FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54  
55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   >>   >|  
ther, quite unconsciously like a couple of Malay game cocks in bamboo cages, on the afterpart of the sampan. These two pugnacious birds were evincing a strong desire for a regular duel; but as the bamboo bars of their cages prevented a near approach, they stood there ruffling their plumes, and staring hard in each other's faces. "Seems a strange thing that a man can't come down to buy a little fruit and some flowers, without your watching him," said Bob, at last. "I wasn't watching you, boy," said Tom Long, superciliously. "There, spend your penny, my man, and go about your business." "Look here, my stuck-up red herring," cried Bob, setting his teeth hard, "Captain Horton said that the naval officers were to set an example of gentlemanly behaviour before the natives, or I'll be blowed, Mr Tom Long, if I wouldn't punch your head." "Blowed--punch head," sneered Tom Long; "that's gentlemanly, certainly." "Look here," said Bob, who was stung to the quick by the truth of this remark; "do you want to fight, Mr Tom Long?" "Mr T. Long presents his compliments to the middy boy of the `Startler,' and begs to inform him that when her Majesty's officers fight, it is with some one worthy of their steel." "Ha, ha! Haw, haw! Ho, ho, ho!" laughed Bob, cutting a caper expressive of his great amusement. "Her Majesty's officers--some one worthy of their steel. Ha, ha, ha, ha! I say, Tom Long, how happy and contented her Majesty must feel, knowing as she does that the gallant officer, Ensign Long, is always ready to draw his sword in her defence. Here, you stop! I got here first." "Sahib wants my beautiful fruit," said one of the dark-faced men in the sampan, towards which Tom Long had stepped. "Hallo!" said Bob, going up. "You are not a Malay?" "No, sahib: I Kling, from Madras. Sell fruit--flowers. This Malaya man." He pointed to a flat-nosed, high-cheek-boned man with him, who was dressed in the inevitable plaid sarong of bright colours, and wore a natty little plaited-grass cap upon his head. Bob turned, and saw that this man carried a kris stuck in the folds of his sarong, which had slipped from the hilt, and he was now busy with a little brass box and a leaf. This leaf of one of the pepper plants he was smearing with a little creamy-looking mixed lime from the brass box, on which he placed a fragment of betel-nut, rolled it in the leaf, thrust it into his mouth, which it seemed to distort, and the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54  
55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

officers

 

Majesty

 

watching

 

flowers

 

sarong

 

worthy

 

gentlemanly

 

bamboo

 
sampan
 

stepped


Madras

 

Malaya

 

gallant

 
officer
 

knowing

 
contented
 
Ensign
 
defence
 

beautiful

 
plants

pepper

 

smearing

 

creamy

 

unconsciously

 

distort

 

thrust

 

rolled

 

fragment

 

slipped

 
inevitable

couple
 
bright
 
dressed
 

colours

 

carried

 

turned

 
plaited
 
pointed
 
setting
 

herring


approach
 

Captain

 

Horton

 

behaviour

 

natives

 

prevented

 

business

 

strange

 

ruffling

 

superciliously