Page 88 - Malay sketches

MALAY SKETCHES
but never any quite like these two, none so sus-
so to
ceptible to outside influence, ready blindly obey
a word or a sign.
of Kasim Minor made him
The kindly disposition
quite harmless, but the other Kasim was rather a
dangerous subject to play tricks with, as I will pre-
sently explain.
The Idtah man or woman usually met with, if
suddenly startled, by a touch, a noise, or the sight
of something unexpected, will not only show all the
signs of a very nervous person but almost invariably
will fire off a volley of expressions more or less
obscene, having no reference at all to the circum-
stance which has suddenly aroused attention. As
a rule it is necessary to startle these people before
they will say or do anything to show that they are
differently constituted to their neighbours, and when
they have betrayed themselves either by word or
deed their instinct is to get away as quickly as
Children and even
possible. grown-up people
"
<c
cannot always resist the pleasure of bating a
for one reason because it is so exceed-
Idtah person ;
for another because are inclined on
ingly easy, they
the spur of the moment to do ludicrous things or
say something they would under ordinary circum-
stances be ashamed of. Almost invariably Idtah
72