The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-02-17

MaidyS LldL the white man Dc
corded them an honor when he did
this, but / do not know what Lun-
dok thought.
Come out of gun range, Tuan,"
Lundok said. The rajah viii talk
to you very soon."
He led us to one of the places
where the Malays were grouped,
evidently sheltered from the
rihery. Here he left Us. James
Clyde produced cigar, and began
10 smoke. l noticed how he stood
a little out from the protected area,
SO that the Malays watched him
narrowly. Il was one OF those
staggering things we do to make
natives think we have no fear,
however frightened we may be.
Somehow, ! was not sure this
method was working for us just
then.
After long time, while the
tropic twilight quickly darkened,
Lundok came back and told US,
with a restraint / did not like. that
the Rajah MantuSen would see us
now.
Then he said, Il must ask for
your weapons. The rajah viii talk
to you unarmed."
Il am not accustomed to this"
Clyde said coolly.
4 am sorry, Tuan." Lundok was
grave. I'VE are in deep trouble
here. The rajah has made a law"
After brief consideration, Clyde
conceded. Already we were in too
deep to stand hard on any point.
Clyde and / were the only ones
who wore pistol belts, and these we
gave to Lundok, after Clyde had
first told him that he was TO be
personally responsible for their
return. We did not look back-at
least Clyde and / did not; but we
knew that behind us quick figures
ran, silently, 20 gather the arms
we had left in the boat
The house in which Mantusen
received US was set 100 yards back
from the river upon a rise Of
ground, and il was easy 10 see at
a glance that this house had never
been built by Malays. A Dyak
longhouSe was what il was, better
than 100 feet long, and set high
upon pilings of cocoanut trunk.
The Dyaks build these for a num-
Der Of families to live in together.
This was big one, but rough and
| jungly compared to what the "a
jah's palace had been. Evidently
il had been built by and for slaves
from the inland tribes, captured in
the Malays' perpetual ralding.
Rajah aIantusen
WHEN slaves had lived here the
W effect Of the whole thing must
have been crude and mean; but
since the Malays had moved in,
this was changed a good deal.
Darkness had now closed down
with tropic abruptness, but the
ruai was partly lighted by a num-
Der Of lacquered Chinese lamps,
each flame about as strong as a
candle; and by these small golden
lights il could be seen that the
house had been turned into house
of treasure.
Evidently the Malays. forced to
abandon the palace before the
Dyak onslaught, had been able to
bring here most of the things they
valued. The mats which thickly
covered the uneven split-bamboo
floor were OF soft, close weave,
suitable for use in a fine hat.
Stacked deep on top OF the mats
lay rugs which must have come
from Arabia: where the lamp
CLEAN struck them they gave of
the soft rich glow OF jewels. And
the wall behind the ruai was hung
with great array Of tina. embroi-
derry which seems 81 effefe in the
hands OF these men Of the kris, and
yet IS so characteristic It's patterns,
! heavy with gold and silver thread.
suggested that much of il had come
from looted Chinese iunks. and
some Of Il was set of with seed
pearls and little stones
But these things were only the
background for q great collection
Of the most beautiful weapons I
have ever seen. There is no finer
metal work in the world than the
MalayS can put into the wavy
blade Of q rajah kris, and into the
scabbards, hits. and trappings Of
those blades.
Mantusen sat midway OF the
ruai upon stack Of mats, with
about dozen OF his Malay leaders
arrayed along the wall on either
hand.
At first glance. to the eyes Of an
American seaman, he looked some
thing like . bouquet He wore long
loose trousers OF a featherweipht
lavender silk. bound al the waist
with a gold-threaded sash which
also strapped close his ornately
hiited kris. His short Malay jacket
was Of black satin. heavily erusted
with gold thread IL was not sup
posed 20 close in front. SO that il
exposed a chest entirely hairless,
but clearly roped with the wing
muscles Of the expert kriSman.
Then, as We walked forward. the
Raiah Mantusen stood up.
! can not describe the awful
feeling OF danger, Of entrapment,
that was conveyed TO me as Man
tlsen did this. For you must know
that for the rajah 20 stand as his
visitors approached was not an
honor. but q thing apart from Gus
tom. IL meant that the audience
was 70 be short; that we were not
expected 20 sit: that there was no
friendlineSs here, nor even the
form OF friendlineSs.
fcsfFssas. 1853. ia. LsKssI
WIN thex Iearn ,rhx sE..ta..n A.