Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  26 / 226 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 26 / 226 Next Page
Page Background

THE GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION

on top of the frozen product. Garnish with

I

green and

1

red mara–

schino cherry. Delicious and pretty, both at the same time.

THE COLONIAL COOLER, which WE MET in SANDAKAN, BRIT–

ISH

NoRTH BoRNEo, SoME FoURTEEN YEARS BACK

The water was so shoal there that the big steamer had to anchor

fourteen miles out, and the two main motor lifeboats were lowered,

and started towing the regular lifeboats. And after half an hour run–

ning both motors conked out, and a Borneo

prahu

with a sail like a

striped butterfly and a gent

in

a G-string and a headdress that looked

exactly like an American overseas cap, only made out of wine col–

oured velvet, was squatting right on top of the blunt, low mast sup–

porting the big lateen sail, and the thing steering itsel£ Somehow we

managed to convey the idea that we were not wallowing there on a

glassy sea with a molten brass sun striking like a sword across our

necks, because we wanted to. So he disappeared down wind and then

two hours later a stuffy little British North Borneo Company tug came

out and saved the day, and pretty soon we saw the raw, red cliffs back

of Sandakan, and landed

in

a maze of godowns and Chinese "Loan

Farms"-pawn shops to America-and fantan dives.

We first went out to the Sandakan Club-there'd be a British Club

on Mount Everest if

2

Britishers could stand the cold there!-and had

these Coolers, through courtesy of an American who was sentimental

enough to fetch a mint root out with him. Then our last and most

vivid memory, outside of the headstones in the little cemetery listing

the violent causes of death-cobra bite, blow-pipe arrows tipped with

gum from the deadly

ipoh

tree, fever, choleq-was the

12

foot hama–

dryad, or king cobra,-stuffed thank Godl-in the museum. This

thi~g

had a head as big as a tennis racquet and with enough coil

~o

stnke there was still six feet of

him

off the floor-staring us coldly m

the eye.

To

I

jigger of dry gin add the same of Italian vermouth. To this

base donate

1

dash each of Angostura and Amer Picon, and

I

tsp of

orange

Cura~ao.

Stir with a goodly lump of ice

in

a small highball or

. 26.