Page:Malay Sketches.pdf/137

 THE PASSING OF PENGLIMA PRANG SEMAUN river. I say no one else but, as Penglima Prang well knew, there were in the Shabandar's house two aged ladies, the mother of the Sultan’s children and her sister. The five men waited until they saw the Sumatran Raja take his departure, and in order to do this visitor honour, the Shabandar unarmed and unattended, accompanied him to the river-bank and there bid him farewell. This was the moment for the development of the plot. Penglima Prang Semaun took leave of the Shabandar and shook hands with him. Haji Ali, a very big powerful man, then also took leave and grasped the Shabandar’s hand, but instead of letting go he drew the Datoh towards him, and the reply to his question of what this meant was a stab in the back from Penglima Prang Semaun’s kris. The blade did not pierce the skin, it bent, and the thrust was repeated with the same result, Haji Ali all the while holding the unarmed man by the hand. Then the Penglima threw away the useless weapon, and, seizing another kris, plunged it time after time into the helpless body of the Shabandar who fell to the ground, while Haji Ali and each of the others stabbed him in turn.