I've Never Been There, Nor The Resident
Either." I Have Pored Over Blue Books Long Enough To Know That This
Is
a place which earned a most unenviable notoriety during the recent
troubles, and is described as "a stronghold of
Piracy, lawlessness, and
disaffection." As we were making a diagonal crossing of the Perak, the
Singhalese said, "A few months ago they would have been firing at us
from both sides of the river." It was a beautiful view at that point,
with the lovely river in its windings, and on the top of the steep bank
a kampong of largish houses under palms and durions. A good many people
assembled on the cliff, some with muskets and some with spears, and the
Singhalese said, "I wish we had not come;" but as the elephant
scrambled up the bank the people seemed quite friendly, and I
dismounted and climbed up to a large house with a very open floor, on
which fine mats were laid in several places. There were many women and
children in the room when I went in, and one of the former put a fine
mat over a rice sack for me. Presently the room filled up with people,
till there were fifty-nine seated in circles on the floor, but some of
the men remained standing, one a thorough villain in looks, a Hadji,
with a dirty green turban and a red sarong. The rest of the men wore
handkerchiefs and sarongs only.
These people really did look much like savages. They all carried
parangs, or the short kris called a golo, and haying been told that the
Malays were disarmed, I was surprised to see several muskets, a rifle,
and about thirty spears on the wall. So I found myself in the heart of
what has been officially described as "a nest of robbers and
murderers," "the centre of disturbance and disaffection," etc. To make
it yet more interesting, on inquiring whose house it was, the name of a
notorious "rebel" leader was mentioned, and one of the women, I was
told, is the principal wife or rather widow of the Maharajah Lela, who
was executed for complicity in the assassination of Mr. Birch.
However, though as a Briton I could not have been a welcome visitor,
they sent a monkey for two cocoa-nuts, and gave me their delicious
milk; and when I came away they took the entrance ladder from one of
the houses to help me to mount the elephant.
Mr. Low was at first displeased that I had been to Koto-lamah, and
said that my escort was "ignorant and foolish" for taking me; but now
he says that though he would not have taken the responsibility of
sending me, he is glad that the thing was done, as it affords a proof
such as he has not yet had of the complete pacification of the
district; but, he added, it would appear somewhat odd that the first
European to test the disposition of the Koto-lamah people should be a
lady.
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