The Rajah of Lombock was a very wise man and he showed his wisdom
greatly in the way he took the census. For my readers must know
that the chief revenues of the Rajah were derived from a head-tax
of rice, a small measure being paid annually by every man, woman,
and child in the island, There was no doubt that every one paid
this tax, for it was a very light one, and the land was fertile
and the people well off; but it had to pass through many hands
before it reached the Government storehouses. When the harvest
was over the villagers brought their rice to the Kapala kampong,
or head of the village; and no doubt he sometimes had compassion
for the poor or sick and passed over their short measure, and
sometimes was obliged to grant a favour to those who had
complaints against him; and then he must keep up his own dignity
by having his granaries better filled than his neighbours, and so
the rice that he took to the "Waidono" that was over his district
was generally good deal less than it should have been. 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.
But the difficulty was how to get this census. He could not go
himself into every village and every house, and count all the
people; and if he ordered it to be done by the regular officers
they would quickly understand what it was for, and the census
would be sure to agree exactly with the quantity of rice he got
last year. It was evident therefore that to answer his purpose no
one must suspect why the census was taken; and to make sure of
this, no one must know that there was any census taken at all.
This was a very hard problem; and the Rajah thought and thought,
as hard as a Malay Rajah can be expected to think, but could not
solve it; and so he was very unhappy, and did nothing but smoke
and chew betel with his favourite wife, and eat scarcely
anything; and even when he went to the cock-fight did not seem to
care whether his best birds won or lost. For several days he
remained in this sad state, and all the court were afraid some
evil eye had bewitched the Rajah; and an unfortunate Irish
captain who had come in for a cargo of rice and who squinted
dreadfully, was very nearly being krissed, but being first
brought to the royal presence was graciously ordered to go on
board and remain there while his ship stayed in the port.
One morning however, after about a week's continuance of this
unaccountable melancholy, a welcome change tool place, for the
Rajah sent to call together all the chiefs, priests, and
princes who were then in Mataram, his capital city; and when they
were all assembled in anxious expectation, he thus addressed
them:
"For many days my heart has been very sick and I knew not why,
but now the trouble is cleared away, for I have had a dream. Last
night the spirit of the 'Gunong Agong' - the great fire mountain -
appeared to me, and told me that I must go up to the top of the
mountain. All of you may come with me to near the top, but then I
must go up alone, and the great spirit will again appear to me
and will tell me what is of great importance to me and to you and
to all the people of the island. Now go all of you and make this
known through the island, and let every village furnish men to
make clear a road for us to go through the forest and up the
great mountain."
So the news was spread over the whole island that the Rajah must
go to meet the great spirit on the top of the mountain; and
every village sent forth its men, and they cleared away the
jungle and made bridges over the mountain streams and smoothed
the rough places for the Rajah's passage. And when they came to
the steep and craggy rocks of the mountain, they sought out the
best paths, sometimes along the bed of a torrent, sometimes along
narrow ledges of the black rocks; in one place cutting down a
tall tree so as to bridge across a chasm, in another constructing
ladders to mount the smooth face of a precipice.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 66 of 112
Words from 66349 to 67349
of 114260
