I have just started reading a book called “Walking the Nile” by Levison Wood. In the book, a former soldier recounts his experiences of trying to walk the entire length of the River Nile, from Rwanda to Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
In one episode, while walking through Tanzania, Levison and his companion Boston hire two local Tanzanians to act as porters. The two locals are to help carry the camping gear that Levison is bringing with him through Tanzania. Despite agreeing to the task, the two Tanzanians are sullen and unfriendly. They mutter darkly to one another behind Levison and Boston’s backs.
One night, the two are talking darkly to one another in their own language, Swahili. Boston hasn’t let on that he too can speak this language, and he listens in to what they are saying.
They are planning to tie the foreigners to a tree and steal all of their valuables.
Levison and Boston then reveal that they had understood what was being said, and threaten the men. Shortly afterwards, the porters leave and Boston and Levison have to dump part of their heavy gear and carry on by themselves.
Pricking your ears up to surreptitiously listen to what others are saying is not generally considered polite, but it can be useful!
I have never overheard such a dramatic threat before. But I have overheard the odd funny conversation.
I remember standing in a queue at a Chinese restaurant, waiting to place an order with the owner. I listened to the man in front of me in the queue choosing what to eat.
“Um… You don’t have any of those noodles in a Thai sauce, do you?” the man asks.
The restauranteur sounds extremely offended.
“But Sir, this is a Chinese restaurant, not a Thai restaurant!”
“Okay, never mind,” says the customer, defensively. “Sometimes Chinese restaurants have Thai dishes as well. I’ll just have the mixed Chinese noodles instead then.”
I got to the front of the queue. I could hardly contain my laughter at the conversation I had overheard and I was dying to say, “Um, you don’t have any of those Italian style spaghetti noodles, do you?”
Sadly, the first customer was still within
earshot. If I could overhear him, then
he could overhear me, and I didn’t want to make him angry. I played it safe and ordered lemon chicken
instead.
Vocabulary:
sullen – showing irritation or a bad mood
by expressions or silence
[eg., I tried to cheer the child up. But he was sullen because we hadn’t gone to
the restaurant that he had wanted to.]
to let on – to allow something to be known
[eg., Don’t let on that you have noticed
her scar. She is very sensitive about
it.]
surreptitiously – done using stealth or
secrecy
[eg., The undercover policeman
surreptitiously looked at the group of criminals, trying to memorise their
faces.]