way at such a time, however, would have been fat d to Sělěma's prospects, and almost certain death to her and to her child; so though the restriction robbed his life of much of its comfort, Umat submitted to it with meekness.
His wife, meanwhile, had to be no less circumspect. She bridled her woman's tongue rigorously, and no word of disparagement of man or beast was allowed. to pass her lips. IIad she miscalled or depreciated any living thing the consequences, as was well known, would have been that her child would have reproduced the defects upon which she had com- mented. This, it will be noted, represent Jacob's wands driven hilt-deep into the ground. She was often dropping with fatigue, and faint and ill before her hour came, but she dared not lie down upon her mat during the hours of daylight lest she should fall asleep, in which case evil spirits would almost cer tainly have entered into her unborn child. There fore, she struggled on till dusk, and Ümat did his clumsy best to comfort her and to lighten her suf ferings by constant tenderness and care.
One night, when the moon was nearly at the full, the town suddenly broke out into a tumult of dis- cordant sound. The large brass gongs, in which the Chinese devils delight, clanged and clashed and brayed; the Malay drums throbbed and thudded: and a tremendous clamour was raised by thousands of human voices lifted in shrill and strenuous outery, The jungle on the distant bank across the river echoed and reechoed the noise, till the air seemed to be
