Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/410

 366 SEQUEL OF JAVANESE HISTORY. Tv'hite elephant the Susunan, a noble object, being degraded by assigning to it the female sex. Prin- goloyo, in his reply, pursued the same style of si- mile, and observed, that " he was aware there was a buffalo calf to the north of the range of Kandang, accompanied by a little fugitive ragged animal of a goat, of both of whom he would soon render a good account.'* By the buffalo calf was of course meant the false Susunan ; and by the goat, Martopuro himself, who was a person of diminutive stature, that, contrary to the usual practice of the Javanese, wore a beard. Buffalo, or goat, but particularly the latter, is in the mouths of the Javanese equi- valent to " ass in oars." They seldom, indeed, go farther, for gross invective and scurrility are no vice of their manners. The vicinity of the dagger is an insurmountable barrier to the habitual use of them. I shall pause for a moment, to make a few obser- vations on the conduct of the Chinese in the course of this warfare. They showed themselves to be a people much beyond the Javanese in civili- zation, as evinced in their superior enterprise, skill, and energy of character. What we should be less apt to reckon upon is their courage ; but in this qua- lity, too, they much exceeded the Javanese. When the two nations acted together, we find the Chinese, and the Javanese themselves tell the story, not only planning and directing every operation, but taking the most active part in their execution, leading and