Severe Laws. 183 



would certainly be shot. A few months afterward 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 

 any one 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. A married woman may not except a cigar or a sirih 

 leaf from a stranger under pain of death. I was informed that 

 some years ago one of the English traders had a Balinese 

 woman of good family living with him, the connection being 

 considered quite honorable by the natives. During some fes- 

 tival this girl offended against the law by accepting a flower 

 or some such trifle from another man. This was reported to 

 the Rajah (to some of whose wives the girl was related), and 

 he immediately sent to the Englishman's house ordering him 

 to give the woman up, as she must be " krissed." In vain he 

 begged and prayed, and offered to pay any fine the Rajah 

 might impose, and finally refused to give her up unless he was 

 forced to do so. This the Rajah did not wish to resort to, as 

 he no doubt thought he was acting as much for the Enghsh- 

 man's honor as for his own ; so he appeared to let the matter 

 drop. But some time afterward he sent one of his followers 

 to the house, who beckoned the girl to the door, and then saying, 

 " The Rajah sends you this," stabbed her to the heart. More 

 serious infidelity is punished still more cruelly, the woman and 

 her paramour being tied back to back and thrown into the sea, 

 where some large crocodiles are always on the watch to devour 

 the bodies. One such execution took place while I was at Am- 

 panam, but I took a long walk into the country to be out of the 

 way till it was all over, thus missing the opportunity of having 

 a horrible narrative to enliven my somewhat tedious story. 



One morning, as we were sitting at breakfast, Mr. Carter's 

 servant informed us that there was an " amok " in the village 

 — in other words, that a man was " running a muck." Orders 

 were immediately given to shut and fasten the gates of our in- 

 closure ; but hearing nothing for some time, we went out, and 

 found there had been a false alarm, owing to a slave having 

 run away, declaring he would " amok," because his master 

 wanted to sell him. A short time before a man had been kill- 



