Tregeab. — On a Phase of Hy2})iotism. 93 



but the two Kasims were rather a revelation, and he was, per- 

 haps, incHned to doubt what I told him they could be made to 

 do. One morning we were bathing as usual at the pond, and 

 Kasim the you?iger was in attendance carrying the towels, 

 &c. The bath was over, and we were all thi-ee standing on 

 the bank, when my friend said to Kasim, ' Mdri, kita terjun 

 (come, let us jump in), at the same time feigning to jump. 

 Kasim instantly jumped into the pond, disappeared, came up 

 spluttering, and, having scrambled out, said, ' Itu tidak baik, 

 Tuan (That is not good of you, sir). My friend said, ' Why, I 

 did nothing; I only said, Let us jump in, and went like this,' 

 repeating his previous action, when Kasim immediately re- 

 peated his plunge, and we dragged him from the water look- 

 ing like a retriever. 



" When I was first ordered to Selangor I thought it 

 possible that some sort of furniture might be useful, and I 

 took up a few chairs and other things, including a large roll of 

 what is known as Calcutta matting. The things were useless in 

 a place where the nmd floor was often under water twice during 

 twenty-four hours, and they lay piled in a corner of the stock- 

 ade, and whenever a Malay of distinction came to see me, for 

 whom it was necessary to find a chair, it was advisable to see 

 that the seat was not already occupied by a snake. The roll 

 of matting, about 4ft. high and 2|^ft. in diameter, naturally 

 remained unopened. Every night, owing to the myriads of 

 mosquitos, a large bonfire was lit in the middle of the 

 stockade, for only in the smoke of that tire was it possible to 

 eat one's dinner. One night some Malays from the village 

 had come in, and the police were ti'ying to amuse them and 

 forget their own miseries by dancing and singing round the 

 fire. Under such circumstances Malays have a happy knack 

 of making the best of things ; they laugh happily and often, 

 and, as I have said elsewhere, they have a very strong sense 

 of humour, if not always of a very refined description. Some 

 one had introduced one of the Kasims in his character of an 

 orang Idtah for the benefit of the strangers, and one of the 

 men was inspired to fetch the roll of matting, and, solemnly 

 presenting it to Kasim the younger, said, ' Kasim, here is 

 your wife.' Even now I do not forget the smile of beatitude 

 and satisfaction with which Kasim minor regarded that unde- 

 sirable and figureless bargain. Breathing the words in a low 

 voice, almost sighing to himself, ' Kasim, here is your wife,' 

 he embraced the matting with great fervour, constantly re- 

 peating ' My wife ! my wife ! ' Some one said, ' Kiss her,' and 

 he kissed her, repeatedly kissed her. Then, by another in- 

 spiration (I do not say from whence), some one brought up the 

 other Kasim, and, introducing him to the other side of the 

 roll of matting, said also very quietly, ' Kasim, this is your 



