Garry Kilworth .sx ISLAND WITH THE STINK OF GHOSTS .sx The Chinese jetty clans , who ruled the waterfronts along Penang's Georgetown harbour , fostered the myth that their hawkers had been responsible for its formation .sx It was said that chicken fat , glutinous rice , fishheads , hokkien noodles , prawn shells , and other waste matter , had gathered together in a stretch of still water between the currents and had formed the foundations of the floating island .sx Sargasso had rooted itself in the rich oils and savoury spices , on top of which gathered soil from the mainland .sx A rainforest had grown from its earth .sx The island was about three miles off the Malaysian coast and was held precariously in place by the fronds of seaweed rooted in the ocean floor .sx No one , not even the ancient Wan Hooi , who ran a clan curry mee stall on the Larong Salamat , could remember the time when the island had not been there .sx Wan Hooi was the oldest hawker on Penang , but it was pointed out that he had only been around for a hundred years .sx The clans had been using the harbour as a waste bin for more than a thousand .sx Whenever there was an onshore breeze , a sickly , perfumed odour wafted over from the island .sx This smell , according to both Malays and Chinese , was the stink of ghosts rotting - or to be more accurate , the odour of decaying souls .sx The body , when it decomposes , has a foul smell .sx Therefore , it seemed logical that a putrefying soul should have a sweet , cloying scent .sx The island was the burial ground for malefactors and murderers , whose punishment after death was for the corrupt soul to remain with the body , and rot within it .sx These beliefs had little to do with religion , but came from a deeply-rooted local superstition , such as is found in any region :sx a myth from earlier , darker minds , when reason and evidence were less important than fear .sx Fishermen gave the island a wide berth , and only the old gravedigger , Lo Lim Hok , set foot upon the place .sx Ralph Leeman , an Englishman in his late twenties , was one of those who witnessed the event on a hot , sultry June evening , when the island broke loose from its natural mooring .sx Not that there was any drama , for there was no sound and little fuss .sx The island simply detached itself from its anchoring reeds and began drifting down the Malacca Straits , which runs between Indonesia and Malaysia .sx Possibly heavy rains in Thailand , to the north , had been responsible for a strong swell .sx This had resulted in a momentary change in the direction of the main current , the East Monsoon Drift , which put pressure on the island .sx That was Leeman's theory .sx Leeman was on secondment to the Malaysian Harbour Authority from the British Coastal Service .sx Alone in the observation tower , he had been studying the erratic behavior of a large motor launch , when he was suddenly aware that the island was moving .sx He watched it for a few moments , as it passed a distant marker buoy .sx " Good God !sx Stinker's on the move .sx " .sx He immediately made a call to his superior .sx Sumi Pulau , the harbourmaster , arrived at the tower thirty minutes later , having fought his way through the Georgetown traffic .sx He studied the island through binoculars and expressed his amazement and concern .sx His English , like that of many educated Malays , was extremely good .sx " Directly in the shipping lane .sx We'll have to do something about it immediately .sx It'll be dark soon .sx Got any suggestions ?sx " .sx Leeman had already been considering the problem and gave his opinion .sx " We could attach tugboats to it and tow it to the mainland - but given the nature of the island - the fact that it's a graveyard , I'm not sure the coastal villages would want it on their doorstep .sx " .sx Pulau nodded .sx " Yes , and in any case , I'm not sure tugs would do it .sx Might take something bigger .sx That's a pretty sizeable piece of land out there .sx " .sx " My second thought was that we could blow it out of the water with high explosives - but I'm worried about the jetties and stilt-houses .sx And explosion might create a floodwave .sx " .sx " Not to mention the fact that we would have corpses washing up on the tourist beaches .sx .. " .sx " So , " continued Leeman , eager to impress , " I suggest we just let it float down the straits .sx We put a boat in front and behind , to warn other craft of the shipping hazard .sx I've been judging its speed , using the marker buoys and by my reckoning the island should reach Singapore in thirteen days .sx Then it can be towed into open water and disposed of .sx .. " .sx The harbourmaster looked thoughtful .sx " .sx ..and I have a final suggestion , " said Leeman .sx " Which is ?sx " .sx " That we put a caretaker on the island , to place and maintain lights , for and aft .sx This man could keep in radio contact with the accompanying boats and inform them of any problems .sx The sort of thing I envisage is the island running aground on a sandbank - which might solve all our worries - or breaking up in a storm .sx That sort of thing .sx " .sx Pulau scratched his head thoughtfully .sx " I like it all except the caretaker .sx I'm not sure it's necessary to have someone actually on the island .sx It would have to be you , you know .sx I wouldn't get any of my men near the place .sx The island with the stink of ghosts - they would die of fright .sx " .sx " I realize that .sx Of course , I would volunteer .sx It would be an additional safety factor .sx " .sx The harbourmaster smiled at Leeman .sx " You're not afraid of ghosts , I take it ?sx " .sx " Not in the least .sx " Which was not entirely true .sx The thought of spending thirteen nights in a graveyard was mildly discomforting , but only that .sx The physical dangers ?sx Well , that part if it might be rewarding .sx " Right , " said Pulau , suddenly becoming decisive , " that's how we'll play it .sx I'll call the Minister .sx You get back to your lodgings and pack what you think you'll need and I'll arrange it .sx Then and provisions ?sx " .sx " And gaslights .sx " .sx " Of course .sx .. You really aren't concerned about the supernatural side of it ?sx " .sx " No .sx " .sx Leeman looked at the dark mass , moving slowly through the water in the distance .sx Despite his disbelief , it looked eerie and forbidding .sx A fishing canoe , one of those traditional craft with modern outboard engines thrusting it obscenely across the water , cut away sharply from the island's path .sx " What did they do - most of them ?sx Those murderers buried on the island ?sx It seems a harsh judgement on the dead , " he murmured .sx " Drug runners , " replied Pulau .sx " You know how we feel about them , here in Malaysia .sx " .sx A shadow crossed Leeman's mind , painfully .sx He remembered that drug trafficking carried a mandatory death sentence in Malaysia , for those convicted of the crime .sx It was , perhaps , one of the reasons why he had chosen to do his secondment in this part of the world .sx " I see , " he said , quietly .sx Pulau regarded him with a quizzical expression .sx " Does it make any difference ?sx To you , I mean .sx " .sx Leeman thought about his younger brother , Pete .sx Of course it made a difference .sx The cycle of thoughts which he continually had to fight , to break out of , began whirling in his head Not again , he thought .sx Please .sx Why are there so many reminders ?sx Why can't I be left alone ?sx .sx It made a hell of a difference .sx " No , " he said .sx " I just wondered , that was all .sx " .sx On the way to the boarding house , in Lebuh Campbell , he told himself how much he liked it on Penang , in the Far East .sx He enjoyed the expatriate life , with its accompanying indulgence in a completely different culture .sx He was an advocate of an older way of life , with values he felt the modern world had wrongly placed aside .sx In the Far East , you could get closer to such values .sx They gave one a sense of historical continuity :sx a connection with the past .sx He could enjoy it more , if only .sx .. if only he could throw off the mistakes of the immediate past .sx But they clung to his mind like leeches , sucking it dry .sx .. He had said sorry many , many times , but there were no ears to hear , no one to listen .sx .. He had run to the Far East in order to get away form the leeches , but that had not been far enough .sx Here he was , running again , to a small , floating island that had detached itself from the world .sx At first he was too busy to allow the sweet fragrance of the island to disturb him .sx He had to place the calor gas lamps , at either end of the rain forest , involving a mile walk along the shore .sx Then there was the business of setting up camp ( something Pete would have enjoyed) :sx erecting the tent , unpacking provisions , starting a fire and , finally , using the radio transceiver .sx He reported to the accompanying craft that all was well and he was preparing to bed down for the night .sx Once these duties had been accomplished , he had more time to consider his environment .sx .sx There were the usual jungle noises , that he had often heard on Penang .sx There were cicadas which gave out sounds like factory whistles ; frogs that bellowed like megaphones ; and birds that ran up and down scales as if they were taking some from of musical training .sx There were also other sounds :sx the breeze in the palms and the rippling of water through the thick weed on which the island was based .sx Then there was that smell .sx It was by no means a disagreeable perfume and reminded him of incense , but it seemed so dense as to stain the air with its presence .sx Perhaps the cause lay in some unusual plant ?sx Then again , it might have come from the thick sargasso which supported the soil and rainforest ?sx That explanation seemed much more likely .sx He took a torch and went to the end of the island , to peer down into the shallows .sx There was no beach .sx Instead , a soil bank dropped sharply into the sea , beneath the surface of which he could see the myriad vines of sargassum , knotted together to form a mass of spongy weed .sx It was alive with sea creatures , mostly eels .sx Leeman backed away , a little disconcerted .sx He was revolted , not by the creatures themselves , but by their numbers .sx It almost seemed as if the island were a live thing , crawling with tentacles .sx This , coupled with the thought that there was a great depth of ocean beneath him - a strange sensation until he managed to convince himself that the island was only a raft :sx a craft fashioned by nature instead of man-made him tread lightly for a while .sx Once he had got used to the idea that it was in effect nothing more than a platform of weed , a natural Kon Tiki , carried along by the current , he managed to keep his imagination under control .sx He slept very little that first night , the smell overpowering his desire for rest .sx He rose , once or twice , to watch the lights drift by on the mainland , and gained some comfort from those of the accompanying craft .sx When morning came , sweltering but happily blessed with bright sunlight , he was able to explore his surroundings without the intrusion of irrational fears , of rotting souls .sx The rainforest , half-a-mile wide , was much like any other he had seen on Penang .sx It was dense , its undergrowth and canopy formed of a thousand different plants of which he knew few by name .sx He recognised the frangipani trees of course , regarded by the Chinese as unlucky , and tamarind , and various types of palm .sx He knew there would be snakes amongst the vines , and large spiders quivering on the underside of waxy leaves , but these did not bother him overmuch .sx He had sprayed the area around the tent with paraffin , which would keep any wildlife away .sx Pete would have been terrified of them , of course , but then Pete was not with him .sx He managed to busy himself with small tasks that occupied his mind to a degree , but there was no ignoring the smell .sx