UPPA UPPP
SAILING CLUB
THE CHINA MAIL SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1957,
Page: E
THIS is the Gin
BOAT
COLOMBO
CRISIS
Colombo,
NIVIL. war threatens the
Cush green tea island of
Ceylon.
The north is raising the black flag of revolt against domination by a would-be "herrenvolk" in the south.
flow IET
find hatred and fear brooding breath the swaying coconut palmis, and for montlik preparation violence as ominous as the dark maxes of monsoon storm clouds that shut out the sun,
This is the situation just nine years after Ceylon was given independence from Britain be- cause its two major races lived happly together.
Now the two communities are bitterly opposri.
In the south, sis million wavy-haired, generally indo. lent Sinhalese-speaking people voted in a near Communist gov- ernment fifteen months ago, The government won power on a pledge that Sinhalese would be the only official language to replace English.
I see they had to tow it it."
THE MYSTERY CLUB
"He story. he unkly, I'm making it up."
THIS story," tomy fellow-members of the Mystery Club, "isn't
"Fair enough," StohrAppleby said. "One can't expect an in- Go dustrious romancer tave much time for the merely factual. ahead."
"Indeed," i wean, it's scarcely a story at all. atory. Or better, it's at the ethics of a story."
It's about a
The ethics of ary Byatt, the surgeon, looked at me dubi- ously through a wreath cigar smoke. Do detective stories, and so forth, have ethics? T seem to me to be mostly about a disastrous lack of them."
"Not at all," I led tifly. "A little time ago, you were talk- ing about every branch the medical profession having its own ethical problems. Well, it's theme with the craft of fiction.
"The greatest was,k daling with the deepest matters, have always to consider whet theare playing fair to their characters, to the truth of their olmagthation to the universe as they conceive
the universe to be. Ants same with the humblest sort of writ-
ing.
There's always a need to play
fair. The reader is judge and ¤ jury, and he's entitled to all the evidence."
In the north, one million This metaphor naturally Tamil speaking? Crylonese, hard-working men of South prompted our lawyer to chip in. "Yi mean," Elrick asked. Indian origin who often sport Hitler-type moustaches, are re- "not suppressing clues, and that fusing to accept this language sort of thing?" domination.
They say I will make them second class citizens,
"Just that. Or making the clues adequate clues. If they are too obvious, you insult the in- They can count na atlies an- telligence of your realer. If they other milion Tamils of more are too tenuous, he may fer-l recent Immigration whom the cheater and want his moting
government refuses Ceylonese nationality.
give back." tu
Hatred has smouldered since the language bill was passed in the Sinhalese-dominated parlia- ment a year ago.
Last summer it fared up in
riots that claimed communal known hundred dead.
Now the bitter controversy fxland-wide moves towards clashes Brd virtual civil war with the announcement that the Tamils will begin a civil dis- obodlence campale, in August. TAXES AND TICKETS
That means they will not pay
Byatt chuckled. "He won't get
No. 3 in a mystery series
Loitoon #prass Service
Appleby lo haunted by the fast- ing that he has seen something pointing straight at the truth.
he theft of the
tok the Prime Minister.
that
@ AUfffam. I know he Misters aren't often in Bonds sjowadays, but I think is convention valuable
giving story tone,
fell, Katkin'e letter to Lond Rearn stolen. That's what mory 1pbout. It's a missing le story!
dek, who was our host, at potne passed the brandy. "try Feliable kind," ho
Downing
in high places, You know the sort of thing.
Byatt roded. "We do," he said with emphasis,
"Appleby is swiftly on the
Or he may feel he wants his mured ambiguously. "Pro- scent. And after one or two time back, which is worse. Se it's up to the
ness.
I
conscientious be letter is stolen," writer to do his best-ami I reled. And somebody very assure you be commonly does intent Scotland Yard 18 I asserted this with modest firm gain to recover it. He might bepicbyn fact, I'll call him Aby among ourselves,'
pleby teached for the deter. Thank you very ms" bed. "I hope I don't fawn the job."
"And now, I'll tell you about | Katkin and his letter. And
about Serracino and his fal“
"Katkin?" Byatt asked.
taxes, will ride on trains with- 'Katkin is the head of out tickets, and side-step every | fareiga government." I paused
think ou're not going to doi bading And now, let me
dece the etter, and explain
law they con. The campaign "But 1 think I'll tell you abou. therrumstees of the theft. will be lett by Queen's Counsel Serracino · Ars. That will be Mr Chelvanayitam.
fairer. And this is all a matter The Tamils threaten to keep of fairness, as I've cald,
luye
1
TRIBLY IMPORTANT
to
comes
false casts his suspicion to rest on Serraelio. Although serracino, as I've explained, is rather a low, flashy person, he has in some mystering way had the opportunity to fiich Katkin's vitally important letter from Lont Auldeora's desk,
PHONE TAPPED
"Appleby is pretty well certain of his quarry. Serracino's flat is watched. Ha telephone topped. He is overheard ring- ing up a surgeon,”
startledi. was
"A
the campaign going until they "Notice the chap's name, fo
letter 't very long, but Byatt an autonomous state of begin with, Servecino. IS
it'thly important. And it's surgeon?" their own, with Tamil ng is thoroughly exodle, which is offlelal language, keeping only strong hin: that he's a bad hat, some affair. You couldn'
anywhere. Federal links with Colombo, His manners are displeasing, too,
"An unsuccessful and drunken ted: awibust Nobody
having risen from surgeon called Burge, now well hera expecta the and his taste is execrable,
Kat
the known to the police na being in restraint of non-violence to last
hum creurgistances post af virtual dictator, the pay of a foreign polver.” delig in bf command of all
"see" Byatt took this You the manis,
Can soberly.
"What Serracino is beard
something
long in this fetld Turkish bath cilmate.
The climate is blamed for
VARIED TASTES
St. letter...
Byatt--rather disagreeably, I
fell-gave a hollow groom,
"And that's all," I said rather abruptly. "Have I afforded decent clue?"
STORY CLUE
There was
1
blank silence.
Then Elrick spoke in his solicitor's way.
dry
"Didn't you
say something about photography? Pertinys Serracino had got Katkin's letter on to a tiny scrap of microfilm, and then destroyed the origin- al?" I shook my head.
"Poe." It was Appleby-the rçal Appleby--who spoke.
"Your precious detective had Poe's Purloined Letter knocking at his thick skull-the letter that couldn't be scen just because it dir- was so utterly obviously played."
with considerable affection. "And "Exactly!" I looked at Appleby
when my man tumbled to that, how did it lead him straight to Katkin's letter?"
Appleby shook his head.
**I
Ceylon having the highest mur- "For instance, there's this at aluguess that his pen-which der rate in the world. Six mur-I mentioned. I quite spread my has en main America-is diers per 100,000 people, against self in describing the living sulle; you can see that saying to Burge is that he is haven'the said "a clue.“
rather ive in America.
It's the sort of place in her andsome set of holding Already government ministers | which liqueur, beatles have been boggelhum boid black ink. interesting, and that perhaps despair. Thein faces were co-
room.
are stoned by black Bag-carrying turned into Imp-stands and of can't--" mobs when they Tamil areas,
The
58-year-old
to
Burge might caro do call,
his
he
I looked at the others
pletely vacant.
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"But the room!"
cried. I "Don't you remember what ickad of room it was? Try to Imagine the lamp-shades!”
"That is enough for Appleby, He obtaina a gcarch-warrent and raids Serracino's flat."
"Does the
Prime Minister" Elrick inquired curiously, "go along, too?"
"No. lie sits in suspense
Appleby "Lamp shades?" ai
shook his head. I thought I had No. 10.
"Well, there is nothing found Dever seen a man look so singu-
larly dietic So person. Serracino's Appleby and his assistants begin "Made out of old parchment a minute scarch of the Eldt. or
vellima documentar wills,
Indentures-any, ald You must have scen And Sertaditio
fad
venture into osh-trays are offered you by By looked up from
bronze mudes, and
cigarette rums. "With's "you?" Premier, lighters furk in small suits of dem Solomon Bandaranaike, who armour, anxi papier-mache. has Marxista in his People's galleona stand en ehets dis- Arody. You must under- United Front Cabinet, plonia to playing dates Jike *1504* recruit a 100,000 strong youth 1066, and the curtain
Or stundat mystory isn't ret quite the f of a story section his own Freedom
overy. Go on." party, which could become a sort
Opurse, you can't read the of private army.
letter boat's in Katkin's Police last week baton
own fuge de queer alpha- charged extremiste among his own Sinhalca community who signa of serious pursuits. Phobet. -
his Eraphy, for instance. trying to reach
" They are, as you may imagine, leasen, wero
By interrated again.
extremely skilled at the job. But thing. * Colombo house to demonstrate
pender. There are lots of books
"And he is something of a this Ran
y's say 'a often more they and nothing. The reader is them! in that showy room, including effect not to quite explicit nose in aspen, too. Or a remarkable collection of dete houtese poly, 15"
against his sightly conciliatory
promise that his government would take stops for a reason able' use of Tamil,
"Yes, yes," Byatt interrupted.. "We see the room. Avanti."
"But Serracino
shows one
"uldn't
tive stories from Edgar Allan Tlu.figle, "I do not love you Poe and Conan Doyle down to thougs, Butu Bonda dem, because you change the present day.
Well, that's
halesa joke.
Latio regard seems to have
to Katkin,"
have
on
*was
he imply posted--"", ought, to be”.
"Yes, of course." It "My dear fellow," Byatt mut- mured, "I feel my own pube Elricle, our host, who broke in cons of breathing pounding at this moment. Con- briskly. "Jolly good. Jolly good -eh? 'Stupid of us. Capital story from year to year""; to a Six-Serracino, Now I can go back ratheart "Vid well," I.Bald. tituo, I beg"
"Appleby and his men huht it will make-really capital. "I plontinue
must be in which and hunt. But nothing is found. Now, will somebody apin dhat
is brackly?" stolen arbryt And all the time Appleby
can prob- haunted by the feeling that he has seen something that is point- at the truth, self-ing his straight and a light quite fix 20
tree st but he can't dhet minister He has
You know, the tickled? I've wacitèd it befiro," "Just funt. And he writes a bandhof the to. De et diammy
been paid to his appeal for Byatt shook his head. "I don't Katie leur reason, in which ha, said: "Our think," he said,
"That this is import but dear Motherland seca to be on going to be at all a
well- ably worked into come the brink of catastrophe and constructed story. Rut go on thing to
Katkin is the head of a foreign rather
alcol government,"
and set
ellanster."
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