The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-08-12

~ ~ = III az 1IiDcttc Oh Ma. UNn Tor mW
striped with threads Of gold. The dwarfs handed
to the Princess strings OF perfect pearls for the
ad0rnment OF her hair. They gave to her brace
lets OF golden serpents with diamond eyes for her
arms IA collar OF lustrous. dazzling diamonds OF
large size for her neck and two large diamonds
each the size OF a large bean for the lobe OF each
ear They placed on her head q turban, made OF
silken cords, golden hlagreo work, and bird Of
paradise feathers, and her feet we're shod with
slippers of white satin and gold. Around her
waist was entwined a girdle Of golden clasps.
studded with diamonds. Aud when she was ar
rayed, the smallest Of the dwarfs opened q box Of
white alabaster, from whence issued a ~penetrat-
ing fragrance, that possessed oil the senses With
delight, and the Princess Umba recognized that
this was the rare golden cosmetic, prepared by
the ~widadiri, and which no one dare use, except
those of the blood of Alexander and Of Menang-
kabau, under pain Of death. The dwarfs held
the box OF alabaster opened before the Princess.
She touched the marvellous elixir with the tips OF
her fingers; and then gently rubbed her eye
brows, her cheeks and her throat. And then the
face of Umba seemed lit up with an exquisite
light and glory n sweet dewiness sufiused her
eyes her cheeks glOwed with a thrilling bright
ness and ~softness and love shone in every trait
OF her now beautihed person. Laksamana gazed
upon his wife with new feelings OF delight, and
approaching her, be stopped down. and kissed
r0verently the hand OF the lovely Princess.
Meanwhile the men Oi L~nksamana had entered
the armor chamber, and as directed, had possessed
themselves of costly drks with hats inlaid with
diamonds, and OF mandows or steel swords or
Borneo with ivory and gold hits. They also
took each one a spear of fine lance wood and
round shields OF bronze. Afterwards they dressed
themselves in the costly siIken coats and trous-
sers, which the dwarls presented TO them.
All this time the great Chief Laksamana bad
been looking on quietly, without touching any OF
the rich garments or costly weapons. Then the
Rakshasha addressed him o, Chief, thy men
are choosing all the fine dresses fitted for Chiefs,
and thou takest nothing. Shall thy ~scrvitors
appear as Princes at the Court of Menangkaban,
and thou an their poor follower Laksamana
smiling.-thIs spoke 10 the Giantess. :" Mother,
fear not, that shall be overlooked as chief.
My authority must be seen in my eye, or felt in
my arm or | am not q chief. But | will take a
gift from thee" And the hero took hold Of q
large tigers skin, that had a golden clasp for the
throat and he threw the skin over his shoulders,
and could not be induced to take anything more.
Then spoke the Giantess -" Thou art a chief
The great chief Of the Malays! No one but a
great chief would have fought me, as thou hast
done. Thou must be the great chief Of the blood
of Alexander that has been ~foretold, who IL to be
King of all the seas and all the isles as spoken
OF in the song
Who is the Prince with the hairy back2
Whose flank waves with silken hair.
Whose face burns like the sun
Whose arm is a thunderbolt
Whose voice shakes the hills,
And yet soothes the little heart.
Who is terrible in war,
And who is tender in love.
Who is bold to fight men,
And ready to serve women.
Who can drink blood like a tiger
And who nurses his mate like a dove.
This is the Child Of the Forest
The favored of the Widadiri
OF the blood of Alexander, the two-horned.
Who shall rule Malaga,
And all the isles of the sea.
- Behold, O chief = continued the Giantess.
IS Take this buffalo horn, which only a chief like
thee can blow to be heard afar in the forest.
And when thou shalt sound it any Of my sisters
- 49, - n - -
OF Sumatra, will come to thy call to aid thee"
Here let us pause awhile in our story to give
some particulars about these wild women Of Su-
matra. The name OF Rakshasha originated in
the stories and poetry Of Hindustan. In a cele-
brated Indian poem called M2-aabaraba, remark
able stories are told about the Rakshasims. It IL
said OF them that they killed all their male chill
dren, and used men Tor the sake Of offspring and
slew them afterwards. A similar story is told in
the history Of the ancint Greeks, which speaks OF
n wonderful race OF womencalled Amazons. They
were very terrible IN war and often destroyed
armies of men. 1t is said that they cut off one of
their breasts-the right onc-so that, as they
supposed, they might acquire greater strength OF
the right arm, and be enabled to draw up better
and closer the string of The bow when they
fought. A nation called Scythig greatly exalted
women and considered that the females were bet
ter fitted to govern tho country than the men.
They always. had Queens TO govern, and vet they
were a very brave and successful people. One Of
their queens called Tomiris conquered the cele-
brated Cyrus King Of Persia and Babylon, the
same who restored Serusalem, and as he was a
great fighter, and had invaded Scythia without
cause, Queen Tomiris, when she had taken him
ordered him to be brought before her,
and causing a large bowl to be filed with blood,
SAID to Cyrus, "since thou has thirsted 80
much for human blood, thou shalt have thy fll."
And she ordered his head 20 be cut of, and
plunged it into the great bowl of blood. The
most OF the rulers in Achin, Sumatra have been
Only a woman is called TO the throne ia
Bugi, a nation Of Cclebcs. And we hear that in
Africa, at this day, the King Of Dahomey has for
body guard, and chief army, several regiments OF
soldiers, who fight very fercely, and are
more faithful than men. All these stories, and
10 history, 90 to prove, that women are
to the saine equality OF position ae men
and as they are less likely to be carried away by
their appetites than men, they have been esteemed
fitted Tor the work Of Government. Men no
doubt will always be better fitted for the several
duties Of business and Of warfare.
The Rakshasias no longer cxiet in Sumatra;
but 1t must be raid. that the women Of the great
island are remarkable for their courage, their in
and their fidelity. A certain officer Of
the Dutch army in Malaysia, had with him a
girl as a concubine named Sareena.
followed him on his campaigns. In n skirm-
he was snOt, and fell. Sareena, who loved
the officer, rushed into the thick Of the battle TO
the body Of the man she loved. She drag
ged 1T away into a shady place under a tree. BY
and by, the soldiers had all gone away, and she
was left alone with the body in a desert place.
Alter a while, her lover breathed. She got water,
revived him; she dressed his wounds; she
nursed him; she searched for roots and fruits.
kept him alive. Aud after a while, they got
to the sea shore and joined their friends. This
officer who was Il nObleman Of Holland, took this
Malay girl to Europe. and married her there; and
afterwards, she acquitted herself as a lady, and
was greatly h0nored in many Of the great Courts
Of Europe. A multitude Of other stories could be
to illustrate the remarkable and noble char
OF the women Of Malaysia. In olden pagan
times,-all the dcitfes were females: the good
ones were called jiwas, and wldadiri; and the bad
were called rakshashas.
And the Hawaiian race, who are clearly kind
red to the ancient races Of Malaysia, offer 10 their
women the anne marked force of character. To
women in Hawaii has been conceded a governing
authority in nuhlic afrlira n n mann nccnainna L.