S6 THE HISTORY OF PERAK FROM NATIVE SOURCES. 
which to live.” He then drew his bow and discharged the arrow, 
which flew upwards with the rapidity of lightning and with a hum- 
ming sound like that made by a beetle as it flies round a flower, 
and went out of sight. Presently it came in sight again, and fell 
upon one of the islands, which, on that account, was called Pulau 
Indra Sakti. On that spot was erected a town with fort, palace 
and bale?, and all the people who were living scattered about in the 
vicinity were collected together, and set to work on the various 
buildings. The Prince reigned here with great justice and gene- 
rosity, and all the poor and indigent prayed for him that he might 
be preserved in his state and dignity. And Raja Manone Maua 
Poprsat and his Counsellors called this country Negré Perak, from 
its connection with the silver arrow. The Prince was then form- 
ally established as Raja in Perak, and he sent an embassy to inform 
the King, his father, of the fact, and his power increased, and num- 
bers of peopie flocked to Perak on account of the justice and 
liberality of his administration.’’(*) 
Of this story, it is necessary to say that it has no local currency 
in Perak, and that the Perak Malay commences the history of his 
country with the legend of the white Semang.(?) I have, how- 
ever, heard an attempt to reconcile both legends by the statement 
that it was after the dynasty founded by the son of the Kedah 
Raja had died out, that the new line of kings from Johor was 
brought in. 
It is not easy to name any spot in Perak which corresponds in 
the least with the lake and islands described in the text. Colonel 
Low suggests the Dindings, or some tract near the Bruas river. 
The latter is probably the oldest settled district in Perak. The 
Sajarah Malayu mentions a “ Raja of Bruas” before there was a 
Raja of Perak of the Johor line. Local traditions, too, all speak of 
Bruas as the ancient seat of government. Localities on that river 
(1) Translated from a copy of the Marong Mahawangsa in my 
possession. See also Colonel Low’s translation, Journal of the In- 
dian Archipelago, III., 176. 
(?) I have given this legend at length in a paper recently con- 
tributed to the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, N. 8., Vol. 
oh ares 
