e
gracefully built than are most other natives on the East Coast, he
dresses within an inch of his life, and often carries the best part of
his property on his back and about his person,--for, like all
gamblers, he is hopelessly improvident. He is a sportsman as soon as
he can walk upon his feet without the aid of the supporting _adan_;[6]
he is in love as a permanent arrangement, and will go to any length,
and run any risk, in order to satisfy his desires; and, as he is
exceedingly touchy, and quick to take offence, he frequently seems to
be in the condition which is known as 'spoiling for a fight.' He is
apt to 'buck' about the brave deeds of himself and his countrymen, in
an untamed way which would discredit the Colonel of a Regiment--who is
privileged to 'buck' because his officers cannot attempt to check him.
He knows many strange tales of 'lamentable things done long ago and
ill done'; he is extraordinarily loyal to his _Rajas_ and Chiefs, who
have not always acted in a way to inspire devotion; he is capable of
the most disinterested affection; he loves his wives and his little
ones dearly; and, if once he trusts a man, will do anything in the
wide world at that man's bidding. He is clean in his habits; nice
about his food and his surroundings; is generally cheery; and is blest
with a saving sense of humour, provided that the joke is at the
expense of neither himself nor his relations. Like many people who
love field sports, he hates books almost as much as he hates work. He
can never be induced to study his Scriptures, and he only prays under
compulsion, and attends the mosque on Friday because he wishes to
avoid a fine. He never works if he can help it, and often will not
suffer himself to be induced or tempted into doing so by offers of the
most extravagant wages. If, when promises and persuasion have failed,
however, the magic word _krah_ is whispered in his ears, he will come
without a murmur, and work really hard for no pay, bringing with him
his own supply of food. _Krah_, as everybody knows, is the system of
forced labour which is a State perquisite in unprotected Malay
countries, and an ancestral instinct, inherited from his fathers,
seems to prompt him to comply cheerfully with this custom, when on no
other terms whatsoever would he permit himself to do a stroke of work.
When so engaged, he will labour as no other man will do. I have had
Pahang Malays working continuously for sixty hours at a stretch, and