The rajah was attired in the same apparel as on our interview yesterday, but his followers formed, in dress, a motley group. There was a fine looking lad, about fourteen years of age, who came with the party; he was step-brother to the rajah, or, as we were informed by a Moorman who spoke some English, “one father, two mothers, rajah, and this boy;” he was dressed in a scarlet jacket, decorated with gold lace, a handsome kris, and wore gold bangles around his ancles. The young rajah ran about the ship, seeming to enjoy all he beheld; mistook the sow (who behaved remarkably well on this occasion, neither grunting nor giving any indications of the suspicious family to which she belonged, but set upon her haunches gazing unmeaningly at the visitors, who held her race in abhorrence) for a kind of dog; and was delighted with the turkies, which he had never seen before. A pair of the birds were presented to him, and also a sheep, at which he was much gratified.
Our thin spare friend, the “trading minister,” and also a train of attendants and merchants, accompanied the rajah; the former antiquated personage brought with him his son, a little boy about four or five years old; he was a keen, black-eyed little fellow, wore a Moorman’s cap elegantly worked with gold lace, on his little shaved cranium; a scarlet jacket and trowsers, a number of gold and silver bangles about his wrists and ancles, and an amulet or charm (which consists of a sentence from the Koran, written and placed in a case, to protect the wearer from injury—the priests make a good harvest in this kind of traffic, which appears to me strictly analogous to the African fetishes) pended from his neck; the dark diminutive creature chattered incessantly, and was inquisitive about every thing it saw; appeared devoid of fear, and was quite tame, suffering itself to be handled with impunity.
After all our sable visitors had concluded their rambles over, and inspection of, the ship, they were invited into the cuddy, seated round the table, and cabin biscuit and cheese were placed before them. They evinced some partiality to the former, by devouring large quantities themselves, and passing supplies to the numerous attendants who could not feed at the table; they could not be induced thus publicly to taste wine or beer, being against the Mahometan creed, but preferred cocoa-nut water, which they said “is our wine and beer;” but few would refuse either wine or spirits in private.
I amused them with some drawings; among others they recognized that of the Pearly Nautilus, but said it was rarely procured at this place, but was occasionally seen off the coast. They named it “sea shrimp,” Udang laut; (Udang, shrimp; and laut, sea;) they were not acquainted with the Orang Utan, of which I showed them an engraving, but immediately knew that of the Hylobates syndactyla, or “Ungka” ape, which, they observed, was found in the woods of the interior of this island, but was very difficult to capture alive.
The rajah having remained for some time on board, retired with his attendants to the boat, and returned on shore, under a salute of three guns from the ship, which compliment he also received on coming on board. The rajah of Pedir is related to the king of Acheen, and the territory is tributary to the Acheenese ruler. The population of the Pedir district, (which does not extend far along the coast, but to some distance inland,) is stated to be 100,000, and has several petty rajahs tributary to it; but they appear all petty rajahs along this coast, paying homage and tribute to the Acheenese king.
Often during the cool evenings, I amused myself by wandering about the extensive beach on this coast, to observe and collect such marine productions as might be interesting; a great number of dead shells strewed the beach, but living shells, or those containing the soft parts, were rare. Observing an antenna of some crustaceous animal projecting from the moist sand, left by the receding of the tide, I pulled it, and drew out two fine king crabs, jointed together by their under surfaces, and thus united burrow in the sand; they are called “Ecan, mimi” by the Javanese, and, on this coast, they are named “Moi, moi.” The male is larger than the female; they are eaten by the Javanese, but on this coast they are not eaten, although the natives observe the Chinese are fond of them.[144] The females lay their eggs in the sand, after carrying them for some time, and, in about the second month, the young are produced; these animals are perfectly harmless; they crawl rapidly, and when touched draw the upper part of the shell a little inwards; and, as they move, the long antenna bears a resemblance to a tail. When placed on the back, they find much difficulty in regaining their natural position.
Land crabs[145] were numerous, as were also the shells of the genera Cytherea, Tellina, Mactra, Conus, Oliva, Cypræa, Harpa, Dolium, Murex, Turbo, Nerita, and Dentalium; but although this was an indication of the number about the coast, yet but very few were procured in which the living animals were found. Among these was a number of the Venus, and small species of Voluta: the latter buried themselves with rapidity in the sand; the natives call them “Dunkin.” Almost buried in a deep black mud, among which the roots of mangrove trees abounded, the trees having been cut down, I found a number of white bodies growing from a piece of rotten wood, and being each about an inch in length,[146] and three-eighths of an inch in breadth, containing a watery fluid, called “Sepur” by the natives; they were not, however, eaten or used for any purpose by them. I preserved several specimens in spirits.
A great number of the Pagurii, hermit or soldier crabs, of different sizes, were running about the beach; two large specimens, that I found, had each taken possession of the Dolium perdix, or partridge shell, to which they were as firmly attached as if in their natural habitation. The crustaceous portion of these animals is of a beautiful lilac colour, the softer parts yellow, and the antennæ of a dark red colour; the natives call them by the general name of “Sepo;” the smaller kind inhabit Murices, Trochi, Neritæ, Helices, Lymneæ, Cerethii, and other univalve shells. In some instances I saw large shells of Harpa, &c., inhabited by very small animals of this kind, moving their heavy and cumbrous dwelling slowly and with difficulty; there were some of a red, and others of a sea-green colour, but the larger were invariably of a beautiful lilac. May not this change of colour depend upon their age?