about twelve miles to the south-east of santjoemeh, in a hilly country which offers to the eye a continual succession of picturesque and lovely views, lies the little dessa kaligaweh. it is situated in the centre of an extensive forest of cocoa-nut trees which encloses it as in a circle of emerald, and which, viewed from an eminence close by, resembles a mighty garland of verdure whose tops waving in the gentle breeze have the appearance of a frame of grass-green lace-work.
this cocoa-nut forest may be said to form the outer court of the dessa, for the village itself lies concealed in a thick grove of fruit-trees in which the most splendid mangoes, the most delicious ramboetans, the most refreshing assams, the juiciest bliembiengs, the most fragrant djeroeks and the coolest djamboes, and many other gifts of intertropical pomona grow up and flourish in the richest luxuriance. here and there tufts of underwood fill the spaces between the little huts and the trees, and flowers in the wildest profusion fill the air with their fragrance and enchant the eye by their rich but harmonious diversity of colour.
the dessa itself is enclosed by dense rows of bamboo, the [76]thick and tall black bamboo, which furnishes the natives with the most useful building material, and whose long massive stalks growing quite close together and gracefully bending under the load of the heavy plumage of verdure they have to support, form an almost impenetrable hedge, while at the same time they cast the most grateful shade over the enclosure within.
kaligaweh was but an inconsiderable dessa. some thirty or forty huts scattered here and there in picturesque disorder among the fruit trees formed the centre of the small community. the inhabitants of this spot so highly favoured by nature occupied themselves, for the most part, with the culture of rice to which the soil was admirably adapted, and the fruitful rice-fields rose all around in the form of an amphitheatre on the hill-slopes. the lower grounds contained several fish-ponds well stocked with bandengs, djampals, cataks, gaboes, and many other kinds of fish, all of them highly esteemed by the european and chinese inhabitants of santjoemeh, and therefore fetching good prices in the market of that place. hence the population of kaligaweh might have been a highly prosperous and flourishing community, had it not been for the ravages which one fatal and all-destructive pest spread among them. their bane was the passion for opium. that fatal drug had undermined not only their prosperity, but broken down also the constitutions of all those who gave themselves up to its use. it was a sad fact, alas, that the great majority of those who dwelt in kaligaweh were enslaved to it; but sadder yet it was that there were not a few among them who could recall the good time when the name of opium was scarcely known there. in that short space of time, how complete a change had come over so lovely a spot!
about twelve years ago a native of the dessa, who, in his youth had left it to seek his fortune elsewhere, returned to kaligaweh. this man, whose name was singomengolo, but who usually was known as singo, had let loose the opium fiend upon the quiet and innocent little dessa in which he was born.
singo, on leaving home, had fallen into the hands of the recruiting serjeants. by encouraging his innate passion for gambling, and by initiating him into the mysteries of opium smoking, these soul-destroyers had, in an unguarded moment, induced him to enlist, and thus to bind himself to the service for a period of six years. the wretches helped the miserable man soon to get rid of the bounty in opium-dens, in gambling [77]houses, at cock-fights, and in excesses of all kinds. then for six years he was a soldier.
as soon as his time of service had expired, singo left the army in which he had acquitted himself with some credit, and obtained a place as oppasser (policeman) under one of the government controllers in the interior of the island. he soon gave evidence of considerable skill as a detective, and earned for himself the reputation of a very sharp and clever officer. this reputation brought him under the notice of one of the agents of the opium farmer for the district, who recommended him to the company; and the company, appreciating his services, obtained for him the place of bandoelan or opium-detective at their chief office at santjoemeh.
in that capacity, his dexterity and cunning, not only in the detection of opium smuggling but also in bringing to light other mysterious and shady transactions, won him the warm support of lim yang bing, the wealthy opium farmer, who used constantly to employ him, especially in cases which had baffled the shrewdest of his agents and spies. singo’s services were, in fact, invaluable to his master; for whenever, for some reason or other, a man stood in the rich chinaman’s way, singo could always be depended upon to find smuggled opium in his possession, though the victim might not have perhaps, in all his life, so much as seen the drug.
in the year 1874 babah lim yang bing, by sheer dint of bribery, contrived to get the number of opium stores in his district increased by ten; and among the unfortunate dessas which were thus poisoned by sanction of the dutch government, was kaligaweh. now, it was easy enough to set up an opium den in the little village; but it was quite another matter to make it pay, which was all lim yang bing cared for. as soon as the government had granted the license, an opium store arose in kaligaweh, a hole filthy in the extreme, so as to remain faithful to the tradition of such dens. over the door appeared a black board on which in huge white letters were conspicuously painted the words, “opium store,” in dutch, in javanese, and in chinese, and in the characters peculiar to those tongues. the two chinamen, who were entrusted with its management, did their very best to attract people, they lavished their most winning smiles upon the passers-by, they exhausted every means of enticing them to enter; but it was all in vain. not a single man ever ventured to set foot in the noisome hole. [78]
babah lim yang bing was not slow to perceive that so good an example would become contagious, and might spread among the other dessas of his district. it was quite obvious to the most casual observer, that kaligaweh and its environs were wealthy and prosperous out of all comparison with the places where the opium trade flourished. why, the mere outward appearance of its people was quite enough to show this; and the broad chests and sinewy arms of its men, and the firmly rounded hips and full shoulders of its women and girls, whose bronzed skin bore the ruddy glow of health, formed the most startling contrast with the ghastly, sunken countenances, and shrivelled frames of the walking skeletons which one encountered in other less favoured localities.
but, chiefly was the eye of that cunning chinaman attracted by the rich rice-fields which covered the entire district, and which pleasantly surrounded its little dessas nestling in the dark foliage of their fruit trees as islets amidst a sea of emerald, when the young crops imparted light and cheerfulness to the scene; or presently again would encircle these dessas as in a bright band of gold, when the stalks, ripening under the tropical sun, were bending under their weight of grain, and waved to the soft harvest breeze.
in whatever season of the year, or from whatever side one might, at that time, approach kaligaweh, its fields testified to the frugal industry of its inhabitants. they always spoke of regular and systematic cultivation, and of careful and constant irrigation, and they thus loudly proclaimed—a fact with which the reader is already acquainted—that its people were prosperous and happy, and led very different lives to the squalid and wretched existence which was dragged out in the places where the passion for opium had taken root.
all this it was lim yang bing’s purpose to alter. not only was the material welfare of the dessa a thorn in his side; but his covetous nature longed to transfer the earnings of its simple and frugal population to his own already over-filled pockets. his attempt with the opium-store had hitherto, we have seen, borne no fruit; it had proved a failure, and had brought loss rather than profit to its owner. he had determined, at any cost, to bring about a change.
on a certain evening, it was towards the end of harvest, the population of kaligaweh, men and women, young men and maidens, were returning homewards from the fields. the women had been hard at work all day, handling the [79]sickles and cutting the ripe grain from the stalks, while the men had been no less busily engaged in taking the little bundles from the hands of the reapers, and binding them together into big bundles. the faces of all were flushed with exertion, and glowing with satisfaction, for the crop this year was a heavy one; no plagues of any kind had interfered with its growth, so that the landowners looked forward to laying up many pikols in their barns, and the more humble labourers could count upon a plentiful payment in kind. that, in itself, was quite sufficient to account for the universal good-humour and gaiety which prevailed.
the rice-harvest is, indeed, in the rural districts of the rich island of java, a great national festival, a day of joy, which, for its simple people, has more real significance than all the other mahommedan festivals. it is then for them fair time. clad in their gay, many-coloured dresses, the women and maidens assemble on the green; then many a heart, for the first time, feels the tender passion; then many an old love-affair is settled, and many a “yes” is softly murmured. the climate, the surrounding scenery in those glad harvest-fields, all invite to merriment and glee. true it is, we must not deny it, that, on such occasions, unguarded innocence is sometimes betrayed, and that, now and then, an offering is brought to the shrine of lucina; but, much more frequently, the vows then made will presently be ratified and confirmed by the priest, and, at the very worst, no such frightful consequences ensue as are wont to arise in more highly civilized society.
on this evening, as the merry bands of reapers approached the dessa, the lively tones of the cymbal fell upon their ears. the people looked at one another in astonishment at the unwonted sounds, and were at a loss to know who had prepared for them this pleasant surprise.
when they came to the village green, they saw two booths erected under the splendid wariengien or wild-fig trees which overshadowed the dessa, and over each of these booths there waved the dutch flag.
one of them was, as yet, closed, but in the back of the other were seated, cross-legged, a band of musicians, who made the air resound with their inspiriting strains. in front of this orchestra, a space was left vacant, the ground of which had been levelled and sprinkled with fine sand, and the booth was fairly well illuminated with lanterns of various colours. a loud cheer [80]arose from the village crowd, for now they began to see that they might expect a much richer treat than a mere concert.
singomengolo, whom lim yang bing had despatched with plenary powers to kaligaweh and who had provided this entertainment for his friends in the dessa, was standing close by leaning up against one of the bamboo stems, which supported the roof of the booth, and was, with sundry nods and smiles, welcoming the fresh arrivals who were, for the most part, old acquaintances of his, and who warmly greeted him on his return to the dessa.
in a twinkling, the sickles, the bands of straw, and the bundles of rice were stowed away, and the broad-brimmed hats, with which the labourers protected themselves at their work from the full glare of the mid-day sun, were laid aside. soon the entire population came crowding to the green, and romping and playing filled the open space in front of the booth, then by degrees seated themselves on the soft carpet of tuft.
meanwhile, the sun had gone down in the west, and the stars were coming out one by one, and began to show their soft and twinkling light, while the moon, rising in the dark blue vault of heaven as a large blood-red disc, shed the fantastic shadows of the wariengien trees upon the assembled groups. round about the tree-tops innumerable swarms of bats flitted in giddy mazes uttering their peculiar, short, shrill cry, and high above them, in the evening air, sundry flying squirrels kept circling round mysteriously, who seemed to be selecting the juiciest fruits on which, presently, they intended to make a feast.
when all were seated, and some degree of order had been obtained; at a signal from singo, the cymbals and all the instruments in the orchestra struck up, and filled the air with pleasant melody.
“bogiro, bogiro!” shouted the younger and more enthusiastic part of the audience.
that first piece, indeed, which may most fitly be compared with our overture, is one in which all the instruments of a javanese orchestra play together, and which serves as an introduction to the programme which is to follow. at times, it must be said, the cymbals would make a most discordant and deafening noise, but this was varied now and then by solos which were musical and pleasant enough to the ear. evidently the musicians were this evening on their mettle, they exerted themselves to the utmost to deserve the applause of their simple [81]audience; and the profound silence with which that wanton and excitable crowd sat listening, sufficiently testified to the success of their endeavours.
at the last clash of the cymbals, the people broke silence, and by ringing shouts and lively cheers gave vent to their satisfaction as a westerly audience would have shown its approval by clapping of hands.
singomengolo, with the help of a couple of his assistants, and aided by the two chinamen who kept the opium-store, then offered the notables, who were present, cigars wrapped in leaves, while sweets and confectionery were handed round to the more distinguished ladies of the company. round the two booths several stalls had been erected, at which the lower classes could go and gratify their tastes. the satisfaction of these poor people was unbounded, when they found that all these dainties were provided free of charge, and that it was in this generous manner that singo had determined to celebrate his return among them. on all sides, praises and thanks were lavished on his liberality. but the tempter took good care not to let them know that the tobacco of which those pleasant little cigars were made had been well steeped in infusion of opium, and that the pernicious juice of the polyanthes tuberosa largely entered into the composition of the nice sweets he had so bountifully served out. perfectly unconscious of this treachery the poor people thoroughly enjoyed their treat, and were loud in praises to their generous friend.
presently, the cymbal was heard again, and every one hurried back to his seat. at the first notes of the piece which followed a loud cheer arose; “taroe polo, taroe polo” was the cry as the people recognised the well known sounds, then all sat silent and listened with rapt attention.
the story or legend of which the musicians were about to give a musical interpretation, was familiar to almost every inhabitant of the dessa, yet here and there small groups gathered round some old man as he told the oft-repeated tale to his younger friends.
the music of java is the interpretation, the embodiment, the rhythmical expression of the numberless fables, legends, and romantic tales current in the island. it is inseparably connected with them just as appropriate gesture and modulation of the voice are the necessary accompaniments of oratory. of these legends the story of taroe polo is one of the prettiest and well-calculated [82]to awaken the softest emotions in the breast of the susceptible javanese.
in very low tones, which blended with the notes of the music, but yet in an audible voice, the old man said:
taroe polo was a young prince who one day while he was out hunting lost his way in the dense tropical forest, and as he was wandering about, suddenly came upon an old ruinous palace the existence of which had never been suspected. making his way through the tangled undergrowth, he soon came up to the walls and entered the ruin. as he roamed about the spacious and much decayed galleries, he was greatly surprised to find himself in an apartment which the hand of time had spared, and which retained all its former freshness and splendour. as he looked round in amazement at so sudden and strange a sight, his eye lit upon a young damsel of wondrous beauty surrounded by a train of attendants, who, although unable to vie with their mistress in loveliness, yet were all comely and young. she was a princess, a king’s daughter, confined by the cruelty of her mother to that lonely spot, because she would give no ear to the suit of an old though powerful monarch, who was anxious to make her his bride. the moment prince taroe polo caught sight of this enchanting vision, he felt a fire kindle in his breast, and casting himself down at her feet, he began to pour out to her the tale of his passionate love; hear how well the little silver cymbal and the strips of resonant wood struck with small hammers with their soft silvery tones express the tender feelings of the prince, how they seem to sing, to woo, to implore as the young man kneels to his love.
the young maiden listens but too willingly to his eager suit, her bosom heaves, she sighs, the flute with its languishing notes quite plainly tells the tale.
but she is compelled to repress her emotion, for she is guarded by her attendants, who are her mother’s slaves, and who one and all will be ready to betray her. she replies in broken accents, in single syllables, the harp faithfully gives back her confusion.
gently however, and with the cunning of love she tries to get rid, if but for a few moments, of those who stand around her. she succeeds, and now the passionate joy of the lovers breaks forth unrestrained. how well that burst of passion is rendered in full symphony by the two stringed viol, the accordian, the flute and the zither. thus having, for a [83]while, given way to their feelings, they suddenly remember that they can never win the mother’s consent, that her followers are incorruptible and that their only chance of bliss is to flee away together—far away to the mountains. the lovely princess, however, will not yield, her maiden pride refuses to take the irrevocable step. but the prayers of taroe polo, now soft as the gentle breeze which rustles in the tree-tops, then vehement and passionate as the tempest blast which howls over the fields—at length prevail. her own heart pleads for him, her love is sounding his praise, still she wavers, she hesitates. but the thought of her mother and of the fate which awaits her should the secret of her love become known, quite overcomes her. with downcast eyes, but with a smile of joy she casts herself into the arms of her love, and with him she flies—she flies to the blue mountains, which loom far away in the mist. the whole javanese orchestra celebrates this happy close with a full burst of melody, the cymbals with rapid clang indicate the swiftness of their flight, and then the coy sighs of the maiden are succeeded by the jubilant song of the prince, and a loud clash of victory brings the piece to a triumphant close.
the whole population of kaligaweh—simple folk—sat awe-struck listening with breathless attention until the last sounds of the gamelang had faded, quivering away in the distance.
the moon had meanwhile risen, had lost her blood-red hue and was now prying down upon that rustic village green through the tall wariengien trees and flooding all those who sat there with silvery light.
by this time the other booth had been opened and within a group of men could be seen cleverly manipulating some packs of chinese cards. your javanese is a born gambler. with him the love of play is the ruling passion, nay the mother of all others, which without that excitement might be harmless enough.
the sight of that booth is irresistible, many of the men rise at once to take part in the seductive game, whilst others who are anxious to see the theatrical performance which was to follow, begin to ask singo or his attendants for one of those cigars which they had found so delicious. the poor little women too are so fond of those nice little sweetmeats and cannot help showing that a second edition of those dainties would not be unwelcome. but, the crafty minions of lim yang bing were on [84]the watch. with the most pleasant smiles they told the company that the supply intended for free distribution had come to an end; but that the stall-keepers were ready to sell cigars and sweetmeats to anyone who would pay for them. it was a sore disappointment; the stall-keepers were ready to sell, but where was the money to come from? for though we know that the people of kaligaweh were in every way prosperous, yet there was but very little of the filthy dross of this world among them.
singomengolo read their feelings at once, and with devilish craft he pointed to the open gambling booth. there, he grinned, plenty of all sorts of coins could be picked up in a few minutes. it was a mere matter of luck.
his words acted like oil cast upon the fire.
“but to play, one must have ready money to stake,” suggested one of the bystanders.
and how then about the rice which you have just brought home? said the tempter with a leer worthy of satan himself.
a new light dawned upon the wretched people. the rice, of course, how was it that they had never thought of that?
“and will they take rice for payment?” asked one.
“take it?” cried singo, “of course they will and allow you the full market value for it.” “and,” continued the tempter, “you can see for yourselves that to-day is a lucky day for you. look at pak ardjan how he is rattling the rix-dollars. it was true enough, there stood pak ardjan, the father of the late mate—there he stood dancing and jumping about like a madman, while he rattled in his closed hands the three rix-dollars he had just won. three rix-dollars! why that was at least half a month’s wages! and to win all that money in a few minutes! all one wanted was but a little pluck—fortune would be kind enough.” thus spake many of the poor creatures, little knowing what nets were spread around them. still there was a great deal of hesitation—men had not altogether taken leave of their senses. the great majority still held back, and but very few bundles of rice had found their way to the gambling booth.
just then—kaseran and wongsowidjojo and kamidin, and sidin, and so many others began to cut the same capers as pak ardjan. they also danced about, they also shouted for joy, they showed the people—the one three, the other five, a third seven, and yet another ten guilders which they had made in a twinkling. that singo really was an excellent fellow, he had returned to make the fortunes of all his friends. [85]
then there was no holding them. soon the whole booth was full of men blindly intent upon tempting fortune, while outside the cymbal resounded, and the voices of the actresses(?) were beginning to make themselves heard.
but the keepers of the gambling-booth were no fools. their policy was not to frighten the poor dessa-people at this first attempt; and evidently only a very small portion of the rice-harvest had fallen into their hands. the cheerful and happy faces of the gamblers told plainly enough that there were not many losers among them, and if here and there one had been unlucky, it was always one who could very well stand a slight reverse of fortune. in truth, the “croupiers” did but very little business that night, though they were clever enough to take care, now that the ball had been set rolling, that their losses were not ruinously heavy. in fact, as the night grew on, the rix-dollars of the winners were imperceptibly but surely melting away to guilders and the guilders to still smaller change. yet, on the whole, the gamblers had won sufficient to make them all noisy and happy.
at length came the hour of midnight, and the heavy gong was struck at the guard-house. the booth-keepers declared that they intended to close, that they had had a really bad night, and they actually did blow out the candles and shut up the place. many of the people were still lingering about and listening to the cymbal and the craving for cigars began to be felt again. thus the stall keepers did a roaring trade, and seeing that they also were in the pay of the babah lim yang bing the money which the confederates had lost at cards, managed to come back to them again through another channel, so that the sacrifice, after all, was not a very alarming one.
at length the store of those pleasant cigars, which was not a very large one to start with, was exhausted. then, with an indescribably low and nasty smile, singo and his accomplices began to point to the opium-den where, for the same money, much more real enjoyment could be obtained.
in that wretched hole some girls were publicly seated on the rough benches, and with their shapely fingers were daintily rolling the little balls of opium, and casting seductive looks, coupled with wanton gestures, at the poor victims who stood gazing at the open door of that fatal den without being able quite to pluck up the courage to enter. alas! for many of them, the temptation was too strong. excited [86]by the poison which they had already imbibed in considerable quantity—seduced by the wanton allurements of those fair women—first one gave way, then another, and although that night not every compartment of the opium-den was occupied, yet the chinamen who kept it had every reason to be satisfied.
when lim yang bing was told of the result of that night’s work he rubbed his hands together as he chuckled, that “singomengolo is really an invaluable fellow—i must not lose sight of him.”
