109 



dy, they dissembled no longer, bat a^^owed their 

 object to be the seizure of the Kedah cbiefts, 

 whom they desired to surrender. Od Iieaiiag 

 this» the Bandharra and Laesamana, exclaiming^ 

 that they were betrayed, plunged their krmcji 

 into Ihe bodies of the nearest Siamese, and a ge* 

 neral struggle took place. 



Amongst the first that fell were the Lacsama- 

 na and the Tamungong, which last, a man ren- 

 dered venerable by his years, had often boasted of 

 his invulnembility, whilst the Bandharra was over- 

 powered, diaarrned and bound. The losjs of their 

 leaders dispirited the KedaJi conibaiants, who, 

 after a feeble resistance, fled in all directions. 

 And now commenced the display of the savage 

 atrocities of the Siamese. Many were unmerciful- 

 ly butchered, but thousands, less fortunate, were 

 dragged from their homes, and tonured to death 

 whilst their wives and daughters were violated 

 by the ruffianly invaders, who, not glutted with 

 crimes which were beyond parallel, fired the 

 villages of the defenceless Malays who were then 

 expiring under their demoniac ingenuity. I will 

 not sicken my readers by dwelling on, or even 

 detailing, the torments inflicted by the Siamese, 

 but simply state that the fleet Jsailed on the fol- 

 lowing day for the Mirbow, which is a large river 

 nearly insight of Pinang fort, in quest of the 

 king of Kedah, who was a short distance up the 

 stream, engaged in superintending the cutting of 

 a canal from that river to the Moodah, another 

 large stream which bounds the Company's terri* 

 tory to the northward. 



The king received intelligence of the approach 



