Page 75 - Malay sketches

THE STORY OF MAT ARIS

and saying her husband had been murdered. The
Headman went to the place and saw Mat Aris was
there and a woman with him. Mat Aris had a
which induced this Headman
reputation probably
not to attempt to interfere with him further than to
keep a watch on his proceedings.
In places where there are no roads, and often
when they do exist, Malays live on or close by the
bank of a river, and, on the following day, the Head-
man observed Mat Aris and the woman in a boat
going down the stream, here a succession of rapids
and The Headman
very difficult to navigate.
followed by a jungle track, and getting near to a
place called Kota Tampan, the first police station,
he hurried on and gave the information he pos-
sessed.
When Mat Aris arrived at Kota Tampan he
landed, and was at once arrested by the native
sergeant in charge of the station, who accused him
of murdering Sahit. Mat Aris denied the charge,
but the woman said her name was Salamah, and the
sergeant said he must take them both to his Divi-
sional Headquarters at Kuala Kangsar, distant thirty
miles or more by river. Accordingly the sergeant
and some police entered the boat and a start was
made for Kuala Kangsar. It shortly appeared that
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