malamoop

"I had a delightful canter of several miles before the sun was above the tree-tops, the morning mists, rose-flushed, rolled grandly away, and just as I reached the beautiful pass of Bukit Berapit, the apes were hooting their morning hymn, and the forests rang with the joyous trills and songs of birds. 'All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord!'" Isabella ate with British functionaries--and with apes at the table, eating off of fine china. She rode in dug-outs through swampy lakes. She rode on frightening elephants, even across a river, where the elephant submerged itself, leaving only its trunk above water to breathe, and she got wet, sitting in a basket slung across its back. She befriended a little wau-wau ape, who later became ill and died. She visited prisons and market-places. She traveled in dirty little steamers and on foot. Mosquitoes bit her, leeches clung to her ankles, and tiger roars frightened her. I learned that the phrase "to run amok" had its origin in Malaysia. It referred to a man suddenly going crazy, grabbing a knife, running through the village, and slashing everyone in sight. People would cry "Amok! Amok!" to warn each other that this madman was on a tear. I also learned that a great problem in Malaysia in the late 1800s was debt-slavery. For owing a debt, a man could become a slave, along with his wife, children, and grandchildren. And if the debtor came up with the money to pay off his debt, his "master" could simply refuse to accept it. And "masters" were not required to take care of the slaves, so often the slaves had to come up with their own food, clothing, and other necessities. Yet they were considered property, like cattle, and could be killed for even small infractions or on the "master's" whim. Let us hope this system is no longer in place there. I would have rated this book higher, but she does get tedious at times, especially when she feels the need to recite export statistics and the like. But on the whole, this was great to read. I look forward to reading about her exploits in Japan.

2023-06-16 23:47