There is one other phase of debtor-bondage, and that a common one,
where the father or mother places one or more of their own children as
security with the creditor for a debt; thus in reality selling their
own flesh and blood into often a life-long bondage. If these children
die on the creditor's hands, the parents supply their places by others,
or the Rajah, should he wish it, can at any time after the debt is due,
take the whole family into his house.
Only the other day a man here, for a debt of $40, placed his daughter
in a Rajah's hands and ran away. Probably he will never return;
meanwhile the girl must obey her master in all things like the veriest
slave. Such a state of things as this is only brought about by the
custom which allows it.
Another common practice in the States, more especially in Perak, is to
capture, as you might wild beasts, the unoffending Jakun women, and
make them and their children slaves through generations.
In April I was in Ulu Selangor, and the headmen there complained that a
chief from Slim had a fortnight before caught 14 Jakuns and one Malay
in Ulu Selangor, had chained them and driven off to Slim. Arrived
there, the Malay was liberated and he returned.
Letters were written to Slim and Perak, but though we ascertained the
party had reached Slim, they did not remain there, and they have not
yet been discovered.
I have already stated that the Rajah looks to the number of his
following as the gauge of his power, and other Rajahs will respect and
fear him accordingly. Thus he tries to get men into his service in this
way, and is rather inclined to refuse payment should the debtor be so
fortunate as to raise the requisite amount of his debt.
Almost the only chance the debtor has of raising this amount is by
successful gambling. Of course it hardly ever happens that he is
successful; but, like all gamblers, he always thinks he will be, and
thus gambling becomes a mania with him, which he will gratify at all
costs, caring little by what means he gets money for play so long as he
does obtain it.
These are the general facts relating to the position of the
slave-debtor, and these things which I have described, seemingly so
difficult of belief, are done almost daily; looked upon by those who do
them as a right divine; by the victims as a fate from which there is no
reprieve.
To compel his followers to obey him implicitly, the Rajah treats them
with a severity which sometimes makes death the punishment of the
slightest offence to him.
