124 ARAB DESCENDANTS OF THE PROPHET. 



priestly hypocrites, constantly interfering for the pur- 

 pose of promoting their own ends, caused more of the 

 troubles which have afflicted the Malayan kingdoms of 

 this island than have been produced by any other 

 means. On one occasion a man of rank, who ought to 

 have known better, informed me seriously that a cer- 

 tain vagabond of this class, called Mulana, who had 

 cajoled the rajah out of the government of the Ka- 

 lekka river, had only been prevented by the earnest 

 entreaties of Sereib Sahib from removing the island of 

 Pulau Barong, opposite the Sadong river, to the neigh- 

 bourhood of the Kalekka river. As this threat and 

 entreaty took place before a large assemblage of peo- 

 ple, it is probable that the two hypocritical Arabs had 

 contrived the scene to impress the vulgar with an awe 

 of their persons. The generality of the natives of 

 Pa-mutus believe, or pretend to believe, that had not 

 Sereib Sahib so earnestly entreated him to desist, the 

 Tuan Mulana, as he was called, would have ordered the 

 island to remove, and that it would accordingly have 

 stationed itself opposite Kalekka. This Mulana, who 

 died last May, was discovered to be an Arab, who, 

 having arrived poor at Pinang, was befriended by a 

 rich countryman, who advanced him goods to the 

 amount of 4,000 dollars that he might go on a trading 

 voyage to the Archipelago. It is useless to add that 

 the friendly merchant never heard again from his holy 

 debtor ; but having accidentally found out the place 

 of his residence, he sent his son to demand the debt. 

 It was not denied, and a box was offered to the young 



