New-York tribune., 1898-10-23
THE DEATH-MARCH OF KULOP
BY Hugh Clifford.

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II py hare lip. which left his gums exposed.
IL was TO TINS latter establishment that ne owed
AZ once MS VICIOUS temper and the name by
, wnlcn ne vas known 1t is not difficult to un
oeFStah0 why: for women did love to look
upon Tie cash In his lip and his nickname of
SumDing-which means The Clipped One"-re-
minoeo MIN OF his calamity whenever he heard
He was native of Ptrak and he made his
way into Pahang through the untrodden Sakai
country Ihat Is practically all that is known
concerning his origin
Kuiop Stumbling probably held a sufficiently
cynical opinion as TO the nature OF his country
women. who are among the most venal Of their
sex lie knew that no girl could love him for
the sake of his marred unsghuy face. but that
many would bestow their iavors upon him If
his money bags were we'll lined Therefore he
determined to grow rich with as little delay
possible. and to this end he looked about for
some one whom he might plunder. For this
purpose Perak was played out, The law Of the
white men could not be bribed by a successful
robeer, so he turned his eyes across the border
to Pahang. which bore evil reputation, a
land in which i'll things done with i'm
punty. while the doer throve exceedingly
So KuiOp kicked the dust of law restrained
Perak from his bare brown soles. and set. out
for the Sakai country and the remote interior
Of Pahang. where the law of God was not and
no law OF man held true.
He carried with him all the rice that he could
bear upon his shoulders. two dollars in silver a
little tobacco. handsome kris and long spear
with a broad and shining blade. His supplies
were to last him till the first S3kai camps were
reached. and after that his food. he told him
self. would rest at the tip of lis dagger" He
did not propose to really begin his operations
until the mountains. which fence lhe Perak
boundary had been crossed. so was content 70
allow the first Sakat villages to pass uppillaged.
He impressed some of the naked. frightened
aborigines as bearers. he levied such supplies Of
food as he needed. and the Sakai. who were glad
to be rid of him so cheaply. handed him on from
village to village with the greatest alacrity The
base Of the jungle covered mountains Of the in
terror was reached at the end Of a fortnight
AND and hlS 1fsal hnJ tn 6roU HON
selves up the steep ascent by means OF roots
trailing creepers and slender saplings
Upon certain day they reached the summit
OF nameless mountain and threw themselves
down painting for breath upon the round bare
drumming ground OF an argus pheasant. Where
K1lop and his Sakai lay the trees were thinned
out. The last two hundred feet of the ascent
had been severe climb. and the ridge, which
formed the summit. stood clear Of the tree
tops which grew halfway up the slope. AS he
lay painting. KG!op Stumbling gazed down for the
first time upon the eastern slope of the PENN
sula- the theatre in which ere long he proposed
to play very daring part.
During the next day or two Knop S0mbns
and his Perak Saka made their way down the
eastern slope Of the mountains and through
the silent forests. which are given over to game.
and to the equally wild jungle-foik, who fly at
the approach OF any human beings. precisely as
do the beasts which share with them their home.
Kuop and his people passed several deserted
camps belonging to these wildASakai. but the in
stinct of the Savages tells them unerringly that
strangers are at hand. and never once were any
Of these folk caught sight Of by the travellers.
K1lOp Stumbling. OF course. took very little IN
terest In them for they possess no property
and nothing was therefore to be gained by har
rying them. SO he pushed on through the Wild
Sakai country until the upper waters OF the Be
tok. the principal tributary Of the Jelai. were
reached.
Bamboos feed. a raft was constructed
and then Kllop Stumbling dismissed his Sakai
and began his descent Of the unknown river
which led he knew not where. alone save for
his weapons. but full Of confidence in his ability
10 pillage this undiscovered country single
handed
1t was at upon the second day that
K0lop sighted a large camp Of the tanner Sakai
In a clearing on the right bank Of the Betok
The sight Of Malay coming from such an un-
usual quarter filled the jungle people with su-
perstitous dread. and in a few minutes every
man, woman and child had fled screaming to the
forest.
K0lop went through the ten fifteen squalid
huts which stood In the clearing. and an occa
sional grunt attested that he was well satisfied
with the stores Of valuable getah lying slowed
away In the sheds. He calculated that there
could not be less than seven pikul and that
would mean 5000 in cash-a small fortune for
any Malay But then a difficulty presented it.
self How was this precious sum to be carried
downstream into Pahangf His raft would hold
about one pikul-he knew that the Sakai would
not interfere with him If he chose to
that amount and to leave the rest But the
sight of the remaining six pikul was too much
for him He could not find 1t in his heart to
abandon IT, and he began to feel angry with the
Sakai who. he almost persuaded himself, were
defrauding him Of his just rights.
He rolled his quid Of betel-nut and sat down
20 await the return Of the Sakai, and he
thought of the injury they were likely to do to
him If they refused to aid in the removal OF the
rest of the getah his heart waxed very hot
within him.