6 HIKAYAT SERI RAMA. 
directions. Working day and night without a break except 
for meals, the forty-four boat-builders completed their task at 
the close of the seventh day, and the boats fully equipped were 
launched and taken down to the Raja’s private landing-place. 
Seven more days were occupied in assembling all the youths 
and maidens of the country to acecompany the Princess. There 
was a forced levy of all these, through the Pénghulus or 
headmen, by command ofthe Téménggong, and the Raja 
himself made his selection, from among the crowd brought 
together at the bala7, of “ boys just approaching manhood and 
girls just ripe for marriage.” Dresses of honour were given .to 
these, musical instruments “of the twelve kinds” were got 
together, provisions for the expedition were put on board the 
new vessels, and all the Chiefs, warriors and attendants who 
were to accompany the Raja were assembled. 
At this point, there occurs a long and curious description 
of the dress which Séri Rama wore; first his trousers— 
‘ He wore the trousers called berdduwanggi, miraculously 
made without letting in pieces; hundreds of mirrors encircled 
his waist, thousands adorned his legs, they were sprinkled all 
about his body, and larger ones followed the seams.”’ 
Then his waist-band “ Flowered cloth, twenty-five cubits 
in length, or thirty if the fringe be included; thrice a day did 
it change its colour, in the morning transparent as dew, at 
mid-day of the colour of purple and in the evening of the hue 
ot ole: 
Next, the coat “A coat of reddish purple velvet, thrice 
brilliant the lustre of its surface, seven times powerful the 
strength of the dye; the dyer after making it sailed the world 
for three years, but the dye still clung to the palms of his 
hands.” 
His kéris was a marvellous weapon— A straight blade of 
one piece which spontaneously screwed itself into the haft. 
The grooves called rétak mayat started from the base of the 
blade, the damask called pamur janjv appeared half way up, 
and the damask called lam jilallah at the point; the damask 
alif was there parallel with the edge, and where the damask- 
Jour. Straits Branch 
