298 On the Government and History of [June, 



woman ; meeting some resistance from the former, he had murdered 

 him, with his kris, in the forest of Londoo, and proceeded with the 

 woman to Pila, in Sriminanti, where he sold her. 



The present superintendent of Naning, Mr. Westerhout, who was 

 an eye-witness, described to me the ceremony of his trial and execu- 

 tion. The criminal was conducted bound to Buket Penidlang, or 

 " execution hill," near Tabu. The Panghulu, the Ampat Stikd, the 

 12 Panglimds, the Bandhdra,- and the Makdum were all seated in 

 judgment under a cluster of Tambuseh trees, on the skirt of the hill. 

 The witnesses were brought forward and examined by the Panghulu 

 himself. The evidence against the prisoner being deemed conclusive, 

 according to the forms of the Muhammedan law, he was sentenced, 

 agreeably to the Adat Mendngkdbowe, to pay one Bhdr (equivalent to 

 24 Spanish dollars, and 30 cents), or to suffer (Salang) death by the 

 kris. Being unable to pay the fine, preparations were made for his 

 immediate execution. The grave was dug on the spot, and he was 

 placed firmly bound in a sitting posture, literally on its brink. For 

 further security, two Panglimds sat on each side, whilst the Pang- 

 lima Besdr Sumun unsheathed the weapon that was to terminate the 

 trembling wretch's existence. On the point of the poniard, the 

 kris panjang, the PangUmd carefully placed a pledget of soft cotton, 

 which he pressed against the man's breast, a little above the right 

 collar bone. He then slowly passed the weapon's point through the 

 cotton, on which he kept the fingers of his left hand, firmly pressed in 

 a direction obliquely to the left, into his body, until the projection of 

 the hilt stopped its farther progress. The weapon was then slowly 

 withdrawn, the PangUmd still retaining the cotton in its place by the 

 pressure of his fingers, by which the effusion of blood externally was 

 effectually stanched. 



The criminal, convulsively shuddering, was instantly preciptated into 

 the grave ; but on his making signs for water, was raised. He had 

 barely time to apply his lips to the cocoanut shell, in which it was 

 brought, when he fell back into the grave quite dead. The earth 

 was then hastily thrown over the body, and the assembly dispersed. 



The Ampat Suku. — Next to the PangMM, were the four heads or 

 representatives of the four SukCs, or tribes, into which the population 

 of Naning was divided. 



In the ex-Panghuld's time, the head of the 



Sukii Sa Melongan, was Maharaja Nunkaio. 

 ,, Anak Malacca, „ Andika' Maharaja. 

 „ Tigd Baltd, „ Dattu Ambangan. 



„ Munkdh, „ Orang Kaio Ki'hil. 



