REMBAU HISTORY, ETC. 
eine league of the Four (émpat sa-bélah darat). 
The league of the Four forms the Darat counterpart of 
the émpat sa-bélah baroh: and was utilised by the Undang 
Dato’ Nganit, in A.D. 1831, to strengthen his council of tribal 
chiefs during the friction with the Séri Menanti Raja. 
The Darat district was opened up by four tribes: the 
Paya Kumboh under To’ Laut Dalam, the Séri Lémak under 
To’ Puteh, the Batu Bélang under To’ Baginda Pétra and the . 
Séri Mélenggang under To’ Budi. The three former chiefs 
settled respectively at the foot of the hills overlooking the 
Sungai Laiang, Lubok Rusa, and Bintongan valleys. To’ 
Budi left the foot hills and founded his settlement in the 
board Batu Hampar valley near Tanjong Séna. 
The spheres of the three chiefs contrasted thus with the 
settlement which To’ Budi founded as the upstream and 
downstream divisions of the Darat district. The terms up- 
stream (ka-hulu) and downstream (ka-kilir) bore reference to 
no one river, but to every stream—the Sungai Laiang, the 
Sépri, the Bintong, the Ayer Hitam—watering the Darat 
district. A line drawn from Bukit Blakang Parang to Batu 
Ménunggu at Sungai Laiang, and thence westwards to Tunggul 
Merbau, Durian Hijau and Tunggul Chachak and on to the 
juuction of the Ayer Hitam and Sepri streams formed the 
boundary between the two divisions.’ Upstream (ka-hulw) 
the Paya Kumboh, Séri Lémak, and Batu Bélang were para- 
mount; while To’ Budi enjoyed all the downstream (hilir) 
portion as his sphere of influence. 
The subsequent advent of Tiga Batu tribesmen to Hulu 
Bintongan, and of Tanah Datar settlers to the Lubok Rusa 
valley merely swelled the importance of the Batu Bélang and 
Séri Lémak tribes. But while the Tiga Batu folk with their 
chief, Nang Besar, acquiesced in the supremacy of Dato’ An- 
dika, the Batu Bélang Lembaga, they did not, like the Tanah 
Datar settlers, lose their tribal isolation, but formed under 
To Andika, a separate tribe Ww ith a full tribal constitution. 
(1) vide map. 
Jour, Straits Branch 
