he said, ‘I’m a Dimdim, and you don’t often see a Dimdim so—at such a disadvantage. And they have theories, you know, about me. Have they ever got theories. She’d be amazed. I’m amazed.’
He never turned, but went striding on, the shadows of the palms sliding down his white clothes and falling on the green ground.
‘I never would,’ I tried to tell him, ‘I never would—’
Still moving, he reached back an arm and grabbed me by the scruff of the neck. ‘Come on,’ he said dragging me after him, ‘walk beside me. Dimdims shall be seen to be the best of mates at all times. Forget it, it’s something-nothing. My wife refused, but what the hell. I’ll write South for another one. What else did they say?’
‘I don’t remember,’ I said, not wanting to remember. ‘Oh, except—something, they said, they thought was very big.
Kala mwasila
, they said.
Kala mwasila sena kwaiveaka, a dok
’.’
‘“His shame,”’ Alistair said, towards the gap in the palms ahead, where the
Igau
showed, asleep on the wheat-green water. ‘“His shame, I think, must be very great.”’
‘It’s mad,’ I said. ‘Their idea of shame—’
‘Of course it is,’ he said. ‘But that’s just them. Our custom is different.’
OSANA
When I and Saliba came to the beach Mister Cawdor and Mister Dalwood were sitting in the sand under the mango tree, and Mister Cawdor was talking to a young Kaga man called Sagova. They were sitting with their backs to the rock and their legs stretched out in front of them. But when Saliba walked near them to go to the dinghy Sagova jumped to his feet, because the sand was so narrow that he saw she would have to step over their legs almost, and he was nervous. And he kept looking down at Mister Cawdor and Mister Dalwood and muttering: ‘Taubada, taubada,’ until Mister Dalwood stood up too, though he did not understand the reason. But Mister Cawdor stayed where he was, and just nodded to Saliba as she passed.
When Sagova and Mister Dalwood had sat down again, Mister Cawdor said: ‘Why did you do that, Sagova?’
Sagova laughed and looked shy. ‘I was afraid,’ he said, ‘of being made impotent.’
‘O!’ said Mister Cawdor. ‘Then, am I impotent now?’
‘I don’t know, taubada,’ Sagova said, full of shame. ‘Your custom is different. For us, if a woman’s box passed over our legs like that, that would be the end.’
‘Sssss. You talk gammon,’ I said to Sagova.
‘Osana, shut up,’ said Mister Cawdor.
‘Very good, taubada,’ I said. ‘He does not talk gammon, and you are impotent.’
And Mister Cawdor just looked at me quietly, smiling the way he often smiled, not really with his mouth but with his eyebrows.
His face changed like no other man’s. One time you could hardly see his face. That was when the Dimdims at Osiwa were saying that he would have to be sent away to Dimdim, because he was always drunk, not very drunk, but always. For a while he would not shave or wash or change his clothes, and Kailusa was in despair, because Mister Cawdor was his
vaigua
, his jewel, that ignorant hunchback. So Kailusa thought of a plan, but could not explain it to Mister Dalwood, and he came with Mister Dalwood to me, and asked me to interpret.
When I had told Mister Dalwood Kailusa’s idea we both laughed very much, and I said I would like to see what they were going to do, and Mister Dalwood said that I might come with them. So we went to the big room in their house, and when Mister Cawdor came in, all dirty and with his face covered with hair, Mister Dalwood jumped on him and twisted his arms and they fell into a chair. Mister Cawdor was very angry and said filthy things, but when he saw Kailusa coming in with the hot water and the razor he began to laugh. So Kailusa put the soap on his face and shaved him, and all the time he just laughed, and sat quiet on Mister Dalwood’s knees like a baby.
Then Kailusa brought a glass and held it in front of Mister Cawdor
He never turned, but went striding on, the shadows of the palms sliding down his white clothes and falling on the green ground.
‘I never would,’ I tried to tell him, ‘I never would—’
Still moving, he reached back an arm and grabbed me by the scruff of the neck. ‘Come on,’ he said dragging me after him, ‘walk beside me. Dimdims shall be seen to be the best of mates at all times. Forget it, it’s something-nothing. My wife refused, but what the hell. I’ll write South for another one. What else did they say?’
‘I don’t remember,’ I said, not wanting to remember. ‘Oh, except—something, they said, they thought was very big.
Kala mwasila
, they said.
Kala mwasila sena kwaiveaka, a dok
’.’
‘“His shame,”’ Alistair said, towards the gap in the palms ahead, where the
Igau
showed, asleep on the wheat-green water. ‘“His shame, I think, must be very great.”’
‘It’s mad,’ I said. ‘Their idea of shame—’
‘Of course it is,’ he said. ‘But that’s just them. Our custom is different.’
OSANA
When I and Saliba came to the beach Mister Cawdor and Mister Dalwood were sitting in the sand under the mango tree, and Mister Cawdor was talking to a young Kaga man called Sagova. They were sitting with their backs to the rock and their legs stretched out in front of them. But when Saliba walked near them to go to the dinghy Sagova jumped to his feet, because the sand was so narrow that he saw she would have to step over their legs almost, and he was nervous. And he kept looking down at Mister Cawdor and Mister Dalwood and muttering: ‘Taubada, taubada,’ until Mister Dalwood stood up too, though he did not understand the reason. But Mister Cawdor stayed where he was, and just nodded to Saliba as she passed.
When Sagova and Mister Dalwood had sat down again, Mister Cawdor said: ‘Why did you do that, Sagova?’
Sagova laughed and looked shy. ‘I was afraid,’ he said, ‘of being made impotent.’
‘O!’ said Mister Cawdor. ‘Then, am I impotent now?’
‘I don’t know, taubada,’ Sagova said, full of shame. ‘Your custom is different. For us, if a woman’s box passed over our legs like that, that would be the end.’
‘Sssss. You talk gammon,’ I said to Sagova.
‘Osana, shut up,’ said Mister Cawdor.
‘Very good, taubada,’ I said. ‘He does not talk gammon, and you are impotent.’
And Mister Cawdor just looked at me quietly, smiling the way he often smiled, not really with his mouth but with his eyebrows.
His face changed like no other man’s. One time you could hardly see his face. That was when the Dimdims at Osiwa were saying that he would have to be sent away to Dimdim, because he was always drunk, not very drunk, but always. For a while he would not shave or wash or change his clothes, and Kailusa was in despair, because Mister Cawdor was his
vaigua
, his jewel, that ignorant hunchback. So Kailusa thought of a plan, but could not explain it to Mister Dalwood, and he came with Mister Dalwood to me, and asked me to interpret.
When I had told Mister Dalwood Kailusa’s idea we both laughed very much, and I said I would like to see what they were going to do, and Mister Dalwood said that I might come with them. So we went to the big room in their house, and when Mister Cawdor came in, all dirty and with his face covered with hair, Mister Dalwood jumped on him and twisted his arms and they fell into a chair. Mister Cawdor was very angry and said filthy things, but when he saw Kailusa coming in with the hot water and the razor he began to laugh. So Kailusa put the soap on his face and shaved him, and all the time he just laughed, and sat quiet on Mister Dalwood’s knees like a baby.
Then Kailusa brought a glass and held it in front of Mister Cawdor
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