“Whose writing is this?”
“That is Mr. Slotering’s handwriting.”
“Exactly! Well, these are rough notes, apparently containing subjects he wished to discuss with the Resident. I read here . . . look: ‘1°, On rice culture; 2°, On the houses of the District-Chiefs; 3°, On the collection of land-rents!! etc.’ Behind that there are two exclamation marks. What did Mr. Slotering mean by those?”
“How can I know that?” exclaimed Verbrugge.
“I do! It means that far more is paid in land-rent than flows into the State coffers. But I will now show you something we both know, as it is written in letters, and not in signs. Look here:—
“ ‘12°, On the abuse made of the population by Regents and lesser Chiefs. (On the practice of keeping up several residences at the expense of the population, etc.)’
“Is this clear? You see that Mr. Slotering unquestionably was a man who knew how to take an initiative. You might therefore have joined up with him. Listen again:—
“ ‘15°, That many persons of the families and servants of the native chiefs appear on the pay-sheets who in reality take no part in the cropping, so that the profits of this fall to them, to the disadvantage of the real participants. Also they are illegally put in possession of sawah-fields, which rightly only belong to those who take part in the cropping.’
“Here I find another memo: and that in pencil. Look: on that also there is a very clear statement:—
“ ‘The falling off in the population of Parang Koodyang is entirely due to the scandalous way the people are abused.’
“What do you say to that? Do you see, now, that I am not so eccentric as it appears, when I pay attention to justice? You see now that others did so!—And what followed then?”
“Then the Regent would be called: there would be an oral interview . . .”
“Exactly! And then?”
“The Regent usually denied everything. Then witnesses would
