??Siapa dia? Manusia atau hantu??? Melihat keadaan gadis tersebut membuatkan kepala Ameer memikirkan perkara yang bukan-bukan. Apatah lagi gadis berambut panjang itu berpakaian serba putih dan sedang tajam merenung ke arahnya. Kulit wajahnya yang putih gebu dan nampak pucat itu jelas ketara kerana lampu kereta Ameer sedang menyorot ke arahnya. Melihat keadaan gadis itu Ameer jadi serba salah. Dia tidak patut membiarkan gadis itu terus berdiri di situ.

with a face that would have earned the envy of Genghis Khan being thin long and narrow with darting black eyes that sat restlessly upon rakishly angled cheekbones Two feathery strands of moustache drooped down to his chin framing a mouth that was constantly in motion its edges stained a bright livid red: it was as if he were forever smacking his lips after drinking from the opened veins of a mare like some bloodthirsty Tartar of the steppes The discovery that the substance in his mouth was of vegetable origin came as no great reassurance to Zachary: once when the serang spat a stream of blood-red juice over the rail he noticed the water below coming alive with the thrashing of shark's fins How harmless could this betel-stuff be if it could be mistaken for blood by a shark The prospect of journeying to India with this crew was so unappealing that the first mate disappeared too taking himself off the ship in such a hurry that he left behind a bagful of clothes When told that the mate was a gone-goose the skipper growled: 'Cut his painter has he Don't blame him neither I'd of walked my chalks too if I'd'a been paid' The Ibis's next port of call was to be the island of Mauritius where they were to exchange a cargo of grain for a load of ebony and hardwood Since no other sea-officer could be found before their departure the schooner sailed with Zachary standing in for the first mate: thus it happened that in the course of a single voyage by virtue of desertions and dead-tickets he vaulted from the merest novice sailor to senior seaman from carpenter to second-in-command with a cabin of his own His one regret about the move from fo'c'sle to cabin was that his beloved pennywhistle disappeared somewhere on the way and had to be given up for lost Before this the skipper had instructed Zachary to eat his meals below ?? 'not going to spill no colour on my table even if it's just a pale shade of yaller' But now rather than dine alone he insisted on having Zachary share the table in the cuddy where they were waited on by a sizeable contingent of lascar ship's-boys ?? a scuttling company of launders and chuckeroos Once under sail Zachary was forced to undergo yet another education not so much in seamanship this time as in the ways of the new crew Instead of the usual sailors' games of cards and ablewhackets there was the clicking of dice with games of Parcheesi unfolding on chequerboards of rope; the cheerful sound of seashanties yielded to tunes of a new kind wild and discordant and the very smell of the ship began to change with the odour of spices creeping through the timbers Having been put in charge of the ship's stores Zachary had to familiarize himself with a new set of provisions bearing no resemblance to the accustomed hardtack and brined beef; he had to learn to say 'resum' instead of 'rations' and he had to wrap his tongue around words like 'dal' 'masala' and 'achar' He had to get used to 'malum' instead of mate 'serang' for bosun 'tindal' for bosun's mate and 'seacunny' for helmsman; he had to memorize a new shipboard vocabulary which sounded a bit like English and yet not: the rigging became the 'ringeen' 'avast' was 'bas' and the cry of the middle-morning watch went from 'all's well' to 'alzbel' The deck now became the 'tootuk' while the masts were 'dols'; a command became a 'hookum' and instead of starboard and larboard fore and aft he had to say 'jamna' and 'dawa' 'agil' and 'peechil' One thing that continued unchanged was the division of the crew into two watches each led by a tindal Most of the business of the ship fell to the two tindals and little was seen of Serang Ali for the first two days But on the third Zachary came on deck at dawn to be greeted with a cheerful: 'Chin-chin Malum Zikri You catching chow-chow Wat dam t'ing hab got inside' Although startled at first Zachary soon found himself speaking to the serang with an unaccustomed ease: it was as if his oddly patterned speech had unloosed his own tongue 'Serang Ali where you from' he asked 'Serang Ali blongi Rohingya ?? from Arakan-side' 'And where'd you learn that kinda talk' 'Afeem ship' came the answer 'China-side Yankee gen'l'um allo tim tok so-fashion Also Mich'man like Malum Zikri' 'I ain no midshipman' Zachary corrected him 'Signed on as the ship's carpenter' 'Nevva mind' said the serang in an indulgent paternal way 'Nevva mind: allo same-sem Malum Zikri sun-sun become pukka gen'l'um So tell no: catchi wife-o yet' 'No' Zachary laughed "N'how bout you Serang Ali catchi wife' 'Serang Ali wife-o hab makee die' came the answer 'Go topside to hebbin By'mby Serang Ali catchi nother piece wife .' A week later Serang Ali accosted Zachary again: 'Malum Zikri Captin-bugger blongi poo-shoo-foo He hab got plenty sick Need one piece dokto No can chow-chow tiffin Allo tim do chheechhee pee-pee Plenty smelly in Captin cabin' Zachary took himself off to the Captain's stateroom and was told that there was nothing wrong: just a touch of the back-door trots ?? not the flux for there was no sign of blood no spotting in the mustard 'I know how to take care o' meself: not the first time I've had a run of the squitters and collywobbles' But soon the skipper was too weak to leave his cabin and Zachary was handed charge of the ship's log and the navigation charts Having been schooled until the age of twelve Zachary was able to write a slow but well-formed copperplate hand: the filling of the log-book posed no problem Navigation was another matter: although he had learnt some arithmetic at the shipyard he was not at ease with numbers But over the course of the voyage he had been at pains to watch the Captain and the first mate as they took their midday readings; at times he had even asked questions which were answered depending on the officers' moods either with laconic explanations or with fists to his ear Now using the Captain's watch and a sextant inherited from the dead mate he spent a good deal of time trying to calculate the ship's position His first few attempts ended in panic with his calculations placing the ship hundreds of miles off course But on issuing a hookum for a change of course he discovered that the actual steering of the ship had never been in his hands anyway 'Malum Zikri think lascar-bugger no can do sail ship' said Serang Ali indignantly 'Lascar-bugger savvi too muchi sail ship you look-see' Zachary protested that they were three hundred miles off course for Port Louis and was answered with an impatient retort: 'What for Malum Zikri make big dam bobbery'n so muchee bukbuk and big-big hookuming Malum Zikri still learn-pijjin No sabbi ship-pijjin No can see Serang Ali too muchi smart-bugger inside Takee ship Por'Lwee-side three days look-see' Three days later exactly as promised the twisted hills of Mauritius appeared on the jamna bow with Port Louis nestled in the bay below 'I'll be dickswiggered' said Zachary in grudging admiration 'Don't that just beat the Dutch You sure that the right place' 'What I tell you no Serang Ali Number One sabbi ship-pijjin' Zachary was to learn later that Serang Ali had been steering his own course all along using a method of navigation that combined dead reckoning ?? or 'tup ka shoomar' as he called it ?? with frequent readings of the stars The Captain was now too ill to leave the Ibis so it fell to Zachary to conduct the shipowners' business on the island which included the delivery of a letter to the owner of a plantation some six miles from Port Louis Zachary was making ready to go ashore with the letter when he was intercepted by Serang Ali who looked him up and down in concern 'Malum Zikri catch plenty trouble'n he go Por'Lwee like that' 'Why Don see nothin wrong' 'Malum look-see' Serang Ali stepped back and ran a critical eye over Zachary 'What dam cloth hab got on' Zachary was dressed in his workaday clothes canvas trowsers and the usual sailor's banyan ?? a loose-fitting tunic made in this instance of coarse and faded Osnaburg cloth After weeks at sea his face was unshaven and his curly hair was grimy with grease tar and salt But none of this seemed untoward ?? he was just delivering a letter after all He shrugged: 'So' 'Malum Zikri go so-fashion to Por'Lwee no come back' said Serang Ali 'Too muchi press gang in Por'Lwee Plenty blackbirder wanchi catch one piece slave Malum go be shanghaied made slave; allo time floggin beatin No good' This gave Zachary pause for thought: he went back to his cabin and looked more closely at the possessions he had accumulated as a result of the death and desertion of the two ships' mates One of them had been something of a dandy and there were so many clothes in his trunk as to intimidate Zachary: what went with what What was right for which time of day It was one thing to look at these fine go-ashores on others but to step into them was quite another matter Here again Serang Ali came to Zachary's aid: it turned out that among the lascars there were many who boasted of skills apart from sailoring ?? among them a kussab who had once worked as a 'dressboy' for a shipowner; a steward who was also a darzee and earned extra money by sewing and mending clothes; and a topas who had learnt barbering and served as the crew's balwar Under Serang Ali's direction the team went to work rifling through Zachary's bags and trunks picking out clothes measuring folding snipping cutting While the tailor-steward and his chuckeroos busied themselves with inseams and cuffs the barber-topas led Zachary to the lee scuppers and with the aid of a couple of launders subjected him to as thorough a scrubbing as he had ever had Zachary offered no resistance until the topas produced a dark perfumed liquid and made as if to pour it into his hair: 'Hey What's that stuff' 'Champi' said the barber making a rubbing motion with his hands 'Champoo-ing too good . ' 'Shampoo' Zachary had never heard of this substance: loath as he was to allow it on his person he gave in and to his own surprise he was not sorry afterwards for his head had never felt so light nor his hair smelled so good In a couple of hours Zachary was looking at an almost unrecognizable image of himself in the mirror clothed in a white linen shirt riding breeches and a double-breasted summer paletot with a white cravat knotted neatly around his neck On his hair trimmed brushed and tied with a blue ribbon at the nape of his neck sat a glossy black hat There was nothing missing so far as Zachary could see but Serang Ali was still not satisfied: 'Sing-song no hab got' 'What' 'Clock' The serang slipped his hand into his vest as if to suggest that he was reaching for a fob The idea that he might be able to afford a watch made Zachary laugh 'No' he said 'I ain got no watch' 'Nebba mind Malum Zikri wait one minute' Ushering the other lascars out of the cabin the serang disappeared for a good ten minutes When he came back there was something hidden in the folds of his sarong Shutting the door behind him he undid his waist knot and handed Zachary a shining silver watch 'Geekus crow' Zachary's mouth fell open as he looked at the watch sitting in his palm like a gleaming oyster: both its sides were covered with intricately filigreed designs and its chain was made of three finely chased silver strands Flipping the cover open he stared in amazement at the moving hands and clicking cogs 'It's beautiful' On the inner side of the cover Zachary noticed there was a name engraved in small letters He read it out loud: ' "Adam T Danby" Who was that Did you know him Serang Ali' The serang hesitated for a moment and then shook his head: 'No No sabbi Bought clock in pawnshop in Cape Town Now blongi Zikri Malum's' 'I can't take this from you Serang Ali' 'Is all right Zikri Malum' said the serang with one of his rare smiles 'Is all right' Zachary was touched 'Thank you Serang Ali Ain nobody never gave me nothin like this before' He stood in front of the mirror watch in hand hat on head and burst into laughter 'Hey They'll make me Mayor for sure' Serang Ali nodded: 'Malum Zikri one big piece pukka sahib now Allo propa If planter-bugger coming catch must do dumbcow' 'Dumbcow' said Zachary 'What you talkin bout' 'Must too muchi shout: planter-bugger you go barnshoot sister I one-piece pukka sahib no can catch You takee pistol in pocket; if bugger try shanghai shoot in he face' Zachary pocketed a pistol and went nervously ashore ?? but almost from the moment he stepped on the quay he found himself being treated with unaccustomed deference He went to a stable to hire a horse and the French owner bowed and addressed him as 'milord' and couldn't do enough to please him He rode out with a groom running behind him to point the way The town was small just a few blocks of houses that faded away into a jumble of shacks shanties and other hut-houses; beyond the path wound through dense patches of forest and towering tangled thickets of sugar-cane The surrounding hills and crags were of strange twisted shapes; they sat upon the plains like a bestiary of gargantuan animals that had been frozen in the act of trying to escape from the grip of the earth From time to time passing between fields of sugar-cane he would come upon gangs of men who would put down their scythes to stare at him: the overseers would bow raising their whips deferentially to their hats while the workers gazed in expressionless silence making him glad of the weapon in his pocket The plantation house came into view while he was still a long way off through an avenue of trees with peeling honey-coloured bark He had expected a mansion like those in the plantations of Delaware and Maryland but in this house there were no grand pillars or gabled windows: it was a one-storeyed wood-framed bungalow skirted by a deep veranda The owner Monsieur d'Epinay was sitting on the veranda in his drawers and suspenders ?? Zachary thought nothing of this and was taken aback when his host apologized for his state of undress explaining in halting English that he had not expected to receive a gentleman at this time of day Leaving his guest to be waited on by an African maidservant M d'Epinay went inside and emerged a half-hour later fully dressed and regaled Zachary with a meal of many courses accompanied by fine wines It was with some reluctance that Zachary checked his watch and announced that it was time for him to leave As they were walking out of the house M d'Epinay handed him a letter that was to be delivered to Mr Benjamin Burnham in Calcutta 'My canes are rotting in the field Mr Reid' said the planter 'Tell Mr Burnham that I need men Now that we may no longer have slaves in Mauritius I must have coolies or I am doomed Put in a word for me will you not' With his farewell handshake M d'Epinay offered a word of warning 'Be careful Mr Reid; keep your eyes open The mountains around are filled with marrons and desperadoes and escaped slaves A gentleman on his own must be careful Make sure your gun is never far from your hands' Zachary trotted away from the plantation with a grin on his face and the word 'gentleman' ringing in his ears: there were clearly many advantages to being branded with this label ?? and more of these became apparent when he arrived at the dockside quarter of Port Louis With nightfall the narrow lanes around the Lascar Bazar had come alive with women and the sight of Zachary in his paletot and hat had a galvanic effect on them: clothes became the newest addition to his list of praiseworthy things Thanks to their magic he Zachary Reid so often disregarded by the whores of Fell's Point now had women hanging off his arms and elbows: he had their fingers in his hair their hips pressing against his own and their hands toying playfully with the horn buttons of his broadcloth trowsers One of them who called herself Madagascar Rose was as pretty a girl as he had ever seen with flowers behind her ears and painted red lips: dearly would he have loved after ten months on a ship to be dragged behind her door to stick his nose between her jasmined breasts and to run his tongue over her vanilla lips ?? but suddenly there was Serang Ali in his sarong blocking the lane his thin acquiline face compressed into a dagger of disapproval At the sight of him the Rose of Madagascar wilted and was gone 'Malum Zikri no hab got dam brain inside' demanded the serang arms akimbo 'Hab got water topside in he head What for wanchi flower-girl He not big pukka sahib now' Zachary was in no mood for a lecture 'Get knotted Serang Ali Can't nobody turn a sailor from a snatchwarren' 'Why for Malum Zikri wanchi pay for jiggy-pijjin' said the serang 'Oc-to-puss no have see Is too muchi happy fish' This had Zachary foundering 'Octopus' he said 'What's that got to do with anything' 'No hab see' said Serang Ali 'Mistoh Oc-toh-puss eight hand hab got Make heself too muchi happy inside Allo time smile Why Malum not so-fashion do Ten finger no hab got' It wasn't long before Zachary threw up his hands in resignation and allowed himself to be led away All the way back to the ship Serang Ali kept brushing dust off his clothes fixing his cravat straightening his hair It was as if he had acquired a claim on him in having aided in his transformation into a sahib; no matter how much Zachary cursed and slapped his hands he would not stop: it was as if he had become an image of gentility equipped with all that it took to find success in the world It dawned on him that this was why Serang Ali had been so determined to keep him from bedding the girls in the bazar ?? his matings too would have to be arranged and supervised Or so he thought The skipper still ailing was now desperate to get to Calcutta and wanted to weigh anchor as soon as possible But when told of this Serang Ali disagreed: 'Cap'tin-bugger plenty sick' he said 'If no catchi dokto he makee die Go topside too muchee quick' Zachary was ready to fetch a doctor but the Captain would not let him 'Not goin't'a have no shagbag of a leech fingerin me taffrail Nothing wrong with me Just the running scoots I'll be better the minute we make sail' The next day the breeze freshened and the Ibis duly stood out to sea The skipper managed to stagger out to the quarter-deck and declared himself to be all a-taunto but Serang Ali was of another opinion: 'Captin catchi Cop'ral-Forbes Look-see ?? he tongue goblack Better Malum Zikri keep far from Captin' Later he handed Zachary a foul-smelling decoction of roots and herbs 'Malum drinki he: no catchi sick Cop'ral-Forbes ?? he one piece nasty bugger' On the serang's advice Zachary also made a change of diet switching from the usual sailor's menu of lobscouse dandyfunk and chokedog to a lascar fare of karibat and kedgeree ?? spicy skillygales of rice lentils and pickles mixed on occasion with little bits of fish fresh or dry The tongue-searing tastes were difficult to get used to at first but Zachary could tell the spices were doing him good scouring his insides and he soon grew to like the unfamiliar flavours Twelve days later just as Serang Ali had predicted the Captain was dead This time there was no bidding for the dead man's effects: they were thrown overboard and the stateroom was washed and left open to be cauterized by the salt air When the body was tipped into the sea it was Zachary who read from the Bible He did it in a voice that was sonorous enough to earn a compliment from Serang Ali: 'Malum Zikri number-one joss-pijjin bugger Church-song why no sing' 'No can do' said Zachary 'Ain could never sing' 'Nebba mind' said Serang Ali 'One-piece song-bugger hab got' He beckoned to a tall spidery ship's-boy called Rajoo 'This launder blongi one-time Mission-boy Joss-man hab learn him one-piece saam' 'Psalm' said Zachary in surprise 'Which one' As if in answer the young lascar began to sing: ' "Why do the heathen so furious-ly rage together . " ' In case the meaning of this had escaped Zachary the serang considerately provided a translation 'That mean' he whispered into Zachary's ear 'for what heathen-bugger makee so muchi bobbery Other works no hab got' Zachary sighed: 'Guess that just about sums it all up' By the time the Ibis dropped anchor at the mouth of the Hooghly River eleven months had passed since her departure from Baltimore and the only remaining members of the schooner's original complement were Zachary and Crabbie the vessel's ginger cat With Calcutta just two or three days away Zachary would have been only too glad to get under weigh immediately Several days went by while the fretful crew waited for a pilot to arrive Zachary was asleep in his cabin dressed in nothing but a sarong when Serang Ali came to tell him that a bunder-boat had pulled alongside 'Misto Dumbcow hab come' 'Who's that' 'Pilot He too muchi dumbcowing' said the serang 'Listen' Cocking his head Zachary caught the echo of a voice booming down the gangway: 'Damn my eyes if I ever saw such a caffle of barnshooting badmashes A chowdering of your chutes is what you budzats need What do you think you're doing toying with your tatters and luffing your laurels while I stand here in the sun' Pulling on an undershirt and trowsers Zachary stepped out to see a stout irate Englishman pounding the deck with a Malacca cane He was dressed in an extravagantly old-fashioned way with his shirt-collar up on high a coat that was cut away in the skirts and a Belcher fogle around his waist His face with its bacony hue its mutton-chop whiskers beefy cheeks and liverish lips looked as if it could have been assembled upon a butcher's counter Behind him stood a small knot of porters and lascars bearing an assortment of bowlas portmanteaus and other baggage 'Do none of you halalcores have any wit at all' The veins stood out on the pilot's forehead as he shouted at the unbudging crew: 'Where's the mate Has he been given the kubber that my bunderboat has lagowed Don't just stand there: jaw Hop to it before I give your ganders a taste of my lattee Have you saying your bysmelas before you know it' 'I do apologize sir' said Zachary stepping forward 'I'm sorry you had to wait' The pilot's eyes narrowed in disapproval as they took in Zachary's dishevelled clothes and bare feet 'Caulk my dead lights man' he said 'You've certainly let yourself go haven't you Won't do when you're the only sahib on board ?? not if you don't want to be borakpoked by your darkies' 'Sorry sir . just a bit discombobb'd' Zachary stuck out his hand 'I'm the second mate Zachary Reid' 'And I'm James Doughty' said the newcomer giving Zachary's hand a grudging shake 'Formerly of the Bengal River Pilot Service; currently bespoke arkati and turnee for Burnham Bros The Burra Sahib ?? Ben Burnham that is ?? asked me to take charge of the ship' He waved airily at the lascar who was standing behind the wheel 'That's my seacunny over there; knows exactly what to do ?? could take you up the Burrempooter with his eyes closed What'd you say we leave the steering to that badmash and find ourselves a drop of loll-shrub' 'Loll-shrub' Zachary scratched his chin 'I'm sorry Mr Doughty but I don't know what that is' 'Claret my boy' the pilot said airily 'Wouldn't happen to have a drop on board would you If not a brandy-pawnee will do just as well' From Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh Copyright 2008 by Amitav Ghosh Excerpted by permission of Farrar Straus and Giroux parched and darkened by the sun, CHIDEYA: Julia.

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