THE BINUA OF JOHORE. 
273 
kayu fcutu cone, and prevents any of the air escaping between it and 
the sides. In shooting, the sumpitan is held firm by both hands 
being tightly clasped over its end, which is inserted into a handle. 
War is unknown to the Binu&; nor do the Bermun tribes, although 
really distinct nations having no political and very slight social con¬ 
nection, engage in hostilities with each other. The Malays of 
Menangkubau are rapidly increasing in the portion of the Peninsula 
occupied by them, and are even spreading over the western or more 
mountainous division of Pahang, and, from their Chinese like habit 
of mutual protection and combination, becoming formidable to the 
Pahang Malays. It would appear that they deal more harshly with 
the aborigines than the Malays of the Peninsula, for they recently 
attacked the Mintira and killed some of their Batins. This pro¬ 
ceeding has driven many Mintira families from their country, and 
small colonies have found their way to the British territory behind 
Malacca, and to other places. The Mintira say that they found re¬ 
sistance in vain because the Menangkabites were armed with mus¬ 
kets, and have learned the use of antidotes to the ipoh poison, so 
that the slender darts of the sumpitan inflict little injury upon them. 
Government. —The boundary between Pahang and Johore in¬ 
tersects the country of the Binua ; the whole of the Anak Indau, 
and the lower part of the Simrong being in Pahang, and all the other 
rivers, including the Made, on which they are found appertaining to * 
Johore. The authority of the Bindahara and the Tamungong is 
little more than nominal, the affairs of the Binua being entirely 
administered by their own chiefs, each of whom has a definite terri¬ 
torial jurisdiction. The highest in rank and in nominal authority is 
the Batin Onastia, the descendent of the ancient Raja Binua. On 
the Indau below the junction of the Simrong and Anak Indau resides 
the Batin Hamba Raja. The Linggo, a branch of the Indau, is 
under the Batin Stia Raja who is also the great executive officer; 
his relation to the Batin Onastia having some resemblance to that 
between the Malayan Tamungong and Sultan of Johore. The 
Sungi Siy is subject to the Batin Singa Dewa. The Simrong in the 
vicinity of Tanjong Bonko is under the Batin Stla Batl, higher up 
near Gagau to the Batin Jokra, and still nearer its source to Batin 
Ddwa Kosuna and the Batin Bantara. All these, except the two 
last, are within the Pahang boundary. The Malay local authority,— 
who, in matters of Government, has a nominal power, and whose re- 
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