566 



NATURE 



[October 33, 1892 



the site of Lumban Rajah, the former residence of the 

 Singa Manga Rajah, destroyed by the Dutch. The chiefs 

 and head men of several neighbouring villages had assem- 

 bled, and many were the questions they put to Modigliani. 

 Amongst others, they asked him who was his Rajah. 

 "The Rajah Roma," said he. This caused a great dis- 

 cussion, after which one of the chiefs said : " How is it 

 that we, having sent to Rajah Rom (not Roma) presents 

 of horses and buffaloes, have never received a return or 

 an answer ? '' Modigliani was at first rather embarrassed 

 at so direct a question, but replied that the presents had 

 not been received, having perhaps been intercepted. This 

 appeared to convince them, and a Rajah Uti was men- 

 tioned as apparently the guilty party. I have mentioned 

 ithis episode because it turned out to be a most fortunate 



Fig. 2.— The^'^rtr// Samalain. 



one for our traveller, who got to be known as the envoy 

 of Rajah Rom, and even as that mystic personage him- 

 self. It appears that by that name a venerated authority 

 is known to the Battaks, and Modigliani thinks it may 

 be no less a personage than the Hindu god Rama. As 

 the sequel will show, under the patronage of Rajah Rom, 

 Modigliani was able to penetrate into the heart of the 

 independent Battak country, where, in all probability, no 

 other European would have been able to go ; and many 

 were the things he had to promise in Rajah Rom's name, 

 and many the present i and great the aid he got as his 

 envoy. The greatest depth found by Modigliani in Lake 

 Toba was 450 metres ; the temperature of the water was 

 24"^ to 23° C, at the surface, and 23= to 22" C. near the 

 bottom. Only four species of fish, two of mollu.^s and 

 two of crustaceans, appear to live in the lake. 



NO. I 198, VOL. 46] 



As a locality better suited for zoological collections^ 

 Modigliani went in November to live in the forest of Si 

 Rambe, where, at an elevation of about 1370 metres, he 

 built himself a log hut. Here the maximum day tem- 

 perature ranged from 28'' to 30° C, the minimum night 

 temperature from 12' to I3°C. 



It was from his hermitage in Si Rambe that Modigliani, 

 eluding the official impedimenta, started on his adven- 

 turous and bold journey across Sumatra, right through 

 the country of the independent and hostile Battaks. Now 

 his supposed connection with the legendary Rajah Rom 

 did him a right good turn ; for the yet more or less inde- 

 pendent chiefs sought him out, hoping that through his 

 influence Rajah Rom might be induced to redress their 

 wrongs. Amongst these was a giiru^ one of their priests, 

 wise men, and literati, named Samalain, a staunch friend 

 of the Singa Manga Rajah, who not only visited Modi- 

 gliani but undertook to guide and protect him in his 

 exploration of the (by Europeans) untrodden Battak 

 territory. In one of his letters to Marquis Doria, Modi- 

 gliani gives a vivid description of the savage energy of 

 guru Samalain, of his devotion to the Singa Manga Rajah, 

 and of his love of independence. The guru sent seven 

 of his devoted followers to act as carriers, and taking one 

 of his Javanese hunters and his interpreter, Si-gu-tala, a 

 Battak, Modigliani left his encampment in the forest of 

 Si Rambe at midnight on December 19, 1890. The 

 •utmost caution was necessary to cross the frontier line 

 without being discovered by the colonial authorities. 

 After a forced march of ten hours, the guru having joined 

 him on the way, Modigliani reached the village of Lumban 

 Bulu, well within the territory of the independent Battaks. 

 The village chiefs, with armed retainers, and those of 

 some neighbouring villages, all fully armed and equipped, 

 with spears, flint-lock muskets plated with silver and 

 ornamented with ribbons, and their peculiar swords with 

 heavy ivory handles, accompanied and surrounded him. 

 His reception was far from friendly. They would not believe 

 that he was not a Dutch emissary, and spoke of sending 

 him back ; even the energetic protestations of the guru 

 Samalain were received with signs of doubt. At this 

 juncture our traveller had a happy thought, and drawing 

 "from a pocket the flag of Italy, he suddenly displayed it, 

 exclaiming : " This is the flag my Rajah gave me ; see, it 

 is different from that of the Dutch ; but when it is unfurled 

 Debata (God) is present— you must rise and uncover your 

 heads." The difference was at once noted, and Puttua, 

 the chief who had shown himself most hostile, turned to 

 Modigliani and said," 7a(^/,ra/'<^/ma;«z "("Hail, my chief "). 

 The others joined, and then two fowls and a pipe were 

 brought to our traveller, and orders given to prepare the 

 sirih of welcome and friendship. This is done with special 

 ingredients, the absence of any of which would do away 

 with the sincerity of the offering. 



Modigliani was thus allowed to enter the independent 

 Battak country. The next day he resumed his joiirney 

 towards the east coast. He had to pay for passing a 

 bridge. The Battaks know well the value of money, and 

 use the Spanish dollar divided into 480 doits of copper, 

 bearing the date 1804, the British arms, and the in- 

 scription "Island of Sumatra " (or the same inscription 

 in Arabic), or else simply a fowl. 



Amongst the many interesting things he saw, heard, 

 and learnt, special mention must be made of the magni- 

 ficent waterfall formed by the emissary of Lake Toba. 

 Modigliani had some difficulty in visiting it, for it is the 

 reputed abode of powerful spirits, or sombaon. It is, 

 he says, grand beyond description ; all the rivers of 

 the region join the emissary of the lake in the fall, the 

 native name of which is Martua Sapuran Si-arimo : the 

 result is the River Assahan, which flows into the Eastern 

 Sea near Tangion Balei. This is an important geographi- 

 cal discovery, and our friend may well be proud of it. He 

 succeeded in taking a magnificent photographic view of 



