touched there. Nominally they are
Mohammedans in religion; but they do not strictly observe the ordinances
of the Koran, and their Mohammedanism is mixed up with traces of their
original religion."

"Ah, that explains why the chief's name was Hassan. I wondered that a
Malay should have a Mohammedan name. They are not much like Arabs in
figure. Of course, Hassan is a very fine looking man, and some of the
other chiefs we saw at Penang were so; but most of them are shorter than
we are, and very ugly."

"Yes, in figure and some other points they much resemble the Burmese,
who are probably blood relations of theirs. The chiefs are finer men, as
you will always find in the case in savage or semi savage peoples, for,
of course, they have the pick of the women, and naturally choose the
best looking. Their food, too, is better and their work less rough than
that of the people at large.

"The sons and daughters of the chiefs naturally intermarry, and the
result is that in most cases you will find the upper classes taller,
better formed, lighter in color, and of greater intelligence than the
rest of the people. This would be specially the case in a trading people
like the Malays; their ships would bring over girls purchased in India,
just as the ruling classes in Turkey used to obtain their wives from
Circassia; and this, no doubt, has helped to modify the original Malay
type."

"Thank you, Doctor; I think I shall like the Malays now I know something
about them. Is it true that they are so treacherous?"

"I don't know, Parkhurst; doubtless they are treacherous in their wars;
that is to say that they consider any means fair to deceive an enemy;
but I do not think that they are so, beyond that. The Dutch have never
had any very great difficulty with them, nor have we in the portion
of the peninsula where we have established our rule. Of course, I know
little about them myself, as I have only been out here a few months; but
I am told that as traders they can be trusted, and that the word of a
Malay chief can be taken with absolute confidence. Of course, among the
majority of the people of the peninsula we are regarded with jealousy
and hostility--they dread that we should extend our dominion over them,
and it is not surprising that they should by every means in their power
strive to prevent our coming far inland. The chiefs on the rivers are,
as a rule, specially hostile.

"In the first place, because their towns and villages