352 
COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 
medans, though very lax in the practice of their tenets, 
and about a century ago were conquered by a prince of 
Karang-Asam in Bali, whose descendants now rule over 
the whole island—a solitary example of Hindus having 
conquered and still keeping rule over Mohammedans. 
The Dutch have no civil representatives on the island, 
but there are a few Europeans resident at the towns of 
Ampanam and Labuan Tring. A number of Balinese are 
settled in the capital city of Mataram, and 1 these are 
all of the Hindu religion. Mataram is only three miles 
inland from Ampanam, the chief port of Lombok, which 
consists of four kampongs or villages, inhabited respect¬ 
ively by Sasaks, Balinese, Bugis, and Malays. Many 
whalers come here to obtain rice and provisions. The 
lading of ships is, however, very dangerous, owing to the 
heavy swell that breaks upon the steep beach, even in 
the calmest weather. Boats are continually upset and 
lives lost here, and the inhabitants often speak of the sea 
as a hungry monster, ever trying to devour them. When 
there is a little wind from the south or south-west, 
bringing in a swell from the Pacific, the rollers rise to an 
enormous height, breaking close to the beach, on which 
they fall with the noise of thunder, and occasionally rush 
up with such fury as to render it very dangerous to walk 
near the high-water mark. 
The Balinese appear to govern in Lombok with some 
skill and moderation, but the laws are very severe, theft 
being punished with death, while any one found in 
another’s yard or house at night is lawfully stabbed and 
his body thrown into the street, when no inquiry takes 
place. The Baja has a well-armed and drilled force of 
some thousand men. In the city of Mataram none but 
the ruling classes may ride on horseback, and every 
native on meeting a chief gets off his horse and sits on 
