A MALAY DUEL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7994, 4 December 1905, Page 4

A MALAY DUEL.

ia Told by an ex-British Governor. The other day there died, in the Malay State of Perak, a man called Marasat. His name was a household word in Perak as that of a '• first-class fighting man/' and his fame was recognised by his countrymen through* out the State. I came to hear the tale of his exploits one evening, as I was sitting with the Sultan of Perak and a friend in the ball of that quaint palace which overlooks the Perak River. My friend asked the Sultan whether His Highness had ever seen a man actually killed with a kris in fair fight. M Certainly," said the Sultan; "there was the duel between Marasat and Mat BaVir, witnessed not only by me, but by hundreds of Malay men and women. It happened in this way. Mat Bakir was an up couutry man—belonged, in fact, to Kota Lama, the village of boasters and fighters, who acknowledged only two masters, their hereditary chief, the Dato' Temenggong, and the Sultan's Wazir, the Raja Bendabara. Marasat, on the other hand, was a down-stream man, retainer of the great down-stream chief, the Shabandar. *' In those days—forty years ago—the Sultan of Perak resided for a great part of every year at Posir Panjang, where a great crowd of men tad women collected round His Highhe6S, and, though the numbers did not greatly vary, the composition of the company waa always changing by the constant coming and going of the visitors. The at* tractions of the placa were gambling, cockfighting and love-making, and these amusements drew to Pasir Salak all the bloods> spendthrifts, and donee provocante in the oouatry. A year or two before the occurrence of the incident I am going to relate, it happened that Marasat, while gambling in the licensed gambling booth, had a dispute with another (amber, and Marasat killed bis opponent where they stood. An inquiry was held, and Marasat was sentenced to pay a fine of a thousand bidor (about fifty poinds), and the matter was supposed to be .dosed. The relatives and friends of the dead man were, however, far from being satisfied —first because he was oi good family, and jame from Kota Lama, where every one 'bought himself a cut above the people of iny other part of Perak, and, secondly, because he bad been killed by one of the down* 't&imers, between whom and the up-country people there was a perpetual state of strained relations. The Kota Lama people had, therefore, decided that Marasat must be killed, and the man chosen to do the job wa3 naturally Bakir, for he was the brother of the gambler who had already fallen to Marasal's kris.

41 Such was the state of affairs when, ono tfternoon, messengers arrived at Pasir Paujang, bringing a letter to Sultan Jafar fro:a Fomenggong of Johore. " Pasir Panjang is a fair stretch of sand m the left bank of the Perak rirer, About •ifty miles from its moath. The stream is viue, shallow, and clear as crystal, and, behind the broad stretch of sand and grass which borders it, are numbers of plank booses, hidden in thick orchards of palm and fruit trees. The conspicuous buildings «t the time I speak of were the Sultan's Astana, sarronnded by a high palisade, and it some little distance up stream, the gambling booth. A number of temporary huts ind shelters were dotted about, and a gre.it crowd of boats was gathered A3 close to the jhore as the shallow water would permit. "It is the custom in Malay countries, vhen messengers arrive with a letter tor the ruler from a correspondent of high ran!;, to receive them with considerable ceremony. The missive is borne on a tray, covered with apiece of embroidered silk, and s sheltered by a large yellow umbrella, lent with suitable officers by the personage *o whom the letter was addressed. A prosession is formed, cariosity is aroused, and -hose in the immediate neighbourhood uuse in their work or play to have a look it the strangers, the umbrella and t".e •est cf the paraphernalia. This is the imnent to criticise the demeanor of e\cry me taking part in the little ceremony—ho way they walk and hold themselves, heir clothes and arm 3, the cover of !'i3 etter and the tray on which it is hjrn •, .he awkwardness or otherwise of the bearer, .lie royal umbrella and how it is caniel, ind si on. "The Johore messengers had left ill -ir x*at, and, joined by the Sudan's ofticv.s, vtre slowly nuking their way along t:,rj .uidi towards the gate of the Sultau's i-:i----•losnri'. Ac tho party moved along idhrs jinsd it, and by thu time it reached iho , imrdi.'g !> > ith there wore several hundn is jf p -opiu of all and b.>th sex:js c-ilh-a* ' escorting the and their ; ir siinplyfipeeu'ating.

" M;; '.ian I?Iit 15 ikir w.?re both in t'io :aina'uj,'» f»jih at this time, and tiie f :ii-;r .-as <] :it: a vaio that t'o l.»t:-r w.:s 10-r.:..g mi tor a.i ru; • \.\ t«> '.^l 1 1 VivTO aimed uiili •k. '."d J l » L Fi'.j.'.ller da;'/ •;*, !ir. 7 e two i c tnijd a -;p-:ar as " ell. it J.tkir carol ry/.hiag r:bon! an excuse ; lit ii-'<l •no;;« r h and S|)-;ie <»f thj»t already ;ii-3 vant%d wrsa a favourable cpr-oitimiiy, i.iid hal he ha i ;ios yet fo.inJ. M t;as;it im! .r-.«fc inly killed Hat, Kilkli'H brotl:cr in fair livht, i*s ltad also killed anoilior ni.tn, and his JUt;.tion was si:ch thai Mat. JJakir, tho- ;ii veil thought of iu Kota Lima was not .tn> ;ious to lake any ri;:!:s that could be avoi--I •!. ihcoppor;ui:ity he had loiu been looUing ■or with the IclUr from Johove.

M Aa !l»e procfii-siun pisseJ tiie g-imVing o>:!i Mi.nat w«ut to the dooi, an I Lin-ii sown several of the step.* which led from if.a lew li the piound. Kio:n this point of v in- • close to, yet abovo the crowd, he waHi♦J t ? ic passing of ti:s strangers with their •missive lorn* aloft under tiie shelter of the oy il yellow nrabrclla. Mat B;ikir had also :omc to the door of the booth to sec the sight i bul when he found his enemy standing three step? beneath him, and with his jack towirds iiim at last, he felt that the nan had b?en delivered into his hands, and •vi'JiA-it farther ado he hurled his spear with *ll his mig tat Mamsat. The weapon !lew tr-.ii enough, striking Mar.mt in the hick of the ghouldnr, and the point penetrated almost to hi? breast. " The stricken man longed forward on to the sandy ground, and, as the blood poured from his wound, be tamed on his side, and, seeing Mat Bakir in the doorway, said, 'Why did you stab me?' " * By order of the Raja Kulnp,' replied Mat Bakir; meaning thereby the Raja Bendahara. " 'Come down here,'said Mp,rasat, 'and I will settle with you.' 14 • There is no need for me to go down, 1 replied the other; ' yoo wiil die where you lie. 1 •' By this time the bystanders had helped Mara«at up, and pulled the spear out of the wound, which was bleeding terribly. He made a further appeal to Mat Bakir to come down and fight it oat, bat the latter declined and retired within the doorway. Meanwhile there was great excitement amongst the crowd, and people were running in every direction to carry the news, with the result that while about sixty Kota Lama people were collected with their chief, the Tem•nggor.g, on one side, the down-stream people, to *he number of over two hundred, were simply furious that their champion ■bould have' been trecherously stabbed from behind, without warning, and a free flght between the opposing factions seemed

inevitable. At this moment the Date 1 Ban* dar arrived on the scene, and intercepted Marasat, who was just starting for bis house. 44 * What is the matter!' said the Dato' Bandar. '"Mat Bakir has stabbed me,' replied Marosat. " • Then why don't you kill him ?' enjoined the Dato*. 41 'Because he is in the gambling booth, and refuses to come down, though 1 have asked him.' "•What! 1 said the Dato', 'a man stabs another in the back, and then refuses to como down and fight it out? I'H see to that.' Then, turning to his people, he said, ' Fetch Mat Bakir.' " This was a summons thnt Bakir could not refuse, and in a few moments he was on the ground. "'Open out, open out,' said the Dato •Makea ring.' Aud the crowd, some four or live hundred men, women and children, duly opened out and made a ring as though to witness a cock light. "The principals were placed opposite to each other, about thirty yards apart, each with a spear in his right hand, a kris in his belt, and the word was given to let flip. Mat Bakir, unwounded and confident, his friend? behind him, stood with his spear in rest, waiting. Marnsafc, still streaming wit): blood from the great wound in his shoulder (which was now bare, for the Dato' had ordered both to strip to the waist), stood, apparently irresolute, facing his enemy. But the Dato' behind him shouted, 4 Why do you wait? Have at him with your spear'; and Marasat, taking the advice, threw his spear straight and true, the point flying at the vcr) centre of Mat Bakir'a breast. As the blade came within reach, Mat Bakir, by a dexterous movement of his own spear, turned the weapon, so that it fell harmlessly by h"* side; and, no doubt pleased with this exbv bition of bis own skill in the presence of such a large and appreciative crowd, lie let his eyes follow, and for a moment rest upon the fallen javelin, That was his ruin, for Marasat, the moment he had hurled his Bpear, followed it hot-foot—quick, silent feet, over the silent sand - and while Mat Bakir was engaged in warding oft the cunning shot and regarding his own achievement with approval, the noiseless feet had brought his adversary to close quarters. With one ham* Marasat seized him by tho belt, with the other he plunged his kris again and again into the yielding flesh, forcing him backwards, sideways, anyhow, but never for an instant stopping the succession of 6tabs, until, realising that his victim was on the point of falling, Marasat suddenly snatched Mat Bukir's kris from its scabbard with his left hand, and with it inflicted a final blow, across the mouth, as the body fell lifeless at his feet.

M The crowd gasped, as ono gasps after excessive tension; and the Dato' Bandar, stepping forward, said: M Now, are there any more Kota Lama men who would like to carry this quarrel further? Marasat is ready to take on ten more, one at a time, and I will 6oe fair play.' ''After the excitement of this ferocious duel, and with the dead man lying there, gaping with so many wounds, it is probable that again the light would have became general; but, fortunately, the Sultan's guard nnivnd opportunely, and the leader at once proclaimed that the first man who drew a weapon would bo regarded as a foe to the Sultan, and would bo treated accordingly. That announcement, and the knowledge that Sultan Jafar would keep his word, saved the situation, and there was nothing left to be dono but to bury the dead and salve the wounded. " Marasat was well and about again in ft fortnight, strutting round the scene of his duel like a gamecock. Mat Bakir was duly buried, but his 'mother and relatives in J'o:n Lama would not be satisfied till ihcy had seen him ; so, six weeks after burial hi? h. dy was disinterred and towed up stream in a boat to Kota Lama, where, after a terrible scene with his people, it was vc-bur«'d The Kota Lama people never got over thi.< fight; and, though Marasat only died quite recently, and carried a ghastly scar to thi day of his death, he never was allowed to go near Kota Lama in the dark. In spit? of time, and the fact that for five-and-twenty years the carrying of arms lias been forbidden, no Kota Lama man could b«;ir the sight of Marasat without scowls and Jecj matt-firings of what would ho his fate if ii were not for 4 the Government.' n