“Thank you, much obliged—the smell would soon drive you away. The poor native prisoners lie there huddled together in a space miserably too small for them. The only furniture you would see there is a wretched bench or two, which in filthiness so closely rivals the floor, that the original colour of both has long since disappeared. At nightfall some further ornaments are introduced in the shape of sundry representatives of the tub family—and these utensils presently contribute their fragrance to the already pestilent atmosphere. The prisoners have but a very scanty allowance of air and light, admitted through two small heavily barred openings. The walls are supposed to be white-washed; but are smeared all over with blotches of blood, produced by mosquitoes and other still fouler insects crushed against them by the human finger, and are covered with sirih-spittle and other nameless abominations. All things considered, I believe you will give me credit for acting the part of a friend in strongly dissuading you from paying a visit to that horrid den.”
“Yes, August is quite right,” remarked Grenits. “I ventured to go and have a look at the place yesterday, and I have not yet got over my feelings of disgust. But come, let us change the subject. Edward, your boy has just now brought me a parcel.”
“Yes, I sent him with it, where is it?”
“It is there, just over there on the piano.”
“My friend,” said van Rheijn as he deliberately opened the parcel, “here you have a brand-new bedoedan. You see the bowl is perfectly pure and the stem has never been used. And here is a small quantity of the very best tjandoe—prime quality as Grenits might say.”
“Oh yes,” said Beneden—“that is, I suppose, for our experiment, is it not? How much opium have you there?”
“This little box contains about twenty-five matas.”
“How much may that be?”
“Let me see! That comes to about one centigramme.”
“But is that enough?” asked Grashuis.