chap, xii.] T J KING A CENSUS. 285 



send a bundle of needles — a needle for every head in the 

 village. And when any grievous disease appeared in any 

 village, one of the sacred krisses should he sent there ; 

 and if every house in that vdlage had sent the right 

 number of needles, the disease would immediately cease ; 

 but if the number of needles sent had not been exact, 

 the kris would have no virtue. 



So the princes and chiefs sent to all their villages and 

 communicated the wonderful news ; and all made haste 

 to collect the needles with the greatest accuracy, for they 

 feared that if but one were wanting the whole village 

 would suffer. So one by one the head men of the villages 

 brought in their bundles of needles ; those who were near 

 Mataram came first, and those who were far off came last ; 

 and the Eajah received them with his own hands, and put 

 them away carefully in an inner chamber, in a camphor- 

 wood chest whose hinges and clasps were of silver ; and 

 on every bundle was marked the name of the village 

 and the district from whence it came, so that it might 

 be known that all had heard and obeyed the commands 

 of the great spirit. 



And when it was quite certain that every village had 

 sent in its bundle, the Eajah divided the needles into 

 twelve equal parts, and ordered the best steel-worker in 

 Mataram to bring his forge and his bellows and his 

 hammers to the palace, and to make the twelve krisses 



