— 97 — 



ïïsing-ch'a Shêng-lan (1436). 



The country of the Tattooed Eaces (*) borders on Sumatra and extends 

 as far as the sea of Lambri ; it is all situated along the mountains , but still 

 its flelds produce rice in sufficiënt quantity. 



The weather is variable. The men tattoo their faces with representations 

 of flowers and animals ; their hair hangs loose and the upper part of the body 

 is naked, the lower part being covered with a single piece of cloth. The 

 women wear a coloured piece of cloth and have their hair in a knot behind 

 the head. 



The country is rich in cattle, goats, fowls and ducks. 



The strong do not oppress the weak; high and low equally cultivate 

 the ground; the rich are not proucl towards the poor, whilst the poor do 

 not steal; indeed it may be called a virtuous country. 



The land produces different kinds of perfumes and also blue lo- 

 tuses ( 2 ). 



In the neighbourhood is the mountain Nakur ( 3 ), which yields sul- 

 phur. When our neet was in Sumatra, men and ships were sent there to 

 collect it. 



Articles of import are silks, earthenware, etc. 



The chief, having received presents from the emperor, has ever since 

 sent products of his country as tribute. 



The account in the history of the Ming dynasty is only an abbreviated copy 

 of the two articles given above, and may therefore be omitted. 



It seems that this Nakur was an ad vaneed establishment of the Batta's, the wild 

 natives who lived in the interior , whilst the coast was more settled by Malays or similar 

 people. The limited number of a thousand families, given by the author, can only 

 apply to those who lived in the neighbourhood of the Sumatra frontier, but the circum- 

 stance that they were able to carry on a war with so large a country as Sumatra, 

 and the fact mentioned by the author , that their territory extended inland as far as 

 the sea on the west-coast of the island , sufficiently show that they were a tribe of 

 considerable importance. 



( l ) 4fc DÏJ ÜH i we ^ ave seen J us * now ^ nat Nakur was know by this name also. 



o lf M tt (?) 



