1937-06-24 — Page 8

THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 24, 1937.

Encounter In Goa

By

Henry Baerlein

S they came out into the bril¬ liant daylight, after having been to early Mass, the two friends did not seem to be oppressed by thoughts of our mortality. Their mood resembled rather the gay west front of that church which has the loftiest situation of Panjim and is painted a light blue and white. The two girls started chatting at once as they looked down upon the lively scene below them, on the dark-red roads appearing through the vegetation, reads of which the cleaners, a most busy swarm of Basilia, "is the sermon which they little pigs, were putting the last preach at one another. I wonder touches to their daily work as they if they exhort each other to be of passed in and out among the legs good behaviour." of the inhabitants of Panjim or "Anyhow, they are heroes," said New Goa. These, who for the most her friend, "that they go on living in in that place which was deserted a part had arrayed themselves white or dirty white, were making long time ago because it was dis- for the market-place. As for the covered to be pestilential. But let happy pigs, it was as if they rea- us go down the steps. Our maids lised that nobody expected them to will be waiting with the baskets.”

The two girls belonged to the up- cause the town to be the "Queen of all the East" ("Senhora de todo o per, not to the uppermost, class in Oriente"), for that magnificent Portuguese India. Basilia's grand- label had been bestowed by father had been a merchant who Camoens not on New Goa, which in his day did not exist, but on Old Goa-"ilha illustrissima de Goa". which lies a few miles farther in-

land by the bank of that beautiful THE-

estuary.

came out from Portugal, whereas count of all the years of careless, Epifania's ancestors were exclusive- extravagant living, they have lost ly Indian. About four hun- the greater part of the wealth which dred years ago they had been con- they brought with them and of the verted to Christianity, but if they lands which the complaisant had remained Hindus and if the viceroys presented to them on their lost nearly colour of their skins had been con- arrival. They have siderably darker they would not everything except their pride. have been despised, because the The two girls happened to notice Portuguese in practice carry out the one of these derelict persons when theory that all men are brothers, they drew near to the covered mar- But there is one class in Goa that ket, followed by their maids. The remains outside the common brother weedy, youngish nobleman was gaz- hood. Some of the descendants of ing at a fishwife who had: let her the aristocratic families who came loosely rolled cigar burn out and of had thrust it into a wisp of hair at out with Vasco da Gama and those who in the eighteenth century the back of her head, where she fled from the dictatorship of Pom- intended to keep it until she re- to quired the solace again. That bal have applied themselves tasks of public utility; others have emaciated nobleman was staring at not alone. refused to do any work, the fishwife as if he had never seen because of their aristocratic origin, this very common method of the

steadfastly declined to Goanese. but have

The girls and the futile noble- marry anyone outside their own narrow circle. In consequence of man were slightly acquainted. · He this they have suffered both moral mumbled a good morning, but as and physical degeneration; they they bent down to bargain with the are, as it were, the ghosts of their women of the silvery little fish he would have 'disappeared if Basilia noble ancestors.

had not been watching. Hastily she ‚finished the transaction with the fishwife and then, pulling her as- tonished friend behind her, plunged into the crowd. "We must not lose sight of Dom Joaquim,” she ex- plained.

Moreover, onac-

WORLD GOES BY By "ULYSSES"

The two girls, before descending into the town, walked to the ex- tremity of the platform on which the church is built and gazed in the direction of Old Goa, that abandon- sed city in the jungle. From where. they stood one could see the vast cathedral and the other churches and the tawny-coloured house of the Jesuits as they rose out of the green landscape; but though the girls were very conscious of the wretchedness of the old capital, which in the sixteenth century was In the aeroplane were seated Mr. longer piloting. the wealthiest place of India, the Percival Fitz Allan, Minister for gazing towards some

Agriculture

and

from

now

the

*

"But why we can

2

at any time

"No, no," Basilia answered, “I have just decided. We must do it

now.

"

"Do what?" asked Epifania not unnaturally. The plane As they followed him they saw

deposited themselves upon another

an

...

was

AVE left the murder story in the While over the Southern Pacific W

House of Commons on Tues- the engine spluttered, coughed and day and now we pick up the threads gave up the ghost. again in a fast aeroplane which made a graceful forced landing on him settle down upon a bench in (apparently) uninhabited the large, leafy square in which, took off from Croydon in the early an

The poker players were beneath a canopy of lilac-painted hours of the morning following the island.

still playing, but the pilot was no wood, stands the gilt statue of old vital debate in Parliament.

Instead, he was Albuquerque, which gives you the plam trees idea that it was made to be recum-

seat of government of the then vast

with a look of ghastly horror on bent and has been erroneously set and Fisheries, La

his face. What was the pilot upright. Portuguese territory, with a popu- Hocha, fourth most glamorous spy

It concealed the girls when they Between you and I, ation of 200,000, and now lies in in Europe, Lord Stamford Bridge, gazing at?

bench. And then Basilia such melancholy contrast with its impecunious Peer and bodyguard to I'm darned if I know yet and will have to cogitate awhile before successor, they did not display a Mr. Fitz Allan, Elmer T. Checkers,

ndanced that she had learned all the dope. We will trace of sadness. On the contrary. former American Minister to Lat-giving you

his grand name by heart: Dom Jos- "Do you know," said the fairish via, then Luxembourg

resume this hair-raising yarn at

quim Onofre Rafael Made S. Fran- Basilia-her blood was mainly

cisco Xavier dos Remedios Romual- * Minister-Designate to Montenegro, some future date. European, "I could not help laugh- which the State Department had

do Socrates de Braganca de AI- Those who find it difficult to re- cantara. With such a rame, quoth ing the other afternoon when we

not yet been informed was no long- had a visitor from Bombay and we

frain from grousing against the she, one could go anywhere Mr. er a separate State, and took him over there to Old Goa to

prevailing, weather conditions may "If Portugal were still a mon- Cheltenham Bodoni, newshawk. see the body of St. Francis Xavier. I found that one of the churches There was also a pilot, for some gather a little comfort (I hope) archy," said Epifania, who

He kept his face from a recent observation made more practical. reason or other.

Director of Water Examina- by the

"Bah!" cried Basilia, what "I wish I had seen the body some carefully turned away

He also wore a black tion of the Metropolitan Water have decided is that one of us will time ago," interrupted the darker-passengers.

Board in London. -

marry him. " and brown boots. Very hued Epifania.People say that mask

"If we lack sunshine,” he said, Epifania was allowed no chance it was wonderfully preserved, but mysterious, this, and if you are a "we escape largely the crudest ex- of making any comment. With an now it has shrunk to a mummy." regular reader of crime stories hibition of the elemental forces of arm in her companion's grasp she

ill for "Never mind," said the other girl, you will know it bodea

nature, earthquakes, cyclones, tor-found that she was being pulled' “that does not prevent him from someone.

on nadoes.

circuitously towards the other side working miracles. He must be one through the early dawn."

So the next time you see your of the square. As they went in and of the best of all the saints because hour the occupants, who were play pal scowling at the darkening out among the trees, "But which of he accomplishes miracles for the ing poker and being fleeced by the smite him heartily on the us... ?" she gasped, Christians and the Hindus and the American Minister, an expert at back and say, “Cheer up, old man. "Oh, never mind." Mohammedans-they are sure of the game as are all his country-No earthquakes, you know. No -“But one has to go slowly." it,and that is why on the third of men, were over.

"Not with such a man.” Paris. Later, cyclones, either." December there is such a splendid much later, they flew over Moscow And if, as is not improbable, he

“One minute,” Epifania said. pilgrimage, when people come with and, later still, Vladivostok lay gives you a crack on the jaw for Now I decline to move until at talking nonsense, send the hospital any rate until we have discussed it Epifania nodded. “And what But the occupants were two busy bill to the Director of Water Ex- for a little." As she spoke she plant- were you going to tell me," she ask with their poker to notice their amination of the Metropolitan ed both her heels into the ground. ed, that you found in one of the

And precious time was lost. And whereabouts. Time marched on Water Board in London. churches?"

it may be Basilia was right, because "Oh, yes, the cathedral, so bare and in due course the plane passed

when they arrived: where he had and whitewashed. It is still served over Shanghai, bound south. The A large-sized headache for sports

been he was no longer there. by a staff of canons, twenty-six of the petrol tank was still full of seen to be indicated by the names might have pointed out upon the passengers were still playing poker, editors on the Gold Coast would If Basilia had thought of it she them, I believe. As a rule they have

fuel, the pilot was still piloting. of the local football elevens. Here pedestal of that unsightly monu- no congregation.”

The plane reached Hong Kong, are some of them: "That has nothing to do with

Invisiblement a sentence which had fallen Fierce Eleven, it," said Epifania. "They have to circled over the island, landed at Avengers,

My from the dips of Albuquerque on one perform the divine office every

Aboabo of the occasions when his monarch. playing po-Eions, Nevermiss, Eleven Wise disagreed with him. If someone "What made me laugh-perhaps ker, the pilot took off bound for the Players, Very Fast Foots, Wonder- can do better than myself then let

shouldn't have done so," said South Seas.

ous Eleven, Beautiful Winners. him go ahead of me.

The

plane sped In

offerings of thousands of rupees." spread out beneath them.

Kai Tack.

An hour

an

..

morning and the vespers too.” the poker players sti later, with Eleven, Goowoo's