278 LOHBOCK. [chap. xn. 



could not go himself into every village and every house, 

 and count all the people ; and if he ordered it to be done 

 by the regular officers they would quickly understand 

 what it was for, and the census would be sure to agree 

 exactly with the quantity of rice he got last year. It was 

 evident therefore that to answer his purpose no one must 

 suspect why the census was taken ; and to make sure of 

 this, no one must know that there was any census taken 

 at all. This was a very hard problem; and the Rajah 

 thought and thought, as hard as a Malay Rajah can be 

 expected to think, but could not solve it ; and so he was 

 very unhappy, and did nothing but smoke and chew betel 

 with his favourite wife, and eat scarcely anything ; and 

 even when he went to the cock-fight did not seem to care 

 whether his best birds won or lost. For several days 

 he remained in this sad state, and all the court were 

 afraid some evil eye had bewitched the Rajah ; and an 

 unfortunate Irish captain who had come in for a cargo of 

 rice and who squinted dreadfully, was very nearly being 

 krissecl, but being first brought to the royal presence was 

 graciously ordered to go on board and remain there while 

 his ship stayed in the port. 



One morning however, after about a week's continuance 

 of this unaccountable melancholy, a welcome change took 

 place, for the Rajah sent to call together all the chiefs 

 and priests and princes who were then in Mataram, his 



