Page 135 - Malay sketches

THE PASSING OF PENGLIMA PRANG SEMAUN

river. I say no one else but, as Penglima Prang
well knew, there were in the Shabandar's house two
the mother of the Sultan's children and
aged ladies,
her sister.
The five men waited until they saw the Sumatran
Raja take his departure, and in order to do this
visitor honour, the Shabandar unarmed and un-
attended, accompanied him to the river-bank and
there bid him farewell.
This was the moment for the development of the
plot.
Penglima Prang Semaun took leave of the Sha-
bandar and shook hands with him. Haji Ali, a very
big powerful man, then also took leave and grasped
the Shabandar's hand, but instead of letting it go he
drew the Datoh towards him, and the reply to his
of what this meant was a stab in the back
question
from Penglima Prang Semaun's kris.
The blade did not pierce the skin, it bent, and the
thrust was repeated with the same result, Haji Ali
the unarmed man the hand.
all the while holding by
Then the Penglima threw away the useless
weapon, and, seizing another kris, plunged it time
after time into the helpless body of the Shabandar,
who fell to the ground, while Haji Ali and each of
the others stabbed him in turn.
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