Houseboi

“‘Dear Chief: The bearer of this letter, Chow Lan Chu, my houseboi, is a great thief and steals whatever he can lay his hands on. […]’”

[…] While still a pup, / You put him in a sack, then beat it / With a stick. When howls and yelpings die, / You send the houseboi out to set him free.

[…] he seduces his houseboi’s wife, his Mary, and fires the houseboi. […] ¶ “You’ve got no authority over my private life. What about your wife, she’s a bit on the dark side, isn't she?” ¶ “I didn’t steal my wife from my houseboi. And we’re legally married.”

For most colonial wives, the houseboi, the domestic servant, was the first real contact with a native.