IV.] THE PANGLIMA SHOWS HIS TEETH. 67 



in an even worse temper than that of the night before. On our last 

 visit the relations between ns had become rather strained, but we 

 hoped that the difficulties had passed over. We had lost several 

 small articles while in his house, and some dollars had been stolen 

 from our clothes during the night. But the chief bone of conten- 

 tion was with regard to some horses and silver -hilted spears that 

 we had bought. The money had been counted twice by us before 

 paying it, but almost immediately afterwards the Panglima had 

 declared that it was eight dollars short. Tliis we had at once 

 denied, and the matter had been allowed to drop, but now our host 

 returned again to the charge, and roughly demanded the money. 

 We were half inclined to make a compromise by tendering four 

 dollars, but feeling that it would show weakness, and that he 

 might think that we gave it through fear, we decided not to do so, 

 and told him of the morning's theft. The woman was sent for, and 

 finding the evidence too strong for her, confessed, producing the 

 towel amid the laughter of the Sulus standing round, who evidently 

 regarded her with great contempt for having been found out. 

 Among these people the Italian proverb, " Peccato celato e mezzo 

 perdonato," is true if we leave out the arithmetic, and it was quite 

 within the bounds of probability that the delinquent had only been 

 acting under orders. This incident, and our firm refusal to pay the 

 money claimed, did not tend further to improve the Panglima's 

 temper, and he growled out that " we English were liars, and that 

 he would have nothmg further to do with us." In polite society it 

 is, I believe, the generally- accepted rule that the application of 

 this term compels the insulted person to strike his opponent with 

 violence in the eye. We were not, however, in a position to take 

 this measure, but replied politely that we should be pleased if he 

 would consider our intercourse at an end, inwardly hopmg most 

 sincerely that it might be. We then saddled our horses and rode 

 slowly out of the stockade. It was crowded with people, and we 

 should have had little chance had they attacked us. Fortunately, 

 however, we were not intercepted. It was an unpleasant predica- 



