MAHOMET ACHMET
When Hartog was told of the treachery of Donna Isabel Barreto, in
stealing our portion of the gold obtained from the island of Armenio,
and leaving us, for all she knew or cared, without the means to repair
our vessel, he did not show so much anger as I expected. He seemed more
to regret the loss of Donna Isabel than the treasure with which she had
so heartlessly decamped.
"She was a clever woman, Peter," was all he said to me in reference to
the matter, "and I shall miss her." Then he clapped me on the shoulder,
and bade me not despond. "We still have the rubies," he reminded me,
"which, properly invested, will more than pay for all we need."
I had forgotten the rubies, but I stipulated that the disposal of them
should be left in my hands.
"Willingly, Peter," replied Hartog, "for, between ourselves, I doubt
not I am more at home on the sea than in making a bargain with
land-rogues ashore. Take you command of the ship until she is once
more taut and trim."
To this I agreed, although I had no intention of depriving Hartog of
his authority, and, after breakfast, I landed with a boat's crew, in
order to interview the islanders, and, if possible, to make
arrangements with some of them for the equipment of our vessel.
Achin, the metropolis of Sumatra, is situated at the north-west end of
the island. It stands on a plain, surrounded by woods and marshes,
about five miles distant from the sea, near to a pleasant rivulet. The
city consists of some eight thousand houses which take up more ground
than a city of this size would demand by reason of every person
surrounding his dwelling with a palisade that stands some yards distant
from it. The inhabitants are, in general, small, and of very swarthy
complexion. They have black eyes, flat faces, and high check-bones.
Their hair is long and black, and they take great pains to dye their
teeth black. They also besmear their bodies with oil, as do the natives
of other hot countries, to protect themselves from being stung by
insects, while they let their nails grow exceedingly long, scraping
them until they are transparent, and dyeing them vermilion. The poorer
class go almost naked, having only a small piece of cloth round the
waist, and a piece of linen about the head, or a cap made of leaves
resembling the crown of a hat. The richer sort wear white breeches to
above the knee, and a piece of calico, or silk, wrapped round their
loins and thrown over the left shoulder. Some wear sandals, but all are
bare-legged and bare-bodied from the waist upward. The common language
among them is the Malayan language, and, by speaking to some whom I met
on landing, I found I was able to make myself understood, and to
understand, though imperfectly, what was said to me. The Sumatrans are
a very indolent race of people, which accounted for the small interest
they took in the arrival of our ship, none thinking it worth while to
come aboard, or to make any inquiry concerning us.
When I explained that my business was to obtain new masts and rigging I
was directed to the house of an Arab named Mahomet Achmet, a carpenter
and ship chandler, if such he could be called, who traded with vessels
visiting the island, and dealt with them in the matter of repairs or
refitting. Mahomet, like all the inhabitants of Sumatra, spoke the
Malayan language, but we occasionally helped each other with Spanish or
Dutch words, of which he had acquired the meaning by his intercourse
with crews of these nationalities. When I told him we required masts as
well as rigging, he seemed to consider my request unreasonable. There
were masts on the island, he said, good ones too, made of beech, but
they belonged to the king, who set great store by them, since they had
come to him as the result of a victory by the fort over a foreign
vessel which had attempted to raid the island and take by force what
could only honestly be obtained by trade. On my asking to see the king
Mahomet turned up his eyes with an exclamation of astonishment at my
audacity. No foreigners were permitted to see the king, he said. It was
death to enter without permission the inner apartments of the palace
where the king lived. But when I produced one of my rubies he became
less demonstrative in his protestations against my proposed visit.
"It is for these toys that I would trade with the king," I said to him,
as I held up the red crystal to the light in order that he might see it
better.
"Such toys the king likes well," answered Achmet. "Give it me, and I
will send it to the king, and ask if he will receive you."
"Nay, Achmet," I answered, "I will not part with my jewels save only to
the king himself. Send, therefore, and tell him that a rich merchant
from the East is here to trade for gems such as are only fit for kings
to handle."
I could now see that Mahomet Achmet was on the horns of a dilemma. His
natural cupidity urged him to rob me of my jewels, but should this come
to the king's knowledge he would doubtless suffer for having taken the
law into his own hands. Finally he consented to send a message to the
king on my promising that not only would I pay him liberally for such
ship-chandlery as he might supply us with, but that if all went well I
would present him with a ruby of equal value to that which I had shown
him before I left the island.
While the messenger was absent on his mission, Mahomet gave me some
interesting information regarding his Malayan Majesty. The king, he
said, owned a large number of horses, as well as elephants, all having
magnificent trappings. He was at no expense in time of war, for all his
subjects were obliged to march at their own expense, and to carry with
them provisions for three months. In peace time his Majesty's living
and that of his household cost him nothing, for his subjects supplied
him with all kinds of provisions. He was, besides, heir to all those of
his people who died without male issue, and to all foreigners who died
within his territories, while he succeeded to the property of all those
who were put to death for offences against the law.
From this it will be seen that the revenue of this prince is very
considerable, and that he is personally interested in the death of
foreigners within his kingdom, whether from natural causes or in the
execution of the law, of which he is the sole arbiter.