At length, about four o’clock, the Pumbuckle made his
appearance, and we informed him of our desire to stay
with him a few days, to shoot birds and see the country.
At this he seemed somewhat disturbed, and asked if we
had brought a letter from the Anak Agong (Son of Heaven)»
which is the title of the Rajah of Lombock. This we had
not done, thinking it quite unnecessary; and he then
abruptly told us that he must go and speak to his Rajah,
to see if we could stay. Hours passed away, night came,
and he did not return. I began to think we were suspected
of some evil designs, for the Pumbuckle was evidently
afraid of getting himself into trouble. He is a Sassak
prince, and, though a supporter of the present Rajah, is
related to some of the heads of a conspiracy which was
quelled a few years since.
About five o’clock a pack-horse bearing my guns and
clothes arrived, with my men Ali and Manuel, who had
come on foot. The sun set, and it soon became dark, and
we got rather hungry as we sat wearily under the shed
and no one came. Still hour after hour we waited, till
about nine o’clock, the Pumbuckle, the Rajah, some priests,
and a number of their followers arrived and took their
seats around us. We shook hands, and for some minutes
there was a dead silence. Then the Rajah asked what we
wanted; to which Mr. Ross replied by endeavouring to
make them understand who we were, and why we had
come, and that we had no sinister intentions whatever;
and that we had not brought a letter from the “Anak
Agong,” merely because we had thought it quite unnecessary.
A long conversation in the Bali language then
took place, and questions were asked about my guns, and
what powder I had, and whether I used shot or bullets;
also what the birds were for, and how I preserved them,
and what was done with them in England. Each of my
answers and explanations was followed by a low and serious
conversation which we could not understand, but the purport
of which we could guess. They were evidently quite
puzzled, and did not believe a word we had told them.
They then inquired if we were really English, and not
Dutch ; and although we strongly asserted our nationality,
they did not seem to believe us.
-After about an hour, however, they brought us some
supper (which was the same as the breakfast, but without —
the fish), and after it some very weak coffee and pumpkins
boiled with sugar. Having discussed this, a second conference
took place; questions were again asked, and the
answers again commented on. Between whiles lighter
topics were discussed. My spectacles (concave glasses)
were tried in succession by three or four old men, who
could not make out why . they could not see through them,
and the fact no doubt was another item of suspicion
against me. My beard, too, was the subject of some