EXPERIENCES IN SUMATRA. 299 



The furniture of the apartments is simple, but very comfortable. 

 A huge, square bed with a canopy of mosquito netting forms the chief 

 feature of the sleeping room. There are no bed covers. A good 

 mattress with thin soft pillows for the head and two long, round, hard, 

 cooling pillows complete the sleeping accommodations. There is an 

 open rack on which to hang the clothes, a small table with its 'goode 

 nacht' light and one or two chairs. The open-air apartment in- 

 variably contains a Dutch steamer chair — a most comfortable piece 

 of furniture in a warm climate. A clothes line is stretched in front 

 of each suite of rooms, and one must become accustomed to looking 

 out from behind his wardrobe at his neighbors. Every few days all 

 wearing apparel, particularly the woolens, must be hung in the sun 

 to save them from mildew. Even with these precautions it is prac- 

 tically impossible to preserve shoes, gloves and leather goods from 

 damage. 



The call ' Spada ' summons one of the numerous servants always 

 near. 



The meals at these Dutch hotels are much after the table d'hote 

 system of Europe; one breakfasts when he pleases, but all guests are 

 supposed to have the remaining two meals at the same hours. Before 

 riztafel and dinner, ' spada ' brings to the open lobby of the hotel a 

 tray containing the ingredients for the piht, the national drink of 

 the Indies, and leaves it for all guests who care to indulge. Holland 

 gin and a little bitters compose this counterirritant to the climate. 



Eiztafel is a unique meal. As its name implies, it is composed 

 chiefly of rice. An expanded soup-plate is placed before each guest, 

 and from an immense bowl of steaming, boiled rice, he ladles out a 

 liberal supply. After the rice-bearer follows a procession of bare- 

 footed servants with dishes containing chicken, boiled, stewed, fried 

 and roasted; turkey, fried cocoanut, potatoes, gravies, a half dozen 

 kinds of vegetables and lastly an elaborate assortment of condiments 

 and preserves. The guest selects such of these as he wishes, and 

 placing all on his mound of rice, mixes them thoroughly and the 

 piece de resistance is prepared. 



The streets of Padang make no more pretensions to being straight 

 than elsewhere in the Orient, but wind about in ways most confusing 

 to the resident of a right-angled republic. The scenes are as unfa- 

 miliar as the sounds; the pedestrians and vehicles are jumbled to- 

 gether; there are no familiar lines of buildings anywhere; the canals 

 are filled with native bathers, sousing their heads and rinsing their 

 mouths in the yellow, turbid fluid. 



The common beast of burden is the water-buffalo, or karbow — great 

 shuffling creatures looking as docile as lambs. It is difficult to believe 

 that many of the animals which Ave see on the streets have been wild 



