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Updated: May 28, 2025
He was in the centre of an admiring circle of half-nude Malay and Hindu boys, going through his quaint antics, while Hamat squatted before him beating on a crocodile-hide drum and singing a plaintive, monotonous song. When it was finished, Lepas took an empty cocoanut shell and went out into the crowd to collect pennies. I threw in a dollar.
He hitched nervously at the folds of his sarong, and changed the quid of red betel-nut from one corner of his mouth to the other. "Here, Hamat," I said, laughing, "here is five dollars; take it; when you come back from Mecca with a green turban come and see me. If I am sick of the monkey, you can have him back." So commenced our acquaintance with Lepas.
I wash my hands of you. When Hamat comes back you can go to him and be an ordinary, low caste monkey. Now go! I never want to see you again!" Lepas puckered up his lips and whistled mournfully for a few moments, but seeing no sign of forgiveness in my face he jumped down and began to turn handsprings and dance with the most demure grace.
I took no notice of him, and after a few vain efforts to attract my attention, he hopped dejectedly off the veranda across the lawn, and disappeared among the timboso trees and rubber-vines. Two weeks later Hamat returned from Mecca. He paid me a visit in state white robe and green turban. I shook hands and called him by his new title of nobility, Tuan Hadji, but he did not refer to Lepas.
After every revolution he would stop and turn a handspring. The Malay all the time kept up a droning kind of a song in his native tongue, improvising as he went along. The tenor of it was that one Hamat, a poor Malay, but a good Mohammedan, who had never been to Mecca, wanted to go to become a Hadji. He had no money but he had a good monkey that was very dear to him.
We had heard that Hamat had sailed for Jedda with a shipload of pilgrims and were therefore expecting him back soon; but we had decided not to give up Lepas. He had become a sort of necessity about the house. Next door to us, lived a high official of the English service. He was a sour, cross old man and did not like pets.
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