192 LOMBOCK. 



And when it was quite certain that every village had sent 

 in its bundle, the Rajah divided the needles into twelve equal 

 parts, and ordered the best steel-worker in Matarani to bring 

 his forge and his bellows and his hammers to the palace, and 

 to make the twelve krisses under the Rajah's eye, and in the 

 sight of all men who chose to see it. And when they were fin- 

 ished, they were wrapped up in new silk and put away care- 

 fully until they might be wanted. 



Now the journey to the mountain was in the time of the 

 east wind, when no rain falls in Lombock. And soon after 

 the krisses were made it was the time of the rice harvest, and 

 the chiefs of the districts and of villages brought in their tax 

 to the Rajah according to the number of heads in their vil- 

 lages. And to those that wanted but little of the full amount 

 the Rajah said nothing; but when those came who brought 

 only half or a fourth part of what was strictly due, he said to 

 them mildly, " The needles which you sent from your village 

 were many more than came from such a one's village, yet 

 your tribute is less than his ; go back and see who it is that 

 has not paid the tax." And the next year the produce of the 

 tax increased greatly, for they feared that the Rajah might 

 justly kill tliose who a second time kept back the right trib- 

 ute. And so the Rajah became very rich, and increased the 

 number of his soldiers, and gave golden jewels to his wives, 

 and bought fine black horses from the white-skinned Holland- 

 ers, and made great feasts when his children were born or 

 were married ; and none of the Rajahs or Sultans among the 

 Malays were so great or so powerful as the Rajah of Lom- 

 bock. 



And the twelve sacred krisses had great virtue. And when 

 any sickness appeared in a village one of them was sent for ; 

 and sometimes the sickness went away, and then the sacred 

 kris was taken back again with great honor, and the head-men 

 of the village came to tell the Rajah of its miraculous power, 

 and to thank him. And sometimes the sickness would not 

 go away ; and then every body was convinced that there had 

 been a mistake in the number of needles sent from that vil- 

 lage, and therefore the sacred kris had no effect, and had to 

 be taken back again by the head-men with heavy hearts, but 

 still with all honor — for was not the fault their own ? 



