"Very well," replied the King, "to-morrow, God willing, you shall go
and find the prophet Khidar and relate to him the whole matter."
Next day accordingly the minister set out to find the prophet Khidar.
After his departure King Kida Hindi commanded that the name of King
Iskender should be inscribed on the coins and standards of his realm.
When the minister approached the prophet Khidar he made a salaam to
him, which the prophet returned and asked him to be seated. Then the
minister spoke as follows:
"You must know, O prophet of God, that my King entertains for King
Iskender an affection so fervent that I cannot describe it. He is the
father of a girl who has no equal among the children of this world's
monarchs from the rising to the setting sun. She is without a rival in
face, wit, and goodness of disposition. Now the desire of the King is
to present the princess before King Iskender, with the view of
ultimately giving her to him for his wife."
Now the soldiers of King Souran laid siege against the walled town of
Gangga-Chah Djouhan; but those on guard repulsed them, so that they
could not get near. Seeing this, King Souran advanced, mounted on an
untamed elephant. Taking no heed to the arrows that were launched
against him by the defenders of the wall, he reached the gate and
struck it with his mace. The gate gave way and King Souran entered,
followed by his warriors.
When King Gangga-Chah Djouhan saw King Souran approaching, he seized
his bow and shot an arrow with haste. The arrow struck the forehead of
King Souran's elephant. The elephant fell on his knees. King Souran
quickly leaped to the ground, drawing his sword as he did so; at a
single stroke he struck through the neck of King Gangga-Chah, and the
severed head rolled to the ground. The forces of Gangga-Nagara, as soon
as they saw their prince fall, demanded the _aman_ (i.e., truce).
King Gangga-Chah Djouhan had a sister, named Princess Zaras Gangga. She
was exceedingly beautiful. The victorious prince took her for his wife.
Then he resumed his march.
Some time afterward he reached the city of Ganggayon. It was formerly a
great city, the black stones of whose fortress survive even to this
day. This fortress is at the extremity of the river Djoher. The name
Ganggayon in the Siamese tongue means "treasury of emeralds." The King
of the city was Rajah Tchoulin; he was a powerful prince, to whom all
the kings of the land did obeisance.
On the news of King Souran's approach, King Tchoulin called together
all his troops and sent word to the kings who were his tributaries.
When all were assembled he set out to repel the invaders. The multitude
of his soldiers was like the waves of the sea; his elephants and
horses stood up among them like islands; his flags and standards
presented the appearance of a forest, and the cows' tails fluttering at
the pike-heads presented the appearance of _lalang_ ploughers.
The army came in four bodies and reached the banks of a river. There
they saw the soldiers of King Souran, ranged like forest-trees. The
Siamese exclaimed, "Pangkal," a word which means "river," and hence
that river became known as the river Pangkal.
The soldiers of Siam at once joined battle with the soldiers of Kling,
who were Hindoos; and the battle raged with indescribable confusion.
The soldiers mounted on elephants pressed forward these great beasts;
the men on horseback made their horses champ with fury; the lancers
pressed home their lances; those who carried pikes plied them
furiously; and those who bore sabres dealt many a doughty stroke. Blood
flowed like rain. The crash of thunder would have been drowned by the
shouts of the warriors and the clash of arms. The dust that rose from
the plain obscured the brightness of the day like an eclipse of the
sun. So complete was the confusion with which the contestants mingled
that it was not possible to distinguish the combatants of either side:
each assailant was at the same time the assailed, and he who struck
with his weapon himself at the same moment was stricken with a blow.
Sometimes the soldiers attacked a comrade by mistake. Every moment
crowds of people on either side were killed and wounded, many horses
and elephants had their throats cut, and the blood shed covered the
ground. The dust had disappeared; the combatants were seen struggling
in masses so compact that neither party was able to retire from the
battle.
King Tchoulin managed to force a way by means of the elephant he rode
through the innumerable horde of King Souran's soldiers; the corpses
were piled up beneath his feet. A crowd of Hindoo warriors lost their
lives. The rest of them began to give way. King Souran, on perceiving
this, dashed forward to meet King Tchoulin in single combat. He mounted
an untamed elephant eight cubits high that had no driver. But the
elephant of King Tchoulin was also very brave. The two animals met;
they attacked each other; the clash of their encounter was like the
thunder that rends the earth; their tusks clashing and intertwining
made a sound like that of a storm that never ceases. Neither could
triumph over the other.
Then King Tchoulin raised himself upon the beast he rode and brandished
a javelin. He hurled it against King Souran; the javelin struck the
elephant on his flank and pierced deep. At the same time King Souran
shot an arrow which smote King Tchoulin in the breast and came out at
his back. That prince fell to the earth and expired. The soldiers
seeing their king dead, broke ranks and took flight in utter disorder,
pursued by the Hindoos, who put to the sword all they overtook.
Penetrating the ramparts of Ganggayon the Hindoo soldiers pillaged the
town; the booty was immense.
King Tchoulin had a daughter, extremely beautiful. Her name was the
princess Ouangkion; she was presented to King Souran, who took her for
his wife.
The King then resumed his march and arrived at Temasik. The rumor of
his approach soon reached China. People said, "Lo! King Souran comes
with a countless army to conquer China. He has already reached
Temasik." This news was heard with dire alarm by the King of China. He
said to his ministers and to his officers:
"What must be done to repel this invading multitude? If the King of
Kling arrives here, he will doubtless ruin our country."
The prime minister said: "O King of the world; I have a device for
repelling him."
"Very good," said the King; "do not fail to try it."
The prime minister therefore caused a _pilo_, or ship, to be fitted out
with rusty needles. They took also two kinds of trees, kamses and
jujube trees, laden with fruit; these were placed on board ship with
the soil in which they grew. Old men who had lost their teeth were
chosen for passengers and crew. To these the minister gave his
instructions and they started for Temasik.
When they had reached this place King Souran was informed that a ship
had arrived from China. "Go and ask these strangers," he said to his
attendants, "at what distance does this country lie from us." The
attendant put this question to the crew of the _pilo_ and received the
following reply:
"When we left China we were all still young, being scarcely twelve
years old; and these trees were seeds which we had sown. But you see
how old we are now, and how our teeth are fallen out; the grains of
seed have become trees in fruit, and all this has happened during the
time it has taken us to reach here."
At the same time they took the needles of which they had a large
quantity and said as they showed them to the Hindoos:
"When we started from China, these were as thick as a man's arm, and
now see how they are worn out by the rust. This will give you an idea
of the length of the voyage: we could not keep count of the years and
the months."
On hearing this answer of the Chinese, the Hindoos ran to report it to
King Souran, to whom they repeated all they had heard.
"If the thing is as they say," replied the prince, "the land of China
is still a very long way off. When shall we arrive there? We had better
return home."
"His Majesty is undoubtedly right," said the officers.
King Souran meditated thus: "Behold, the contents of the land is known
to me, but how can I learn the contents of the sea? I must needs enter
the sea, in order to know it."
Then he summoned his engineers and skilful men, and ordered them to
fashion a box of glass with lock and fastenings within, in order that
he might shut himself in it. The engineers made the box of glass just
as the King desired it; they furnished it with a chain of the purest
gold; then they presented it to King Souran, who was exceedingly well
pleased with it, and rewarded them all with rich presents.
The prince entered into the box, disappeared from the eyes of all
present, and shut the door upon himself. They took the box to the sea,
and let it descend even to the bottom. What treasures, what wealth,
works of the Almighty, were seen by King Souran! The box fell until it
reached a land called Dika. There King Souran came out of the box, and
went forward, seeing most wonderful things. He arrived at a great and
strongly fortified town, which he entered and saw a vast population,
whose number God alone knows. This people, who call themselves the
Badsam people, were composed of believers and unbelievers.
The inhabitants of the town were astonished to see the face of King
Souran, and his garments they looked upon with astonishment. They
conducted him to the presence of their King, whom they call Agtab-al-
Ard (_i.e._, Bowels of the Earth). This prince asked, "What man is
this?"
"My lord," was the reply, "it is a stranger, who arrived a moment ago."
"Whence does he come?"
"We do not know."
Then the King addressed King Souran himself and said, "Who are you, and
whence do you come?"
King Souran replied: "I come from the world; I am the king of men; my
name is King Souran."
King Agtab-al-Ard was very much astonished on hearing these words.
"There is, then," he said, "another world beside ours?"
"The world," replied King Souran, "contains many races."
"Glory to God almighty," said the King, full of surprise. Then he made
King Souran ascend and sit with him on the royal throne.
Agtab-al-Ard had a daughter, of great beauty, named Princess Mah-tab-
al-Bahri ("Moon of the Sea"). He gave her in marriage to King Souran.
That prince dwelt three years with her and had three male children by
her. When he thought about these three children King Souran felt much
troubled. He said to himself: "What will become of them, here, under
the earth? Or how shall I withdraw them hence?"
He went to see Agtab-al-Ard, and said to him: "If my sons grow up, will
your Majesty allow me to see that they are brought into the upper
world, in order that the royal line of Sultan Iskender Dhoul-Quameen
may not be broken to the end of time?"