the simple
rules of these contests, and the sight is a somewhat degrading and
unpleasant one, though it excites the spectators to ecstasies of delight
and laughter. Most big Chiefs in Kelantan keep trained men to take part
in these prize fights, and heavy bets are made on the result.

And the life of these people? Whether in Pahang, Trengganu, or Kelantan
it is much the same. Up country the natives live more chastely than do
the people of the capital; they work harder, age sooner, lie less
softly, experience less change, and are chiefly occupied in supporting
themselves and their families. They rise early, work or idle through the
day, and go to bed very soon after dark. Their lives are entirely
monotonous, dull, and uneventful, but the knowledge of other and better
things is not for them, and they live contentedly the only life of which
they have any experience. They can rarely afford to support more than
one wife, and, as they love their little ones dearly, they often live
with the same woman all the days of her life, since divorce entails some
degree of separation from the children.

Down country things are different. The gossip of the Court, the tales of
brave deeds, the learned discussions, or the rough sports add an
interest to life, which is not to be experienced by the dwellers in the
far interior. The number of unmarried women within the palace causes the
youths of the town to plunge wildly into intrigues, for which they often
have to pay a heavy price, but which always instil an element of romance
into their lives. This, of course, is the merest sketch, for no real
study of the people can be attempted in a work written on such
unscientific lines as the present, and the reader--supposing such a
problematical person to exist--must form his own picture of my Malay
friends from the stories which I shall have to tell in future pages. It
is only too probable that I shall fail to give any real idea of the
people of whom I write, to any save those who are already able to fill
in the omissions for themselves, and who, therefore, know as much about
Malays as is good for any man; but, if I fail, it will be because I lack
the skill to depict with vividness the lives of those whom I know
intimately, and whom, in spite of all their faults, and foibles, and
ignorance, and queer ways, I love exceedingly.

THE EXPERIENCES OF RAJA HAJI HAMID

I've spent my life in war and strife,
And now I'm waxing old;