a few hours later our sportsmen were seated at table in the pandoppo of the controller’s house at banjoe pahit. fritz mokesuep, however, we need hardly say, was not of the party. william verstork was a man who, as a rule, could put up with a good deal; but on this occasion he had not cared [241]to conceal the aversion with which that individual inspired him.
as soon as poor dalima had been properly attended to, and under escort of a policeman, had been sent off in a tandoe as a prisoner to santjoemeh, the controller had told mokesuep, in pretty plain language, that, after what had taken place between him and grenits, his company could very well be dispensed with.
“it seems to me,” had been mokesuep’s reply, “that the person who inflicted the insult is the one that ought to stand aside.”
“such, no doubt would, under ordinary circumstances, have been my opinion also,” returned verstork, with icy coolness; “but before i can consent to receive you as my guest, you will have to explain to me, in a satisfactory way, how you came to be in this hut, so far from the hunting-ground, and just at the time when the young girl was so shamefully ill-used.”
“she has not been—” interrupted mokesuep.
“now, pray do not mistake me,” resumed verstork, “i said ill-used, at the present moment i make use of no stronger expression. we found her here half-naked and bleeding, and she was calling upon us for help. she had, therefore, evidently been ill-treated, at present i say nothing more than that. she suffered this ill-treatment in your presence—in your presence, who pretend to be a gentleman; and i repeat what i said just now, you will have to give me satisfactory proof that it was not in your power to assist or defend this poor young girl before i will consent to receive you under my roof.”
“but, mr. verstork—!”
“if you can clear yourself of the suspicion which, perhaps very unjustly, at present rests upon you, i can assure you that nothing will give me greater pleasure than to hold out my hand to you, indeed you will find me the first to do so, unless my friend grenits should forestall me.”
“in that case,” said grenits, “mr. mokesuep will find me perfectly prepared to give him any satisfaction he may require.”
“satisfaction!” sneered mokesuep, “never you mind about that, i know well enough how to get satisfaction!”
“you refuse then,” continued verstork coldly, “to furnish me with the explanations i require?”
“i owe you no explanations whatever, mr. verstork,” cried mokesuep, “i intend to reserve my explanations for the resident’s ear.” [242]
“very well, sir, just as you please,” replied verstork. “in that case i have nothing further to say to you,” and with a stiff, formal bow he added: “pray let me not detain you any longer.”
mokesuep ground his teeth with rage at this direct dismissal; he flung his rifle over his shoulder, and, accompanied by lim ho and singomengolo, who had stood by as silent spectators of the scene, without understanding much of what was going on, he hurried away in the direction of santjoemeh.
as he went he cried, “you shall pay for this, mr. verstork. i shall have my revenge!”
it was a terrible threat, no doubt; but it did not take away the appetite of our friends; and so, as we have said before, a few hours after found them seated at the table in the pandoppo of the controller at banjoe pahit.
the pandoppo of the controller’s house could not, in size or extent, be compared with the splendid gallery in the stately residential mansion at santjoemeh. but, for that very reason, it was more homely and more comfortable. it lacked the vast empty spaces between the columns, reminding one of a big market-hall, and it had not the lofty roof which made one think of a cathedral. it was, in fact, much more like a cosy sitting-room, and to this air of homely comfort, the tasteful manner in which verstork had furnished it, contributed not a little. indeed, this pandoppo was verstork’s ordinary sitting-room, and a very pleasant retreat it was. the big windows, all of them furnished with venetian blinds, gave free access to the breeze, while, on the sunny side, they could be closed so as to exclude the heat; and thus within that gallery it was always deliciously cool. the entire house moreover was surrounded by trees encircling it as with a crown of verdure, and their pleasant shade tempered the glaring light of the tropical day.
there, william verstork used to sit whenever his presence was not required in his office. there, at sunrise, he sipped his early cup of coffee, there he breakfasted and used to dine. there again he was wont to enjoy his papers and periodicals as in the afternoon he took a cup of tea, and used to dream away the evenings musing within himself, and often wondering whether, in such a place, it was well for a man to be alone.
at any time of the day this pandoppo was a pleasant retreat, and specially gay and comfortable did it look now when the host had gathered his friends around his table. [243]
the very table itself contributed to the gaiety and brightness of the scene.
on that board were displayed the inevitable bowls of rice, cooked by steaming in conical baskets of bamboo, every grain snow-white, distinct and separate. and with this standing dish of rice were served up in small saucers, an endless variety of soups, vegetables, sauces, pickles, and condiments of all kinds. there were chicken-broth, fish-soup, and other thicker kinds of soup. then a variety of dishes flavoured with spanish pepper, among which devilled shrimps, devilled eggs, the celebrated little red-fish of macassar, the bean of the paskia speciosa and the famous “pirate pepper,” so called no doubt on account of its extreme pungency. the more substantial dishes consisted of meat and fish, such as jerked beef, smoked venison, roast or boiled joints, boiled and braised fowl, and a delicious fresh water fish, the olfromeus olfax. these and other dishes, too numerous to mention, are generally served up at a complete and well appointed dinner—or as they call it in java—rice table.
but the object which specially attracted the attention of our luculluses as they entered the pandoppo, and which made them smack their lips in anticipation of a rare feast, was a sucking pig which stood conspicuous in the centre of the table in a capacious dish. it was roasted whole, was standing upright on its four legs, and had a lemon in its snout. it was a product of the day’s hunting, one of the first victims, in fact, which had fallen, and had at once been taken home by one of verstork’s servants to play a prominent part in the entertainment.
every one of the guests did full justice to the good fare, and all proved themselves to be right valiant trenchermen; but though the grinders were kept busily at work, and though the palates fully appreciated the highly flavoured and succulent dishes, yet the tongues were by no means allowed to remain idle, nor was the conversation suffered to flag around the hospitable board. the reader may well believe there was plenty to talk about.
“that confounded muizenkop!” quoth theodoor grenits, “why, the fellow very nearly made me lose my temper.”
“come, come, don’t mention him,” replied van rheijn, “his very name would take away one’s appetite.”
“by jove,” cried august van beneden, “that sucking pig is a most delicious morsel.” [244]
“very nice, indeed,” remarked van rheijn. “but, how many of those chaps have we bowled over i wonder?”
“that i cannot tell you,” said verstork.
“but,” resumed van beneden, “we ought to know the number in order that we may be able to judge in how far our expedition may be called successful. how shall we find out?”
“patience, august, patience,” said verstork with a smile.
“all right, william,” continued van beneden, “you know i have no great stock of that commodity. i wonder how many of those beasts we have knocked over. i saw a good number of them sprawling about.”
“the wedono will be here presently with his report,” replied verstork.
“the wedono! yes, he has disappeared—where can he have got to?”
“well,” said verstork, “i ordered him and the two loerahs to make a careful search in the djoerang pringapoes. he will no doubt soon be here to tell us the result of our day’s work.”
the words were scarcely spoken, before one of the oppassers came in to announce the arrival of the dessa-chief.
“show him in!” cried verstork.
“well, wedono,” he continued with a smile, “i see you come to share our rice-table, that is very kind of you, i am glad to see you.”
the javanese chief, however, had recoiled in terror. had the conscientious mohammedan been a roman catholic he would most assuredly have crossed himself. as it was he merely muttered in the direst confusion, “excuse me, kandjeng toean! you know that we are not allowed to eat pork.”
“but, you can take something else, wedono—there is beef on the table and fowl and duck and fish—anything you like in fact.”
“thank you, kandjeng toean, thank you; but all these things have been cooked in the same kitchen as the sucking pig, and, you know our religion forbids us—”
“i am sorry for it, wedono,” replied verstork.
“i came here, kandjeng toean,” continued the chief, “to give you my report of the day’s hunting.”
“very well, wedono!”
“seventeen pigs great and small have been killed. the chinamen at kaligaweh and at banjoe pahit have bought the carcases from the village people and are now busy carting them away.” [245]
“ah, wedono, those chinamen know what is good,” said verstork.
“i suppose so, kandjeng toean,” replied the dessa-chief with a forced smile.
“that is a pretty good number i think—is it not, wedono?” remarked van rheijn. “do you think,” he continued, “that we have pretty well exterminated them?”
“pretty nearly,” answered the wedono. “a number of our people have gone after the pigs that broke away and have dispatched several of them. there are but a very few left and they have sought for refuge in the high mountain land, so that i do not think that we shall be troubled any more by that mischievous brood.”
“well then, my friends,” cried verstork elated at the success of his expedition, “we may say that we have done a good morning’s work. here’s good luck to banjoe pahit and the dessa-folk!”
all the guests sprang to their feet and raised their glasses. van rheijn thrust a tumbler of beer into the wedono’s hand—and with a joyous “hip, hip, hip, hurrah!” a toast was drunk to the inhabitants of the district who had been delivered from their troublesome visitors.
“has the kandjeng toean any further orders for me?” asked the wedono. “if not i will beg leave to retire.”
“yes, wedono—there is something else. in the entrance of the djoerang pringapoes there lies a very big old boar, you will know him by his long tusks—i very much wish to have the head.”
“excellent, excellent,” exclaimed van beneden, “une hure de sanglier à la sauce piquante, that will be a rare treat!”
“hush, august!” said verstork and, turning again to the wedono he continued, “then further, i want you at once to open the inquiry in the matter of dalima.”
“certainly, kandjeng toean.”
“and come to me presently—i must have some talk with you about that affair.”
“very good, kandjeng toean.”
“presently,” cried van beneden, “presently why—” and then he struck up
“we won’t go home till morning …
till daylight doth appear.”
the entire company joined in the well-known old tune. when the noise had somewhat subsided, verstork continued; [246]
“duty, my friends, before pleasure. you will presently go and have your afternoon nap, then you will take a bath. i shall pursue this inquiry with the help of the wedono. this evening it is my intention to return to santjoemeh with you; for the first thing to-morrow morning i must have an interview with the resident. you have understood me, wedono, have you not?”
“yes, kandjeng toean.”
“very good then, i will not detain you.”
with a courtly bow, the dessa-chief took leave of the company and retired.
the dinner went on; but the mention of dalima had somewhat dashed the high spirits of the guests. the recollection of the sad event of the morning seemed to cast a chill over them all and to sober down even the merriest of the party.
“poor little dalima!” sighed grashuis, after a few moments’ silence during which he had been discussing a duck’s wing, “poor little dalima! could she be guilty of smuggling opium?”
“get along with you,” cried van beneden. “does that pretty little thing look like a smuggler?”
“take care, august,” said van rheijn with a laugh, “a lawyer ought not to allow himself to be influenced by outward appearance. am i not right, charles?”
van nerekool was not there and then ready with an answer to this appeal; he was in fact busily employed in removing the bones from a splendid slice of fish. but after a moment’s pause he said:
“certainly not—yet, for all that i also am firmly persuaded of the girl’s innocence.”
“of course, of course—the baboe of nonna anna, eh charles—cela va sans dire?”
“but,” remarked van rheijn, “the thing that puzzles me is that the opium was found upon her.”
“do you believe that?” asked another.
“well i don’t know what to say, there is muizenkop’s testimony.”
“what! would you take that scoundrel’s word?”
“aye, aye,” said verstork very seriously, “the whole business looks ugly enough.”
“as far as i can see,” said grashuis, “there is but one hope left, and that is that nonna anna may have influence enough with her father to get the affair hushed up.”
a bitter smile curled van nerekool’s lip, but he uttered not a word. [247]
“now if lim ho, the son of the opium farmer, were not mixed up in the matter,” said verstork musingly, “why then you might have some reason for that hope—yes—then i think things might be squared; but now—”
“but,” exclaimed van beneden interrupting his friend, “can you for a moment suspect that the judicial power—?”
“my dear friend—my good august,” replied verstork, “a highly placed judicial functionary here in dutch india once spoke these words: ‘the opium trade lies upon this country as a heavy curse—it has impressed its stamp upon everything, alas, even upon our courts of justice.’ i think i am right, charles?”
van nerekool nodded affirmatively.
“well,” said van rheijn, “all that is very sad, a very sad state of things indeed; but the worst of it is that the use of opium makes opium-farming a necessary evil.”
“what nonsense you do talk!” cried grenits impatiently.
“but theodoor!”
“but edward!”—
“if the abuse of opium did not exist, then surely there would at once be an end of opium-farming. you will allow that i think?”
“oh yes,” replied grenits, “that sounds very plausible no doubt; but now supposing i were to retort by saying if there were no opium-monopoly then the abuse of the drug would never have assumed its present proportions? that does not perhaps sound so pleasant; but it is a statement which is more easily verified.”
“oh yes, yes, we heard all about that last night; unfortunately however, the proof was not forthcoming.”
“well,” said grenits, “what does history say?”
“history,” replied the other, “what you call history is neither more nor less than the personal opinion and utterance of the historian. one man contends that europeans brought opium into the country, and another holds a different view—so much for history.”
“but edward, i hope you do not distrust the council of india?”
“well what does the council say, theodoor?”
“if my memory serves me, it says this, or words to this effect: ‘the opium monopoly has always been most anxiously watched by the government as one of the most important sources of public revenue, and every means of enhancing the productiveness of that source of income has been most eagerly adopted.’?” [248]
“aye, aye,” returned van rheijn; “but is all this true?”
“why,” said grenits, “i hope, edward, you do not doubt my word?”
“not in the least, my dear fellow, not in the least. i am quite ready to admit that your quotation is accurate; but was the council properly informed when it gave that opinion?”
“well,” replied grenits, “if you go on like that, then we shall not be able to trust anybody or anything. those people are paid, and most handsomely paid, to get the best and most trustworthy information. but independently altogether of the council’s opinion, in which you seem to have but little faith, tell me, does not the constantly rising revenue from the farming of opium afford proof absolute of the truth of the council’s word? every successive year the estimate is higher and higher.”
“i know that,” said van rheijn, “but estimate and actual produce are widely different things.”
“true enough, they are sometimes widely different; but in this particular case they are not. heaven and earth are moved to reach the figure at which the minister has estimated the revenue, and means the most unfair, even the most criminal, are employed in order, if possible, to surpass the sum at which the revenue has been placed. how many a netherland’s lion has been given away because, in this district or in that, the produce of the opium contract has exceeded the figure at which the minister put it! how proudly must the ‘virtus nobilitat’ thus earned glitter upon the breast of its possessor!”
“but i want to know,” remarked august van beneden, “is the use of opium really as injurious to the body as men say it is? we saw with our own eyes last night that as far as morality is concerned it has not much to recommend it; but how about its influence upon the material body? we sometimes hear the word poisoning used; that very term indeed was made use of last night, but it seems to me that it is a system of poisoning under which a man may attain to a very good old age, just as a man may grow old who drinks a glass or two of grog.”
“listen to me,” said verstork in a most serious tone. “we are sitting here together, all, i hope, honest trustworthy men i can therefore speak my mind freely and fearlessly before you, and i may without reserve give you the conclusion to which a long and richly varied experience has led me on the subject of opium.
“the habitual use of opium, even in comparatively moderate doses, invariably leads to vitiation of the blood and [249]constriction of the vessels. this again gives rise to an asthmatic condition and to a permanent and wasting and almost always incurable dysentery. these are accompanied by the most distressing symptoms and intolerable suffering. upon the opium smoker, moreover, medicines begin gradually to lose their effect, excepting the narcotic poisons in ever increasing quantities. hence the sufferer is driven to seek relief in augmented doses of the poison, and if he cannot obtain these, his condition becomes utterly unbearable. yet to this suffering he is doomed, unless he can pass from one fit of intoxication to the other. opium smoking is the only thing to alleviate the miseries of the collapse which follows an opium debauch, and but few can afford the continual drain of so expensive a remedy. where a sufficient quantity of good wholesome food is taken, these lamentable results may be slow in showing themselves; and a generous and strengthening diet has preserved many a man, for an entire lifetime, from the most serious consequences of his pernicious habit. but even in these cases, the state of the blood and the general condition of health are so bad, that trifling ailments, such as an ordinary boil or a slight wound, assume a most malignant character and often lead to fatal results; and who can venture to say how many diseases, which depend upon cachexia and which are so common in this country, are caused, or, at all events, are greatly aggravated by the habitual use of opium?
“i spoke just now of a sufficient quantity of nutritive food; but we know too well—and the government also knows it—that but very few of the natives can afford a supply of food which can be called either sufficient or nutritious. it is well known how exceedingly meagre the diet of the javanese is, even among those who are in tolerably good circumstances; and it is well known also that, even when he can afford it, he very seldom makes use of food which is really strengthening. and that diet, be it more or less generous, must of necessity become more and more meagre when every day a considerable, and ever more considerable portion of the wages is squandered in the purchase of opium. thus the enjoyment itself tends to make impossible the only condition under which it might be indulged in with anything like impunity.
“but, you will doubtless object—in such cases lack of money must compel these people to limit themselves to a very moderate consumption, and they will thus be preserved from the fatal effects of excessive indulgence. such, however, is not [250]always the case. there are men, and their number is by no means small, who in the days of their prosperity have gradually accustomed themselves to a very considerable consumption of the drug; and who, when all their worldly possessions have vanished in clouds of intoxicating smoke, have been compelled either to satisfy themselves with diminished doses of opium or else to abstain from smoking altogether. it is difficult to fathom the hopeless misery of such poor creatures. further, experience has proved, that very many whose daily consumption is strictly moderate, yet at forty years of age and upwards suffer frightfully from the ill effects of opium, especially of the most painful and incurable dysentery. i myself have at berbek, at trengalek, at santjoemeh, here at banjoe pahit and elsewhere, cured a great number of such sufferers with a certain remedy, and thus i have had ample opportunity to make myself personally acquainted with the facts.
“now, if with these unfortunate creatures we compare the thousands who, at home, drink their couple of glasses of beer or of spirits, then it will appear at a glance how much more pernicious is the use of opium than the use of alcohol. the former indeed, is infinitely more stupefying and deadening, and thus, very much more rapidly than alcohol, it destroys the appetite; so that, even when plenty of wholesome food is at hand, it either cannot be taken at all or else loses much of its nutritive value. confirmed opium smokers have repeatedly told me that, in consequence of their pernicious habit, they could eat only a few pinches of rice a day, whereas, when, by the help of a remedy with which i supplied them, they were able gradually to diminish their daily dose of opium, they could take ten times the amount of nourishment.
“then comes another point, and that is the extreme fascination and seductiveness of opium, which causes the most pleasurable bodily sensations, which fills the mind with glorious dreams, which, for a while, removes all pain and suffering, while it, at the same time, deadens much more effectually than strong drink, the mental faculties, in this depressed race already sufficiently dormant, and thus the use of opium holds its victim much more securely bound in the fetters of his fatal passion, than the moderate use of alcohol enslaves anyone at home.
“having thus, by degrees, come to the influence of opium upon the mind and the character, i must certainly not omit to draw your attention to the selfishness and self-indulgence which [251]it develops in the smoker; to the ever-growing indifference to all his surroundings, even to his own wife and children; to the listless indolence and aversion to work, to care, to trouble in fact of any kind, which at length, by night or day, allows him to think of nothing but of his master-passion and all its concomitant cravings, to the gratification of which everything must be sacrificed, and everybody must become subservient. a gin drinker, for the indulgence in his ignoble passion, demands no other service than that now and then someone is sent out to fetch him his dram; but the opium smoker, if he can afford the luxury of attendance at all, monopolises the services of his entire household. one must work hard to earn the means of satisfying his expensive craving, another must go and purchase his opium, a third must stand by in readiness to fill his pipe, a fourth must prepare his coffee and the other refreshments he requires. it is true, no doubt, that he is not so violent and not so noisy in his debauch as one who is under the influence of liquor; but, when the effects of the narcotic begin to wear off and his pains and ailments again begin to make themselves felt, then, unless the whole family is at his beck and call and ready once more to minister to his passion, he fills the house with invectives and threatening—then he utters moanings and lamentations most pitiful and heartrending. if to this we add the bodily and mental debility which the opium slave transmits as a legacy to his wretched offspring, though the majority of smokers cease at an early age to have children at all, then we cannot help wondering what kind of miserable stunted race will be the second or third generation from the present one.
“and then,” continued verstork, after a pause, “and then the poverty and destitution which the use of opium entails! what an amount of prosperity and welfare has already been,—and is daily being—swallowed up by the use of that baneful drug! among the lower classes, an opium smoker, even though he smokes in strict moderation, very soon arrives at the point when he must devote his entire earnings to the purchase of the drug, while at the same time his craving for refreshing and stimulating dainties must likewise be satisfied. the families are legion in which the wife, assisted perhaps by one or two of her children, is the only breadwinner. should she happen to be in delicate health, should she be disabled by sickness or childbed, why then the misery of such a household is unfathomable. and, believe me, such cases of extreme [252]misery are much more frequent out here than similar cases of destitution in europe occasioned by the abuse of drink.
“now all these powers, bodily, mental, and moral; and all that prosperity, which at present opium saps and destroys, might be devoted to industry and agriculture. if such use were made of them, how much greater would be both production and consumption, and how much more considerable would be the profit to the exchequer—a profit earned in a fair and legitimate way—than any revenue which the accursed system of opium farming can produce! thousands upon thousands of the natives here have neither the energy, nor the means, nor the inclination to work or to learn how they may profitably cultivate their gardens and fields, neither do they care to progress in any branch of industry whatever; because they have offered up—and are continually offering—all they possess in the world to opium. but, are not industry and agriculture the very life-blood of a state? yet here, the state itself does all it possibly can to poison that life-blood, and thus to bring about its own destruction.”
william verstork here paused for awhile, after so long an oration, he felt the necessity of quenching his thirst with a glass of beer. all his guests sat silently waiting for what he might further have to say. his words had evidently made a very deep impression upon his hearers, for the language to which they had listened was the simple and unvarnished tale of actual experience; and, however young and heedless some of them might be, yet the speech of their friend had awakened their interest, and had gone straight to their hearts. at length, after having drawn a long breath, the controller went on to say:
“you know, my friends, that my official career has not been passed entirely at santjoemeh. my probationary time i spent in the capital of the kediri residence. as second-class controller i was some time at berbek and at trenggalek. i know, therefore, from personal experience how matters stand in those residencies also. now listen to me. kediri has a population of about 700,000 souls—the vast majority of them very poor people. in that place the opium contract produces eighteen hundred thousand guilders. if to that sum we add the price paid for the drug delivered to the farmer, and the profits which he makes on the sale then, i think, we shall be well within the mark if we put down two and a half millions of guilders as the sum which those poor people, of their own free will, pay annually to purchase a few hours a day of enjoyment and oblivion. i [253]say nothing now about the cost of smuggled opium; the amount paid for it is not known, and every one must, therefore, form his own opinion of that. how is it possible for a population so poor to find so large a sum of money, in addition, mind you, to all their other burdens, such as compulsory labour, salt-tax, rent, licenses, import duties, &c.? that is a mystery to me—but then you should see what kind of a life is that of a poor javanese family.
“their house is generally very small, built of bamboo and covered with straw. furniture they have none whatever; a mat spread out on a bamboo bench, and a coarse pillow is what they sleep on. they cook their food on the ground in pots and pans of the commonest earthenware; they eat it on pisang leaves with their fingers; they drink water out of an earthenware pitcher. they seldom, we may say never, wash their clothes which, such as they are, they continue to wear until they fall in rags from their bodies. the children run about naked, and grow up in the mud among the bullocks. at five o’clock in the morning they rise and go to work so as to be present in time for roll-call at six. they work for their masters, in the rice-fields, at road-making, in the coffee plantations, or in the osier-beds. should a man get a day off, he may go and work on his own account, and then he can earn about 40 or 50 cents (10 pence) for ten hours’ labour. when they get home in the evening, they have their morsel of food and fully half the day’s earning is spent on opium. at eight o’clock all are fast asleep, and up to eight o’clock the only lamp they have in the hut is a saucer with a cotton wick in a little stinking oil. such is the faithful picture of the daily life of a javanese opium smoker. nothing—absolutely nothing to make the slightest break in this weary monotony. nothing but work, hard work; mostly for insufficient wages, very frequently compulsory labour for no wages at all. and then, behind their backs to be called a pack of lazy scoundrels! that is a little too bad. tell me, have we dutch any feeling at all for our fellow-creatures? is it not at length high time that all that compulsory and unpaid labour should be done away with and that the opium-curse should be banished from the land? every right-minded dutchman ought to do his best according to the utmost of his power to attain that end, because every dutchman is personally and individually responsible for so frightful a state of things, and every dutchman ought to be heartily ashamed of himself while the poor patient javanese [254]are being so shamefully imposed upon. all that the poor native can earn either by his work for his masters or in his own free time, he must, in one shape or other, offer up to that insatiable moloch, the public treasury. there is but one thing left for him, and that is a little rice; and of that he has not enough to last him for the whole year.”
“yes,” observed grenits, when verstork had finished speaking, “yes, william, you are perfectly right, and that is the reason why he seeks for consolation and temporary oblivion in the opium den, just as in holland a poor man in similar circumstances flies for relief to the bottle. thus cause and effect act and react upon one another; misery suggests opium or drink, and drink and opium in their turn engender misery. it requires a very powerful effort of the will to shake off either bad habit, and drink and opium are the very things which deprive a man of whatever power of will he may have. therefore it is perfectly hopeless to expect the people to take the initiative in any such reforms as verstork has mentioned; the evil keeps on spreading and is daily striking deeper roots. the ruling power ought to exercise its authority and drag these poor degraded people out of the slough of despond in which so many of them are wallowing. it ought to do this, i say, regardless of cost and trouble; and regardless also of the pain it may for the moment inflict. every right-minded citizen ought, according as he is able, to assist the government in that arduous task, and whoever would, for selfish motives, strive to retard or to frustrate this plan of rescue ought at once to be put aside and rendered harmless. if holland and dutch india cannot continue to exist, or to speak more correctly, cannot continue to pay their way without screwing a revenue out of such immoral sources as abuse of opium, abuse of drink and unpaid compulsory labour—why then for honour of the country it were better that it should do like the man who is no longer able to maintain, by honest means, a separate home of his own, and go and live as a boarder in the house of another.”
for a few moments all sat silent. they all felt the truth, the undeniable truth of theodoor’s words, though his concluding sentence had most deeply wounded their patriotic pride. at length van beneden started up from his seat, and going up to verstork he took his hand and pressed it cordially.
“i thank you,” said he in a tone of deep emotion, “i thank you heartily for the insight you have given me into the fatal effects of opium. i am but a young lawyer and have, as yet, [255]had no opportunity of appearing as counsel in any case connected with the traffic. i have read much about the abuse of the drug, and i learned much last night under the wariengien tree on the green at kaligaweh; but your manly and vigorous words have awakened my conscience, and here, in the presence of you all, i solemnly promise that i will, on the very first opportunity that may present itself, make the very best use i can of what your experience has taught me.”
“hurrah!” cried leendert grashuis. “william, your excellent speech has thus had not only a practical, but it will have an immediate effect. aye, my friends, i say an immediate effect; for i have a proposition to make to you—”
“out with it!” they cried, “let us hear it.”
“yesterday, we all but witnessed the amokh which took place at kaligaweh; this morning we were within a few minutes of witnessing another and no less terrible crime. it is not my intention to analyse the feelings to which these scenes have given rise in our hearts—the father a manslayer, and the daughter dishonoured. both these events, however, are intimately and immediately connected with the infamous system of opium-farming. we have heard the testimony of our superior officer. in the name of all assembled here, i thank him for his noble sentiments; and now my friends let us not be behind him in generosity. dalima and her father must have an advocate in the trial which awaits them, and that advocate we have found. both the accused parties will, in our friend august van beneden, find a defender who will take up their cause with zeal and ability. methinks, i can hear his maiden speech—it will be a splendid one.”
“thank you, leendert,” said van beneden with much emotion, “i can assure my friends that they have not misjudged me.”
“aye, aye,” continued grashuis, “i know that well; but we all of us intend to participate in the good work, do we not?”
“by all means!” was the general cry.
“well then, listen to me, for now i come to the proposal i have to make. in this case there can be no question of offering our friend van beneden any honorarium—that would deprive his labour of love of its chief merit. but in carrying on this defence many expenses will necessarily be incurred and many fees will have to be paid in advance. we all know that dame justice is in india an expensive—a most expensive hussy. well then, let us all join hands and undertake to find the funds that [256]may be required—then august will be able to carry on both cases in the most effectual and vigorous manner.”
“agreed, agreed!” they all exclaimed. “now, august, do your best!”
“now that we have arranged that business,” resumed grenits, “i have a question to put to our host.”
“by all means, theodoor,” said verstork, “what is it?”
“i am a merchant,” said grenits, “and as such, i am bound to be very inquisitive. in trade i not only need all the information i can obtain about any article of commerce; but i find a little chemistry uncommonly useful—”
“come to the point,” cried several of the guests; “we don’t want any lectures on chemistry and commerce!”
but grenits, without paying any heed to the interruption, went on: “just now in your speech you made mention of a certain remedy which i think you said you found useful in curing some unhappy slaves to opium. is that, may i ask, a secret remedy?”
“a secret remedy?” asked verstork, with a laugh. “what do you mean—do you take me for a quack-doctor?”
“not by any means,” replied grenits. “since this remedy then is not a secret one, will you tell me what it is?”
“with pleasure,” said verstork; “they are pills which were given me by a missionary. they are composed of opium and radix rhei or rhubarb, in the following proportions: twelve of these pills contain three grains of opium and twelve grains of rhubarb. they are to be administered every five days; the first time twelve have to be taken, the next time nine, the third time six, but it is very seldom indeed that the third dose is required, for by that time the patients are generally cured.”
“and,” persisted grenits, “can you actually vouch for their efficacy?”
“to be sure i can,” replied verstork. “in my study you will find a kind of trophy consisting of a dozen bedoedans or opium-pipes which the smokers have deposited with me with the solemn promise that they would never touch the pipe again. the missionary who gave me the pills can speak most positively of upwards of seventy cures.”
“now,” asked grenits, “you will not be offended if i give you a bit of advice in your own interest and in the interest also of the missionary?”
“certainly not,” said verstork, “let us hear it, by all means.”
“well, my advice is this: keep that prescription strictly to [257]yourself and don’t say a word about it to anybody. the colonial secretary who has but one object in view, and that is, to raise the opium revenue as much as possible, might look upon your remedy as an attack made upon the golden calf; and missionaries have before this been impeded in their gospel work, and men have been expelled from the colonies, and official functionaries have been suspended or pensioned off for the commission of much more venial offences than bringing such pills as yours to the opium-smoker.”
verstork turned slightly pale as he heard his friend’s well-meant advice. for a single moment his thoughts flew to those dear ones who so greatly needed his assistance and support. did he repent of having thus honestly spoken his mind? who can say!—he put his hand to his forehead as if to wipe away some unpleasant reflection. “oh,” said he, “it is not quite so bad as that, i hope.”
“perhaps not,” said grenits, with a smile, “but your pills will not earn you the netherlands’ lion.”
“that may be,” said the controller, “however, fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra, that is my motto. for all that i shall not give the poor souls one pill the less.”
then, allowing his eye to wander over the table which by this time had been pretty well cleared, for our friends had sat down to dinner as hungry as hunters, he continued—
“my friends, our dinner is over. after yesterday’s jaunt and this morning’s exertion, and after the very short rest we had last night, you must all need repose. my servants will show you to your rooms. i am going to work and, as i told you just now, this evening i am off with you to santjoemeh. i wish you all a pleasant siesta.”
a few minutes later the pandoppo was deserted and towards evening the five friends were galloping along the road to the capital.
