Among Malay Pirates : a Tale of Adventure and Peril

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER IV.

  Neither of the midshipmen was present at the interview between thecaptain and the rajah. The second lieutenant, the captain of themarines, and the doctor alone accompanied him, with an escort of twentybluejackets and as many marines. A large crowd of people had collectedto see them pass along to the palace, which was a bare, barn-likestructure, but they looked on sullenly and silently as the party passedthrough them on their way. They were kept waiting some little timeoutside the building, then entered through a doorway which led them intoa large, unfurnished room, at the end of which the rajah was seated. Herose when the officers entered, and received them with an appearance ofgreat cordiality, his chiefs standing behind him.

  The conversation was wholly of a complimentary character; the subjectof the business on which the British ship had come was not even touchedupon; refreshments, consisting of native sweets and palm wine, were thenpassed round, and the captain, seeing that all business talk was to bedeferred, took his leave.

  The doctor, who was fond of the two midshipmen, was always ready to chatfreely with them.

  "What did you think of our ally, Dr. Horsley?" Dick asked him, when,having changed his full uniform for a suit of undress, he came up ondeck.

  "Between you and me, Balderson, I have seldom seen a more unmitigatedlooking ruffian in my life; even for a Malay, he is ugly. Soh Hay tellsme that in his young days he was a great fighter, and his face andshoulders are seamed with scars. I asked how he came to be rajah; for hedoes not look at all the type of the better class of people. Soh toldme that, in the first place, he took to the jungle, owing to his havingkrised in a quarrel the son of the chief here. He was joined by otherfugitives, set up as a pirate, and captured by surprise one of thechief's prahus. His force grew rapidly, and he made a night attack onthe chief's campong, killed him and all the members of his family, andcaused himself to be elected chief of the tribe, which was then asmall one. Gradually he swallowed up one after another of his weakerneighbors, sometimes by force, sometimes by treachery. I believe he isnow confronted by more powerful chiefs, and that it is only because heis possessed of some six or eight piratical prahus that he has been ableto maintain his position. No doubt he has become alarmed by a prospectof a combination against him, and has so invited us to support him. Sucha step will, of course, greatly add to his unpopularity, but doubtlesshe thinks that, with our help, he could defy his enemies."

  "But, he cannot suppose, Doctor," Harry said indignantly, "that we aregoing to fight for such a rascal as he is against the men he has beenplundering."

  "I don't expect he does think that we are going to fight for him, unlesshe can show us that it is to our interest to do so. I should imaginethat he hopes that the effect of our appearance here will be to eitherinduce his neighbors to come to some arrangement with him, or that hewill endeavor to make peace with them by offering to throw us over, andto join with them against us."

  "Then, I should say, Doctor, that the best thing would be to hang theruffian up at once."

  "Well, yes, that might be a good plan, Parkhurst," the doctor said witha smile, "and might save us a good deal of trouble; but, you see, wehave come up here at his invitation; we have just been eating his foodand drinking his liquor, and it would scarcely place us in a favorableposition in the eyes of the natives in general were we to commence ouralliance with him by hanging him."

  Harry laughed. "No, I suppose not, Doctor. Still, what are we to do?"

  "We must wait, lad. We are here to ascertain the precise situation, andit will be some time before that will be cleared up. Certainly for thepresent there will be nothing for us to do but to keep quiet and see howmatters turn out, and to get through the time as best we may. We shallhave fine opportunities for shooting and botanizing, for whatever thechief's designs may be, it is certain that at present he will do all inhis power to please us. The captain today, at my suggestion, said that,in order to keep the men in good health, it would be desirable that theyshould have every opportunity of going ashore, and that the officersshould make expeditions in search of game into the interior. He promisedat once to afford us every facility, and to provide us with guides andbeaters."

  The next day permission was granted to several of the officers and totwenty sailors and a dozen marines to go on shore. Before starting, thewhole ship's company were drawn up, and the captain addressed them uponthe absolute necessity for good behavior.

  "The Malays," he said, "are a fierce race, very proud and independent,and quick to resent the smallest insult. Each man carries a kris, and isready to use it on the slightest provocation. Every man who goes ashoremust remember that not only his own life, but those of many others,and the success of the mission on which we have come hither, may beforfeited by any careless act of aggression. Many of you have served onthe coast of Africa, but you must remember that the Malays are not to betreated in the same free and easy manner that may go down with negroes.You must comport yourselves with the same decency of behavior that youwould were you in the port of a friendly European Power. Any breachof these orders will be most severely punished; and I appeal to everyofficer and man to use his utmost efforts to keep on good terms withthese people, and to behave as if the honor and credit of the shipdepended upon him personally. Any man who comes on board in theslightest degree the worse for liquor will not be allowed to landagain, even if we are stationed here for six months; and if there is anymisbehavior on shore, all leave will be stopped."

  Two days later, the captain, with the second lieutenant and doctor,again paid a visit to the rajah, and this time business matters wereentered upon. The chief began by stating that he rejoiced at the thoughtof being under the protection of the great English Queen. The captainreplied that her Majesty was anxious to be on good terms with allthe Malay chiefs; that those rajahs and sultans who had accepted herprotection had greatly benefited by so doing, and by listening tothe advice of the officers whom she sent to reside at their seat ofgovernment; but that, of course, before receiving his state under herprotection it was necessary that her representative, the Governor ofthe Straits Settlements, should be thoroughly satisfied that the rajahintended to be guided by the advice so given.

  He said that it was thoroughly necessary this should be understood, forthat the allegiance offered to the Queen could not be lightly thrownoff. If a chief once owned her as his sovereign, he could not changehis mind afterwards; and should he disobey the advice and orders ofthe Resident, he would be liable to be dethroned, and his governmentbestowed upon one better fitted for it. He could not, for instance,be allowed to engage in hostilities against his neighbors without theconsent of the Resident, for it was clear that the English could notassist him in wars in which they considered that he was in the wrong.In these matters there must be benefits on both sides: the chief wouldobtain protection against warlike neighbors, would benefit by thepresence and advice of a British officer, and by the trade that wouldspring up; while, in return for these benefits, he must acknowledge theQueen as his sovereign, and must obey the orders of her officers just asher native born subjects would do.

  The chief looked very serious at this. "Cannot," he asked at last, "achief obtain the protection of the British, and afterwards remain as anally of theirs?"

  "Not so," the captain said; "he cannot come to us when he is in dangerand ask us to send ships and men to aid him, and afterwards, when thedanger has passed, wish us good morning, and give us nothing in returnfor the benefits he had received."

  "What orders would a Resident give?" the rajah asked, after a pause.

  "He would give such orders as would be necessary for the good of thestate; without interfering in matters of home government, he would notallow acts of tyranny and cruelty that would imperil the peace of thestate, and perhaps bring about a rising. He would not suffer tradepassing through the dominions to be hampered and injured by heavy andunjust exactions; although, doubtless, he would allow legitimate tollsto be taken. He would not permit expeditions to be fitted out forattacks upon harm
less neighbors. His interference would always be forthe good of the state, and, consequently, for the good of its prince.The incomes of the various rulers who have placed themselves underBritish protection have always been largely augmented by the prosperityand well doing of the state, the increase in its population, theextension of its trade and agriculture, all of which enabled the peopleto pay a larger amount of taxation.

  "You see, Rajah, we force no one to place himself under our protection;we war with no one unless, by attack upon ourselves or upon princesunder our protection, he compels us to punish him, and, in extremecases, to take possession of his dominions. I am explaining all this toyou because I wish you thoroughly to understand what your position willbe if the Queen takes you under her protection--which she certainly willnot do unless it is found that you are likely, on your part, to carryout faithfully the obligations you have assumed in return for thatprotection."

  When this had been translated to the rajah by the interpreter, the chiefsat for some time silent. It was evident that he was ill pleased, andthat he had reckoned upon obtaining the British aid without undertakingany responsibilities whatever.

  "And the officer who will come up," he said at last, "would he reside onshore?"

  "Certainly he would. A portion of ground would be allotted for theResidency; on this a fort would be erected, which would be manned by asmall force for his protection; and he might either reside in the fortor in a residence erected for him close to it, and under shelter of itsguns. The fort would, of course, be used for the protection of the townagainst enemies, as well as for the protection of the officer againstany rising on the part of your people; in which case you, as well ashimself, would find a refuge in it."

  "Then I should no longer be a ruler," the rajah said angrily. "I shouldnot be able to order those who offended me to be punished."

  "Not at all," the captain replied quietly. "Your powers as a rulerwould not be interfered with in any way, as long as they were properlyexercised. You would have the power of executing ill doers in accordancewith the custom of your country; but the murder of a person who hadcommitted no crime whatever is not to be permitted, and anything likewholesale cruelty and tyranny would be sternly repressed."

  For some time the rajah sat without speaking; then he said, with anevident effort of self control, "I must think all this over; it is allnew to me."

  "By all means do so," the captain replied. "The matter is an importantone, and you will do well to consider it in all lights before you take astep that, once taken, cannot be undone."

  "I don't like the fellow's looks, Doctor," the captain said; "heintended to use us as a cat's paw against his neighbors."

  "I think that he is a thoroughly bad lot, sir; and if he accepted theterms, I should be very sorry to be appointed Resident, for I should notfeel that my life was worth a day's purchase."

  "Well, there is nothing to do but to wait until we get a definite answerfrom him; and my instructions are that, if I find that he is not adesirable man to have to deal with, I am to enter into negotiations withother rajahs, and to endeavor to do something to open the trade ofthe river and to render it safe for merchants who come up to trade. IfHassan's account of this man's doings is correct, he is the main causeof the falling off in the trade, and, moreover, the author of thepiracies of which we have had so many complaints; indeed, it is possiblethat when the Governor learns the true state of things, I may get anorder to present an ultimatum to this fellow and to sink his piraticalcraft. At any rate, we may make up our minds to be here for some time."

  On the following day a message was received from the rajah, saying thatif any of the officers wished to go on excursions for sport, guideswould be placed at their disposal, and that all who wished to do socould at any time travel through the country without the slightest fearof molestation. For some time affairs remained in the same condition.The doctor went daily on shore with butterfly and beetle nets, tinboxes, and other paraphernalia. He was generally accompanied by a coupleof bluejackets, and always took a native guide to prevent the risk ofbeing lost in the jungle, and also because the man was able to take himto places where villages had stood, and it was in these clearings thatinsect life, especially among the lepidoptera, was most abundant. TheMalay he first engaged was a young fellow who proved so intelligent andwilling that he was permanently retained for the service as long as theSerpent remained on the station.

  The officers obtained no sport with big game; for although at nightthe forest was full of sounds, showing the number of wild animals thatabounded, these never were met with during the daytime, and it wouldhave been hopeless endeavoring to penetrate the thick jungle in searchof them. There was, however, an abundance of birds, for the most partof brilliant plumage, and the doctor was delighted with the spoils theybrought in, while the messes were kept well supplied with jungle fowland other edible birds. The natives, learning from the guide of thedoctor's passion for insects, brought in large numbers for sale, and hewas able to purchase a great many specimens altogether new to science.

  The two midshipmen made excursions with their guns whenever they couldget leave. Davis and two other sailors always accompanied them, as thecaptain's orders were strict that no officer or man should go outsidethe limits of the campong unless accompanied by two armed seamen.

  Sometimes they took a native canoe and went up the river fishing; but asan abundance of fish could be caught by lines from the ship's side, theyonly did this as a change, and often in the cool of the evening they laylazily in the canoe, while the fishermen were employed rowing them upone or other of the numerous streams which flowed into the river.The doctor's prognostications as to the health of the crew were onlypartially verified, for the precautions taken, if they did not secure aperfect immunity against fever, at least greatly diminished the numberof those who suffered from it. The abundance of fish either caught fromthe ship or purchased from the natives formed a wholesome diet, aidedby the fruit, of which the natives brought off a very large quantity.It was very varied, and much of it delicious; the mangosteens werespecially appreciated, and those who could overcome their repugnance tothe disgusting odor of the durians found them delicious eating. Besidesthese were custard apples, bananas, and many other kinds of fruit;all were very cheap and, upon the doctor's suggestion, a supply waspurchased daily for the use of the ship's company, and the sailors, whohad no other use for their money, laid out no small portion of their payon these luxuries.

  The captain had taken every opportunity, when boats passed up the river,to send messages and presents to the chiefs of the tribes higher up,with assurances that he had not come up as an enemy, but that he desiredto be on good terms with all, and would gladly see any of them who wouldcome down to pay him a visit, and would guarantee their safe returnwithout molestation on the part of Sehi. No answers had, however, beenreceived to these overtures, and a proposal he made to the rajah tosend some of the ship's boats up the river to endeavor to bring aboutan understanding between him and his neighbors was received with extremedisfavor.