When Alone The
Malay Is Taciturn; He Neither Talks Nor Sings To Himself.
When
several are paddling in a canoe, they occasionally chant a
monotonous and plaintive song.
He is cautious of giving offence
to his equals. He does not quarrel easily about money matters;
dislikes asking too frequently even for payment of his just
debts, and will often give them up altogether rather than quarrel
with his debtor. Practical joking is utterly repugnant to his
disposition; for he is particularly sensitive to breaches of
etiquette, or any interference with the personal liberty of
himself or another. As an example, I may mention that I have
often found it very difficult to get one Malay servant to waken
another. He will call as loud as he can, but will hardly touch,
much less shake his comrade. I have frequently had to waken a
hard sleeper myself when on a land or sea journey.
The higher classes of Malays are exceedingly polite, and have all
the quiet ease and dignity of the best-bred Europeans. Yet this
is compatible with a reckless cruelty and contempt of human life,
which is the dark side of their character. It is not to be
wondered at, therefore, that different persons give totally
opposite accounts of them - one praising them for their soberness,
civility, and good-nature; another abusing them for their deceit,
treachery, and cruelty. The old traveller Nicolo Conti, writing
in 1430, says: "The inhabitants of Java and Sumatra exceed every
other people in cruelty.
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