CHAPTER XXI.
Country about Pedir—“White Lions”—The rajah’s habits—A decision—Ornaments for the ear—Female curiosity—The rajah’s horses—War between the rajah of Acheen and the rajah of Trumong—A native’s account of the quarrel—Purchase of betel-nut—The Areka-nut—Trade in that article—Anecdote—A Chittagong brig—Dried fish—Beautiful appearance of the Golden Mountain—Assemblage of the mountains—Tornados—The fire king and his demons—Yamora—Burial-ground—Large tree—Small crabs—Game called Mein Achu—Leprosy—Party of natives—The Viverra musanga—Applications for medicine—Rajah of Putu—His retinue—Object of his visit.
The country about Pedir, as far as I had an opportunity of seeing it, was very picturesque, abounding in a luxuriant, natural vegetation, as well as in a state of cultivation. The native habitations are almost hidden by cocoa-nut, plantain, areka, eju, jack, and other trees; fragrant odours were exhaled from the multitude of flowers which strewed the surface of the ground; and a variety of profuse vegetation was spread over the face of nature. The soil is rich, and the numerous vegetables (among which the purple and white yams are abundant) planted in the gardens of the natives, are most prolific.[152] The habitations, as I have before noticed, are raised upon posts, which I should suppose, in these marshy situations, are intended to guard against the miasmata which must rise from the surface of the ground after the rains, and to the influence of which the inhabitants would be much exposed, if their dwellings were not placed on an elevated site. The plain is beautiful, and the back-ground of the landscape is terminated by mountains, varying in elevation, and extending in a direction principally from east to west;[153] sometimes covered by fleecy clouds, and at others, glowing in the varying and beautiful tints of a setting sun, which cast its expiring rays, undimmed by a cloud, over the towering masses.
After walking in the vicinity of the village,—for our guides evinced no desire of taking us further inland,—we were desired to enter a house to rest ourselves: by an invitation to enter, is only meant being seated in the verandah; for we did not, or rather were not permitted to, intrude ourselves into any other parts of the dwelling. At this place cocoa-nut water was again offered as a refreshment. We requested to be taken further in the interior of the country; but, although a refusal was never given, yet we found we were invariably taken, by other paths, back to the place from whence we came. We became at last, from this and other circumstances, convinced that our Moor friends were fearful of exposing themselves to the krisses of the “Hill people,” from whom they appear to have conquered some portion of the country, establishing themselves as traders.
We returned after a short ramble, and were conducted into the bazaar, and seated with a semicircle of the natives before us, all staring quietly and decorously at the “white lions.” From this place we adjourned to the fort, near the rajah’s residence, where we waited for the appearance of his highness, who had not yet risen from his couch. The old minister gave us some account of the rajah’s habits; one of which was, that he lies in bed until three P.M., except when there is any particular business, such as the arrival of a ship, to induce him to rise earlier; and he does not retire to rest until three A.M., after smoking a pipe of opium. The old gentleman must have been guilty of an exaggeration, when he stated that the rajah would smoke a ball of opium in four days. His highness is only eighteen years of age, and has not at present the appearance of an opium smoker: it must have been the quantity consumed by the rajah and his numerous followers that was meant, the whole of which was placed to the rajah’s account. Pipes of opium were offered to us to regale ourselves, but of course were refused.[154]
After some delay, the rajah came to visit us, having just risen from his couch, unwashed, and attired in unclean garments. He shook hands, in the European manner, with the party; and then, having but little to say, from want of some other employment, he amused himself with my insect boxes, and the insects placed in them transfixed by pins: this led to an explanation of my professional pursuits, and its collateral branches; but as the subject was rather beyond his comprehension, he became attracted from it to a cloth cap worn by one of the party, about which there was much discussion, the result of which was, that the rajah and his followers came to the important decision, that it would make a very good pocket or case for containing betel-nut, and the accompanying articles required to be used with it. Being heartily tired, we were happy to escape from the royal presence; and the boat being ready, we returned on board.
All the women had the lobes of the ears enormously distended, from wearing, when very young, round pieces of wood, polished and ornamented, or rolls of leaves in them: the richer classes wear large ornaments of gold and silver: the old women have the lobes hanging down to a great length, but without ornament; that they formerly had placed them in the lobes was evident by the distended orifices, which, having lost their elasticity, prevented their retention as before. The poorer classes are content with neatly polished and ornamented round pieces of wood, or a roll of the plantain or some other kind of leaf, as a substitute for those of gold and silver worn by the higher and richer classes. The lower class of females were usually attired in cotton cloth sarongs, and the cabaya, passing over the head, of a black colour, or other dark patterns. As we passed their dwellings, they came forth, with the usual feminine curiosity, to view the strangers: indeed, we appeared to be as much objects of curiosity among them, as I had before been when landing upon many of the unfrequented islands of the Polynesian Archipelago; and the natives, that arrived in the boats with Areka-nut, from the villages on the coast, seemed to regard us as wonders, and surrounded the entrance of the poop-cuddy at meal-times, as if to satisfy themselves how such animals fed.
We had an offer of some of the rajah’s horses to ride about the village: at first it was thought that some dun cows, with horns cut off close to the head, and a preternatural erection of the ears, were the animals offered; but it appears they were real ponies: if we had ridden them, however, it must have been without any saddle or bridle, for there were no articles of that description to be procured at Pedir.
The barque at present at anchor in Pedir roads, under the Acheenese flag, was captured from the rajah of Trumong, on the west coast of Sumatra, by the man-of-war grab belonging to the rajah of Acheen: the cause of it was this:—the Trumong rajah is tributary to the king, or rajah, of Acheen: he had not paid tribute for three years; and on its being demanded, the Trumong rajah returned for answer, that he intended paying it with iron balls; war was therefore declared against this rebellious rajah, and the barque was captured by the following stratagem: the commander of his Acheenese majesty’s grab fell in with the barque at sea, assured her commander that all differences had been adjusted between the two rajahs, and requested him to come on board. The captain of the barque unsuspectingly accepted the invitation, taking presents with him. On stepping upon the deck of the grab, himself, crew, and presents were detained, and a boat, with a number of men well armed, sent on board the barque; and having secured the guns, hauled down the Trumong rajah’s colours, and hoisted those of his Acheenese majesty, the vessels will sail, in company, for Acheen in a few days.
A Madras native, who spoke a little English, amused us with his version of the affair. “I belong, and barque belong, to the rajah of Trumong. Acheen rajah and my rajah make war; Trumong rajah plenty dollars, and go buy ships at Pulo Penang, to fight rajah Acheen. Acheen rajah very poor, one day buy ship, in a month want sell, because very poor—Acheen rajah no good, no pay Lascars—Trumong rajah, my king, pay well, plenty dollars. My barque got seven guns and twelve Lascar men. The grab send a boat and ask ‘whose barque this?’ My captain say, ‘rajah Trumong’s;’ then grab’s men take prisoners, and say, ‘barque belong now to Acheen rajah;’ so he pull down colours—our colours before white and black—now Acheen colours red and white.”