242 UDA PRANG 



the natives and some Chinamen pulled ashore, and 

 then, after unloading, pulled back again for 

 another load. It was an easy matter for Uda and 

 his mother to be taken on a sampan out to the little 

 steamer, and once there to make friends with the 

 crew of Peninsular Malays, as well as with the Eu- 

 ropean petty officers that had no fear of the Dutch 

 in their hearts. The mother was dropped a few 

 days after at a port down the coast, where kin 

 folks of her late husband resided; but Uda, 

 who was having his first experience aboard ship, 

 had become rather fascinated by the alternative 

 periods of hardest toil and uttermost ease, which 

 make up the life of the East Indian coast-wise 

 sailorman. The excitement of discharging cargo, 

 although accompanied by such yelling; especially 

 the fun of swimming cattle ashore; the complete 

 indolence between ports, when they stretched out 

 on deck in luxurious ease, to smoke or to play or 

 to gamble— all invited him irresistibly. So he 

 asked for and received a berth. 



It so happened that this little British steamer 

 had a very religious Liverpool first-mate, who, 

 when not busy with the cargo at port, or lambast- 

 ing Uda for galley pilfering, or for lying— a qual- 

 ity Uda shared in common with the average un- 

 tutored Sumatra native— was singing hymns 

 through his nose over the rail, or solemnly and stol- 



