Page
THE COIL OF THE
SERPENT
DEBA
YNE of the less desir-
ONE
able results of a western education for an Asian is that he often grows up knowing more about the West than he does about the East.
Не
DID IT HAPPEN?
: becomes so impressed spirit which I have learned
side of your waist dle.**
you
will
"That is all nonsense," I said, and returned to my game. Bui nevertheless that vague, uneasy feeling stayed with me.
Meanwhlic, the amal com- municated her discovery to my Hronimnother. Although the Flying Serpent is not common,
the disease is by no means un- known, and my grandmother only a Chinese
with the technological from the West has taught loving me as and scientific superiority me to suspend judgment grandmother can love her eldest of the West that he tends on the ways of the un- grandson, was all in favour of
cients until they
to look upon all eastern been proved wrong. ways and beliefs which cannot be explained in
have consulting a native herbalist to
recure the necessary remedy,
What uppened Tu me hap-
those terms as so much in Malaya and
pearl 22 years ago wà a I was
superstition.
yet I con remember everything thal kappened as clearly as if 11
Sre
But my grandfather was ab- solutely opposed to uny Auch move. He was a doctor in the service of the Malayan Govern- Hient, He had completely Western education and he did not have much faith in native herbalists.
Nothing Serious
I myself, with my were yesterday, Western Education, I was then eight years old, might have ended up and like eight-year-olds with the same attitude Want to do in Malaya. I often mon around sans shirt or shoc. if something had not One day, when I was playing
He examined me and pro- happened to me early in that style of undress, my claimed that there was nothing
annah called me, to her,
&rlously wrong with me, in- The amah was an old woman deed I was inclined to agree
in my life to instil in me a healthy respect for ancient beliefs and ancient way.
Balanced View
my
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1959. «)
KMackentin
now I could no longer think or feel things clearly. My senses seemed to be wrapped in a haze, All that i was conscious of wps a great fear of death.
Later I was told that in my
"I don't want to die. I don't want to be."
Domestic Scene
who had been with my family with him for I did not feel il feverish delirium I kept crying: for years, She had brought up in any way. My parents also my father and she
their faith was then slaked Engaged to bring me UD. She Krandfather. vas countrywoman who was
But three days later I uneducated and literate, developed a lever, which soon When I approached she turn- climbed to 103 degrees. And the ei me around with her rough, le red bumps like Insc What eine transpired during
stil there.
My this time I also learned only Of course by this I do dry hands, and began examin- bites were
ing something on my right grandfather gave me some pills subsequently. I was told of a not mean that I believe shoulder. After what seemed to and applied some lotion to the scene between any grandparents, in witch-craft and magic me to be a long time, she said: patch of bumps, but the next which ended with my
afflicted with day saw or that I am in favour of "You have been
no improvement In mother bundling me up and superstition. Rather it is the Flying Serpent. Unless you my condition. My grandfather carrying me off-with the help of my old amah-te in mathe freatment, gave the more pills and some that the scientific rive the proper
The By now stiff herballst,
red Injections, but there was
blotches had rounded my side and were moving across ту belly.
to say
TARGET
T A│I
UME
How many
XRD rach
words t four tetler
or thure can you make from 1 Letters in Ilie
inte on the inte
making word. thin Jetters tenet of the atwall squares may be
HACH once only. Each word "must con tain the large letter in the centre square, and there must be
least one nine-letter word in the List No plurals 3 no Furelin words no gm per names, TODAY'S TARGET: 42 words, Food: 52 words, very good : 12 words excellent. Hulation on Monday.
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIIN 1 Cist cist clout viltis colt
cali felt ist lurust just This Bout fust occül acuit OCULISTIC Qust scot, scout rear silt i
1952
slut solfelt stale stuero toli tulu. London Express Service.
1
Year will die."
She said 1:1s calmly and no improvement, evenly. The face, which- was By now my grandmother was brown and lined Bee the bark becoming hysterical with worry of old oak, did not change its but my grandfather would not
xpression,
My Arst reaction was to pay nu attention to the mutterings of a stupid old woman and re- turn to my game of marbles. But then a vague feeling of inky curiosily rather than of Tear fouk hold of me. "What is the Flying Serpent?" I asked,
She took my left band and placed if on a spot on my right shoulder.
number of I felt hy bumps like insect biles covering an aren the size of a (halfpenny on my skin.
"That is the head of the Ser- pent," she said. "In a few days The Serpent will begin to grow. Laits Bumpe Fik those will across your appear in a line back and round your Belly. That is the cuil of the Serpent. When the colt reaches the right
A British Crossword Puzzle
12
14
8
16
17
19
16
20
121
22
23
24
25
27
ACROSS
If big, could give
fuir ride! (0),
28
DOWN
you a
1 Legal act? (4). Horticultural (4).
5 Breaks for billiards players? »
(5).
Я
Bad habit on the bench
(4).
9 Set course for Grelna? (0).
11 Unknown quantity in tens
in the U.S. (5).
12 A delicate offer, seemingly
(6).
14. Deal successfully with
vestment (4).
18 Possibly a REME VIP out
East and he is
(8).
18an Oriental this (5).
19 KO. (4).
20. The consultant holds
resent. He said he did not believe that my fever had any thing to do with the so-called disease known as the Flying
Serpent.
Growing!
The following day not only saw no improvement in my condition but the Serpent began to grow!
That morning my old emak came to me and, after examin- ing me, proclaimed to the whole family In her undramalic
way that the Serpent was growing. Another red blown, similar to the first but smaller in size, had appeared about an inch or two from the Brst one.
(19
Thereafter every four or five hours another red blotch np- peared, They moved in a slightly diagonal ne across my back, What my amah hud prophesied and what I had dismissed nonsense was coming truel
Thuit evening, my grandfather brought two of his English col- Hughes home with him. They examined me, and then all threo stood a little way off and talkexi with hushed vatees and that perlous air doctors have when discussing a case, I was given
The herbalist prescribed a medicine which was vermilion in colour and had the consistency of mud. This was applied to the red blotches several times a day.
You bees been offiend with the Firing Serpent, Wafoss von voodivu the proper treatment you will d
It took
me some time to 'vonvalesce BUK the fever had
taken quite Towards the end of my Co- valescence, my amal made an- other promotricement.
a bit out of me.
"The head of the Serpent must now be killed. he uld. "It must be burned with a hot Iron. Otherwise the Serpent may one day grow again.'
But at this even my grand- mother baulked, So the head of the Serpent never got burned.. Today, though i have never been bothered by the Serpent since, I still carry the head of the Ser- pent around with me. I still see and feel it on my right
shoulder, although its colour has now paled to the ordinary color of my skin.
During the 20 years that have elapsed since I felt the coils of the Flying Serpent, I hove visited all the five continents. 1 have spoken of my amiction to Western doctors in many parts of the world, but none of them redems to have heard of it.
Soon thereafter the biniches began to disappear unki my fever began to subside. Afles three days my fever was com- pletely gone and so were the blotches except for the original head of the Serpent.
CHESS
by LEONARD BARDEN
拥
(No SCAI)
Here is a problem by A. Bol-
White play and mate in two moves,
more plils, but I do not know tacchi (Alfieri di Re. 1921) what they were nor do I know what decisions, if any, were made during the consultations,
The next day my grandfather That slayed home from work. nrust have been an Indication of the gravity of my situation. By
Solution No. 5681:1 RXP ch!. -83; 2 RxP chi. KxR: 3 QR ch, Kx R, 4 P-R4 ch, and mate next mone.
London Express Service.
JACOBY on BRIDGE
[ORTH's bid of three spades
pected
to show his twelve points later on.
Now South did a little over- bidding. He decided that if North held six spades to the nee, the worst that could hap- pen at six spades would be a club finesse for the contract, 80
into went right
the Blackwood routine and con- tracted for the spade slam, once North showed one ace.
conspiracy? South
3 Not odd at dusk (4).
It won't hold water (0).
Troops might beat it la
more than one sense (7).
6 Twice "27" (7).
7
At this point North decided ta do something with his twelve
Blood relations in the nurs-points. He could not bid seven,
ing service (7).
10 Little dog has nothing for
ica (5)
13 Clarke, anally deccused (7).
14 Many, being unsuccessful,
are shutting up (7).
15 Just now, at any rate, it's a
gif (7).
a 17 Would a wallflower be a
suilable subject
B South was obviously showing that. There was missing ace, but North could see that six no- trump ought to be a spread,
♥+CARD Sense♣♦
Q-The bidaling has been:
Weet North South
Pat 1
Incarch (5).
for
oxot
24 Blazing merrily? (8), ·
(5).
25
Even the best fish may bo going offt (6).
19
So certain
stuff may give
consolation (6).
1
24
7.
Row (4).
22 Spin upt (4).
20 Resort of the over-fastidious 21
(4)
27 Men in a boat (6).
28 Removod, all truco (U).
23 Beyond one's prime (4).
"YESTERDAY'S, CROSSWORD-Across: 1, Maria; 4. Cam- ber; (0)-Mosaic; 10, Baher; 13, Goethe; 14, Con-tour; 17, Rapt 19, Rapidly; 20, Siderua; 22, Lean; 23. Gimlets; 27, Sereno: 29, Cairo; 30. Garter, 31; Spring: 32. Sprat. Down 1, Mimle; 2, Kian 3, Amsĺgb; 6, Arbel; 6, Bo-head; 7, Rarity; Courage, 11, Barili; 13, Traming; 18, Ople; 15. Turner 18, Ploi 20, Alone; 21; Emilor; 16; Means; 23, Enter; 20, Strut;-28, Ron.
NORTH
A9860
KQ4 ♦J 10 4974
WEST
EAST
107432 1098
432
SOUTH (D) 4KQJ
ŠAKTA
AKJ 108
MAJ7532
8532
North and South vulnerable Bosilh West North Frat La Pale 14
Past
Pass
Pau 4NT. Faar 50. Past Pass ON.T. Pass Fu
Opening lead—♥ 10
Exat
Pass ག་ Pass
Pass Pass Pan
Since the game was match point duplicate, North wanted those ten extra points.
You, South, bold;
Also, North was not proud of his spade suit and thero juent'
AQRES VI2 OF SAQ 1054 might be a spade trick against
What do you do?
A--Bid Tour' spades.
There aught to be a reasonable play for game.
TODAY'S QUESTION
You open one club Holding: ARTE WAJE (QE5 SATYa
the hand.
North
was right' on both counts. Six no-trung, 'wrapped op slice South'had five clubs, two, diamonds, one heart and four spaces in top cardë, but
- West's fivo spades to the ten
Your partner responds one would have beaten the apęde made.. What do you do now!
By David
Wong
DAVID T. K. WONG
was born in Hong- kong 30 years ago. He was educated in China, Malays, Austraila, and America and reenived a BA and MA from Antord University In Callfornia,
He has worked as a Journalist for eight years
And lecturer in Far Eastern history for two, "My two passions aro writing and travelling, he says, "and I hope to
codilnus ble to
be
doing both,"
He has been twice around the world and has worked as a cortes- Fondent In London, New York, Singapore and elsewhere,
He is at present on the editorisk staff of the South China Morning Post.
The only diseave anywhere resembling the Flying Serpent that
can think of Is they shingles. But then they admit that many of the symptoms are quite different.
Perhaps some day Western science will discover what the Flying Serpent really is antl what are its causes. In the meantime I will have to curry the head of the Serpent around with me and hope that I wil never again have to feel its coll, DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?
•
YES
NO
ཤ་ངན་པར
Put a tick against FONS choice in the space ubone.
(The answer is on Page 18)
-London Express Servicn).
...should have sent it by Pan American
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