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Show - 60 - Penny furtively looked into the large room. On the opposite side was a narrow staircase that led up to a second floor platform. Strewn over the floor were bamboo mats which she assumed was bedding. In the middle of the room was a large pot-bellied wood stove and on it was an old metal tea kettle steaming. Beside it was a long plain wooden table with bowls on it and around the table were arrangedspindley wooden chairs. Seated in one of them was the same man who had spoken to Penny and Vicky when they had He seemed old even then, ventured near the house that first time. He was watching the activities going on in contemplative silence. Penny was quite startled at the commotion going on. There were about a dozen people hauling crates into the room and passing them from one to another. Close to one of the walls was an open trap door. The boxes were being handed from one coolie to another until the last one reached the trap door which appeared to have a stairway leading,she guessed, to a lower chamber. Except for two Caucasians everyone else was Oriental. One of them was Dirk and she immediately recognized him. He wore a sailor's coat over his high necked sweater. His clothes were entirely black, perhaps to better camouflage himself and his curly, dark hair and broad shoulders towered above all the others. Even in the dim light Penny could see how handsome he was. He was deeply intent on what was going on as he supervised the coolies' work. No words were spoken while everyone busied themselves with the job at hand. Finally, when all the crates had been put into the basement he closed the trap door, covered it with a grass mat, and turned to the other man. He was much older than Dirk and his face was coarse and lined. His black hair was very stringy and unclean when he spoke his voice was thick and raspy. His unkempt clothes hardly concealed his grossly fat body. There was an arrogant air about him and he treated the Orientals in a derisive manner. They appeared to fear him, and their hate was evident in their actions; subservient, yet hostile. |
