‘You have, I know, put on plain clothes, taken a Gurkha wearing a Malay sarong and toured the estates up to the squatter area, driving and being driven in a car belonging to one of the managers.’
Rance tried not to show his surprise at Ah Wong’s knowledge of his movements, especially about being in plain clothes. If he knows, how many others do?
‘On your foot patrols into the secondary jungle you saw strips of meat hanging from branches. They were to be collected by men who don’t want other people to see them.’
Yes, Jason had, wondered why the strips of meat were there and had reported it to the Police Station and to the regiment.
‘Have you heard a bugle being blown followed by firing?’
‘Yes, and I have reported it. So far it has been too remote to investigate. I must have more men before I do.’
‘You have toured the villages, even going as far as Tanjong Sepat to look for that ammunition dump.’
‘Yes, that’s right. We did.’
His whole troop had gone there, left Sepang at 4 in the morning, picked up a Malay Police Inspector and reached the seaside village shortly before dawn broke. The houses, made of wood-plank walls, an atap roof and a mud floor, were spaced out just above the shore of golden sand and were backed by casuarina trees that ‘sang’ in the breeze coming off the water, coconut trees, banana plants and tapioca. Every villager had been collected in one place and, using local implements, the floors of ten houses had been dug up where the Inspector had said ammo was hidden. Nothing was found and no suspects were identified.
‘We got back seven hours later.’
It had been hideously frustrating and it went against Rance’s personal grain to dig up a person’s house despite the Police Inspector telling him that is what should happen.
‘You found nothing because there was nothing to find. The weapons and ammunition had never actually been in the houses. They had already been moved to a remote squatter area before you ever came to Sepang. Sadly you have made a lot of enemies in the village, especially in the ten houses where you dug up the mud floors.’
Rance, eyes burning, shook his head, partly in disgust and partly in despair. ‘Is that what you have come to tell me? Just that and nothing else?’
‘That and something else. The Sumatran villagers from Tanjong Sepat were made to move the weapons from the squatter area to near the jungle edge and two of them, Mandeh and Imbi, were kept there as prisoners. They managed to escape and have volunteered to lead you to where some of the weapons have been temporarily placed.’
‘You trust them?’
‘They are risking their life to take you.’
That’s hardly answering my question. ‘Why are they doing that?’
‘Because at the new dump they were tightly bound so could not move and blindfolded. They were left like that for a day and a night while the Chinese guerrilla leaders were away somewhere else. They were to be untied after the Chinese returned but before that they managed to wriggle free and escape. They want revenge. Sumatrans are aggressive people.’
‘Where is this place?’
‘Behind Boonoon Estate. I expect you have been warned that it is a “bad” estate.’
‘Yes, I have. All the European estate managers I have met have warned me against it. Why is it bad?’
‘It is dominated by three powerful Chinese, nicknamed the Killer, the Blood Sucker and the Collector who live there. They rule the place and are preparing for some armed action. If you are willing to investigate the arms dump, it means a roundabout approach march to keep well away from the Boonoon squatter area. In the dark it will take a good five hours from the road. The guides only want to approach the area in the small hours, around 2 a.m. Any sentry there, they think, will be asleep or if not asleep, not alert. Working back, that means leaving the road leading into the far edge of the estate at 10 p.m. and that means we should leave here at 9 p.m. They would like to move off as soon as you are ready to take them in transport as far as … give me your map and I’ll show you. Is tomorrow, Tuesday, too early?”
‘Yes, give me a couple or so days, please. I’ll let you know in good time when I’m ready.’
After a bit more talk and declining a mug of tea, Ah Wong left.
Captain Rance called his NCOs together. ‘You’ll be wanting to know why this Cheena came to see me. Bring a tot of rum each and I’ll have a mug of tea.’
As they sat on the floor with their tot Rance briefed them on what the detective had told him and the NCOs listened carefully, sipping their rum from time to time. ‘We must go and search for these weapons. It’ll be pitch black as there’s no moon. I have been promised two Sumatran guides. They were part of the group that shifted the arms and ammo from near the village we went to and took them way behind Boonoon Estate and once they had finished their last trip they were not allowed to leave but were bound and blindfolded for a whole day and a night. Uncomfortable.’
‘Yes. They probably wet their pants,’ said Sergeant Ruwaman.
‘I didn’t ask but none of us can hold it that long. Now, back to that shambles in Tanjong Sepat when we dug up those houses. I wasn’t too keen on it myself and I did wonder if that Malay Police Inspector was trying to get his own back on the villagers, a sort of private quarrel.’
He looked at Sergeant Ruwaman and the three lance bombardiers. I still think of them as havildar and lance naiks.
‘Saheb, we don’t know enough about these people yet to say “yes” or “no” to that but you may well be correct.’
‘Anyway, the arms and ammunition, I don’t know types or totals, have been moved to the back of Boonoon Estate and I have been told that that estate is a bad one. Apart from being owned by a Cheena it is completely dominated by three daku. The Cheena who came here told me that the guides want to leave tomorrow after dark. I have told him that is too early and I’ll let him know when we’re ready.’
A flicker of interest showed on each Gurkha face. Rance moved his legs: sitting on the floor was not his favourite position. His next question changed tack. ‘How did the Gurkha workforce on Bhutan Estate strike you when we went for that visit and had a sing-song? In any way as good as you from Nepal?’
‘Hard to tell,’ said the Sergeant. ‘Anybody, even the lazy and a coward can look happy at a party. Why are you asking us, Saheb?’
‘Did any of you see me talking to a Kamal Rai?’
Jason and Kamal had had a heart-warming encounter, neither having ever expected to see the other again. After opening questions – health, family, circumstances generally – Jason had wandered around the labour force, introducing himself and cracking jokes. Later, after darkness fell and they’d had their meal, the estate workers put on a dance. While that was happening Kamal came and sat next to Jason and said, ‘Saheb. It’s wonderful meeting you again at that party after all those years. I have something I must tell you.’
Jason interrupted him. ‘First I must tell you that Hutton saheb has told me all about you, your having met my friend Ah Fat and my ability to talk Malay and Chinese, which you knew already. That was not long ago. He asked me to give you his remembrances. He also has a message for you which I’ll tell you in a minute.’
‘Oh thank you. He is a good and brave man. I was with him during the war. It is a privilege to be with you, Saheb,’ and he bowed his head with his hands joined together.
Jason, both pleased and embarrassed, did the same. ‘Did Hutton saheb mention anything about a Chinese guerrilla named Lee Soong?’
‘Yes, he did and how you disliked him and how and why you so bravely went to Calcutta that time and that there is a possibility that Lee Soong intends to meet up with the guerrillas in this district.’
‘Quite right, Saheb, I have met him. Hutton saheb sent me to Calcutta when the Cheena went on some conference to find out what was said. That was about six months ago. I came back to Singapore but Lee Soong told me he was going first to Bangkok.’
Again there had been an interruption when Jason was hauled out to dance …
‘… Yes, we saw you two talking together. He looked good enough to be a soldier,’ answered Sergeant Ruwaman. ‘Did you see our Mandhoj Rai and him talking together? No? It was when you were dancing. Apparently they found out their great-great grandfathers were one and the same. And they look like each other!’
‘Now, that’s really something, ‘said Jason, then told his men about Kamal Rai. ‘We were schoolboy friends and he secretly fought the Japanese. He has been offered to help us if we feel we need him. I think we do. I’ll tell you why.’ Rance had already informed them about the Killer, Blood Sucker and Collector. Now he told them of the possibility of Lee Soong and his escort being in the area and Kamal Rai recognising him. As he did an idea had started to grow in his mind and his gaze unfocussed as he pondered. His men waited in silence. At last Jason said, ‘I have an idea. I want to go on a recce with Kamal Rai to where one of those three Cheena lives before we take these two Sumatrans to that dump. I’ll talk as though I were Lee Soong’s representative, find out where they will meet and try to ambush them. Any views?’
‘Saheb, is this wise? What if you get lost?’
Jason smiled at them. ‘As you know I was born in Kuala Lumpur, KL to us, and in my school holidays would come to this area and play in the jungle with a Chinese friend and Kamal Rai. Of course I don’t know how much it has changed as it’s ten years since I was last here but so far, looking around, there have not been many changes and a lot of memory of places has returned. What I’ll do is ask for Kamal to come here, unseen, and we’ll make a plan, taking two of you with us. You, Sergeant Ruwaman and Kulé.’
As a result of a phone call to the chief clerk, John Theopulos drove up to the ADO’s bungalow in his estate jeep shortly after midday on the morrow, Tuesday. He had driven through Sepang and was duly noted: Tei Po Lo-Si and a uniformed and armed Malay special constable sitting beside him. Rance happened to be outside the house as he drove up. ‘You can come out from under the tarpaulin now,’ Theopulos said, turning his head round as he did.
The tarpaulin was pushed back and another armed and uniformed man sat up, blinked in the light, smiled at Rance and jumped out.
‘I’ve enlisted Kamal Rai as a special constable. It makes a lot of sense for him and his family if anything were to happen to him,’ explained Theopulos.
‘Essential, John, I’d say,’ countered Rance, not letting on that they knew each other. ‘Are you staying long enough for me to brew you a cup of tea?’
The manager of Bhutan Estate looked around and decided he would have to sit on the floor as he could see no chairs. He had heard of the ADO’s place being denuded of furniture and wondered how Rance could put up with it. I know I couldn’t. ‘No thanks. I’ll get back right away. You’ll arrange for Kamal’s safe return whenever it suits you. As soon as possible, please.’
