“To be sure, Dongso!” said Verbrugge, looking outside; [[79]]“he hunts in this neighbourhood; he went away this morning very early——ho! Duclari—Duclari——”
“He hears you, sir; he is coming this way. His boy rides after him.”
“Hold the Commandant’s horse,” said Mr. Verbrugge to one of the servants. “Good-morning, Duclari, are you wet?——what have you killed? Come in.”
A strong man about thirty years of age and of military appearance, though there was no trace of a uniform to be seen, entered the ‘pendoppo.’ It was Lieutenant Duclari, commandant of the small garrison of Rankas-Betong. Verbrugge and he were familiar friends, as Duclari had lived for some time in Verbrugge’s house, pending the completion of a new fort. He shook hands with him, politely saluted the Regent, and sat down asking: “What have you here?”
“Will you have some tea, Duclari?”
“Certainly not; I am hot enough. Have you no cocoa-nut milk?—that is refreshing.”
“I won’t let you have it. If one is hot, cocoa-milk is, in my opinion, very unwholesome; it makes you stiff and gouty. Look at the coolies who carry heavy burdens over the mountains—they keep themselves active and supple by drinking hot water or Koppi dahoen—but ginger-tea is still better——”
“What?—Koppi dahoen, tea of coffee-leaves? That I have never seen.” [[80]]
“Because you have not served in Sumatra: there it is common.”
“Let me have tea then—but not of coffee-leaves, or ginger.——So, you have been at Sumatra——and the new Assistant Resident, too, has he not?”