Page 38 - Hikayat-Patani-The-Story-Of-Patani 1

THE HIKAYAT PATANI AND RELATED TEXTS 29

Foreign Missions of which Singapore became a post in 1834, its agents
in the following years being Tracy, Dickinson, Hope, Trevelli and North,
the three former working in the Chinese language and the two latter in
Malay. North was a skilled printer, and had a well equipped printing­
press. He did not stay long in Singapore, his ultimate destination — as
that of this colleagues — being China, and when China v/as opened up
to American missionaries in 1839 the A.B.C.F.M. removed its men there.
North seems to have left for Madura early in 1844.1°
There is more to be learnt about Mr. North and his relationship with
Abdullah from the latter’s well known autobiography, the Hikayat
Abdullah, and other writings. In this Hikayat, Abdullah tells how he
taught Mr. North Malay and how this gentleman displayed much zeal
in the study of that language.!1 He considered Mr. North his best pupil
in this period, as appears from a remark in the original manuscript of
the Hikayat, which does not occur in the printed texts:“.... Dr. North,
an American, one who bathes to his heart’s content in the sea of Malay
language; for he is an especial disciple of mine, in whom I have the
greatest trust in translating English into Malay according to the correct
idiom.” 12 In the years around 1839 it was primarily for Mr. North that
Abdullah was working. Though he taught other missionaries Malay, he
did so “only on the instructions of Mr. North”.!3 He translated and
wrote several books at his instigation, and apparently it was Mr. North
who helped and inspired him in undertaking his autobiography as well,
which he commenced in October, 1840, completing the first draft
in 1843.14 It was also during this period of close cooperation with
Mr. North that Abdullah made his voyage to Pahang, Trengganu and
Kalantan. The story of this journey was written by Abdullah and
published by Mr. North; in Abdullah’s own words:
If anyone wishes to hear the story of my voyage, I have written an
account of it from the time of my departure from Singapore up to the
time of my safe return. It has been made into a book, printed by
Mr. North with opposite pages in Arabic and romanized script. I have
called the book “the Story of the Voyage of Abdullah”.!5 * * * * * * *
10 Hill, 1955, p. 29 and p. 327. The information on Mr. North given in One Hundred
Years of Singapore, 1921, II, pp. 235—6, is different in detail, or at any rate
confused.
11 Hill, 1955,252—3.
12 Hill, 1955, p. 326; Thomson, 1874, p. 279.
13 Hill, 1955, p. 252.
141 refer to the letter by Alfred North attached to the manuscript of the Hikayat
in the Library of Congress, Teeuw, 1967, p. 520.
15 Hill, 1955, p. 253. See Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah, 1960, p. 81.