160 A JOURNEY 



liirnseif ceased his repealed demands only 

 after 1 had given him some miserable dried 

 Hshes^ and some clothes whicli he could 

 scarcelv use, being made in the European 

 iashion. During the evening, 1 was witness 

 to one of the most remarkable instances ol 

 Malay silliness which can be met with. At 

 seven odoek , the king, who a great part ot 

 the day had smoked opium, left his place, 

 and went to the other extremity of the ve- 

 randah^ where, as I had remarked in the 

 day-time, a cock was tied with a rope. The 

 king then with his royal liand look the 

 martial animal, and brouglit him to a place 

 where he used to keep his Court, forming 

 a miserable throne. I was near the place, 

 preparing to sleej), when my curiosity was 

 excited by the extraordinary fact which I 

 will now relate. Opium having been pre- 

 pared, and a pipe, a candle, and all the 

 other necessaries to smoke it, having been 

 brought in, his i\lajest\ began a bombastic 



