176 LOMBOCK. 



dent little rascal called Kachang (a bean) made us all laugh 

 by his mimicry and antics. 



At length, about four o'clock, the pumbuckle made his ap- 

 pearance, and we informed him of our desire to stay with him 

 a few days, to shoot birds and see the country. At this he 

 seemed somewhat disturbed, and asked if we had brought a 

 letter from the Anak Agong (Son of Heaven), which is the 

 title of the Rajah of Lombock. This we had not done, think- 

 ing it quite unnecessary ; and he then abruptly told us that 

 he must go and speak to his Rajah, to see if we could stay. 

 Hours passed away, night came, and he did not return. I be- 

 gan to think we were suspected of some evil designs, for the 

 pumbuckle was evidently afraid of getting himself into troii- 

 ble. He is a Sassak prince, and, though a supporter of the 

 present Rajah, is related to some of the heads of a conspiracy 

 which was quelled a few years since. 



About five o'clock a pack-horse bearing my guns and clothes 

 arrived, with my men Ali and Manuel, who had come on foot. 

 The sun set, and it soon became dark, and we got rather hun- 

 gry as we sat wearily under the shed and no one came. Still 

 hour after hour we waited, till about nine o'clock, the pum- 

 buckle, the Rajah, some priests, and a number of their follow- 

 ers arrived and took their seats around us. We shook hands, 

 and for some minutes there was a dead silence. Then the 

 Rajah asked what we wanted ; to which Mr. Ross replied by 

 endeavoring to make them understand who we were, and why 

 we had come, and that we had no sinister intentions what- 

 ever ; and that we had not brought a letter from the "Anak 

 Agong " merely because we had thought it quite unnecessary. 

 A long conversation in the Bali language then took place, and 

 questions were asked about my guns, and what powder I had, 

 and whether I used shot or bi^llets ; also what the birds were 

 for, and how I preserved them, and what was done with them 

 in England. Each of my answers and explanations was fol- 

 lowed by a low and serious conversation which we could not 

 understand, but the purport of which we could guess. They 

 were evidently quite puzzled, and did not believe a word we 

 had told them. They then inquired if we were really En- 

 glish, and not Dutch ; and although we strongly asserted our 

 nationality, they did not seem to believe us. 



