Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalof192018871889roya).pdf/145



[This is the third of Cheritras. The other two—"" and ""—have been printed in the two preceding numbers of this Journal.]

AJA AMBONG and Princess were brother and sister and lived together at Tanjong Bima, over which country the former reigned. They had been left orphans at an early age, and had been brought up by the Chiefs of the State, who had put Raja on the throne, there being no other heir of the royal stock. When Raja had reigned for seven years and nine months, he had a dream one night, and in his dream he travelled into the interior of the country of Bima until he arrived at a plain ever so many yojanas in extent. Advancing to the centre of it, he saw there a large ant-hill (busut betina) and on it another ant-hill (busut jantan) on which stood on one leg (tiang tunggal) an old man dressed in yellow, who held in his hand a Malacca cane (samambu bunting) ornamented with gold and having a diamond on the top of it. As he drew near to the old man, the latter addressed him saying:—"Raja, what is the good of going on like this? What are you learning here under the Chiefs and under the care of the women of the palace?" and a great deal more to the same effect. Raja said in reply that he had no means of travelling about the world to gather experience, for he had no ship. The old man then told him to go to a certain place where a magic merbau tree was growing, and instructed him to cut it down and make of it a ship, which he was to call "Batara Saludang Mayang." Raja mentioned the want of workmen, when the old man at once told him to give