Page:Max Havelaar Or The Coffee Sales of the Netherlands Trading Company Siebenhaar.djvu/105

 , one has promised or given nothing to anyone, nor will promise or give anything; that one will be loyal and faithful to His Majesty the King of the Netherlands; obedient to His Majesty’s representative in the Indian Dominions; that one will strictly follow and cause to be followed the laws and orders given or to be given, and that in everything one will behave as becomes a good (in this case: Assistant-Resident).”

This of course was followed by the sacramental: “So help me God Almighty.”

Havelaar repeated the words as they were read out. Properly speaking it should have been considered as of this oath that one promised: to protect the native population against exploitation and oppression. For, in swearing that one would maintain the existing laws and orders, one had only to cast a glance at the numerous injunctions to that effect, in order to see that a special oath for this purpose was in reality quite superfluous. But the legislator seems to have considered that of a good thing one cannot have too much, for a separate oath is required of the Assistant-Residents, which once more specially emphasizes this obligation towards the inferior people. Havelaar therefore had once more to take “God Almighty” as his witness to the promise: that he “would protect the native population against oppression, ill-treatment, and extortion.”

To a keen observer it would have been worth while noticing the difference between the attitude and tone of the Resident and of Havelaar on this occasion. Both had attended similar functions more than once. The difference to which I allude, therefore, was not caused by one or the other being more or less struck by the novelty or the unusual character of the scene, but was wholly due to the divergence of the characters and conceptions of these two persons. It is true, the Resident spoke slightly faster than usual, as he had only to read the Order and the oaths, which saved him the trouble of having to look for his final words; but, nevertheless, everything on his part was done with a stateliness and solemnity