The placing the stone in
the pathway was traced to the woman, who was arrested and sentenced to
pay a fine of $25, and being unable to pay it she and her children
became slave-debtors to the father of the child which had been hurt. In
this case, though Captain Speedy lent the policeman money wherewith to
pay his aunt's fine, the creditor repeatedly refused to receive it,
preferring to exercise his prerogative of holding the family as his
rightful slaves.
[*Such a scheme is now under consideration. See Appendix C.]
Slavery and polygamy, the usual accompaniments of Islamism, go far to
account for the decay of these States.
I wish it were possible to know to what extent the Malays are a
"religious" people as Moslems. That they are bigots and have
successfully resisted all attempts to convert them to Christianity
there is no doubt, as well as that they are ignorant and grossly
superstitious. Their prayers, so far as I can hear anything about them,
consist mainly of reiterated confessions of belief in the Divine unity,
and of simple appeals for mercy now and at the last day.
The pilgrimage to Mecca is made not only once, but twice and thrice by
those who can afford it, and at much cost earthen jars containing water
from the holy well of Zem-zem, the well said to have been shown to
Hagar in the wilderness, are brought home by the pilgrims for
themselves and their friends for use in the hour of death, when Eblis,
the devil, is supposed to stand by offering a bowl of the purest water
with which to tempt the soul to abjure its faith in the unity of God.
One of the declarations most commonly used is, "There is no God but God
alone, whose covenant is truth and whose servant is victorious.
