第72章

An hour after， his son came to visit Mr. Carter accompanied by about a hundred followers， who all sat on the ground while he came into the open shed where Manuel was skinning birds. After some time he went into the house， had a bed arranged to sleep a little， then drank some wine， and after an hour or two had dinner brought him from the Gusti's house， which he ate with eight of the principal priests and princes， he pronounced a blessing over the rice and commenced eating first， after which the rest fell to. They rolled up balls of rice in their hands， dipped them in the gravy and swallowed them rapidly， with little pieces of meat and fowl cooked in a variety of ways. A boy fanned the young Rajah while eating. He was a youth of about fifteen， and had already three wives. All wore the kris， or Malay crooked dagger， on the beauty and value of which they greatly pride themselves. Acompanion of the Rajah's had one with a golden handle， in which were set twenty-eight diamonds and several other jewels. He said it had cost him ā700. The sheaths are of ornamental wood and ivory， often covered on one side with gold. The blades are beautifully veined with white metal worked into the iron， and they are kept very carefully. Every man without exception carries a kris， stuck behind into the large waist-cloth which all wear， and it is generally the most valuable piece of property he possesses.

A few days afterwards our long-talked-of excursion to Gunong Sari took place. Our party was increased by the captain and supercargo of a Hamburg ship loading with rice for China. We were mounted on a very miscellaneous lot of Lombock ponies， which we had some difficulty in supplying with the necessary saddles， etc.； and most of us had to patch up our girths， bridles， or stirrup-leathers as best we could. We passed through Mataram， where we were joined by our friend Gusti Gadioca， mounted on a handsome black horse， and riding as all the natives do， without saddle or stirrups， using only a handsome saddlecloth and very ornamental bridle.

About three miles further， along pleasant byways， brought us to the place. We entered through a rather handsome brick gateway supported by hideous Hindu deities in stone. Within was an enclosure with two square fish-ponds and some fine trees； then another gateway through which we entered into a park. On the right was a brick house， built somewhat in the Hindu style， and placed on a high terrace or platform； on the left a large fish-pond， supplied by a little rivulet which entered it out of the mouth of a gigantic crocodile well executed in brick and stone.

The edges of the pond were bricked， and in the centre rose a fantastic and picturesque pavilion ornamented with grotesque statues. The pond was well stocked with fine fish， which come every morning to be fed at the sound of a wooden gong which is hung near for the purpose. On striking it a number of fish immediately came out of the masses of weed with which the pond abounds， and followed us along the margin expecting food. At the same time some deer came out of as adjacent wood， which， from being seldom shot at and regularly fed， are almost tame. The jungle and woods which surrounded the park appearing to abound in birds， I went to shoot a few， and was rewarded by getting several specimens of the fine new kingfisher， Halcyon fulgidus， and the curious and handsome ground thrush， Zoothera andromeda. The former belies its name by not frequenting water or feeding on fish. It lives constantly in low damp thickets picking up ground insects， centipedes， and small mollusca. Altogether I was much pleased with my visit to this place， and it gave me a higher opinion than I had before entertained of the taste of these people， although the style of the buildings and of the sculpture is very much inferior to those of the magnificent ruins in Java.

I must now say a few words about the character， manners， and customs of these interesting people.

The aborigines of Lombock are termed Sassaks. They are a Malay race hardly differing in appearance from the people of Malacca or Borneo. They are Mahometans and form the bulk of the population.

The ruling classes， on the other hand， are natives of the adjacent island of Bali， and are of the Brahminical religion. The government is an absolute monarchy， but it seems to be conducted with more wisdom and moderation than is usual in Malay countries.

The father of the present Rajah conquered the island， and the people seem now quite reconciled to their new rulers， who do not interfere with their religion， and probably do not tax them any heavier than did the native chiefs they have supplanted. The laws now in force in Lombock are very severe. Theft is punished by death. Mr. Carter informed me that a man once stole a metal coffee-pot from his house. He was caught， the pot restored， and the man brought to Mr. Carter to punish as he thought fit. All the natives recommended Mr. Carter to have him "krissed" on the spot； "for if you don't，" said they， "he will rob you again." Mr. Carter， however， let him off with a warning， that if he ever came inside his premises again he would certainly be shot. A few months afterwards the same man stole a horse from Mr. Carter. The horse was recovered， but the thief was not caught. It is an established rule， that anyone found in a house after dark， unless with the owner's knowledge， may be stabbed， his body thrown out into the street or upon the beach， and no questions will be asked.

The men are exceedingly jealous and very strict with their wives.