under the Rajah’s eye, and in the sight of all men who
chose to see it. And when they were finished, they were
wrapped up in new silk and put away carefully until
- they might he wanted.
Now the journey to the mountain was in the time of
the east wind when no rain falls in Lombock. And soon
after the krisses were made it was the time of the rice
harvest, and the chiefs of districts and of villages brought
in their tax to the Rajah according to the number of
heads in their villages. And to those that wanted but
little of the full amount, the Rajah said nothing; but
when those came who brought only half or a fourth part
of what was strictly due, he said to them mildly, “The
needles which you sent from your village were many more
than came from such-a-one’s village, yet your tribute is
less than h is ; go back and see who it is that has not
paid the tax.” And the next year the produce of the tax
increased greatly, for they feared that the Rajah might
justly kill those who a second time kept back the right
tribute. And so the Rajah became very rich, and increased
the number of his soldiers, and gave golden jewels to his
wives, and bought fine black horses from the whiteskinned
Hollanders, and made great feasts when his
children were born or were married.; and none of the
Rajahs or Sultans among the Malays were so great or so
powerful as the Rajah of Lombock.
And the twelve sacred krisses had great virtue. And
when any sickness appeared in a village one of them was
sent for; and sometimes the sickness went away, and then
the sacred kris was taken back again with great honour,
and the head men of the village came to tell the Rajah
of its miraculous power, and to thank him. And sometimes
the sickness would not go away; and then everybody
was convinced that there had been a mistake in the
number of needles sent from that village, and therefore
the sacred kris had no effect, and had to be .taken back
again by the head men with heavy hearts, but still with
all honour,—for was not the fault their own ?