IN SUMATRA. 



205 



neck). " The Iiigris gave a costume like that, with a sword 

 and seventy-five rupees a month besides ! '' Thuy were always 

 "anxious to learn from me when the English were coming back 

 again. I dare say that if the English were back, they w^ould 

 possibly sigh for the return of the Dutch, their supposed grie- 

 vances against the dominion for the time present doubtless 

 being always sorest. It is not all lip praise, however; there 

 exists throughout the country a real belief in the absolute 





justice in w^ord and deed of the English people and of th 

 surpassing greatness of their nation. All the documents which 

 they showed rae that were given by Raffles to tlieir fathers had 

 invariably lost their wax seals, and, on asking what had become 

 of them, the unfailing reply was : — " We have eaten them. 



T 



Each document they believed w^as the token of rights and 



*» 



privileges which could never be revoked, but which would one 

 day, though at present in abeyance, come again to them ; and 

 as the seal in their estimation is the most effectual and the 

 potentest part of a Deed, they had eaten it; and somehow, 

 should the writing itself get lost, the seal at any rate had 

 become part of themselves and its potency would descend to 

 their heirs. 



15 



