24 
COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 
ever, distinguished by greater energy and acquisitiveness 
from the other races of the Indian Archipelago, though 
Islam has deprived even them of all higher aims in life, 
splitting up their local communes, and reducing their 
pursuits mainly to navigation and piracy. Theft and 
kidnapping are thought lightly of, while insults, real or 
imaginary, are savagely avenged on the spot. They are, 
at the same time, unforgetful of wrong, false and wily, so 
that solemn oaths are uttered with no intention of keep¬ 
ing them, and poisonings are very common. They are 
passionately fond of opium-smoking, though this is a less 
common vice than among the Chinese; and of betting 
over their cock-fights, often staking their very selves and 
their personal freedom on the issue. On the other hand, 
they are very frugal; and characteristic of their con¬ 
tentedness is the current expression asking for a present: 
“ Kechil presentie, tuan, poer makan ”—•“ A little present, 
sir, to eat.” Hence the eating-houses take the place of 
our drinking-houses, and are their chief places of resort. 
Here they indulge in dry rice, capsicums, little scraps of 
meat or fish, cooked vegetables, and sweet titbits handed 
round with a cup of hot water. 
The Malays are nominally Moslems, but lack the 
fanaticism of that religion. The Javanese, especially, 
consider they have done enough by observing the rite of 
circumcision, the prescribed ablutions, and the Ramazan 
fast, at the same time retaining many of the old Hindoo 
ideas. Some of them are Christians, that is to say, 
they attend the services of the Dutch Church, abstain 
from shaving their heads or filing down their teeth, and 
drink wine and spirits. 
The lingua franca of the whole East Indian Archi¬ 
pelago is the Low Malay, which contains no rough or 
harsh gutturals or other consonants difficult of utterance, 
