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RAJA AMBONG. 59 
escorted. By the evening, he had built himself a little hut, and 
there he spread his mat and hung up his mosquito-curtain, 
prepared his holy water, set up his altar, lit his candle, and 
scattered his rice-grains, and then covering himself up with 
his white cloth went to sleep. So effectually did these cere- 
monies scare the evil spirits, that in the morning, when he 
went out, he saw that of the merbau tree only the heart was 
left, a straight stem of hard wood not thicker than a man’s 
forearm, all the evil spirits having fled. What on earth the 
Raja could do with a boat made out of such a log as this he 
could not make out, but he sat to work to carry out his orders. 
He fumigated with incense all his tools, and then went to the 
foot of the tree, using certain charms and ceremonies which 
were knowntohim. Then he delivered,three strokes—two on 
one side and one on the other (mendada sa-chatuk, menengku’ 
dua chatuk). Atthethirdthe merdautreecreaked (mérengkoh), 
and for a day and a night it fell before its branches reached 
the ground. Laksana bumt gérak gémpa dan meranchang 
kayu di rimba dan ber-géegaran pinggan mangkuk didalain 
negri Tanjong Bima terkena bahana kayu ranting handak 
tumbang. (The noise it made was like that of an earthquake, 
and the trees in the forest shook, and all the plates and dishes 
in the country clattered with the rush of air caused by the 
falling mass of branches.) The hunchback cut the stem in 
two just below the branches (4adong) and then split it open 
(chub belah bujang), and hollowed out one of the halves. It mea- 
sured twenty-five fathoms in length when on the ground. In 
seven days the hunchback had made a ship of it, and had equip- 
ped her with masts, stays, sails, rigging and anchor; he then 
went to the town and informed the Raja that the vessel was 
lying on the stocks (ampayan) ready for sea, but that before 
she could be moved, seven, or five, or three (an uneven num- 
ber) of young married women, pregnant forthe first time, must 
be procured to be used as rollers. The Tumonggong, Lak- 
BOO 
samana and other Chiefs sought far and wide for young 
women answering the required ‘conditions, but failed fo find 
any except their own daughters. Each of the three principal 
Chiefs—the Laksamana, Tumonggong, and Orang Kaya 
Besar—had a recently married daughter, each of them with 
