1S32.J 
INTERVIEW WITH THE RAJAHS. 
123 
culty of a serious nature with the people of Soo-soo or Pulo Kio, 
and that both parties were ready to commence hostihties at the 
shghtest provocation ; and we have since learned that it was 
principally owing to this cause, that the forts were in so good a 
state of defence, and had so many well-armed Malays to defend 
them, at the time of the attack by the divisions from the Potomac. 
In. a former chapter it has been mentioned that Soo-soo was 
but a few miles to the southward and eastward of Quallah-Battoo 
and the establishments and fort of the friendly rajah, Po Adam, 
at the head of a small cove call'ed P.ulo Kio, or Woody Island ; 
the little promontory resembling an island when viewed from 
the sea. r 
These people, dreading lest they might be considered as hav- 
ing been participators in the late offence of their neighbours, 
would probably have fled to their forts and "their jungles, had 
not Po Adam assured them that his prediction, the fulfilment of 
which they had so long doubted, was now in truth coming to pass ; 
that the great rajah of America had now sent a big ship to punish 
those who had robbed and murdered his people. 
So much influence over their minds and feelings did he exer- 
cise, that they witnessed the cannonade without the slightest ap- 
prehension of the guns being turned in their direction ; indeed, 
many of ' them came out some distance in their proas around a 
point, in order to have a better vi^w of the bombardment of De 
Lama's fort. 
In the course of the afternoon, a boat came off from the shore 
bearing a flag of truce to the commodore, beseeching him, in all 
the practised forms of submission common to the east, that he 
would grant them peace, and cease to fire his big guns. He 
seemed to be fully aware, of the object of his visit, and of the 
enormity of their offence, as they not only asked to be forgiven 
for past errors and offences, but most solemnly promised, in the 
name of the people who had sent them, that no further outrages 
should ever -be committed by them on our commerce. 
In bidding them be more at their ease, and giving them assu- 
rance that hostilities had now ceased, the commodore directed them 
to say to the remaining rajahs and people of Quallah-Battoo, and 
all others with whom they had any intercourse on the whole coast, 
that the object of his government in sending him to their shores 
