ough
which they passed. This information about Japan Newman gained from one
of the officers of the ship trading there. To return to Java.

One day when we were on shore, we saw a great confusion among the crowd,
who were dispersing on every side, as if in mortal dread of something;
and presently we saw a half-naked Malay with a long dagger in his hand,
striking right and left at everybody he met, killing some and wounding
others. As he ran on, crying out in his frenzy, "_Amok--amok--amok_!
kill--kill--kill!" we saw some of the police dashing towards him with
long poles, at the end of which was a fork of wood with iron spikes
inside it. He dodged by several of them, killing one on his way, till
at last a guard met him full in front, and he ran in on the fork, when
he was immediately pinned to the ground; but even then he struck out on
every side with his glittering weapon.

This is what is called running a _muck_! from the word used _amok_--
kill! He had, as is the custom, taken a large quantity of opium, and
thus excited himself to fury in consequence of some supposed or real
injury he had received from his master! Most of these mucks are run by
slaves brought from Celebes. Being mortally wounded, he was immediately
broken alive on the wheel, in the presence of two councillors of
justice.

It is remarkable, that at Batavia, where the assassins, when taken
alive, are broken on the wheel, the mucks are of great frequency; while
at Bencoolen, where they are executed in the most simple and least cruel
way, they seldom occur. Slaves who have murdered their masters, were
executed with the most horrible barbarity by being impaled. An iron was
passed down their backs, so as not to touch any vital part, and by it
they were suspended, one end of the iron rod being fixed in a post ten
feet from the ground. If the weather is dry, they may live on many days
in that horrid position; but if water enters the wound, mortification
ensues, and they quickly die.

The Javanese emperors used till lately to throw their criminals to wild
beasts, or compelled them to enter into combat with them. I heard a
story of a Javanese who was condemned to be torn in pieces by tigers.
On being thrown down from the top of a large cage, he fell across the
back of the largest and fiercest of them, where he sat astride! So
intimidated was the animal, that he did not attempt to injure him; while
the others, awed by the unusual appearance, endea