And All
The "Waidonos" Had Of Course To Take Care Of Themselves, For They
Were All In Debt And It
Was so easy to take a little of the
Government rice, and there would still be plenty for the Rajah.
And the "Gustis" or princes who received the rice from the
Waidonos helped themselves likewise, and so when the harvest was
all over and the rice tribute was all brought in, the quantity
was found to be less each year than the one before. Sickness in
one district, and fevers in another, and failure of the crops in
a third, were of course alleged as the cause of this falling
off; but when the Rajah went to hunt at the foot of the great
mountain, or went to visit a "Gusti" on the other side of the
island, he always saw the villages full of people, all looking
well-fed and happy. And he noticed that the krisses of his chiefs
and officers were getting handsomer and handsomer; and the
handles that were of yellow wood were changed for ivory, and
those of ivory were changed for gold, and diamonds and emeralds
sparkled on many of them; and he knew very well which way the
tribute-rice went. But as he could not prove it he kept silence,
and resolved in his own heart someday to have a census taken, so
that he might know the number of his people, and not be cheated
out of more rice than was just and reasonable.
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