The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-04-29

The MALAY Princess and Alexander the Great-Birth
and Death in a Sumatran Forest.
Laksamana was II marvellous hero of Asia, and
Of the great Islands Of the Indian Ocean. de
was a chief Of wonderful achievements by land
and sea. and he became II god in mems minds.
The ancient people Of HIndustan celebrated him
as a demi-gUd in their great poems, but the Ma
Law peOple clam him as q hero Of their race, and
their stories. traditions and PdntUHs, or songs,
make frequent reference To him and TO his achIev-
ments. lie Is sad by them to have been a de-
scendant Of Alexander the Great. King OF Greece,
who conquered all Asia, and Oi Marasara, n PrIn-
cess Of Men tngkabau. the once celebrated Empire
of the Mllays. in the Island of Sumatra. This
Princess, who had expressed her desire to meet
the mighty monarch hero Of Asia, to Nearchus
and his Grecians. whose galleys had been
driven by stress Of weather 10 the Sumatran
coast. was taken on board by Nearehus
on his return To- the continent, was cared
for with all respect and conducted into the pres
enee Of Alexander the Great, who, IL is said
and sung by Malay chEonielers, loved very much
the Malay Princess and who sent her back to
her own island on board a great GrecIan galley
that carried many costly and wonderful presents
TO the Emperor Of Menangkabau, her father.
And i'm the royal palace Of the Forty Towers of
Menanyknbau the Princess gave bith to a boy, the
son of the Grecian Hero. At this day there
are meny traditions and monuments IN Sumatra
relating To the achievements OF the Macedonian
couauerUr, and to hs connection with the Illus
trIOuz ROYAL AlalnV line OF AlenanR knDdu- AZ ~
ancient city Of Palembang, in Sumatra, which
I. the chronicler OF this story visited IN 1852,
there are the ancient tOmbs Of the descendants OF
Alexander, and in other parts OF the island OF
Sumatrn, are inscriptions 10 celebrate the proves
of DOuI KdrHein, or the Two Horned Chlei,
an ancient name of Alexander in India and Malay
sra. One OF the elevations Of the island IS called
-. Bukit Islander or the Hill Of Alexander.
And a descendant. after many generations, oi
the Princess Marasara, named the Princes no
a - unlA fnwaZf
being driven from the Palace of the Forty Towers
by her royal father. This poor lady bad greatly
offended her Imperial sire. Sri Patti, the Emperor
OF Menangkabau. by loving n poor, though noble
Young chief Of Sumatra named Lakas- she had
formerly been married 10 a Prince Ut high degree
md bore n son to him named Sri Rama. and after
the birth Of the young Prince her husband had
been killed in battle. And when the angry SOV-
ereign discovered that in consequence OF a secret
marriage. the Princess kOmala was about TO give
birth 10 a child, he commanded that she should
be conveyed into the midst Of the great Ut'n, or
forest Of Snmatra, a long journey from her nome
and there should be abandoned, and left alone to
perish.
What an agony for this unhappy and tenderly
reared Princess, 10 be left without shelter and
without any comforts, in a dreadful dark forest,
70 listen To the squall and roar oil the terrible
ti9er. and the shrek OF victims that became the
prev Of the mighty cat of the Malay wilderness.
But the Princess was not altogether alone a.
the cruel and yindictiSe King had permitted her
20 have the company of a female slave named
Peng. She was faithful and devoted to her poor
mistress. but what could she do with her weak.
womanIy hands. 20 withstand the assault OF the
ravenOus tiger should he discover their retreat.
She strUye to encourage and console the Princess
with the hope that they might yet get out oil the
forest alive and be Hospitality received by some
strange people
Alas the weeping lady had no hope She
Eelt Mains and thrOes that would not allow her TO
travel any further, and she only prayed for death.
Now the faithful Peng prepared a couch OF the
dry alang grass within a small cave and assisted
the suffering lady, and by-and-by a beautiful boy
baby was born. The compassionate slave wePt
over the little Prince exposed nsked to the IN
~clemencies and terrors of the inhOspitable forest,
and then she wrapped him in one OF her garments
and laid him down while she devoted her atten-
ton to her suffering mistress.