60 
A JOURNEY IN JOHORE. 
The Panghulu was not at home when I arrived ; several 
persons of his family told me that he had gone to catch fish 
and was expected back in a few hours. 1 hey assured me 
that there would be no difficulty in finding a boat and men 
to take me wherever I intended to go. After such an assur¬ 
ance I paid the Jakuns for their trouble and sent them back to 
their habitation; but scarcely were they departed when the 
conduct of the Malays changed. There were no longer 
means to find either boat or men ; and on the arrival of the 
Panghulu the difficulty increased. My Portuguese boy, hav¬ 
ing observed the behaviour of the Malays, said to me, “ Sir 
you are in the hands of bad people;’’ Ere long the event 
proved the correctness of his opinion. The Panghulu, on seve¬ 
ral pretexts, refused either boat or men; and finally told me 
plainly, that, as he had not invited me to come into the place, 
it was not his business to take me away. I shewed the Sul¬ 
tan’s letter. He considered that, being under the Tumungong 
only, he was by no means bound to obey the Sultan’s order. 
I tried to make an agreement with some other Malays; 
but as they knew the intention of the Chief, they refused to 
take me away on any terms. I asked likewise for a man to 
take a letter to Singapore. This I was also refused though 
1 offered a good reward. 
The Panghulu kept me one week in a small house in the 
middle of a paddy field remote from any habitation ; hoping 
that I would be soon tired of such an uncomfortable gaol, and 
offer a considerable ransom. As my provisions were ex¬ 
pended, I asked to buy a fresh supply ; I was furnished with 
rice and sugarcane; but fowl and fish were absolutely re¬ 
fused. On the fifth day of this petty captivity, a man was 
sent to me by the Panghulu, who assured me that I was free 
to go away, provided I previously paid a certain sum of 
money : I answered him, “ Go tell the Panghulu that he 
shall never congratulate himself with having stolen any mo¬ 
ney from me,” upon which he remarked that I would pos¬ 
sibly be obliged to remain there a long time, but I told him, 
“1 see no great inconvenience in that, since I am a single man, 
having no family.” He repeatedly asked me “whether I 
was afraid of robbers ?” “ Why,” was my reply, “ should I 
fear robbers, since I have nothing precious for them to rob ?” 
But said he “They could kill you;” and I told him, “ Did 
I fear to die I would not have come here; but if I were at¬ 
tacked, possibly two of my enemies would die before me, 
look at this,” showing him a double barrel gun which I 
had to protect me against the wild beasts, “ it could be used 
