher in leather, certainlydid _his_ best in the matter. 

Then an equal preparation was required for the wardrobes of Usoof andAbu, the two followers selected to accompany X. Upon his travels. Thisentailed many visits from the local tailors, who spent long hours in theback premises, accompanied by all their friends and relations--for inPura Pura, as amongst many other Eastern peoples, for one person at workthere are always ten looking on. Thus the interest in these proceedingswas not centred upon X. --to some he played quite a secondary part in thematter, being merely an incident connected with the departure of Usoof, who was going to Java, which was his birthplace--as all the worldknew--but which he had left years ago, when little more than a baby inarms. Usoof was going home to find his relations and tell them all abouthimself, and "Tuan"[2] X. Happened to be going too. This being a factwidely reported and discussed nightly far into the small hours of themorning, while friends ate light refreshments of bread and sugar withpink-coloured syrups to wash them down, it is not to be wondered atthat X. Began at last to feel that it was settled he was goingprincipally to search for Usoof's mother, who was possibly living in avillage somewhere in Java, her name unknown; indeed, her still being inthe land of the living was a matter of conjecture. This quest, however, which obtained additional interest from the little that was knowable ofits object, is alluded to here, so that when it is subsequently relatedhow it led X. From the beaten track of tourists, there may be nosurprise, since it can be understood that it would have been impossiblefor him to return to Pura Pura without some attempt to perform thatwhich was expected of him. 

 [Footnote 2: Malay equivalent for Mister = Sahib. ]

In due time arrived the document permitting X. To leave Pura Pura, andthe day of departure was fixed. Usoof and Abu had already gone on aheadin a bullock cart with the luggage, and X. Was to leave next morning. Several of "The Community" kindly came to see the start and sat calm andsuperior over their long "stengahs, " while the intending travellerendeavoured to compress into a quarter of an hour the final instructionsfor the regulation of affairs in his absence. However, after writingvarious little memos and giving many injunctions to the syces andtenants generally, concerning the care of the horses, sheep, geese, dogs, bears, tame storks, porcupines, and other live stock whichbelonged to the household, the traveller mounted into his sulky, withthat sinking in the region of his heart which comes to all thosetemporarily about to leave Pura Pura's secluded calm. And thus he droveforth into the great populous world beyond. The first glimpse of it wasdistant twenty-four miles, and reached after a drive through some of themost beautiful jungle scenery imaginable. This oasis of civilization wasthe capital of the State at whose port it was necessary to embark. HereX. Remained for the night, accepting hospitality from the kind doctorwho had looked upon his complaint and so scientifically localised andnamed it. To one fresh from the jungle, this evening appeared full ofnovelty and life, from the fact of there being strange faces present. One of the party was a French Roman Catholic priest, known to all in thevarious States as a man of practical good works and a congenialcompanion. And there was also a gentleman of title--a visitor fresh fromEngland--who should have been called a globe-trotter had he not, in thecourse of the meal, thanked Providence that he had come across none ofthat genus in those localities. This gentleman, who rejoiced at theabsence of globe-trotters, was bound for such a variety of places insuch a short space of time that X. Could only regard him withbewilderment and envy. For while he had only undertaken his journeyafter the mature consideration of a month, during which time thecorrespondence concerning leave and medical certificates had assumedproportions of official magnitude, this traveller carried with him allthe documents connected with his plans in the form of a piece of paperon which was written exactly where he must sleep, lunch, and dine duringthe ensuing fortnight. It would be interesting to know if this visitoractually accomplished his task and saw all that he proposed in the timeallowed. Perhaps, when he gets home, _his_ community--the other titledpeople--will put pressure on him to write a book, and satisfy ourlegitimate curiosity. 

On the following morning X. Boarded the train on the railroad whichconnects the capital with the sea. He found himself an object ofinterest to the dwellers in those distant parts, not only as the fleshlyembodiment of the personality hitherto known as initials at the bottomof official minutes, but as the champion who had not long sincedescended from his mountain for the purpose of engaging the railway inlitigation, in consequence of his garments having suffered from sparkson the occasion of his last venture in the train. 

This case had excited considerable interest, and X. Had made atriumphant exit, as he drove away from the court with portions ofcharred wardrobe packed in behind. During the present journey there wereno sparks, and the coast was reached without any incident which mightpromise litigation. The party consisting of X. , Usoof and Abu, embarkedon the s. S. _Malacca_, a fairly comfortable steamship with a kindlycaptain. The sniff of the sea was delightful to the jungle-wallah, and, freed from official chains, he reclined in a long chair feeling that allhis plans and preparations had at least a present good result. The onlyincident of the voyage that remains in his memory is the fact that aChinese passenger sitting opposite at dinner drank a bottle of whiskyand a bottle of claret mixed, and appeared to suffer no subsequentinconvenience. In the evening the ship lay off Malacca. There are fewmore suggestive views than this one of twinkling lights, here and theredisclosing momentary peeps of that picturesque old town, peeps thatconjure forth visions of half forgotten stories of that place of manymemories, told, in the jungle by the flicker of the camp fire, byMalays, adepts at relating tales handed down by their fathers. 

Then the cool evening of a tropical climate, the sea glinting in silvermoonlit streaks around the ship, which throwing a huge shadow on thewater lies silently swinging to her anchor before the peering little redstars of that solitary old-world city. Scenes such as these are somecompensation to many a home-sick exile. 

Ah, well, --we must not get sentimental and out of tune, though thesnores of the whisky-claret Chinaman are particularly discordant. However he passed--as happily passengers do--and so did the night andthe early dawn as the s. S. _Malacca_ approached the beautiful island ofSingapore (does everyone know it is an island?) Ask you another! Well, can my readers say straight off what constitutes the StraitsSettlements, and which are islands? but never mind--skip this and hurryon over the bracket, if an answer were really wanted the bracket wouldnot be there. 

CHAPTER III. 

SINGAPORE. 

I see that X. Has it in his notes that the first view of this city isthe most beautiful in the East--does he mean the approach, the view, orthe city. It perhaps does not greatly matter, but it is certain that herecorded the fact that to a poor jungle-wallah like himself it seemedvery vast and full of life, as he dressed himself and prepared tore-enter the world from which he had so long been absent. A gharry--aclose carriage on four wheels with a dirty-looking driver and a tinypony--now conveyed, or rather set forth to convey, the traveller to thehospitable house of a certain distinguished general who resides inSingapore. 

Singapore is a city in which it is notoriously difficult to find one'sway about, as all the roads seem alike--they are all excellent--and sodo the houses. Had I not undertaken to tell you how X. Went to Java, Ishould like to stop and relate how once on this account the writerdined at the wrong house--and dined well--while his host, whose name henever knew, preserved an exquisite _sang-froid_ and never showedsurprise; but such egotistic digressions might possibly annoy X. Who hasa right to claim the first place in this little history. 

The driver apparently knew where no one as an individual lived, andentirely relied on strange local descriptions known only to the nativeinhabitants, therefore it was vain for X. To try and explain where hewanted to go. It transpired from interrogations of passers by that nogharry driver or Malay policeman had heard of the General or even thatsuch a personage existed--X. Never told the General that--and thus thegharry containing X. , and the two which followed with the suite andluggage, drove backwards and forwards puzzling people as they went, forsuch twistings and turnings argued ignorance of locality, and ignoranceof locality meant a globe-trotter, and yet no mail steamer was in, and, again, no globe trotter would be followed by two Malays. And presentlyhe again endeavoured to explain where he wanted to go in forcibleMalay--this made the problem more difficult--till the passers by, mostlycooks going to market, gave it up as one too deep, or perhaps tootrivial, for solution. The morning drive thus lasted till Europeansearly for office appeared in their smart buggies and fast trottinghorses, and one of these magnates of commerce coming to the rescue, itwas explained to the gharry syce that the Commander of all the Forcesoccupied a house where Mr. So-and-so used to live, after the celebratedMr. So-and-so had sold off his racing stud and given up thehouse--"didn't the driver remember?" "Yes, was not Omad the chief syce"to the gentleman alluded to? At this the driver exclaimed, "of course, "and whipping up his pony, with a withering look at his face, whichimplied "if only he had had the sense to tell me that before, " he drovedirect to one of the largest and most imposing mansions of the town. 

Saved from the hotels of Singapore, where bewildered travellers grumbleand strange-looking jungle-wallahs come down to drink, X. Felt all thehalf-dormant memories of civilization return to him, as, passing thesentry, he entered the spacious hall and received a kindly welcome fromhis host. 

Having, as the books say, removed the traces of his journey, no verypalpable ones in this case, since washing is practicable and customaryon board s. S. _Malacca_, X. Joined his host at breakfast and wasinformed of the programme of the day--consisting of an afternoon drive, dining out in the evening, and thence to hear the regimental band playby moonlight in the gardens. What a gay place Singapore seemed to X. , who nightly dined alone, and to whom the sound of a band was a memory ofbygone days--and a band by moonlight too. Yes, that also had memoriesall its own. On moonlight nights he is wont to sit on the verandah andlisten to the drowsy monotonous singing of the Malays who dwell in thevillages below his hill. Very agreeable is that chanting sound as itascends, telling of companionship and content, although for that veryreason making the solitary European feel more solitary still. Nativeservants have given him his dinner and left him to seek their ownamusement. He is a duty only, something finished with and put away forthe night, left solitary upon the broad verandah, half envying thenatives who can enjoy the moonlight in the society of their friends. 

Here in Singapore X. Need envy no one, for was he not to go out afterdinner and hear a band in the moonlight, and a band played by Europeans?The reality equalled expectation, for moonlight in the beautiful gardensof Singapore, with the _elite_ of society sitting in their carriages orstrolling along the grass by the lake would have been a pleasant eveningeven to people more _blasé_ than X. , nor did that person enjoy it anythe less from catching sight of Usoof and Abu standing as lonely amongstthis mass of strangers as ever he was wont to feel when brooding in hissolitude at home, while they sang songs in the moonlight to theirfriends. 

The evening ended up with the glorious dissipation of supper at theregimental mess. The immediate result of this outing was pleasure, thesubsequent one--probably the addition of another syllable to thecompound Greek word with which X. 's ailments had been identified. 

CHAPTER IV. 

ON THE WAY TO JAVA. 

On the following day, remembering what was expected of him, X. Hired agharry and proceeded to discharge all such obligations as etiquettedemanded from one in his peculiar official position. The first andforemost of these was to inscribe his name in a book in the ante-roomof the office of the Colonial Secretary. The names in this book wouldmake interesting reading, and, thought X. , probably become a source ofwealth could one take it into the smoking-room of a London club and layten to one that no three people present could locate the places namedupon a map. Perak[3]--or as they would call it in the smoking-room, Pea rack--Selangor, Pahang--called at home Pahhang--Jelebu, SungeiUjong--also Londonized into Sonjeyajang--and many others ofunaccustomed sound. 

 [Footnote 3: Pronounced Perah. ]

Official routine over (this should be semi-official routine, suggestsX. , who fears that he may be held responsible for any error of thewriter, which may lead it to be supposed that he is arrogating tohimself any real Colonial Office rank)--however, it is difficult to beso observant of nice distinctions--X. Next paid a visit to Messrs. JohnLittle and Co. Every one who has been to Singapore has been to JohnLittle's, for it is better known to the dwellers in that city than evenWhitely to Londoners. Whitely has rivals, John Little has none. Fromthis famous provider of necessaries and superfluities to the hospitableclub is but a step, and there the traveller lunched. This club is themeeting-place of all the prominent merchants in Singapore. The buildingis a fine one, with a verandah overlooking the sea, and the membersalways cordially welcome strangers and neighbours from the adjoiningpeninsula. Having said this much I feel compelled to risk incurring thedispleasure of X. , who will be credited with having told me, and addthat the company is better than the cooking. The quality of the fluidsand the quantity are without reproach, but the food!--that is one of thethings they manage better in the jungle. 

In the afternoon the General was again as good as his word, and took hisguest for a drive, showing to his wondering eyes all the beauties of thenew water-works. The China mail had that morning come in, and thisfavourite resort was dotted over with evident passengers, some of themglobe-trotters. What would the titled traveller have said had hishurried steps taken him that way? In the evening His Excellency gave adinner party to twenty guests culled from the most select circles inSingapore. To sit at table with so many Europeans would at any time havebeen a new sensation to X. , but to suddenly find himself one of such adistinguished company was almost alarming in its novelty. However, beinghappily situated by the side of Beauty, the situation expandedgenerally, and had any member of The Community been watching, he mighthave thought that X. Was proving false to the creed that there was noplace like Pura Pura for a man to dwell in. 

That which to the other diners was a matter of every day, to him wasboth a present pleasure and a glimpse of the past. 

It was, of course, quite hopeless to attempt to explain to anyone whencehe came, or where he lived, for the very name of Pura Pura was unknownto them, and so it was necessary to pose as a passenger passing through_en route_ to Java. 

Some amongst the company had been to Java (including the host), and allspoke in high terms of the civility to be found there. 

In the morning the traveller took leave of his kind host, who left firstat 5. 30 a. M. For some early little game of war, a description of whichwould probably have been as vague to a civilian as would thegeographical position of Pura Pura, or the exact official status of X. , to members of the company of the previous evening. The great soldierhaving driven off in full uniform through a throng of salaaming menialsof various nationalities, X. Entered his humble gharry, and, followed byUsoof and Abu, drove to the Messagerie wharf. The steamer for Bataviawas the s. S. _Godavery_, which was in connection with the mails forhome. The cost of the passage is, perhaps, for the actual distancetravelled, the most expensive in the world. The time taken by the voyageis thirty-six hours. 

CHAPTER V. 

BATAVIA. 

The voyage on board the _Godavery_ resembled similar ones, with thenotable difference that the excellent cuisine made X. Wish that the timeto be spent in transit were longer. The only people who were notcontented were Usoof and Abu, for each of whom their employer was payingthe sum of three dollars a night. These particular Mahomedans refused totouch the food shovelled out to them, and to crowds of natives of allcolour and class--by the rough and ready Chinese servants, and towardsthe end of the second day, having eaten nothing, they presented a verywoebegone and miserable appearance. However, a few more judiciouslyplaced dollars produced them a square meal of bread and tea, after whichthey smiled. 

There is perhaps no sensation so agreeable as the arrival in a strangeport. Thoughts and conjectures as to the possibilities that lie beyondthe landing place are innumerable, and fancy and anticipation areequally strong. When the _Godavery_ steamed into Batavia it was stilldark and the rain was coming down in torrents. It all looked miserableenough, but, once alongside the wharf, daylight began to appear and thepassengers trooped ashore. The station was more than a quarter of a milefrom the place of landing, and this distance the poor people had tohurry along in the rain. 

The unfortunate natives--carrying bundles containing theirbelongings--were drenched to the skin. Also the Europeanpassengers--less objects of pity, as only the portion of their wardrobeactually worn was exposed to the rain--came in for a considerable shareof the moisture of that wet arrival. It is true there was a magnificentcovered way, but this was hopelessly blocked up with trucks and otherrailway gear, which were, presumably, more susceptible to cold than thepassengers. The luggage was quickly and courteously passed by the CustomHouse officials, and the travellers entered a luxuriously fittedtrain--apparently a show train, as X. Never met another like it in Java. 

Arrival in Batavia town created a good first impression, as there wereno pestering crowds, as there are in Singapore, and there were manycarriages waiting for hire, all two-horsed and good. 

The drive to the hotel was a long one, through the business portions ofthe town, till the residential side was reached. Here detached housesare situated alongside the principal road, on the other side of whichflows a canal, giving to the place an appropriate Dutch appearance. 

The hotel was a most imposing building outside, with apparentlycountless rooms, but the thing which immediately struck X. As somethinguncommon was the fact that the floors of the apartments were level withthe ground and not raised as is the case in Singapore and the Peninsula, and he felt feverish as he noticed it. The traveller was allotted a fairsized room opening on to a court yard, with other rooms and otheropenings to the right and to the left, and in fact all round him, and infront of these rooms sat people in every stage of deshabille. Thereseemed to be no privacy and what, perhaps, under the circumstances wasfortunate, --no shyness. X. However had not yet reached that point of hisobservations, and, entering his room, he shut the door and ordered hisfirst meal in Java. This turned out to be a terrible repast, consistingof a plate of cold clammy selections from the interior of some ediblebeast, two cold hard-boiled eggs, three small cold fish roasted incocoanut oil, and something intended to resemble ham and eggs. Thisfirst meal is mentioned in detail as it was but a foretaste of anequally trying series. X. Thought of Dagonet and that power ofdescription which, when relating dyspeptic woes, will compel thesympathy of the hardiest feeder. 

It did not take long to skim hastily over the surface of theseuninviting viands, and now X. Turned his attention to the notices whichstared at him from every wall. These in many languages threatened alltravellers with penalties if, immediately after their arrival, theyneglected to obtain permission to reside in Netherlands India. Afterreading this, X. Lost no time in sending for a conveyance to drive tothe British Consulate. The gentleman who received him there wasextremely civil and gave him all the information in his power. Itappeared that if the traveller was anxious for facts about Java, theofficials of that country were equally so in requiring the same fromhim, and he was obliged to fill in a printed form stating his age, birthplace, residence and occupation, etc. , and, when this was done, payone guilder and a half for his trouble. The next step was to go to theBank, and nothing could exceed the kindness with which he was receivedat this place, and the thoughtful manager assisted the stranger todecide where he had better go in order to best see something of thecountry, and what was most to the point, wrote for him the names ofplaces and hotels which seem outlandish and terrible on first meetingwith them. X. Learnt to his dismay that the system of obtaining moneyby cheque was almost unknown, and it would always be necessary to carrymoney and, when more was wanted, receive it by registered letterthrough the post. The idea of carrying ready money to a person who hadfor years followed the customs of the East and depended on cheques and"chits, " seemed a new trouble for which he had not been prepared. Onthe drive back to the hotel through streets sloppy with mud, the firstnew impression made upon the traveller was caused by the number ofnatives selling vegetables--good wholesome English looking specimens, especially carrots. This was a refreshing sight after years of seeingno familiar vegetables, except those which passed long periods ofimprisonment in tins. 

All along the route natives of either sex were bathing in the filthywater of the canal without even a suspicion of that modesty whichcharacterises the Malays. Impression No. 2 was noted to the effect thatnone of the natives wore boots or shoes, and all plashed barefootedthrough the mud. He had already had his attention called to this absenceof shoes when coming up in the train by the notice (not to say theexcitement) attracted by the neatly-booted feet of his followers. Couldit be possible that they would also be obliged to go barefooted throughthe muddy streets? And still worse thought--would it fall to his lot tobreak it to them? The natives all appeared larger and more stronglybuilt than the Malays of the Peninsula, but, as in Singapore, they werea hybrid lot, and there were also to be seen a variety of othernationalities--Malay nationalities--but, strange to say, no Arabs, and, more remarkable still, no Chinamen. To those readers who may not havevisited that part of the world of which I write, it should be explainedthat Singapore is almost entirely populated by Chinese, and in thenative states they materially outnumber the Malays, so that the eye isaccustomed to see Chinese everywhere and regard them as the realinhabitants of the country. Their absence in a Malay town strikes anyonecoming from the Peninsula as strange. Cf course there _are_ Chinese inBatavia, and many of them, as X. Soon learnt, but they do not pervadethe whole place as is the case in the English colonies over the way. 

Reaching the hotel X. Was relieved to find that Usoof and Abu haddiscarded their boots, and were picking their way delicately across themud of the courtyard. Also they had been provided with an excellentcurry. Then he prepared to get ready for his own lunch, and next tobathe. In order to do this it was necessary to run the gauntlet of manyeyes, as the bathroom was some distance off, and, to reach it, theentire length of the verandah must be passed. On to this verandah openedthe doors of bedrooms, the occupant of each sitting in his long chair infront--exactly, as Abu remarked, like vendors holding stalls in amarket. The long chairs were of the luxurious kind, with short seats andlong movable arms, and on which latter the occupants extended theirnaked feet. This of course refers to the men. Ladies also sat there, inwhat X. Subsequently learnt was not altogether considered _deshabille_, namely, the sarong and kabaya of the country. The first-named garment, it may be explained for the benefit of readers in the West, is aclose-fitting petticoat such as the natives wear, and the latter a whitelinen jacket. It required some courage to take that first walk alongthis verandah, but things seldom continue to seem strange, unless otherpeople look as if they thought them so, and as these reclining rows ofvisitors lay back doing nothing, not even reading, with an air ofunconcern, it was not difficult for X. To assume one too. However, hecould not but believe that he helped to fill in that vacant blank inwhich the sitters sank, as he passed along, himself clad in wondrousgarments made of gaudy silks woven by the skilled natives of thePeninsula, while Usoof and Abu followed, bringing the towels and soap. Nor did he entirely deceive himself, since he was subsequently informedby Usoof that the "boy" of a Nyonia, or what in Singapore is called a"mem, " told him that his lady had instructed him to discover whether X. Had many more of those silk sarongs for sale. 

Lunch was perhaps the first real revelation of life in Java, since itintroduced the traveller to that which a majority of the people seem tolive for (and always sleep after)--the rice-table. This rice-table hasbeen so often described that it need not be done in detail here; but thebasis, as it were, of this rice-table is, as may be supposed, rice, andwith this foundation in your plate, innumerable dishes of eggs, fish, meat, etc. , are offered by a string of attendants, who expect you to putsome of each on the top of it. Probably this is only a literal andexaggerated interpretation of a Malay curry, which is incomplete withoutthe countless little relishes which should accompany it. This particulardish, or rather function, is seen in its fullest development in theup-country places, visited later, and the one in Batavia was scarcely afair sample, as though X. Was unaware of this at the time, itsproportions had evidently been toned down and diminished out ofdeference to the cosmopolitan character of the guests, who, probablylike our traveller, had on former occasions given their ignorance awayby asking for more plates and taking each dish seriously, as though itwere a separate course, sent up before its time, at the risk of gettingcold. To a person accustomed to Singapore there was something novel andcheering about the first meal in the vast dining-hall of this hotel. Thefloor was of marble--scrupulously clean--and the Javanese waiters weredressed in a uniform of white trimmed with red, presenting a pleasingcontrast to the slipshod dirty "boy" of an ordinary hotel, whose habitit is to clatter round flapping your face and brushing your food withhis long, unclean, hanging sleeves. Though in the native states fromwhence X. Came it is no uncommon thing to see Malays wait at table, yetin Singapore, with the exception of Indian servants, it is very seldomthat there are any attendants but Chinese. 

Perhaps the most striking feature of the meal was the absence of bread. This could be procured, when asked for, but was not provided, as it iselsewhere, as a matter of course, and was regarded as an extra. Anexcellent arrangement of this marble hall was that it was permitted tosmoke immediately after lunch. As, availing himself of this, X. Smokedhis cigarette and meditated contentedly, he noted all the variousdetails which might interest The Community at home. One rather prominentdetail was a lady at a neighbouring table dressed only in a sarong andkabaya, with her extremities bare. The lower portion of these werethrust into some loose sandal slippers, the upper turned back as farunder the chair as the stretch of the sarong would allow. It was not acostume which, from X. 's point of view, appeared elegant, though, likemost articles of apparel worn by beauty, capable of becoming elegant ifelegantly worn; still in the present instance more natural elegancewould be required in proportion to that of the costume, there being solittle of the latter. Returning to the publicity of his apartment, X. Was met by Usoof and Abu, both with very long faces and evidently inconsiderable distress. On being interrogated it transpired that they hadnowhere to bathe. Now to bathe, and bathe constantly, is as necessary toa Malay as are regular meals to a European. X. , being sadly aware thathe would be held responsible for everything that went wrong or did notfit in with the exact views of these children of nature, thought it bestto be brave at the commencement of things and affect an indifferencewhich he was far from really feeling, and, therefore, with a jerk of hishead towards the canal, replied that that was where people bathed. "Yes, perhaps _people_, " said Abu, with meaning, and then for fear X. Shouldnot be sufficiently intelligent to catch the tone, added "people whodon't mind filth or water like that in a drain. " This seemed to need noanswer, and as Usoof had reserved his remarks X. Knew that worse was tocome, and he would be more prudent to wait and reply on the wholequestion, instead of being drawn into argument as though he wereactually to blame for this terrible state of affairs. But as Usoof stillkept silence X. Rashly thought he had gained an easy victory, and airilyadded, "All right, you must make the best of it and go to the canal. "Then the reserved remarks found vent, "Was the Tuan aware that all thewomen in the place bathed there?" "Yes, " this had to be admitted, sincethe Tuan himself had noticed it, and, as has been recorded above, notwithout some comments of his own. "Then how can I bathe there at thesame time?" continued Usoof, "I should be ashamed. " "Well, if they arenot you need not be, " rather frivolously replied his master, as hesought escape from further conversation by burrowing in a box full ofbooks. It may as well be recorded here that the couple never did bathein that canal, and eventually drove some miles into the country, wherethey performed their modest ablutions by a village well. They alsorefused to permit any clothes to be sent to the wash in Batavia, andthey were not far wrong, since the water of the canal was equallyunfitted for washing either clothes or the human body it was theiroffice to adorn. 

CHAPTER VI. 

AN OFFICIAL CALL. 

After luncheon X. Took a drive. All the most noteworthy features ofBatavia are duly set forth in guide books, and it is therefore onlyadvisable to mention those few points of difference from an Englishcolonial town which seemed to the traveller worthy of note. Theprincipal one was that all the residents' houses were built along theside of the high road; there were no secluded mansions standing in theirown grounds as in Singapore. All the houses were obtrusively _enevidence_, so much so, that people, socially inclined, take theirevening drive and note at a glance, by the lights displayed, who is athome and ready to receive. Those not prepared to entertain sit insemi-darkness. The houses seemed as devoid of privacy as were theverandahs of the hotels. Planted on each side of the road were hugetowering trees testifying by their presence that the town was not ofmushroom growth. No Europeans were met; this was understood later whenit was explained that at this hour of the day they were all asleep. Atfirst it seemed that there were no shops, but closer observationdiscovered them under the same roof as some of the private dwellings, standing detached away from the road. The English Church wore a desertedaspect, closed and uncared for. Possibly the driver libelled thecommunity when he informed the traveller that it was never used. Theordinary carriage is a _dos-à-dos_, a most uncomfortable conveyance likean Irish car turned end on, but excellent carriages are provided by thehotels. 

Later our traveller proposed to call upon the Resident--the chiefauthority in the place--and present his letters of introduction. He hadbeen told that he must not call before 7. 30 in the evening, and alsothat he must wear dress clothes. It seemed an outrageous thing to do, toput on dress clothes in broad daylight in an hotel and to go out aboutdinner time to call, and when he summoned Usoof to assist him, thatgrave-faced individual did so with a kind of silent pity for his mastercompelled to do unaccountable things in a land of strangers. 

However, when X. Had arrayed himself, as though he were dining out, hisheart failed him. He felt it was impossible to go to the house of astranger like this just at the hour for dinner without appearing asthough he hoped he would be asked to stay for that meal. And so heshamefacedly untied his white tie and asked Usoof to provide him with amorning coat. This apprehension might have been spared, however; thecall was never actually paid, for, in the drive that led up to the houseof the Resident, he met a carriage coming out containing a gentleman andthree ladies. This turned out to be the Resident with his wife anddaughters. It was an agreeable surprise to find that the carriagestopped, and the traveller had the somewhat difficult task ofintroducing himself and explaining his appearance in the dark. TheResident, who spoke excellent English, was most cordial and kind. Heregretted that he was not at home to receive the intended visit, but hewas obliged to attend a reception given in honour of the General, thehero of the Lomboh War. Then the great official expressed a hope that X. Had secured his permit, and told him that he must renew it when hereached Buitensug, which was the limit of his jurisdiction. X. Noticedthat the Resident was not in dress clothes and mentally congratulatedhimself that he wore none either, or most certainly as the carriagedrove away he would have looked like a person disappointed of a dinner. 

The hotel was most gorgeously illuminated with electric light, and themarble dining hall was extravagantly lurid. Had X. Consulted hisconvenience he would certainly have worn his black sun spectacles, butactually feared to alarm his followers by exhibiting any furthertendency to eccentricity on their first day in a strange country, and sohe resigned himself to blink owlishly throughout the meal. The absenceof a punkah, a necessity to which he was accustomed, was also a trial. However, there was little fear of getting hot by over indulgence at thetable, as the chilly cocoanut-oily viands were excellent checks to anyimprudent display of appetite. Towards the end of the repast theproprietor of the hotel informed X. That the Resident of Batavia wishedto speak to him through the telephone. If there is one place where heexhibits himself in an unfavourable light it is in front of thathorrible, muttering, jibbering instrument, when, after the introductory"Who's there?" and information as to who you are repeated _ad nauseam_, there rumble to your ear the most exasperating sounds, so full ofmeaning and yet conveying nothing, until it seems as though the personat the other end were mocking you, and the tone of his voice gets soirritating that you long to throw down the tubes and make a rush at him. However, on this occasion X. Wisely left the whole matter in the handsof the proprietor, who presently informed him that the Resident invitedhim to an open air concert given at the Concordia Club in honour of theGeneral, then the man of the hour, and, if he would care to come, anEnglish friend would presently call for him at the hotel. The onlypossible answer to such a welcome invitation was duly transmitted. 

X. Has, according to his own account, all his life been a most fortunateindividual. Wherever he went he has always, as the phrase has it, "fallen on his feet. " On this expedition his luck did not desert him, and on the appearance of his fellow countryman which took place (to beexact in speaking of an event now historical) at 9 p. M. , there commenceda new departure which forged a first link in the chain of events whichwas to happily land him in the most beautiful country that he had everyet beheld. X. Has always thought of telephones more kindly since. 

CHAPTER VII. 

A CONCERT AT THE CONCORDIA CLUB. 

The traveller was naturally much impressed with the scene at theConcordia Club. In the beautiful gardens, which were gorgeouslyilluminated, people were walking about and sitting down as though itwere an English summer night. But, as in the East thoughts of health anddiet always occupy an extraordinarily prominent place in the minds ofall who have dwelt there for any length of time, that which chieflystruck the stranger was the apparently reckless indifference to feverdisplayed by those _flaneurs_ who dawdled about under the trees on thistreacherous soil, as though it were the harmless green grass ofHurlingham at home. And it almost relieved him to hear presently from alady, to whom he expressed this astonishment, that the doctors declaredthis season of open air concerts was certainly the most busy time forcolds and fever. The Resident and his party were seated at a round tableon the top of the flight of marble steps leading to the Club. To eachperson of this group X. Was presented in turn, after which he had thehonour of a seat on the right hand of his host and thus full opportunityto enjoy the novelty of the surroundings and the excellent music of theband. As the party gathered round the table included some of thegreatest names in the country, people who were in a position to have anintimate knowledge of recent events, the conversation proved interestingand instructive. Thus the Englishman heard the story of the Balineriwar--that terrible defeat and massacre of the Dutch troops under thecommand of the general, who ultimately retrieved the position, and to dohonour to whom all were assembled to-night. X. Listened as people spokeof the unparalleled treachery of the natives, the sufferings of thetroops, and the assistance rendered to the enemy by the importation ofarms by a European. And severe remarks were made as to this latterincident, some present insisting that the culprit was an Englishman fromSingapore. War was in the air--everyone talked of the war, and such animpression did the matter make upon X. , who heard the conduct of thecampaign discussed wherever he went, throughout his stay, that it may beof interest to give in a separate chapter the story of what was saidabout the recent war. 

All those who joined the party on the terrace spoke English, to therelief of X. --and as new guests arrived to join the circle they wereformally introduced by name to each one among the company in thatprecise manner which is the fashion in America. And likewise when anyindividual rose to leave he would bid good-night to each separate memberof the party. 

When I undertook to compile this little account of how X. Went to Java, it had been my intention to arrange what he saw and what he heard insome order of sequence, but from the nature of his manner ofobservation, I find this to be impossible, and therefore must recordeach impression he received and facts of interest which he heard, justas they came to him, regardless of apparent want of connection. As thechief object of this sketch is to assist others intending to spend ashort holiday in that beautiful island belonging to our neighbours, thislittle originality may pass. 

Thus on this occasion the traveller learnt that, contrary to his formerideas on the matter, the Civil Service was much underpaid, and that, though it corresponds with our Indian Civil Service in standard ofexamination, etc. , the scale of pay and of pensions falls far short ofits prototype. And it may be mentioned here, as showing what animportant part naval officers are expected to play in Dutch East India, that all midshipmen have to pass in the Malay language. The command ofthe squadron on the waters of Netherlands India is the prize of theservice, to the holding of which the most distinguished naval officerslook forward. The Governor General of the Dutch possessions in the Eastis known as His Excellency during his term of office. The admiral whocommands there not only has the same title during the years of hiscommand, but is entitled to retain it for the remainder of his life. Inthe course of conversation the Resident kindly informed X. That he mustnot be annoyed at being obliged to obtain a permit to travel, since ithad been found necessary to insist that even his own countrymen shoulddo so, and he had recently caused notices to be issued and posted in allthe steamers and hotels, so that there might be no misunderstanding inthe matter. After the concert and the conclusion of a most agreeableevening X. Was introduced to the Harmonic Club, where he had supper. 

This, like the Concordia, is a magnificent building with marble pillarsand floors, more in accordance with his early ideas of the gorgeous Eastthan anything which the traveller had seen. The Harmonic Club was builtduring the time when Java was an English possession--and his informant, the Englishman, sighed. It was not long before the new comer alsosighed, when, having seen the beauties of this glorious country, heremembered that but for the blindness of some former rulers, unmindfulof the advice of those on the spot who should know, another India mighthave been held for England. But as the natural beauty of the country wasenhanced and made complete by the sight of universal prosperity andcontent, the sound of such a sigh from an English visitor is thegreatest compliment the present proprietors could be paid. 

The first day of X. 's stay in Java was now over--a pleasant day enough, as he admitted to himself, after a long seclusion in the jungle--theplace on which, after all, his last thoughts rested, that negativelyhappy jungle and its kindly inhabitants--represented to his immediateview by two inanimate bundles on the floor entrenched behind a barricadeof boxes in a corner of the room. These were the faithful Usoof and Abu, long since gone to rest--forgetful of all the troubles of their firstday in a new country. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CONCERNING THE LOMBOH WAR. 

Lomboh is an island to the east of Java. The Raja of Lomboh did not cometo Batavia at a time when it was expected of him, and after somecorrespondence the Resident of the nearest district was sent to see him. After--in true oriental fashion--promising to give him audience, andthen failing to do so--keeping the Resident waiting a week--he finallysent a message refusing to meet him. Then troops were sent. But theirdeparture was not effected without a commencement of that bickeringwhich marked the whole subsequent course of events. The General incommand was junior to the Admiral over whom he was put. A compromise waseffected by a second general being appointed. When the expeditionreached its destination the Balineri showed great astonishment at thisparade of force, and affected to be at a total loss to understand whythey had come. 

This unexpected turn of events finally ended in a great "chumming up"which developed into social functions and the taking of a photograph, inwhich the Raja's generals and other chiefs of the expedition were alltaken in one large group. This photograph was sent to Buitenzorg--theseat of Government--as a proof of the unreality of the scare, and thediplomatic ease with which the expedition had been able to come, see andconquer. 

The photograph is not now to be purchased. After the festivities andphotography the Dutch force camped by the Palace walls, and the generalin command reported officially that the matter was settled. 

On receipt of this welcome news the Governor General was so delightedthat he gave a dinner party that same evening, and after the meal wasover stood on the billiard table and made a little speech announcing thebloodless success and happy termination of the affair Lomboh. 

The Palace where the troops had camped was a kind of village--acollection of houses surrounded by a huge wall. Each day the Dutch heldparades and drill outside the village, and tried to astonish the nativeswith the wonders of their Winchesters and field guns. At these thepeople professed great astonishment, examining those modern weapons withintense interest, and asking questions innumerable as to theirconstruction and cost. The latter is almost invariably the firstquestion which occurs to a native mind. 

The Balinese must be clever actors, since all the while they possessedhundreds of Winchesters and many pieces of field ordnance within thosedeceitful walls. They were deceitful walls, for they were extensivelyloop-holed, the apertures being cunningly stopped up with mortar. Oneevening the crisis came. The officers while playing whist--dressed intheir lounge clothes of sarong and their feet bare, were attacked andshot down almost to a man. When the poor fellows sought refuge under thewalls, hand grenades were fired to dislodge them. A general panic andflight followed. Those fugitives who had managed to effect an orderlyretreat, took refuge in a temple about half way between their camp andthat of another detachment. It was only then that they realized to thefull extent the nature of the terrible disaster, for here they met apoor remnant of that other detachment fighting their way to them forhelp--they also having been treacherously attacked. 

But this was not all, no warning had yet been sent to a third detachmentwhich had been left on the coast. This column, ignorant of any disaster, marched in to the recent camp and had scarcely time to wheel roundbefore the guns in the loopholes opened fire, almost annihilating them, a few only escaping back to the boats. 

How deeply affected were the Dutch and their friends, the wholecivilized world, at the arrival of this terrible news, is matter ofhistory, and for a time something like consternation reigned inBuitenzorg and Batavia. 

After telegraphic communication with Europe, and the fortunate mislayingof a certain message deprecating any prompt action, the Governor Generaltook a popular step in deciding to send every available man to the seatof war, and to render all possible assistance. 

This was done, and the Dutch forces subsequently retrieved theirfortunes, in some measure avenging the death of their comrades. But itwas at no small sacrifice, since Java--the Government of which placemuch reliance on military display--was almost destitute of troops. As anillustration of this it is related that during this war the Sultan ofDeli elected to pay a visit to Batavia. As only two battalions of troopswere left it was considered impolitic that he should know it, thereforethe men were marched past him first when he was dining in the capital, and then despatched by train to represent other battalions, and marchpast him once again on the occasion of his visit to Buitenzorg thefollowing day. 

The description of the tears of the aged Sultan of Lomboh at thedestruction of his beautiful palace, and the marvellous stories of howjewels and millions of treasure were borne away by the victoriousGeneral more resembled a page for the "Arabian Nights" than a record offacts in the present day. On the other hand, accounts of the terriblehardships endured by the brave Dutch soldiers sounded more modern, andwere only too easy of belief. 

The seat of the war was only half a day from the Javanese port ofSoerabaya, and enough money had been collected in Java and Holland topay the cost of the entire war, and yet it was so mismanaged thatofficers had only rice to eat, and nightly camped out on the groundwithout shelter in that fever-giving climate. 

CHAPTER IX. 

BUITENZORG. 

On the afternoon of the day of his arrival, a Sunday, having declined akind invitation to a party for the theatre, X. Decided to leave forBuitenzorg. He thought he sniffed fever mingled with the other veryapparent odours in his room on the ground floor, while Usoof and Abu notonly could not bathe but were unable to send his clothes to the wash. The combination of reasons and of smells was strong. 

It may be mentioned here, it being about as _apropos_ in this place asit would be in any other, that all functions in Java, from a receptionof the Governor General to a performance by a travelling show, takeplace on a Sunday. 

The train left Batavia at 4. 30 and X. Reached Buitenzorg at six. 

So much that is misleading has been written about Buitenzorg--theWashington of Java, that X. Was woefully deceived. It certainly is abeautiful place--indeed exquisitely so, but a traveller is scarcelysatisfied with the beauties of nature when he pays to mankind forcreature comforts which he fails to obtain. The most agreeable featureof the journey to a stranger who has, as it were, been long hemmed in bydense jungles in the Peninsula, was certainly the long stretches of opencountry reminding him of the pasture lands and fields which fly past thetrain at home. Cattle and ponies grazing complete the illusion, and X. Could scarcely refrain from outspoken exclamations of delight. 

It had been much impressed upon the traveller that he must by all meansobtain a room at the Belle Vue Hotel, and if possible, one overlookingthe back which governs the famous view. This was achieved by telegram. On arrival a carriage with three ponies conveyed him to the hotel--apoor building on a lovely site, which bristled with possibilities. 

The famous back terrace of rooms was at the further side of thecourtyard to the entrance, and, once duly installed, X. Was delightedwith the outlook. Just immediately below the window was the railwayline--below that rushed a large, broad, shallow mountain river in whichhalf the native population seemed to be bathing. Beyond these stretchedan unbroken view of picturesque villages, whose scattered red-roofedhouses peeped here and there from among the palms and other gracefultrees. Beyond again, the mountain--with five distinct sugar-loaf tops, tops which had to be watched while counting as they emerged anddisappeared in turn from out and in the hanging land of clouds. Yes, theview had certainly not been overrated, and X. Was glad he came. 

Usoof and Abu refused to consider anything beautiful, and could onlyexclaim with horror at the bathers in the river, who evidently shockedtheir ideas of propriety. Their master was not surprised at theircomments, but his own views were broader and his moral perceptionsperhaps blunter, and experience had taught him the propriety of theinjunction concerning Rome and the Romans. But it was nevertheless quitecertain that the most moderate London County Councillor could not haveborne the sight of that river without a shock to his system. Afterrevelling in the view from the verandah a black coat was donned fordinner, which the wearer subsequently found rendered him conspicuous, and he then crossed the courtyard to the dining room prepared to dinewell off fresh fish, mutton, and other products of the country. Althoughthe soup was on the table cooling, the company sat outside round alittle table drinking gin and bitters. Not wanting any, X. As ClarkRussell would say, hung in the wind, and then after a fewseconds--seeing that dinner was certainly ready--seated himself. Thisisolated action rendered him almost as conspicuous as his coat, whichwas also alone in its sombre glory. Presently others followed thestranger's example, and the meal began. Then ensued a period ofdisillusion. There was no punkah, the glare of the lamplight wasblinding, and the food--all of it--coarse, greasy and cold. The soupwhich had been waiting was of the variety known as tinned, an oldacquaintance which X. Had hoped to have left in the jungle until hisreturn. This, and other messes, would not have mattered so greatly, hadnot the proprietor of the hotel, a pompous gentleman (X. Afterwardslearnt he was President of the Race Club), stood sentry over the door, whence issued the rows of servants with the dishes, narrowly watchingwhat each guest partook of and detecting with an eagle eye the uneatablescraps which the defeated diner had striven to conceal beneath his knifeand fork. The most amusing thing during the progress of the meal was theconversation of an elderly English couple, who, in truly British touristfashion seemed to imagine they were alone, and the people round them butfigures of wax who could neither hear nor be affected by anything theymight say. "Oh, how they soak the fish in grease, " the lady wouldexclaim; or, "This is good meat, but ruined, yes, positively ruined inthe cooking; look, my dear, it is (doubtfully, and sniffing at herplate), it is absolutely _soaked_ in grease--oh, what a pity, how canyou eat it, dear--but you would eat anything, " the speaker continuedgarrulously, "for yesterday you ate the fish on board that steamer whenit was almost rotten--I smelt it from my cabin before we came out, etc, "and much more in the same strain. To all these domestic remarks, hercompanion vouchsafed no reply, but continued his dinner as thoughaccustomed to such an accompaniment. 

It was as much as X. Could do to refrain from laughing, and, fearful ofhurting the feelings of others himself, he would take another helpingwhen the proprietor was looking, and felt uncommonly "hot" at theconduct of his compatriot. However, worse was to come, for at the end ofdinner, when the "boys" brought coffee made in the way usual to thecountry--a few drops of cold essence of coffee at the bottom of thecups, which had to be filled up with boiling milk or water--the ladyfrom England could not contain her indignation, but loudly scolded thewaiter for such a stingy way of putting so little in the cup, since"coffee should surely be cheap in Java, " and then proceeded to empty thecontents of all the cups into two, one for herself and one for herhusband, while saying with a smile "we like a cup of coffee, not adrop. " Then while she sipped her full cup like one on whom thereunwillingly dawns the unpleasant consciousness of having made a mistake, the lady further addressed the waiter and asked, "Do they always drinkcold coffee in Java?" The waiter, who could only stand passive whilethis calm robbery was committed--for had not the whole company to waitfor a second brew--made reply with the only English of his vocabulary, "yes. " X. , who had the doubtful advantage of understanding as well asseeing all that was going on, glared fiercely as he saw himself deprivedof the only portion of the meal which was at all likely to be good, andcould willingly have caused an interruption by using his napkin andbread as a sling and a stone. The "yes" of the native apparently checkedthe embarrassment which the lady was beginning to feel, and triumphantlyshe exclaimed, "My goodness, what a country. " Then the husband blew hisnose with discomfort, and, her attention attracted, his good wifeexclaimed, "My dear, you have a cold, let us go to bed, " and they went. X. , and possibly others, found satisfaction in the thought that peoplemight go to bed after partaking of such a concoction as that couple haddone, but that they certainly would not sleep. Nor did they, as thesequel showed. For the lady and her husband also had a room on theterrace suite, and this was divided only by a thin partition from thatof X. , and though he did not wish to listen, the first words whichgreeted his gratified ears on the following morning were, "Oh, darling, I have had such a dreadful night; I never closed my eyes. " X. Heard nomore as he delicately buried his head in the pillows, lest he should bedragged too deep in domestic confidences; but he had heard enough--hewas avenged. And they knew themselves it was the coffee, since it wasnoticed that this night after dinner the sleepless couple each firmlydeclined the brimming cups, which, with kind forethought for the publicgood, the proprietor had ordered to be handed to them. 

CHAPTER X. 

CUSTOMS AND COSTUMES. 

Early in the morning X. Went out to explore, and, naturally, his firstvisit was to those wonderful gardens which are the first in the world, and are the resort of naturalists from all portions of the globe. 

In a sketch of this nature it would be presumption to attempt todescribe the marvels of this garden, one of the sights of the East, which it is worth while going to Java to see. During his walk thetraveller was at every turn astonished at the evidences of wealthamongst the natives, the tiled roofed houses and plentifully stockedorchards and gardens, while goats and sheep browsed everywhere. In thestreets everyone appeared to be selling--there seemed none left tobuy--and they sold the most attractive looking fruits and vegetables, together with a variety of flowers. The population is large, and forsome distance round the town stretched rows and rows of native housesbuilt close together, backs and fronts facing each other in every angleand position, showing that the people must surely live together inunity, _en famille_ or rather _en masse_, in marked contrast to theMalay villages, where, as a rule, each house stands in an enclosure ofits own grounds. But there they have unlimited space, here apparentlythey have unlimited people. 

Himself living an isolated life amongst a native race, it was onlynatural that X. Should be more inclined than the ordinary traveller tonotice the people of the country and their surroundings. He had heard somany stories of their oppression by the Dutch and the uncomfortableconditions under which they lived, that the actual appearance of thenatives came as a surprise, which only increased the more he saw and thefurther he travelled in Java. 

As to higher life in Java, to any one who has been there or knowsanything of the country, its social conditions are well known. Buthowever much may have been previously heard of them, it cannot but givethe ordinary Englishman a shock, when he is for the first timeconfronted with them in their reality. Intermarriage with the people ofthe country is not only condoned, but almost encouraged, and it is nouncommon thing to meet the children of these marriages in the highestsociety. Cases occur where people, holding great positions, legitimizetheir children, and after years of unsolemnized intercourse lead theirmother to the altar. The mothers of many children being educated inHolland, probably in the future to enter the service of the country, aresimply native women still living in their villages. The accident ofbirth would seldom be considered a bar when ascending official heights, nor is a mixed parentage any obstacle to such distinction. 

Many instances of this were observed by X. During his visit, and, thoughthe state of affairs appeared to him rather strange, he was obliged toown that from a Dutch point of view there existed many and weightyarguments in its favour, the _pros_ and _cons_ of such a question arecertainly beyond the scope of a book which only purports to note for thebenefit of intending travellers such things as merit observation. 

So far as I can gather, there were few excursions to be made fromBuitenzorg and few sights, but in the afternoon he drove to see a famousstone covered with Hindoo inscriptions, the first indication brought tohis notice of the real origin of this now Mahommedan people. 

Late in the day X. Decided to call upon the official who holds theposition corresponding with that of an English Colonial Secretary, andto ask his assistance in obtaining a pass to continue his journey intothe interior. Though warned not to call before 7 p. M. , just as it wasgetting dusk, the traveller felt nervous and fidgety, unable to reallybelieve that he would be doing right to make a call so late, and thussix o'clock found him approaching the very modest-looking dwelling inwhich the great official dwelt. A glance was enough to show that he waswrong and his informant right, since in front of him, at a desk in aroom off the verandah, sat his host still clothed in the undress ofpyjamas--not having yet made his toilet for the evening. However, thoughX. Felt guilty of a _gaucherie_, the sense of it came entirely from hisown consciousness, and not at all from the manner of the gentleman whomhe interrupted, for without the least trace of either annoyance orsurprise, but as though the untimely appearance of a stranger and aforeigner was a daily occurrence, he bade him welcome with politecordiality. This official was as agreeable and well informed as anyonethe traveller had met, and X. Always waxes enthusiastic when speaking ofhim. With true courtesy he at once abandoned the work on which he wasengaged, without that last lingering look at the table which so oftenruins the grace of a similar sacrifice, and forthwith evinced the utmostinterest in the affairs of his guest. He quickly reassured himconcerning his pass, and, on hearing that he was in some way connectedwith the Government across the Straits, immediately promised to procurefor him a special permit which would enable him to travel where hewould, and ensure assistance from all with whom he came in contact. Though, at this time relying upon his own ability to manage the order ofhis going, X. May not have attached much importance to the future partwhich this permit would play, at the end of his travels he gladlyacknowledged that it proved of the utmost utility, and there was morethan one occasion on which he felt impelled to record words of gratitudetowards him who had so thoughtfully provided it. 

_Apropos_ of the calling hour, it may be mentioned here that this is asocial rock on which many English people strike. I use this nauticalsimile advisedly since, not so very long ago, no less a person than aBritish Admiral wishing to follow the hours to which he was accustomedpaid his official call on the Dutch Naval Commander at five o'clock. TheDutch Admiral, who was not then dressed, and did not intend to dressuntil seven o'clock, declined to receive him at such an unusual hour, and the question of dress, always one of the first importance in theBritish Navy, then became rather a burning one, until tactful mediatorspaved the way for a more successful visit. Whereas, in the East, Englishpeople maintain their usual habits and customs--did not our grandfatherswear tall hats when pig-sticking in India?--the Dutch in Java adopt thehabits and the clothes they consider most fitting for the climate. Itis not intended to imply that both are loose, though certainly theformer are somewhat relaxed. No visitor to the country is competent togive a judgment for or against the manners he finds there. X. Longed toimpress this on more than one tourist whom he met on his travels. 

Few Dutch ladies in Java mind being seen in what to us appearsundress--a sarong and kabaya--and frequently, when without guests, it isthe custom to dine in this scanty apparel. In consequence there is adislike to dining out, which involves the wearing of European clothes inall their fashionable tightness, and many a story is told in Batavia ofsudden illness amongst lady guests during the evening--illness easilyattributable to the unusual compression of garments, worn only on suchrare occasions. 

There is seldom necessity for dressing since Europeans scarcely evercall in Java--of ladies it may be said they never call--though in themornings they drive round in covered carriages visiting their intimatefriends, clad in the skirts of the country so universally adopted. 

CHAPTER XI. 

AN UNTIMELY CALL. 

It was this same custom which caused discomfiture to X. On the followingday, when having received the promised special permit, a documentcalling upon all officials to assist him, in the name of theGovernor-General himself, he decided that it would be only right that heshould present himself at the house of the ruler who had signed it, andin token of gratitude and respect inscribe his name in his book. As thetraveller had no intention of seeing anyone or attempting to enter thegorgeous palace which stands in the midst of the famous gardens, thereseemed no need to trouble about the time for the call, and therefore itseemed well to make it the excuse for a walk and fit it in with hisafternoon stroll. Accordingly about 5 o'clock found him walking up thebroad avenue, on either side of which were browsing deer in greatnumbers--a very novel feature to anyone who for years had only seen suchcreatures wild excepting one time when--but no I must withhold thetemptation to wander off the broad avenue which leads the visitor up tothe stately pile in front of him as, like he did a little further on, Iwould wish to get it over. For it is not pleasant even to record theadmittedly awkward situations in which X. , who had always prided himselfon his _savoir faire_, now so often found himself. 

As he approached the portico (it reminded him much of Gorhambury, theseat of Lord Verulam, in Hertfordshire) the stranger became aware, rather than actually saw, that there were two figures seated on the mainverandah having tea. He almost felt their eyes upon him in wonder andamusement, and, as he gradually neared the steps without in any waylooking up, it was in some mysterious manner conveyed to him that thesefigures were ladies, and their dress, the sarong and kabaya! What was heto do. He could not turn and fly, nor could he diverge from the broadpath and wander across the grass like any common trespasser--and, evenwhile he wondered, his steps took him deliberately on, feelingself-conscious in the most literal understanding of the word--andinexorably each moment took him nearer, though in the endeavour to putoff the evil moment he had, perhaps unknown to himself, slowed down hispreviously deliberate saunter until his feet were now doing little morethan marking slow time. However, the visitor gazed alternately at thetops of the trees and the roof of the palace, as though things ofabsorbing interest were there taking place, and at last he was obligedto realize that he had reached the lowest step of the imposingstaircase. 

X. Assures me that it is a fact, he never once lowered his eyes orfocussed the little party before him, although ultimately the tea tablecould not have been more than a few yards off. There stood the strangerwith a vacant expression which would have made the fortune of aperformer in a waxwork show, and hoped and almost prayed that a servantof some kind would appear, receive his signature or his card and allowhim to return to the comfortless obscurity of his hotel. There was nobell, and no servant came, and the silence at length became unbearable. Relief came at last from the tea party for the voice of a lady suddenlyfairly shrieked for a "boy. " After this explosion the tension of thesituation was relieved, and there was a sound as of chairs hastilypushed back and the patter of little feet and the rustle of sarongs, which led X. To infer that there had been some sort of a retreat. Then aflurried native appeared, he seemed a kind of gardener hastily fetchedfrom his duties, possibly the mowing machine, and pouring forth words ina strange dialect he pointed wildly to another flight of steps andanother door. Following this menial, a veritable _deus ex machina_, X. Was led down those palatial steps and up another flight round thecorner. There the gardener threw open a door and seemed disposed toresign his custody of the stranger, preparing to return again to hismachine. But X. Steadily declined to enter alone into that vast hall, nor would he even stay to look for a book in which to write his name, for he felt that the hasty retreat he had heard was not carried beyondthe nearest pillars, and each moment he tarried, the fugitives werewondering what he could be doing while, alas, their tea was gettingcold. And so he thrust his card, his only guarantee of good faith, intothe soiled hand of the solitary attendant of this Eastern palace andfled--but fled he hoped with dignity. As he walked down the avenue withconscious and deliberate steps--admiring the view on the right of himand the view on the left of him--never looking back, though the desirefor one glance was so overpowering that the nape of his neck actuallyached, he conquered, and finally emerged from those great gates withoutany further satisfaction to the curiosity aroused by his firstinvoluntary glimpse. But so long as he remained in Java he never paidanother call before dusk, a more convenient time, when such_contretemps_ are not likely to occur. 

CHAPTER XII. 

A MODEL ESTATE

X. Was informed that the proper journey from Buitenzorg was by carriage_via_ Poentjuk to Sindanglaya, where a stay should be made atGezondleid's establishment after securing an upstairs room. The nextstage in the traveller's journey is to Tjandjoer and thence to Garvet. And after a week at Garvet on again to Djoedja, Solo, Semarang, etc. , but the traveller had already had sufficient of hotel life in Java, andso determined to at once avail himself of a kind invitation he hadreceived to stay on an estate, not many miles from Soekaboemi. After afew hours' rail in a first-class carriage (this fact is worth recordingas it was very seldom that such accommodation could be had, even if afirst-class ticket had been issued), he duly reached the station wherehe had been instructed to alight. Here his host had sent two ponies tomeet him, one for himself and one for his servant, as well as severalcoolies to carry his luggage. So, Abu being left at the house of thestationmaster in care of the rest of the luggage (a terrible quantity, the cost of its transport almost equalled the first-class fare of itsowner), X. , followed by Usoof, started on the ten mile ride which led totheir destination. The path was a very rough one, and for the firstportion of the distance the way was through an open country planted withpadi as far as the eye could reach. The little ponies cared nothing forthe stony path, and went gamely along as though accustomed to canter ona hard high road. After crossing the valley the route began to ascendthe range of hills, at the summit of which, 2, 000 feet high, the estatewas situated. For almost the entire length of this ascent the view wasso glorious that the traveller continued to exclaim in wonder to hiscompanion to stop and look. Usoof who, as has been related, was a nativeof the country, affected to gaze at it with the unconcern of aproprietor, merely reminding his master that he had always said, thathis was a very fine country. For miles below the padi fields stretchedaway narrowing in the distance, and here and there amidst this expanseof emerald green were dotted little clumps of green of a darker shade, these being the trees surrounding the clusters of houses inhabited bythe fortunate owners of the land. And every now and again athwart thegreen carpet, stretched out below, glittered belts of water sparklinglike silver in the sun. The hills, which were also all planted withpadi, looked like grassy slopes with a back-ground formed by terraces ofhill-tops. One above the other they lay in ranges, until, in thefurthest distance, mountains of noble height towered like giants abovethem all. It surely was a view worth going far to see, a wealth of greensuch as an untravelled eye could not even dimly realise. No troubles oftravel, no greasy cookery or breadless meals could matter one jot ifthis was the reward. The view repaid the enterprise even if the path bywhich it were approached led only to a wayside inn of the mostunpretentious type, but its joys were enhanced by the anticipation of avisit to a couple well known for their hospitality to strangers. Thehost being a fellow-countryman who had had the good fortune to marry aDutch lady of most distinguished family. Almost at the summit of thehill, about eight miles from the station, stood a little halting housebearing the English-looking signboard with the legend of the "Pig andWhistle. " Here refreshments awaited the travellers, and then the journeywas continued along a jungle path which shortly emerged on to thecultivated slopes of the estate. These slopes were covered with cinchonatrees, which X. Afterwards learnt were in process of being rapidlyreplaced by tea-plants. Presently at a dip in the road the first glimpsewas caught of the house below. A little English cottage, it appeared, nestling cosily in a hollow, close beside a mountain stream. A nearerapproach revealed that the cottage was covered with blue convolvulus andother creepers, and that the verandahs were enclosed with glass. It allreminded him somehow of a well-known cottage by Boulter's Lock, andthere came a curious thrill of home memories at the sight of a typicalEnglish home. On the further side of the stream stood a little detachedpavilion, kept exclusively for guests, after the fashion of all Dutchhouses in the East. This annexe is generally considered the house of theelder son, but it is more usually built and used for the accommodationof guests; an excellent arrangement in a country where both entertainersand entertained wish occasionally to repose in attire, whose lightnessis best suited to the climate. A rustic bridge connected the twobuildings, and just above it was the bath room, into which a portion ofthe stream had been diverted, so as to form a natural shower bath. Thestream and bridge and cottage, with their back-ground of hills andfore-ground of roses, combined to make such a picture that X. Longed tobe able to sketch it and take it away and keep it. The interior of thiscottage was as cosy and home-like as the outside promised it would be, and, wonder of wonders! it had real wall paper on the walls. This almostunheard of luxury in the East was a triumph of the skill of the hostess, and had so far successfully defied the ravages of mildew and damp. Thechief characteristic of the house was that it looked like a home, itstasteful decoration and contents indicating that the inhabitants hadcome to stay. Most houses in the East have an unmistakeable air of beingmere temporary shelters, where the owners are lodging till they can getaway to their household goods now warehoused "at home. "

This was only the second house X. Had seen in this part of the world, where the owners looked as if they lived in it (the other was inSelangor). In this ideal spot it was the good fortune of the travellerto spend some days--days pleasantly spent in riding about theestate--which he soon grew to covet, and in watching the planting of thetea, which, it was hoped, would eventually enable the kind host andhostess to return with wealth to their native land. The climate at thiselevation was delightful, cool, and invigorating, and it was possible tofollow English hours and habits. Instead of getting up at 5 a. M. To gofor a ride, as was the custom in Pura Pura, X. Found himself startingfor a ride after breakfast, about ten o'clock, without fear of the sun, and this total change lifted his spirits, and he recorded silent thanksto The Community who had suggested Java for his jaunt. 

As may be imagined, during his stay in the hills the visitor was able tolearn much about the country, and hear many things that not onlyinterested him, but excited his admiration for the administration of theprecise and order-loving race who owned this beautiful island. Contraryto what he had been led to believe, chiefly, perhaps, by a book whichhad given currency to the impression, he found that the planters weregreatly assisted by the Government officials, who endeavour to work withthem, and, whenever possible, to meet their wishes. The cooliescertainly all appeared happy, when X. Got accustomed to seeing themcrouch servilely in the ditches when he or his host passed by. Englishofficials in the native states of the Peninsula are accustomed to passtheir lives amongst the Malays, to listen to and help them in theirtroubles, and to be constantly surrounded by them as followers orcompanions, and the inmates and affairs of each household are known, much as those of the cottagers on his estate would be to a home-stayingcountry squire in England. It can then be understood how strange itseemed to X. To ride amongst people of the same race and see them crouchdown as he passed, not even daring to lift their eyes, as it is countedan offence should they meet the gaze of one of the ruling race. Whatcould the latter really know of these people, he wondered, whenknowledge had to be obtained from across such a social gulf as this. Hecould not conceal the disagreeable impression made upon him, but manyreasons were afterwards given to him as to why this state of thingsshould exist, and some of them were, he was compelled to admit, goodones. The chief and foremost was, perhaps, that all Javanese customs andmanners are full of exaggerated formality and etiquette. These the Dutchadopted as they found them, including all outward tokens of respect forthose of superior rank, deeming that all Europeans should be treatedwith the same ceremony as the native headman. 

One of the other reasons given was that the Dutch, being a small nationand unable to keep a large force in the country, must rely upon keepingthe natives down in their proper place--under foot--for the continuanceof the supremacy they had achieved. X. , as others would do, can onlyhope that this view, though heard from several sources, was given to him"sarcastic like, " and that it was expected he would duly appreciate theirony. And perhaps he did, seeing that he came from a country where, without the presence of a single soldier, the widely scattered, and inmany cases isolated, officials can act as the friends and advisers of anative race without the least fear of any loss of dignity or position, both accepted as so much a matter of course as to make any questionregarding them impossible. 

Java is, perhaps, the most governed country in the world. This phrase isnot the writer's; he merely quotes an opinion to be found in books onJava, written by men entitled to judge, and frequently expressed bypeople our traveller met in that island. The people are united by whatmight be described as chains of officials, and each link in each chainsubmits periodically precise reports on everything and everybody withinhis charge. The system sounds flawless, and the head of all, the chiefofficial in the country, has thus pigeon-holed in front of him moredetailed and readily-found information about his subjects than is, perhaps, possessed by any other ruler in the world. This is a matterwhich might excite admiration, and there is no doubt that it in somerespects merits it, and the contrast presented to our own system ofgovernment in the adjacent mainland is worthy of examination. But itwould be out of place in a book which professes to do no more thandescribe a pleasant tour, and X. 's opinion upon a question of suchgravity, even though formed after a lengthy sojourn amongst the Malays, and no little personal experience of the life and manners of an Easternpeople, may be omitted. It may be recorded, however, that the questionmade him ponder, and he wondered if the officials who knew everybodyalso knew everything, and whether many matters worthy of record did notfind themselves washed on one side as the stream of reports wound itsway from one native official to another, then to the subordinateEuropean officials (sometimes married to native women), and then oncemore on to the pigeon-holes of the central authority. As I write I havebefore me a list of fifteen titles of native officials given to X. Byone of themselves. There is no need to enumerate them here, thoughallusion to them may suggest the possibilities of the various stages ofthe journey to the final pigeon-holes. 

Natives themselves have evidently formed opinions on these matters, since in some of the native states of the Peninsula it was always thecustom of the people to invite a raja from another country to come andrule over them, experience having taught them that a man with interestand relations in the country might not always be sufficiently impartial;in the same manner the native Mahommedan priest is always selected fromanother nationality. However, to return to the place where we left X. Riding along amongst the young tea plants. When the coolies were notrunning away from him or crouching to avoid the shock of meeting hisimperial glance, he was bound to admit that they were apparently happyand contented, and, seeing the circumstances under which they lived, itwould have been strange had they not been so. These people were providedwith ample work within easy reach of their homes, which lay among thesurrounding hills. It seemed an earthly labour paradise to an official, accustomed to hear the complaints of planters lamenting losses due totheir labourers, imported coolies from India, China or Java, runningaway. Not only is the lot of the coolies in Java more conducive tocontent than those in the Peninsula, but the planter is also happier inthe current rate of wages; 20 to 25 cents a day (Java cents) and forwomen 15 cents. On this estate, as on most others, there was a festivalfund for the coolies, that is a certain sum of money is spent annuallyon their recreation, providing for musical instruments and paying fortravelling shows, etc. X. Felt that he had had the best of showsprovided for him, a show estate, where the supply of labour was cheapand unlimited, and the people well cared for without any elaboratelegislation being required for their protection. Here at any rate was apositive result of the administration of the Dutch, and a confutation ofthe stories of down-trodden peasants in Java; and the traveller made uphis mind that if possible he would one day be a planter and that hisplantation should be in Java. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

AMONG THE ROSES. 

Life was so smooth and even in this little cottage by the river thatdays flew by with that pleasant rapidity which leaves nothing to recordexcept a general sense of restful enjoyment. One expedition, however, might be described, a visit paid to a neighbouring estate which had beenadvertised for sale, as giving a glimpse of a typical phase ofup-country life. The call was paid about noon, and after riding down asteep hill, where natives were busily engaged in planting tea, the twoEnglishmen came upon a little square white house half hidden in a bendin the stream. This building had a deserted, untidy look which wasintensified by the state of the garden which surrounded it; even at somedistance from the house the scent of roses was perceptible, and in thegarden itself, if such a wilderness deserves the name, the odour wasalmost overpowering. The place was a miniature forest of rose-bushes, loaded with lovely blossoms, roses such as X. Had not seen since heleft his native land. Everything looked untidy and ragged and ruined;the house, the creepers, the rose bushes, the grass, the pigeon loftsall spoke of neglect and want of money to put them straight, a wantcaused by the fall in the price of cinchona, a misfortune which hadinvolved many a fair estate and reduced it to the desolate and unkemptcondition exemplified by the one now visited. But even unkempt anduncared for, what a picture it made! It was the realisation of a poeticdeath--the victim smothered by roses beside the singing waters of abrook. It was a long time before any one came, and the two visitors satin the verandah feeling rather shy and uncomfortable, for this was theneighbour's first visit, and the native, who had ushered them in, vanished, sending weird cries around the tangled garden paths as thoughto summon his master home. 

At length, after long waiting, the silence and suspense, and the wonderof who would come, from which direction, and when, grew almostunbearable, and the absurd situation so wrought on their nerves thatboth visitors gave vent to little gasps of laughter, brought on probablyby the same nervous sensations which compel children to misbehave inchurch--direct promptings of the evil one, inducing a desire to do thatwhich we know we should not do. At length, after it had been debated inhurried whispers whether a departure could not be effected, the lady ofthe house appeared upon the scene. She was a tall, large lady, inappearance typically Dutch. She wore the usual white linen jacket andskimpy sarong, and her legs were bare. She gave a cordial greeting inDutch, at least to X. It was Dutch, for he knew nothing whatever of thelanguage. This his friend carefully explained, so he surmised, as thelady gave vent to various guttural exclamations of astonishment andturned to gaze at him as though he were indeed a strange person tobehold. 

The conversation between the two then continued glibly, and X. Was quiteforgotten, and he felt neglected and grew fidgety, realizing that heextremely disliked this novel sensation of being ignored, without thepossibility of attracting any attention to himself by a remark. He wassoon to learn however, that those trifling inconveniences of which weare cognizant are generally less unpleasant than those we do not know, for presently there was a stir and a general rising from seats as thehusband of the good lady emerged from the house on to the verandah. Thisgentleman was tall and dark, with a pointed grey beard like an Americanin a caricature. He was clothed in a strange _deshabille_, which endedin bare feet thrust loosely into carpet slippers, and when the eyes ofthe visitors reached thus far they realized why his complexion was sodark. After the first greetings the host--who X. Afterwards learnt hadonce held high office under Government, which he gave up forplanting--turned towards him and proceeded to harangue him without fullstops. There is no other way to describe what took place, as hecontinued to pour language at his guest without the least apparentdesire for reply. To say that the visitor felt uncomfortable would be tomildly describe his feelings--he had wished for recognition, and surelyhad it now. What would his host think of him, if he allowed him tocontinue to talk and never informed him that he could not understand oneword of Dutch? Again and again he endeavoured to stem the torrent ofwords and explain both in English and in French, and this being of noavail, at the risk of appearing rude and inattentive, X. Turned to hisfriend and begged him to make the matter clear. The friend saidsomething in Dutch, but he must, it seemed, have said the wrong thing, since it had not the slightest effect, and the host continued his talk, probably all about the advantages of the estate he wished to sell. Then, regarding the situation as hopeless, X. Fixed his expression into one ofintelligent attention and waited for him to stop. But he was not soattentive that he did not presently hear the good lady say something tohis friend which caused him to exclaim as though astonished, and with asuppressed click of a laugh he turned to X. And said, "It's all right. Madame has just told me he is stone deaf and can't hear a word, so it'sno use my saying anything, he would understand you as well. " "But can'tthe lady tell him I don't know Dutch?" exclaimed X. Almostdesperately--but too late, for by this time his friend was again deeplyengaged in conversation with his hostess, and there was nothing to bedone but once more give his assumed attention to his host. A pleasantsituation truly, to go to a man's house for the first time and soconduct yourself that you feel certain he will presently believe that itwas your intention to deliberately insult and make a fool of him. X. Will never forget that quarter of an hour. At last the conversationended by its appearing that the lady had suggested, and her visitoragreed to, a walk round the estate. When he gathered this, X. Eagerlyseconded the proposition, but it took all joy out of it to find that theverbose proprietor insisted upon accompanying them himself to do thehonours of the place. It was in vain that X. Endeavoured to plant him onhis friend, for his prolonged assumption of intelligent interest hadapparently been so successful, that his host was flattered and neverleft his side. However, a few climbs up slippery by-paths--I feardeliberately chosen--soon dislodged the slippers, and the poor man wascompelled to heed what, it is hoped, he interpreted as politeentreaties not to put himself out for his visitors and return to thehouse. Then ensued a tour of the estate, which had once been of greatpromise and now, alas, was overrun with undergrowth and weed. Aftertheir walk the Englishmen found that the most hospitable preparationshad been made for their entertainment, and, more, that these hadevidently been seen to by a daughter whose presence had not before beenobserved. Would I could describe this young girl as she appeared to X. , who has confessed that he found it quite impossible to find words withwhich to paint a picture which could do her the scantiest justice. Simply attired in the same costume as her mother, but oh, how becomingthat costume can be! This charming apparition carried round the glassesand offered wine to the visitors, while X. Wished heartily that the dearold host would harangue him ever so long that he might keep silence andwatch--watch this dainty, dark-eyed maiden, who looked as if she hadstepped out of some old picture to render those little domestic servicesafter the custom of days gone by; and as he received his glass from thecharming attendant, he endeavoured to think what it was this kindlyservice most called to mind, and in his memory he found it in thosehospitable houses in New Zealand beyond the Bay of Islands where once hevisited, and all the daily life was like a glimpse of a century that hadpassed. But though visiting was good, X. Was soon wanting to improvehis position and show that he was capable of taking a more active partin the conversation than he had hitherto done, and so reckless of hishost's disgust at a sudden lack of attention, he rose and went to theside table to sniff at the beautiful flowers and peep at the samplesacks of coffee which lay piled in the corner of the room. But suchlittle wiles to obtain speech with the modest maiden were of small use, when one party spoke English and the other Dutch, while neither of themknew both. It is true that X. Could have carried on a conversation inMalay, and he was sure that that language would be well known to all thefamily, but he had been warned that people in Java did not like to beaddressed in a language they considered fit only for a medium ofcommunication with their servants. An invitation to stay and lunch wasrefused--in Dutch--and the planter friend afterwards explained that hehad done so, as he thought X. Would not have liked to go without bread, since in such establishments up country bread was never found. Asif--under the circumstances--X. Would have cared whether he ate bread orrice, provided the rose-nymph had handed it to him; and so alas! theyrode away beyond the fragrance of the roses and through the neglectedgrounds, carrying with them a new memory of home life which it will behard to forget. The shabby, neglected house--the sacks of coffee andflowers run riot--the deaf, courteous ex-official, perhaps proud of hisdescent from some great Makassar chief--the kindly lady, embodiment ofperfect health, who long ago had left her home in Europe for life in adistant land with the husband of her choice--and last but not least ofall these impressions of that day--their child--reared in a gloriouscountry unspoilt by contact with civilization--simple, unaffected, apicture from the past. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

GARVET. 

After leaving the cottage on the estate X. Started for Garvet. The viewfrom the train, as it reached its destination, was certainly one of themost beautiful that could be imagined. Long reaches of padi fields, backed by hills in a high state of cultivation, and the whole watered bylittle gushing torrents that looked cool and refreshing in theall-surrounding sun. 

It is impossible to describe the scenery as it appeared to thetraveller, or in any way to do it justice. It is altogether new andunlike anything seen in other countries, with the exception, perhaps, ofCeylon or Japan, and it is worth a journey from Europe to see. 

The hotel at Garvet proved to be a combination of little buildings, scattered about in the gardens surrounding the main buildings, or acrossthe road in enclosures of their own. X. Obtained one of these cottages, and felt that he would be fairly comfortable, till an inspection of thebathing arrangements made him shudder. 

When dinner time arrived, _table d'hote_ also served to dispelillusions. There was the same absence of punkah, the same glaring light, and succession of half-cooked clammy dishes. There were only a fewdiners, apparently mostly residents of the place who boarded at thehotel. These gentlemen had put on black coats, and made a kind of toiletfor the evening meal. But the penance they thus endured was brief, as, after hastily disposing of sufficient of the viands to satisfy theirindividual wants, they retired to their verandahs, where X. Soon sawthem reclining in all the comfort of pyjamas and bare feet. Apparentlythe coating of civilization was not sufficiently thin to be congenial. 

In the morning the traveller went to pay his respects to theAssistant-Resident, who received him very kindly, and gave him all theinformation he required. This rather interrupted the work of the officeas, whenever the Assistant-Resident turned to any employee to ask howfar such and such a place might be distant, or the tariff of carriages, etc. , the person so addressed, no matter how engaged, would, beforereply, immediately flop on to his knees. The Regent was also calling onthe representative of the Government, and to him the Englishman wasintroduced. This native functionary was fat and well-looking, but didnot seem to exactly bristle with intelligence. 

The Assistant-Resident very kindly conversed freely with his visitorabout matters affecting the natives, and gave him much information, which, from the nature of his own work in Pura Pura, interested himgreatly. To those whom the subject interests, the land system in Java istoo well known to need comment here, but there were a few facts learntby X. Which should remove any idea amongst those who have not studiedthe question, that the laws were either harsh or intricate. Indeed, theyseem to attain that brevity and simplicity which are the greatdesideratum when dealing with a native peasantry. Thus, a man need payno rent until his land is in bearing. Coffee is the only product whosesale to Government is compulsory. All land is classified and subject toa fixed rent, there is therefore a safeguard that the fruits of anowner's industry will not be taxed. Anyone can complain if he thinks hisland is rated too high, and should be in a lower class, and thecomplaint receives immediate attention. Though the population is large, there is seldom any trouble about boundary marks in the padi fields. Owners are content with long custom and local knowledge, and theirreliance on their host of native officials never fails. All new landmust be fenced round, if it is contiguous to Government land, and on allplantations people must themselves plant trees as boundaries and upkeepthem. And one register of titles with columns filled in and signed, according to its cultivation and classification, answers for all. Lastly, let it be mentioned that there is a golden rule, that a nativecannot sell his land to anyone but his own countrymen, neither toEuropean, Arab or Chinese. Thus no individual, tempted by thespeculation, can by his selfish action, cause harm or annoyance to hisneighbours. This one register of titles, mentioned above, is graduallyfilled in and signed as the land is brought into cultivation, and anexact record is thus kept of the actual present condition of each nativeholding. When finally signed, and the land yields produce, rent isdemanded. The advantage of simplicity can only be realized by thosewhose lot it has been to pose as the bringer of glad tidings, andexpound the advantages of the last new land code with its manyparagraphs to an ignorant native population, who, unreasoning, tenaciously cling to the title which they already hold and think theyunderstand, obstinately refusing, speak the speaker never so plausibly, to exchange it for the very newest that can be given to them from themost up-to-date land code in existence. 

After his interview with the courteous official, X. Departed, ponderingon all he had heard, and bearing with him a memo, on which was writtenthe various places of interest which he had been recommended to visit inthe neighbourhood. On his return to the hotel the traveller passed whatappeared to be the local club. 

The first thing an English official in an outstation in India or thePeninsula will do for a stranger arriving with introductions, is tooffer to put him up for the club, and unless there seem strong reasonagainst it, he will most probably ask him to dinner. Apparently this wasnot the custom here, and so X. Was free to wander about the little townand explore, with nothing more exciting to look forward to than arepetition of last night's gruesome meal in company with the sufferingtenants of the prandial coats. 

CHAPTER XV. 

BATHS AND VOLCANOES. 

Garvet seemed to boast of an enormous population for there were endlessrows, or rather groups of houses, crowded together, face to face, backto back, and side by side, giving the idea of a casual conglomeration ofseveral villages. All these were scrupulously clean and neat, and fencedround with little bamboo rails. Nearly every house had a tiled roof, andall were of a superior class to the majority of those up country in thePeninsula. The streets were little short of marvellously swept andclean, and it was decided by X. During that walk that Garvet was thecleanest Eastern town he had ever seen--the capital of Pura Pura ofcourse excepted. Much had been talked of about the hot baths at TjiPanao, and so the traveller determined to make that his first excursion. Hiring a conveyance drawn by three ponies abreast--reminding him of hisearly youth when he would wonder at a smart turn-out in the Park athome--three ponies abreast driven by a well known leader of society andfashion, before the days of two-wheeled pony carts and bicycles, X. Told the driver to go to Tji Panao, and looked forward to spending adelicious half hour lying in warm water like that of the springs in NewZealand, which send the bather forth invigorated and refreshed. Anotherdisillusion was in store for him, however, in this country where naturehas done so much and man--for comfort--so little. The baths were locatedin a shed on the side of a hill. This shed had three partitions. In eachpartition was a shallow brick hole in which it was possible to sit. Thehot water was conveyed into these holes by means of pipes, one at thehead of each. The floor all round the bath was dirty, and the onlyfurniture was one cane chair. The depth of the water in the baths wasabout three inches, and in this on slimy bricks the bather had to sitmiserably, with the lower portion of his body immersed in warm waterwhile the upper remained high and dry in the comparatively cool airabove. X. Had made preparations for a prolonged stay in the water, andcame provided with literature to pass the time, but a very brief dipunder the circumstances proved enough, and he soon unhitched hisclothing from the back of the chair and prepared to depart. Close bythese baths was a building containing four rooms, apparently aGovernment Rest House, very well furnished and comfortable, so it wasevident that people came there on purpose to make use of the baths. Thehot water springs possess great capabilities, and with a little troubleand expenditure of money they should become both enjoyable and a sourceof revenue. 

There were one or two other excursions to be made from Garvet, but theonly one worthy of mention was that which was made to the volcano atTjiseroepan. One morning, together with Usoof and Abu, for X. Wasgrowing tired of sight seeing all alone, having obtained permission fromthe kind Assistant-Resident to use the Government Rest House, he droveto Tjiseroepan. The road was excellent and the route, needless to say, lay through a beautiful country. Here, as everywhere else, allwell-to-do natives were riding ponies. The distance was thirteen miles. Tjiseroepan is a little village in the hills at the foot of the mountainwhich it was proposed to ascend on the following day. The traveller wasreceived by the Assistant Wodena, a native official who had been ridingsuspiciously behind and before the carriage during the last two miles. After reading the credentials of the stranger and finding that he couldconverse in Malay, the local magnate became quite cordial, and made X. Free of the Government Rest House. This was well furnished with beds andtables, etc. , but glass and crockery were not provided. 

The Assistant Wodena conducted the visitor round the village, which wasa model of neatness. Each house stood in a garden, growing coffee, vegetables, and strawberries. The head of the village and a few otherslive in very good houses, and there seemed to be ponies without number. The village perched on a slope and the cultivated hillside bore someresemblance to a scene in the South of Italy. The usual signs ofprosperity and content reigned everywhere, and neither in this village, nor elsewhere, where X. Conversed with the natives could he findanything to explain the commonly accepted view that the people of Javaare inimical to their rulers. 

The Rest House proved comfortable, X. Had brought his own provisions, which his servants cooked, and for once he enjoyed a hot and palatablemeal. There was plenty of opportunity for conversation with theAssistant Wodena, who was quite willing to discourse on the customs ofthe country, and he gave a most interesting account of the elaborateetiquette of Javanese Rajas, and of the extraordinary deference paid bycommoners to rank. He in his turn asked many questions concerningMalacca and the Malay Straits, about which his interlocutor was able togive him all the information sought for. 

The next morning the sightseer and his followers ascended the mountainon ponies to see the volcano. This was a kind of inferno with wickedmouths which looked like ventilators from the bowels of the earthspitting and hissing blinding steam. 

The whole face of the mountain was yellow with sulphur, and the air wassickening from its smell. Usoof and Abu were not a little terrified bythis awful experience, and grasped their Tuan by the arm entreating himnot to venture near what, they evidently thought, were the gates ofhell. 

I feel that I have paid sufficient deference to my instructions inrecording the impressions the scenery made upon the traveller, and shalltherefore omit all mention of what he saw while descending the mountain. He described it as wonderful, and those of my readers who have arrivedthus far will be prepared to admit the accuracy of the description. 

The party reached Garvet in time to catch the two o'clock train toTassikmalaja, and thus make a start for Tjilatjap. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE QUEST FOR A MOTHER. 

To start for Tjilatjap was such an unusual departure that it merits achapter all to itself. No one had apparently left Garvet for Tjilatjapfor years, since it had been pronounced to be one of the most unhealthyplaces in the island. The correct thing for every traveller to do is togo to Tassikmalaya for the night and proceed from thence to Djoeja bytrain, go by carriage to Beroboeddoer, where a halt for the night can bemade at a Government Rest House. The drive is twenty-five miles. Thenext morning the traveller should drive ten miles further to Magelang, while his luggage goes by train or bullock cart. From Magelang Amberawais reached by another drive of twenty miles, and from here the railwaycan be taken to Semerang or back to Djoeja, and from there to Solo, athree hours' journey. 

X. Was informed that everyone took this route, but he persisted instarting for Tjilatjap, notwithstanding that the lady who presided overthe hotel assured him that it was the most fever stricken port in thecountry. Had he known then as much as he subsequently learnt of the evilreputation of the place it is probable that the traveller might havechanged his plans. As it was, he only replied that he was inured tofever and did not mind. At that time he had no particular reason forgoing to one place more than another, and therefore the one which drovehim in this direction was good enough to serve his purpose. Usoofdesired to commence the search for his mother. He had no recollection ofthe village where he was born, but believed it to be somewhere near thecoast which, considering the country was an island, was somewhat a vagueindication. After assisting his Tuan to study a map he exclaimed thatthe name Tjilatjap sounded familiar to him, and sure enough it was alarge town on the coast. Now, he argued, it could not be familiar unlesshe had heard it before, and that could only have been when he was inJava, and as he was then little more than a baby, only the names ofplaces in the neighbourhood of his birth place could have been familiarto him. It mattered little to X. Where he went, the further away fromthe beaten track, the more opportunity for studying the natives andlearning something of their lives. So he readily agreed to go toTjilatjap. It was only after all plans had been settled that its evilreputation for fever was heard of. 

The first stage of the journey was to Tassimalaja, and, leaving Garvetat two, they arrived there in time for dinner. So far as could be judgedfrom a very brief stay during the dark hours and early morning, thisseemed a pretty little country town, but the train left early and therewas little time to look about. The first important stop was at Maos, where a change had to be made. Among the passengers was an Englishmanwhom X. Had met some ten years before in New York. He was going theorthodox round to Ojoedja and Semarang. The two Englishmen, bothexperienced travellers, exchanged views as to their respectiveimpressions of Java, and both agreed that, wherever they went, thecourtesy and assistance received equalled if they did not exceed anythey had met with in other portions of the globe they had trotted over. At Maos their ways separated, though fate brought them together again onboard the steamer to Singapore. 

Another companion of the journey was a versatile young Dutchman whospoke many languages and proved to be very good company. This gentlemanapparently had no great admiration for his fellow-countrymen, as he sawthem in Java. He abused with equal impartiality the food and the mannerof life, and declared that the Dutch in Java were devoid both ofdigestion and energy. They were in fact half dead from bad food and toomuch sleep. This communicative companion also gave his views on thecivil service, which had gradually grown from the stage, when anyonecould be pitchforked into it, to its present condition, when both brainsand interest are required to achieve the entry to its rank. Let a manonce get in (the views are those of the communicative Dutchman), hisfortune was made, if he only kept quiet and was satisfied to slip alongin the common groove. He must implicitly follow prescribed rules andobey his immediate superior blindly, sinking all individual conscienceand identity. Should he have views for his own self-advancement or toassist the people, should he economize Government money and reduce thenumber of road-coolies or police, who actually officiate in thehousehold as cooks, gardeners, or grooms, should he try to set a goodexample and relinquish perquisites, "that man" exclaimed the speaker "islost, and had better return to Holland forthwith. " Such were the viewsof his travelling companion, but what opportunity he had had for formingthem, and whether they were justified by actual facts, X. Did not know, or greatly care, so long as he found his company amusing, which he diduntil their arrival at Tjilatjap. Here his opinion was somewhatmodified, when his voluble companion, profiting by superior experience, annexed the only decent room in the hotel and exulted over the rusewhich secured it for him. 

When X. First announced in the train that he was bound for Tjilatjapthere was a chorus of exclamations, and his companions evidently thoughthim eccentric. Had he also explained his reason for going, there wouldhave been little doubt on the subject. It was then he learnt thatTjilatjap had formerly been a garrison town, but it had been foundnecessary to abandon it on account of the high rate of mortality amongthe troops. It was not till after the change at Maos that the youngDutchman acknowledged that Tjilatjap was also his destination, beingprobably unwilling to appear eccentric in the eyes of hisfellow-countrymen who remained in the Djoeja carriage. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

THE QUEST CONTINUED--TJILATJAP. 

Tjilatjap was reached at midday. The town had an imposing appearance, all the streets being planted with avenues of large trees. X. Drove atonce to the hotel, where he was given a room like a horse-box with thesun streaming into it. As mentioned above, he subsequently ascertainedthat his travelling companion had managed to secure the only decent roomin the hotel, and X. Did not feel any love for the stranger, who hadtaken what he felt to be an unfair advantage of his local innocence. Heonly wished he could hand him over to the tender mercies of the mostmuscular and irritable member of the civil service, after relating howhe had libelled it. There was lunch lying ready spread on the table andits appearance was satisfactory. Next day he noticed that this meal waslaid hot at 9. 30 daily, and left cooling until far on in the afternoon. Being hungry, the distant view of the table looked inviting, and X. Prepared for a hearty meal. But his joyful expectation gave way tosomething like disgust on discovering, what a nearer approach revealed, that each article of food was firmly congealed in its own gravy. But noone else seemed to mind, and a party opposite--father, mother anddaughter--ate of these provisions as though they were delicacies hotfrom the kitchen of the Savoy or Bignon's. Strolling out a little laterto smoke a cigarette and try to persuade himself he had lunched, thevisitor spied the proprietor of the hotel, his family and some favouredguests, enjoying cakes, and what appeared to be Madeira, and fruit inthe verandah. As sleep in that sunbaked oven of a room was impossible, the traveller sent for a carriage and went for a drive. The appearanceof all the houses that he passed gave the idea that every one insidethem was asleep, but their stillness was counterbalanced by the busycrowds of natives going to and fro along those avenues of wonderfultrees. 

Later in the day X. Sallied forth to call on the Assistant Resident. Hehad been informed at the hotel that this official was not visiblebetween the hours of 11 a. M. And 7 p. M. --rather a long period ofretirement. 

As it was growing dark X. Walked up to the house, a far superiorresidence to the one at Garvet. The lady of the house and her familywere starting for the evening drive, not daring to venture out beforethis late hour. The Assistant Resident, apparently a very young man, received his visitor with great cordiality and gave him all theinformation in his power, promising his assistance if he wished to gofurther up country. It should be stated that, arrived at Tjilatjap, Usoof's memory received a filip, and he recollected that the town ofJombong, not far off, had been the chief place near his "kampong. " Onhearing this, the Assistant Resident promised to send a letter to theWodena or native magistrate of the village, who lived at Soempioet andcould let him stay in his house. This exactly met the wishes of X. , whohad been only wanting an opportunity to see more of the native life inJava, away from the track of hotels and tame curio sellers, who differedbut little in one town from another. While the traveller was paying thiscall, another visitor arrived. This was no less a personage than thePresident of the Landraad. After they had left, he hospitably invitedthe Englishman into the club, where they played billiards. The great manmade himself most agreeable and was quite ready to impart to hiscompanion all he might wish to hear about the duties of the localgovernment officers. He learnt that the Assistant Resident exercised avery limited jurisdiction as magistrate, and all cases, excepting themost trivial, are brought before the Landraad. The post held by thischeery official was evidently most congenial, and he explained with muchsatisfaction how he had to be frequently travelling, and what a liberalallowance he could draw while doing so. It need be liberal, thought hishearer, to compensate for a course of feeding in Java hotels. Butsympathy on this point was wasted, as the President of the Landraadalluded to the one, at which it appeared they were both staying, andspoke of it as comfortable. Billiards over, it was time to return to thehotel for dinner. This meal, probably more owing to the lamp-light thanto any inherent superiority, seemed an improvement on the last one, hadnot the diners made it unnecessarily uncomfortable by treating it asthough it were a hurried snack at the counter of a railway refreshmentroom. For instance, three or four times during the progress of the mealcallers came to see the courteous President, who cheerfully left thetable to interview them, returning with equanimity to the discussion ofthe chilled dishes at whatever stage of the feast he chanced on when hereturned. The table was not cleared away after the sorry farce of dinnerwas over, and X. Noticed, as late as ten and even half-past ten o'clock, late diners strolling in to feed on the ever less appetising remains. X. Recalled the words of his companion in the train, and thought he atleast had some justification for his remarks on the digestions, or thewant of them, of his fellow-countrymen in Java. 

The chief thing for intending travellers in Java to recollect is thedifficulty of obtaining money, since no one will look at a cheque, aspeople in that country do not use them. It is necessary, therefore, totake ready money and rely upon periodical remittances sent by registeredletter from the bank. At Garvet X. Had his first experience of pecuniarytrouble through having placed confidence in his cheque book, backed bythe special permit signed by the Governor General of the NetherlandsIndia. He had invested in some Java ponies and thus outrun allcalculations as to expenditure. The hotel people would not look at hischeque, though they certainly looked at the owner of it with the carefulscrutiny born of suspicion. Very troubled, he had called at all thechief shops and places of business in the town asking assistance, andassuring merchants of his _bona fides_, as they scanned his cheque andpassed it from one to another as a curiosity such as none of them hadever seen before. At length good fortune appeared in the shape of a Mr. Schmidt. One of those who had endeavoured to grasp some meaning from thecheque, explained that he believed this kind of thing was seen inEurope, and they had better call Mr. Schmidt, who not only had beenthere within the last two years, but also spoke a little English. X. Eagerly seconded the suggestion, and Mr. Schmidt appeared. His verdictwas anxiously awaited, but especially by the owner of the cheque, whosefuture movements must depend on the decision, and his relief was greatwhen the good, the discerning, the up-to-date Mr. Schmidt pronounced inhis favour. He declared that, certainly he had seen such cheques before, and generously offered to cash it himself. Thus the situation was saved, and the stranger was able to carry out his arrangements and pay hisdebts. Good Mr. Schmidt! that stranger remembers you with gratitude. Here, in Tjilatjap, X. Was again threatened with penury, for, though hehad telegraphed for money, the little registered packet had so far notappeared. Perhaps his bankers could not really credit that he had goneto a place with such a reputation as Tjilatjap. But it was because ofthis reputation that X. Was unwilling to prolong his stay there beyondwhat was actually necessary, and, therefore, sending off the Malays withthe luggage, remained behind, relying upon the arrival of the money bythe morning post. He utilised the opportunity of this enforced stay tovisit the hospital. The hospitals in the Native States of the Peninsulaare perhaps the chief signs of the civilization, of which theirGovernment may be proud, seeing that in them natives of allnationalities are splendidly housed and have the best of medicalattendance free. It was, therefore, interesting for the Englishman whohailed from that Peninsula to see how, in a large town like Tjilatjap inJava, these things were done. 

He had the good fortune to be most courteously shown over the buildingby the doctor in charge. It was somewhat of a surprise to find thatthere were few patients in the hospital, notwithstanding the reputationof the place for fever, and to learn that the average number of sickamongst the natives was not noticeably in excess of other towns. 

The whole building was a picture of neatness and cleanliness. The wallswere made of bertam (a kind of plaited reed) so as to be easilydestroyed and replaced in case of infection. The floors were of cementand raised off the ground. This hospital has only been started twoyears, and, at the present time, possesses fifty beds. The bathingplaces in particular merited attention, the floors being tiled, whilelarge tanks of brick and cement contained the water supply--baths areprovided for feeble patients. The most elaborate building was thedead-house, where all the latest improvements were to be seen. Therewas, and is, a European ward where patients can be treated for threeguilders a day. Another building, standing a little apart, was forEuropeans of a better class who could afford to pay six guilders a-day, "but, " the doctor added, "they never come. " The hospital is free for allnatives, and, contrary to what is frequently the case elsewhere, theauthorities seem to experience no difficulty in inducing them to gothere. The doctor has one assistant to help him in managing thehospital. He spoke very highly of the native dressers, and said thatthey frequently turn out well. To X. , accustomed to see similarhospitals crowded with Chinese, it was curious only to find one in thewhole hospital, and he was the cook. 

After his visit to the hospital the traveller went to the post office toask if his registered letter had come, and was considerably depressed tofind that, though the post had arrived, there was no letter by it forhim. There was nothing to be done but to accept the information andreturn to the hotel and think it out. He was alone--servants and luggagehad gone, and some ten guilders of money only remained. Where could hefind a local Schmidt. The landlord suggested that perhaps the people atthe Factory might change his cheque. X. Was not certain, but believedthe Factory to be the name for the offices of the chief trading firm inJava. Acting on this advice, he took a carriage and drove there. Thehaughty young gentleman who presided behind the counter received himsuspiciously, and at once disdainfully and very firmly refused to haveanything to do with the cheque, which he turned over and over in hisfingers as though it might bite him, and then returned to its owner. 

Bowed out and baffled, the traveller returned to his hotel. Thesituation was now growing serious, for the train to Soempioeh went inhalf-an-hour, and, after paying his bill, there would be no money forthe fare, even could he start penniless. As a forlorn hope X. Salliedforth in the sun to pay one more visit to the post-office. This buildingwas closed, and the hard-worked officials had retired to their privateapartments in the back premises. Bold to desperation, the visitorskirted round the post-office and peered into the privacies beyond. Seeing an open door he walked in, and found the chief official in hisshirt sleeves partaking of his midday meal. With profuse apologies forhis intrusion, X. Stated his anxiety about his remittance, and ratherfeebly asked the officer if he were "quite sure" the letter had notcome. "Quite sure, " grumbled the official in excellent English, "but tosatisfy you I'll let you come and look yourself. " X. Almost begged himnot to take what surely must be superfluous trouble, but, luckily, refrained, and accompanying the officer into the post-office, walkedtowards a pile of papers stacked in pigeon-holes. "There, " exclaimed hisguide, "see--see for yourself"; and he did, for on the top lay a blueenvelope duly registered and addressed to himself. 

Thus the hotel bill was paid, and he caught the train to Soempioeh. There he was met by Abu and messengers from the Wodena, who accompaniedhim to that officer's house. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE QUEST SUCCESSFUL--THE WODENA's HOUSE. 

The Wodena's house was a comparatively large building made withalang-lalang walls, [4] and the floor on a level with the ground. Theentire front of the house was open, though the overhanging eaves of theroof kept out the glare. In the foreground three tables withcorresponding chairs were ranged stiffly, as though in a hotel verandah. In one corner was a little cupboard kind of compartment, which X. Foundwas his bedroom. 

There was no attempt to cover the floor of bare earth with mats, aswould have been the case in even poor Malay houses. At the back of theone large sitting room stood an imposing long table. The outlook of thehouse was on to some untidy waste land covered with long grass--ratheran unusual sign of slovenliness in a country of such universal neatness. Close by a new house was in course of construction for Government use. This building had the somewhat strange combination of alang-lalangwalls and a tiled roof. The host who welcomed X. To his house was, ashas been said, the Wodena, or local head native magistrate. A Malay insuch a position would most certainly have had a courteous manner andhave probably been an agreeable companion. This official, though heevidently intended to be cordial, was awkward and seemingly stupid. Healso spoke bad Malay, and seemed an ill-educated man for such aposition. He wore a terrible old sun-helmet on his head, and presented agrotesque appearance. 

 [Footnote 4: Plaited grass. ]

After having tea his host took X. For a walk round to show him theplace, and all the people crouched on the ground as they passed. Thefollowers in uniform walked after them, occasionally shouting at thosewho did not promptly go to earth, while hurrying their movements withinsinuating prods from the poles of office. The few Chinese who weremet, bowed low like ladies to a royalty, which was a somewhat startlingexperience to X. , so recently from Singapore, where Chinamen jostleEuropeans from the side walks and puff bad tobacco in their faces asthey pass. _Apropos_ of this it might be mentioned here that a highDutch official in Java stated that he considered that the way theChinese in Singapore were allowed to treat the Europeans was "nothingless than a disgrace to civilization. " In the Singapore local press atthe time of writing there is now appearing a series of indignant lettersfrom a Chinaman in Selangor who signs himself as "Speaking Pig Tail. "This scribe complains to "Mr. Editor" that he has not the same rights asa European. I wonder what "Speaking Pig Tail" would say to theabove-mentioned Dutch official. 

However these particular Chinese in Soempioeh bowed many inches low tothe Wodena, while X. With bland self-consciousness appropriated acertain length to himself as the only white man in the place. 

This walk at Soempioeh was full of interest, and the Wodena kindlyreplied to the best of his ability to all the questions asked. The wholecountry round was one vast expanse of padi, valleys and hills alike sofar as the eye could reach, and it seemed to X. That no population couldbe sufficiently dense to consume such an apparently unlimited supply, but the Wodena assured him that none was ever exported. The townpresented a busy scene of great activity, as there was evidently acountry fair in full swing, and rows of people lined the roadsideselling quaint cakes and fruit, and here and there a stall was gay andsweet-smelling with little heaps of gathered rose leaves and yellowblooms of fragrant chimpaka. The Wodena and his visitor called on thechief Chinese of the town, of which race he informed him there were twohundred all told. These people scarcely resembled the Chinamen as knownto X. , since they had all been born and bred in the neighbourhood, andnot one of them had experience of life beyond the island of Java. Thehead Chinaman produced various curios--so considered--for inspection, these being sent for from the pawn-shops close by. The Wodenavolunteered the information that large quantities of opium were consumedin the district. This meant, as there were no Chinese, the habitual useof this drug amongst the people. After this walk the little processionwended its way back to the Wodena's house. Dinner that night proved aweird meal, as Usoof, who cooked, had gone to the neighbouring villageof Tambak, where he found his mother dwelt, and Abu, who had nevercooked anything more complicated than rice, tried his 'prentice hand. The next day was Sunday, and the weekly fair was at its height tilltwelve noon. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people were packed tightlytogether, line after line, under little sheds, selling sarongs andcloths of every conceivable colour, with hats, mats, and nativeornaments of all descriptions. It was an animated scene, and one noteasily forgotten, and this was the first time, if the Wodena was to bebelieved, that any white man had seen it. Be that as it may, or perhapsas it may not, X. Allowed himself the satisfaction of believing that itwas the first time that any Englishman had seen it. 

After the fair the traveller returned home, and there received a visitfrom Usoof and his mother. He had found her, and the object of hisjourney to Java was accomplished. It appears that he had met her whilewalking along a path by the river, which his awakened memory recalledwould lead him to his home. And she, noting his unusual dress andstranger-like appearance, stopped to ask whether he had any news of herson who many years ago had gone away to Singapore, and to whom she hadso frequently written, receiving no reply. She feared he was dead, butas the kind stranger came from foreign parts it was possible thatamongst the colony of Javanese in Singapore he might have heard of herlong-lost son. 

Such was the meeting, and a dramatic and successful climax to what hadseemed a somewhat forlorn quest. Had I the pen of a Swettenham or aClifford, those sympathetic spinners of delightful tales of a race whosechildish faith so lends itself to story, I might here find material forpages of a charming romance. But in reality there was little romanceabout Usoof, rather a sturdy honesty and affection, as he brought hispoor mother in her humble attire and presented her to his Tuan, who, atthat moment, bored to death by his kind host, who would not cease toentertain him by sitting by him in attentive silence, would havewelcomed any diversion as a boon. 

But the poor lady, according to the custom of the country, could onlyprostrate herself outside the house nor venture nearer than some dozenyards, probably regarding her new-found son, who stood upright, as someknave who courted death. 

This system of obeisance had been rather embarrassing to X. , since allthe retainers of his host stooped low and crept about while his ownattendants had maintained their usual attitudes with occasional lapsesfrom the perpendicular. For there had been intervals over night when, realizing his conspicuous position, Abu had wandered about awkwardlydoubled up, and offered cigarettes and liquid refreshment from somewhereamong the legs of the table, startling his master by his sudden cat-likeappearance in unexpected places, while there was that in his eye whichsaid, "Do not expect this sort of thing to continue when we get youhome. "

CHAPTER XIX. 

A VILLAGE HOME IN JAVA. 

To Usoof and his mother the great Wodena was kindness itself, andconversed with them in Javanese with much affability. X. Wishing to seea real country village, and obtain speech with its people, away from theall-subduing eye of the local authority, promised to go that afternoonand visit the good lady in her ancestral home, and a few hours later hetook the train for the next station, Tambak. No European had ever donesuch a thing before apparently, and there was quite a fuss at thestation to find a first or even a second-class ticket. And during thesearch the railway officials displayed the most naive curiosity, andquestioned the traveller without restraint. Arrived at Tambak X. Descended, and immediately the station-master hurried forward andpolitely assured him that he had made a mistake, since Gombong, thelarge town, was the next station but one. He obviously could not believeit possible that any European should get out at Tambak on purpose, andregarded the polite insistence of X. That he knew where he wanted to goas evidence of some sort of want of sanity, to be passed over asharmless. Gesticulating and ejaculating, the worthy gentleman collectedquite a little crowd of gazers as the white man, followed by Usoof, sauntered out of the station. Once out of sight, the station-masterwould have been intensely gratified to see X. , who did not really in theleast know where he was going, turn round and ask his follower the way. So they branched off to the left and wended their route along the banksof a noisy river, beneath the shade of huge trees which formed an avenueby the side of the water. On their right lay the endless padi fields ofearly green and ripening gold, all equally shimmering in the sun. Thiscombination of ripe padi, side by side with newly sown, forms a strikingfeature of Javanese agriculture. While gazing upon this warm picture, and congratulating himself that someone had had the forethought to plantthis pleasant row of trees, the voice of Usoof from the rear announcedthat they must now turn to the right. To turn to the right naturallymeant to go across that sunlit plain. The hand of X. Involuntarily wentup to his stiff stand-up collar, and though he could not see the face ofhis attendant, he was aware through his back that he smiled. So climbinga rustic stile they branched off to the right and walked across thepadi, where the lurid light was zigzagging above the corn. Presently thered roofs of a village were in sight, and once more the voice of Usoofspoke to introduce his birthplace. This was interesting, as was theadditional information that the little river they had now to cross wasthe boundary of his ancestral land. The house they had come all this wayto see was deep in the shadow of countless fruit trees, over whichtowered palms of considerable age. The green turf so scrupulously neat, and the little group of buildings set round the central house, allcombined to make a picturesque scene. 

In the front of these cottages, on the green turf, was the receptionhouse--a square building, surrounded by benches with a table in themiddle. 

Here the stranger was escorted by a crowd of Javanese, cousins andsisters and brothers and aunts, without number--for it seemed less of afamily than a tribe which had come together to do him honour. Then theguest was seated in the place of state, and fruit of many kinds in largebrass dishes was set before him. It was truly a pleasant spot, and therewas additional satisfaction in the thought that with so little to guidethem they had been able to light upon it without lengthy search. Thenensued a conversation, during which the visitor learnt and imparted manythings. Amongst the former he heard that once before, when the railwaywas being made, a white man had been seen in the neighbourhood, but thepresent occasion was the first, when the village had beheld one close. And this stranger told them of the Malays and his life amongst them, andhow their houses and customs resembled theirs, while Usoof, aloneventuring to remain upright, acted as interpreter as a swarm of youngbrown relations clasped his hands and ruthlessly robbed him of his watchand chain, his brass buttons, and all the loose coins in his pockets. Then X. , who has a material mind, asked to see the title deeds of theirlands, which were produced and inspected, and they were instructed howto proceed, so that when the time came the absent Usoof, as the eldestson, should obtain his fair share of the inheritance. Then, as theshadows were lengthening, and the zigzags on the padi had given way to asoft and mellow light fanned by an evening breeze, X. Gave the signal todepart and announced that farewells must be made. Hurrying over his own, he wandered towards the river so that he might not witness the anguishof the mother bereaved anew of her long lost son, but he could notescape hearing the sounds of sobs which arose behind him. And the littleprocession of two--the European with his limp collar, and the Javanesebereft of all his finery--started once more across the plain. But theprocession grew and grew, as one by one the fond relations hurried afterit for one more glimpse or one more word for the departing brother. Then the traveller began to feel as near a brute as ever in his lifebefore, and suggested to Usoof that he should bid him good-bye andreturn for good to the bosom of his weeping family. But this he declinedto do, and at the rustic stile the actual parting came. Arrived at thetrain, the good station-master was still on the look-out and walkingaround as though something unusual had happened, but, tired and hot, X. Parried his questionings with some abruptness. But the interviewer wasas persistent as if he were on the staff of a London evening paper, andafter producing an inverted wheelbarrow, which he offered X. As a seat, went to his house for a whisky and soda--called by the natives "Dutchwater. " After that walk in the sun, his whole physical and nervoussystem disorganized by the deglutition of strange fruits and condiments, and by witnessing heartrending family farewells, an unexpected whiskyand soda, when such a restorative had seemed as unobtainable as the verymoon which was beginning to appear, was welcome indeed. Thestation-master was at once the master of the situation, and the hithertotaciturn Englishman, his thirst assuaged and his limbs at rest, becameas communicative as a star of _the_ profession, and answered allquestions as fully and docilely as a willing witness in the hands of hisown counsel. 

CHAPTER XX. 

BACK TO THE JUNGLE. 

Arrived at the house of the Wodena, the traveller had to submit to morepumping, nor would his host rest until he knew, or was persuaded heknew, each word which X. Had written in his letter of thanks to theAssistant Resident at Tjilatjap. That night it was very hot, and it wasborne in upon the sleepless traveller that he had exhausted theresources of the place. Therefore at an early hour next morning hismiscellaneous fairings were packed, the cost of his entertainmentliberally repaid, and accepted without demur, and the visitors, afterearnestly commending the picturesque little village at Tambak to specialofficial protection, departed for the station. X. Had intended to nowperform the usual round and visit the temples at Djaokjakerta, Solo andSemarang, but when almost in the act of asking for his ticket, a spiritof revolt infected him, and he rebelled at the thought that he must gohere and there just because all others did, when his inclinationsreally called him elsewhere, for his inclinations were bidding him goback to the cottage in the hills, where the tea and coffee grew. And sowithout hesitation he took his ticket and sent a telegram to announcehis intended return. Bandong was to be the first halting-place, whichmeant travel in that crawling train from 6 a. M. To 6 p. M. , and stoppingat twenty-eight stations on the way. There was no first-classcompartment and the seats of the second-class were hard and narrow, andthe cramped space after the first few hours became almost unbearable. Things looked brighter, the guard flattered the hopes of passengers byasking who would buy tickets for lunch at some halting-place further on, so that he could telegraph for the meal to be prepared. Hope is eternal, and experience of Java hotels had not yet robbed the traveller of thefond pleasure of anticipation. The Swindon of the line was reached, andthere, sure enough, was a table spread with food. After the first biteof the first dish X. Realized sadly that he had been done, since itwould have been impossible to make any impression on that meat withaught less forcible than an axe. Thus, with reluctance, his portion, albeit paid for in advance, was relinquished, to be again paid forprobably and again to flatter and deceive some other passing and hungrystranger. The remainder of the journey proved agreeable, thanks to thecompanionship of a young officer who, invalided home from the Lombohwar, was _en route_ to Buitenzorg, where he lived. This poor warrior hadundergone a time of much hardship, and related how he and his men hadslept shelterless on the wet ground and for nights had nothing but riceto eat. And this only half a day's journey from the principal port inJava, and with as much money collected for aid to the soldiers as wouldhave, if necessary, paid for the whole cost of the war. This companiontold many interesting anecdotes of the war, and related some almostincredible tales of the treachery and ingratitude of the natives. 

The Englishman also availed himself of this opportunity for hearingsomething of social etiquette in time of peace, and the unwritten ruleswhich guided those attending entertainments where Dutch and natives met. As for instance, when the Sultan of Djoedja gives a ball, each officialmust stand upon a step, high or low, in proportion to his rank, whilethe Resident is met and escorted to the same lofty altitude as theSultan, on the top. 

To the Governor-General, however, the Sultan must do obeisance. 

This might be a convenient place to mention the great regard officiallypaid to caste. Reverence for rank amongst the people is fostered andaided by their rulers, and if a man of position is ever suspected oraccused so that inquiry becomes necessary, it must take place withclosed doors and in private. 

That night the party lay at Bandong (fresh from reading the "RedCockade" its language seems the most descriptive). The train reachedthat considerable town at dusk. Here the traveller had the good fortuneto again meet his friend the President of the Landraad, and wasintroduced by him to the Club. Being introduced to the Club meant beingseparately introduced to every member then in it, with that punctiliousformality which X. Had observed in Batavia. The hotel at Bandong was thebest which the traveller had yet visited, and, contrary to expectation, dinner was warm and comforting. The others of the party, however, Usoofand Abu, were not so fortunate, for they had no means of gettinganything to eat. It was not permitted them to go out after dark withoutlights, and they could not get lights. Added to this it was raininghard. The hotel apparently could not supply natives with food at such anhour, and it was necessary for them to go and look for it. This sadstory greeted X. When his own dinner was done. But the kind President ofthe Landraad cut the knot of this dilemma and soon provided a caterer, protector, and guide for the hungry pair. 

As usual next morning, the time fixed for the train to leave was veryearly, and other trains were starting too, and of these Abu selectedthe one on the point of departure for Maos in which to stow all theportable luggage--no small amount--and this was only rescued as thetrain was actually on the move. This, of course, necessitated hurriedaction, making those who hurried hot. Then the scene at the ticketwindow was scarcely to be described. For a country where, in public, such a gulf is fixed between Europeans and natives, it is a strangething to find the one aperture for the purchase of tickets, besieged bya serging clamouring throng of both races, and no one had any idea ofwaiting his turn. X. Attempted to force his way to the little window, but as he stopped to observe the rules of the game, as played incivilized countries of the West, he was each time passed over, when thetickets were almost in his grasp. At length, disgusted at having to takepart in such a scene, he retired. Then Usoof, with much insinuation ofelbows and words in Javanese (words such as his mother may not haveapproved), managed to obtain tickets just in time to catch the train. This train duly landed them at the familiar little station, where, asbefore, the ponies waited them to carry them up that hill of wonderfulviews. At the station the traveller parted with his companion, theinvalid officer, after accepting a kindly invitation to lunch with himat Buitenzorg on his way through to Batavia. 

No need to repeat myself in describing those few extra days spent at thecottage in the hills. And they also resembled the last ones in that theywent too quickly. 

The hearty welcome received was, the visitor liked to think, renderedeven warmer by the fact that he was able to assure his busy host thatthe young tea plants had most certainly grown a little in his absence. 

The day soon came when X. Was nearing the limits of his leave and muststart for Batavia. The always early train reached Buitenzorg in themorning, and there, where on his first visit he had felt so lonely, thetraveller was met by his soldier friend and driven by him to the home ofhis _fiancée_. That reception, and its pleasant sequel of a home-likelunch, is one of the most agreeable of the recollections which X. Nowpreserves of the town. Though he felt inclined to take the welcome allto himself, yet in his heart he knew that it was in great manner due tothe fact that he was even remotely connected with the safe return of onewhom the household considered as a son. 

After lunch the host, bravely clad in uniform, took his guest to see thebarracks. These buildings seemed as clean and comfortable as could beexpected in a tropical climate. The extreme youth of some of the men wasso noticeable that the visitor could not but observe it, and he learntthat this was accounted for by the fact that they could enlist at theage of sixteen. Another item of information was that one-third of thearmy in Java was composed of people of other nationalities. In thenative corps there is never any difficulty in obtaining recruits. 

After inspecting the barracks a visit was made to the gaol. This overthey drove to the Club for the much-needed refreshment of "Dutch water"with something in it. The Club was a fine building, but there was notime left to enjoy its luxurious lounges, and in a very short time X. Was bidding farewell to his good friend and steaming once more towardsBatavia. 

Arrived in the capital, the traveller thought it best to widen hisexperience by driving to an hotel other than the one of electric light. This was also a huge building at the end of a regular street of rooms, all looking out on to the main verandah. As this look-out provided theonly light, the majority of the occupants kept open both doors andwindows, and a walk along the verandah was like some panorama ofdressing in all its stages. 

The chief points about this hotel were the usual ones--indifferent food, absence of privacy, and horrible bathing arrangements. In Easterncountries it is usual to find a bath-room attached to the bedroom. InJava hotels people--ladies as well as men--burdened with sponges andtowels, and some with soap, must cross a public court-yard and waittheir turn outside the bath-room door. In this particular hotel theordeal was especially trying, since the bathrooms were outside theoffice, and in the centre of a regular street where people drove pastarriving and departing or calling on friends, and must perforce gazeupon that little forlorn group of scantily-clad humans on cleanlinessintent. However, this hotel remains to X. One of blessed memory, sinceit was while there he was, through the knowledge of the language, ableto render some slight service to two charming American ladies who werecourageously going round the world alone. On the following day theseladies were passengers on board the s. S. _Godavery_ en route for HongKong, Shanghai, Japan, Havaü, and all the places in the worldapparently, excepting, alas! that little one of Pura Pura. 

That last evening there happened to be a performance of an Englishcircus, and X. Went there and laughed at the jokes of an excellentclown--a cheery being whose like he had not seen for many a long yearpast. Fancy a clown in the jungle!

The next day he reluctantly bade farewell to the country where such apleasant three weeks had been spent, and embarking on board the s. S. _Godavery_--his impedimenta increased by three ponies--the travellersteamed again for Singapore. The day after his arrival there he startedfor home, and some thirty-six hours later was once more seated in hisverandah, listening all alone to the chanting songs of his Malayneighbours in the plain below. The moon was bright, and Pura Pura kepthigh revelry. 

Those readers who have had the patience to follow my friend through hisshort holiday may leave him there--sighing perhaps with contenteddiscontent--an excuse for grumbling--while all around is beautiful, andbody and mind can revel in long chairs and books galore. There is aworld perhaps, he thinks, where all are up and doing, but--like hisdreams--it is very far away. Has he been to Java--he asks himself--hashe ever been anywhere beyond the edge of this green turfed hill--towhich are now ascending sounds of happiness from poor villagers who liveamong the padi fields, away there across the river, dimly seen now whenthe moon is high? And has he helped to make them happy?--did they alwayssit singing there before he or others came, or did they have to watchwith Krises ready, for fear of stealthy foes--foes who crept to stabbeneath the raised bamboo floors. Perhaps he, too, has aided with hismite--perhaps--who knows? And as this thought occurs, the discontentwill fade, while content alone remains. 

Long years has this exile lived in Pura Pura, and then when he left itfor a space--to redeem a promise--he asked me to relate all that he didand saw while thus away. From Jungle to Java have I therefore followedhim as a faithful chronicler and my commission is ended. But it shouldnot be so, since there are tales of the jungle and tales of Pura Puraall worth the telling if what I think be true. For there, where lifemoves slowly, the incidents, which make it dwell, dwell so long thatthose who watch may note and read. And though that which they read, being of nature and mankind, is necessarily an old, old story, yet isthe framework new, and thus with an interest all its own, able to imparta lesson to those who sit at home and speak with vague pity of peoplesfar away. Perhaps our traveller--to whom such a name must have seemedirony indeed--will one day ask my assistance to relate certain chaptersof that life, brief glimpses of which have been afforded the reader inthis little sketch. 

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Transcriber's Notes:

Inconsistencies in the hyphenation of words preserved. (bathroom, bath-room; courtyard, court-yard; foreground, fore-ground; lamplight, lamp-light; stationmaster, station-master)

Pg. 96, "Ojoedja" possibly refers to the town "Djoedja" (short forDjoedjakarta) which is mentioned elsewhere in the text. However, theoriginal text has been preserved. 

Pg. 99, "civi service" changed to "civil service". (irritable member ofthe civil service)

Pg. 124, "attemped" changed to "attempted". (X. Attempted to force hisway)

Pg. 125, duplicated word "a" removed. (sequel of a home-like lunch)