Page 204 - Malay sketches

MALAY SKETCHES

Once in Sleman's boat, and the bark had been
unmoored and allowed to drift out of
silently sight
and little time was lost in out the
hearing, getting
oars and pulling with might and main down river
towards the coast.
All night long the rowers bent to their work,
but when morning broke and less than half the
distance to the river's mouth had been traversed,
Sleman ordered the men to pull in to the bank,
fasten up the boat and rest.
It seemed a to waste the
foolhardy proceeding pre-
cious time, for with the dawn the elopement would be
discovered and Iskander would be in before
pursuit
the sun had cleared the tops of the jungle trees.
Raja Sleman's quiet serenity was not disturbed
by anticipations of capture or fear of the outraged
husband's fury. On the contrary, he procured a
small boat and a messenger, and he indited a letter
to Raja Iskander, informing him he had carried
away the Raja Maimunah, but that he had not
gone far, having only reached the place he named.
He added that he would wait there for one night
and one day against the coming of any who might
wish to try and take the lady from him, and that
after that time he should continue his journey to
the coast and thence to his own country.
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