360 CHE soliman’s nauratiox. 
time, but next year allowed me to go away in a Chinese ehimpahm* 
1 found my sister was living with Juragan Che Musa commander of 
a kruis (gun-boat). She related to me that by the rain of ashes the 
rice and ail other crops were destroyed in Sambawa, and thousands 
died of famine. At this time many of the chiefs seized persons and 
bartered them to the Nakhodas of trading prahus for a little rice. 
Ddd Sangi took my sisters Marram and Masfa and my cousin Tipa, 
• 
and gave them to a Bugis Nakhoda in exchange for a picul of rice. 
The Bugis brought them to Rhio where he sold Mariam and Tipi 
for twenty five dollars each to the To Bander and carried Masid to 
Kota Ringin. The Bander made over Tipa to his younger brother 
and kept my sister in his house. After living some years with him 
he sold her to Che Kdssim one of his Mata-m&fcas. Several years af¬ 
terwards he left the To Bander’s employment and went on a trading 
voyage to Java, and did not return. After he had continued absent for 
three years without making any provision for Mdriam, Che Musa, the 
Juragan of one of the kruis (gun-boats), asked her from the To Ban¬ 
der, who said lie might take her, but the Mdta-mata not having paid 
her price, 25 dollars, hut made it a debt, the Juragan would have to 
discharge it. This he did, and Mariam became his wife. When I 
arrived at Rhio they had six children I had promised to return to 
Sdmpet, but my sister persuaded me to remain at Rhio where she 
found a wife for me. I remained at Rhio for three years, engaging in 
trade, and, latterly collecting gittd taban at Tonkal, Indragiri and other 
places along the neighbouring coast of Sumatra. Mr. K. and other 
merchants of Rhio who employed me allowed me eight dollars per pi¬ 
cul, and X purchased it at prices varying from five to seven dollars 
from the Orang Ldut , who are almost entirely occupied at present in 
collecting gitta. During my absence at Rochor a relative of the I dm 
Tuan Muda named Unku Ilaji wished to take my wife, her mother 
and sisters into his house, on the plea that a debt of her mother to his 
sister Unku Putri, lately deceased, had not been paid. My mother 
in law represented that Unku Putri had long ago freed her from this 
debt, but the Unku Haji ordered them to remove without delay to his 
house. Seeing that he was determined to resort to force, they got 
