The second thing began at a rehearsal of Eddie’s down in the Bamboo Theatre. ‘I’ve got a fellow coming along,’ said Eddie, ‘who’s going to do a Javanese dance in my next show. I don’t know what it’s like, but he comes from the palace of some Sultan in Java. I’m told it’s very good.’ So we waited, and presently the dancer came over from the hospital, where he was in the Malaria Ward. His name was Tari, and he was a brown, very well and strongly-built Eurasian, with tattoo marks and the head of a tiger on his chest. He spoke no word of English but, through a friend, indicated that he would do two dances: a Monkey Dance and a King Dance. As they had no Javanese orchestra, they’d have to use dance music, and the tune finally decided upon was La Cucaracha. Tari then wanted to know how long he would be required to dance. ‘Well,’ said Eddie, ‘how long do you usually dance?’ ‘Oh!’ said Tari, laughing, ‘perhaps four hours!’ ‘Well I think four minutes of each will probably be enough,’ said Eddie. We then watched him practise for about ten minutes, and I decided at once that Noel, who spoke Dutch as well as Malay, must meet Tari.

That evening, we went over to the hospital to look for him in the Malaria hut and he had with him a friend and interpreter: a Dutch man with a tinge of Javanese in him, named Metz. We sat and talked under some mango trees, but most of it was in Noel’s fluent Malay which Metz politely tried to précis for me. But from then on I worked like mad every day at my Malay, and such knowledge and experience as I was to gain in the next year originated in that meeting of the four of us.

The first thing was to assist Tari all we could in his dance, and from green mosquito nets, cardboard and paint, a massive traditional Wayang hat was made, a mask, a sarong, and a flowing scarf or selendang. Anklets, bracelets, and earrings were made from silverpaper- covered cardboard and, to my eyes, when he was dressed up, he looked rather like a small and handsome cannibal chief. On the night of the show I led him into the wings and showed him where to dance and where the spotlight would cover him. Then the music started, and Tari danced.