Page 136 - Malay sketches

MALAY SKETCHES
Leaving the body lying on the bank, the men
back into the
rushed straight house, shut the gates
of the enclosure and immediately prepared to defend
care that the two ladies
themselves, taking particular
mentioned should not
already get away.
The news of a murder perpetrated like this is
carried on the breeze, and for a few minutes the
Shabandar's adherents rushed up one after the other
to be slaughtered as they arrived by the Penglima
and his party reinforced by their own men who had
been awaiting the denouement.
Then gates and doors were closed, windows
and muskets
barred, cannon, pivot-guns, loaded, and
Penglima Prang Semaun having rifled the house
contained the customs collections as well as
(which
and thus
the Shabandar's private property), possessed
himself of all those things which he previously
lacked, sat down to calmly await the development
of events.
The plot had been cunningly conceived. The
brutal murder of the unarmed chief was certain to be
instantly avenged, and that would have been done
by an attack on the house had it not been that it
besides the the Sultan's late
contained, murderers,
wife and her sister, who were wellnigh sure to
come to harm in the assault.
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