The Plantation - Di Morrissey [47]
No more was said until Gilbert, Roland’s friend who’d been best man at the wedding, called in at Utopia.
‘I’m going down to look at a small estate. It’s a holding that went bankrupt. I bought it from some ex-army officer who was given a land grant after the Great War, and couldn’t make a go of it.’
‘There are not enough big plantations and I think that too many of those individual holdings are too small to really work, especially when times are tough,’ said Roland. ‘That’s why many are selling out to concerns like ours. As you know, we’ve amalgamated a few of these small estates into one large outlying division that we’re trying to turn over to oil palm.’
‘Experimenting, eh?’ said Gilbert.
‘I think we should be expanding our horizons. Father’s not so keen. Wants to hold off until the war situation has sorted itself out, and he might be right in that.’
Over tiffin, they talked about the fun they’d had in Penang at the races and Bette added how much she’d loved the city, saying that she would like to explore it some more. ‘Margaret wants to take me to see Ipoh and Taiping as well.’
‘Many more interesting places to go than those,’ said Gilbert.
‘Bette wants to go up-country. See the wildlife,’ said Roland.
‘That sounds good. Do you still have that old lodge and pagar your father built upriver? That’d be the place to go,’ said Gilbert. ‘Bette would enjoy that.’
‘I suppose we could go,’ said Margaret. ‘But I’d still like to take her around a bit more. I so wish we had another car.’ She sighed. ‘I’ve asked Roland for one for ages, so that I can be independent, but you know how everything that is earned is ploughed back into the plantation.’
Before Roland could say anything, Gilbert slapped his knee. ‘By Jove, Henderson’s going to Australia. His wife has a bee in her bonnet about the Japs making some sort of a move here, so he’s selling off everything. First to go is his wife’s car, a Baby Austin Tourer. Nifty little thing. Perfectly good nick, I believe, and he’ll take whatever he can get for it.’
Margaret’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, Roland! Couldn’t we buy it? Think how much easier it would be for Bette and I to get around!’
‘We could have all kinds of little adventures, Margaret!’ added Bette.
Gilbert laughed. ‘Your little adventures could get you into a spot of bother. Can’t have two ladies taking off on their own into the wilds.’
‘Not the wilds,’ protested Margaret, but her eyes were shining as she looked at Roland.
‘I’ll think about it,’ he said.
‘Well, if Bette is so keen to see up-country, why don’t we take her up to the pagar? Bit of a picnic, a swim. Stay a couple of nights. Be a nice break for me before I have to head back,’ said Gilbert.
‘Oh, Gilbert, what a wonderful idea,’ said Bette. ‘How about it, Margaret?’
They set off early the following morning, after Roland had done the six am muster of the plantation workers. Roland was looking forward to seeing how the palm oil on the newest part of the plantation was progressing but for the others the expedition was an exciting break, and they were all cheery as they set off.
They travelled in the big Oldsmobile with Roland driving, Gilbert beside him and Bette and Margaret in the back with Philip between them. They sang songs and Gil-bert taught the sisters a Malay song.
‘How come you know so much?’ Bette asked him. ‘You haven’t been out here very long, have you?’
‘I like to spend time with the local families. It helps to keep the workers on side and makes running the plantation smoother. Most of the coolies like to stay put and send back money to their families in India or China, so I like to make it easy for them to do so.’
‘Maybe if they had better facilities and it felt more like they were putting down roots they’d be happier,’ said Bette.
Gilbert glanced at her. ‘I say, that’s quite perceptive.’
‘Do you like working here?’ asked Bette.
‘When Roland suggested I apply to manage a plantation I