MALAY SKETCHES
The Sultan was and is an old gentleman for
whom I have the highest regard, and I desire to
speak of him with the greatest respect. He had
had his own fighting day and was tired of it, he
wished to be left alone, that was all; but he recog-
nised that boys will be boys, and if the young
Selangor Rajas took their pleasure in this way, he
was inclined to regard their escapades with an indulgent eye, provided they did not interfere with
his opium: cum dignitate and his immediate surroundings.,
The Sultan’s own sons were very much interested in the guerilla warfare that was then being carried on throughout Selangor, and the feature of the dis- turbances was that every chicf said he had the Sultan’s approval of his proceedings. Some time later I was myself in Selangor, and, as this state- ment was constantly being dinned into my ears, I took the liberty of asking his Highness what it meant.
He promptly pointed out that each of these Rajas in turn came to him, stated his case, and asked the Sultan if that was not correct, His Highness always replied, “Quite correct,” but, as he explained to me, “bènar ka-pâda dia, bikan bènar ka-pâda kami,” which being interpreted means, “correct in their view, not in mine.” He was evidently tickled
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