178 



LOMSOCE, 



[chap. XlJL 



and handsomer ; and tlie liandles that were of yellow wood 

 were changed for ivoiy, and those of ivory were chajiged 

 for gohl, and diamonds and emeralds spaj-kled on innny 

 of them ; and he knew very well which way the tribute- 

 rice went. But as he coidd not prove it he kept silence, 

 and resolved in his own heart some day to have a census 

 taken, so that he might know the numl>er of Ids people, 

 and not be cheated out of more rice than was just and 

 reasonable. 



But the difficulty was how to get tins census. He 

 cotild not go himself into every \ilhige and every iionse, 

 and count all the people ; and if he ordered it to be done 

 by the regular officers ihe}^ would quickly imderstand 

 what it was for, and the census would be sure to agree 

 exactly with the quantity of rice he got last year. It was 

 evident therefore that to answer his purpose no one must 

 suspect why the census was taken ; and to make sure of 

 this, no one must know that there was any census taken 

 at all This was a very hard problem; and the Ilajah 

 thouglit and thought, as hard as a Malay Eajah can be 

 expected to think, but could not solve it ; and so he was 

 very unhappy, and did nothing but smoke and chew betel 

 with his favourite wife, and eat scarcely anything; and 

 even when he went to the cock-fight did not seem to care 

 whether his best birds won or lost. For several days 

 he remained in this sad state, and all the court were 

 afraid some evil ej^e had bewitched the Kajah ; and an 

 unfortunate Irish captain who had come in for a cargo of 

 rice and who squinted dreadfully, was veiy nearly being 

 krissed, but being first brought to the royal presence was 

 gi-aciously ordered to go on board and remain thei-e while 

 his ship stayed in the port 



One morning however, after about a week's continuance 

 of this unaccountable melancholyj a welcome change took 

 place, for the Rajah sent to call together all tlie chiefe 

 and priests and princes who were then in Mataram, his 

 capital city ; and when they were aU assembled in anxious 

 expectation, he thus addressed them : 



"For many days my heart has been very sick and 1 

 knew not why, but now the trouble is cleared away, for 

 I have had a dream. Last night the spirit of the ' Gtmong 



