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is curious to observe his glorying in the fort and lamenting its destruction, seeing it was by this that the European powers had overawed the natives; it shows how far sentiment will carry us, in revering things that have gone by. His remarks on the foolhardiness of Abdastar and his mates are good, and he truly points out to whom the blame of the accident attached. As to the jins or evil spirits, I have often remarked that the natives were thoroughly persuaded that Europeans were beyond their influence; so that they were under no apprehension of danger whilst acting under their supervision and direction.

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"Now all the four races* in Malacca were exceedingly fond of and attached to the governorship of Major Farquhar. The country itself was tranquil, and merchants came and went from all quarters to traffic here. The poor people even got a good living, as more especially did the rich. All got good wages in foreign trade, and many people from other countries also arrived to seek a living, and who took wives to themselves. Thus the mixed race became numerous in Malacca under the good laws and customs of the place. Each race had its captain; these again installed elders in each village, who, in the first place, looked over and settled small matters, and if they could not settle them, then the subject was taken to the captain, and afterwards, if it could not be settled by him, it was taken before the fiscal, and if again it could not be settled, then it went to the court. The country, it is true, belonged to the English, but the laws and customs were Dutch; and as to the language and names of leading men, all were Dutch.

Shortly after this Major Farquhar was created Colonel, and thereupon European sentries guarded his door. Now, the sentry on guard feigned that he loaded * Malays, Chinese, Klings, and Portuguese.

his gun as usual; but he put in two balls, and as the Colonel was descending he fired, and with the report one ball glanced past him on the left, and the other on the right, which startled him; but as it was not to be his fate to die, he escaped. The distance between him to the sentry was only eight fathoms. Malacca was now in consternation at their Governor being fired at. Such was the case. The sentry was now laid hold of and put in prison till he was sent to Bengal, but I did not hear of his further disposal.

I now come to relate the story of Colonel Farquhar's elephant hunt. At this time there was a man in Malacca who came from Tringanu, called Pawang Gaga. He was originally a Kiddah or Queda man, understanding the habits of elephants well, and their medicine; so he came to Malacca to seek employment in this manner. He remained some time in Malacca, where he soon became well-known as an elephant doctor, both in catching and medicating. He did nothing else but range the woods. On one day he came to the house of Inchi Sulong, who was at that time native foreman to Colonel Farquhar, over whose garden operations he was the head, -finding men and such like. Thus the Pawang spoke to him, and told him that in the Malacca forest there were numbers of elephants, so that if the Governor would order it, he would catch ever so many. On Inchi Sulong hearing this, he went to Colonel Farquhar to let him know. On this Colonel Farquhar ordered that if it were true he would give the due authority for the hunt. This was told to the Pawang, who now appeared before the Governor, when it was agreed that he should go in search of the elephants, and on finding their tracks, that he should return and obtain sixty or seventy men to go with him; and should they be caught, he asked, what will be the agreement? On this Colonel Farquhar said

that he would give a hundred dollars for every one brought into the town. To this the Pawang replied, "Very good; but the cost of the operations are to be on you, and to commence with, I wish a little advance." This was assented to, when the Pawang retired. He now took two companions and entered the jungle, where he remained about eleven days, after which he returned to Inchi Sulong to tell him that he had come on a herd of sixty elephants, so that men should be sent with him to make a pen or fold; so this was agreed to. The pen was to be made at Sabatu, two days' journey from Malacca easterly. Inchi Sulong sent with him sixty or seventy men to work by shifts. The attention of the Malacca people now became general towards the intended hunt at Sabatu, all wanting to go to see it, as they had never seen such a thing before. My own notions at that time need not be mentioned; I was like a bird complete with two wings about to fly direct to the place to see it.

I will now explain the manner of making the pen. The first thing done was to fell large trees in pieces of twelve cubits in length (eighteen feet); after collecting the timber the pieces were stuck into the ground close and well-bound together. The size of the pen was twenty fathoms square. On the top of the fence a shed was erected, for people to sit in, made very strong, all the materials used in it being large. And after this had been erected they made wing walls, like fishing stakes, i.e., they stuck in posts, close together, to the right and the left, to the length of one hundred fathoms. They then stuck between these walls plantain trees and sugar cane, extending into the pen or trap. When all this was

finished, the news created the greatest hubbub in Malacca, and all the Europeans, and the four other races, either on foot, in carriages, or on horseback, went to see; and

I amongst them. I was on the road two days; and on arriving at Sabatu, I examined the whole affair, and saw it was one of design only, not, as my neighbours would have it, of spells, medication, and spiritism. These were lying foolishness.

On the same evening the Pawang with hundreds of men entered the jungle to drive the elephants; and when they met with the herd they surrounded them at a distance, being thus engaged for six or seven days in this manner trending them to the fences. Now, between these were plantain trees and sugar cane as bait (as related above), which when the elephants saw, they went straight for this food. On this the drivers got nearer, till they commenced to fire and shout on the right and left thus the elephants, being now enclosed, made for the pen, led on at the same time by the bait.

Now men were ready stationed above the door of the pen, which was held up by a rope; so when all the elephants had entered they let go, and the door fell, thus entrapping the herd, which counted, large and small, male and female, sixty-two tails* (heads). The Pawang now ordered hundreds of men to get on to the top of the fence, all holding spears and staffs, and when the elephants seized the timbers of the fence, intending to break it, they were speared so that they let go: thus it was all round the pen,-here there was striking, there there was spearing. At this time I also tried to get on the top of the fence to see the fun, but the men would not let me; so I went softly to the Pawang, and showed him a rupee (2s.), and when he saw it in his hand, he said, “Very good, Inchi, get up." So his people set me up, and giving me a stick in my hand, they told me, when the elephants seized, to strike them; this I did. In the interior of the pen it was like a great battle, and

* Natives count by the tails.

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