The unnamed white man is traveling up river, deep into the heart of the Indonesian rainforest. It is there that he stays overnight with his Malayan friend Arsat. We know that the white man has made many journeys up and down river over the years, although to what purpose we can only guess. The most likely explanation is that he's some kind of trader who needs to make regular journeys by boat as it's the only means of transport available in this remote part of the world.
On many of these journeys the white man has slept overnight in Arsat's hut, where the Malayan has been living with what the narrator describes as a "strange woman." During his latest visit, the white man discovers that the woman, called Diamelen, is seriously ill. As Arsat laments over the fate of his lover, he tells the white man the extraordinary story of how he came to meet her.
No comments:
Post a Comment