“Don’t feel hurt at an unguarded expression of your companion, which I am positive he did not mean—did you?”
“The words were certainly spoken without reflection,” Wienersdorf answered solemnly, “and I will willingly retract them. I was angry at hearing my friend speak so coolly about marriage and divorce in the same breath.”
“I only made the remark to remove your impression that marriage meant a compulsory residence in this island. I would feel loath to make a jest of serious subjects, but I sought to convince you how necessary it is for us to yield to unavoidable circumstances. As soon as I find myself among whitefaces I will respect their ideas of marriage and divorce, but while I am among Borneans I accept their customs and institutions.” [[188]]
“But permit me to say that I do exactly the same. I fully respect Dayak customs and nobody will ever reproach me with this want of toleration which you condemn. The people here and everywhere are at liberty to intermarry and separate as much as they choose, provided you leave me out of the question.”
“And yet you will have to get reconciled to this marriage,” Johannes answered.
“Never!” exclaimed Wienersdorf.
“But for once, reason sensibly.”
“Reason is out of the question. I will never marry a woman with the knowledge that in a little while I must put her away from me.”
“But listen; as matters stand just now, the marriage is unavoidable. You have already seriously offended the Poenan chief during the expiation festival and the mandauws were half unsheathed. Beware of refusing the hand of his sister for he will take terrible vengeance. And I repeat what I observed on a former occasion that if you do not yourself value life you will have to consider us.”
“But,” said Wienersdorf, “is not yours an exaggerated supposition. Will the Poenan really take the refusal so seriously?”