'O Tŭngku! Be pleased to come forth if thou desire to avenge the death of
Tŭngku Long, thy cousin. Now is the acceptable time, for thy servant has still
some little life left in him. Hereafter thou mayst not avenge thy cousin's death,
thy servant being dead. Condescend, therefore, to come forth and fight with thy
servant.'
But Tŭngku Îtam, like Gallio, cared for none of these things, and To’ Kâya,
seeing that his challenge was not answered, cried once more:
'If thou will not take vengeance, the fault is none of thy servant's,' and, so saying,
he passed upon his way.
The dawn was breaking grayly, and the cool land breeze was making a little stir
in the fronds of the palm trees, as To’ Kâya passed up the lane, and through the
compounds, whose owners had fled hastily from fear of him. Presently, he came
out on the open space before the mosque, and here some four hundred men, fully
armed with spears and daggers, were assembled. It was light enough for To’
Kâya to see and mark the fear in their eyes. He smiled grimly.
'This is indeed good!' cried he. 'Now at last shall I have my fill of stabbing and
fighting,' and, thereupon, he made a shambling, limping charge at the crowd,
which wavered, broke, and fled in every direction, the majority rushing into the
enclosure of Tŭngku Ngah's compound, the door of which they barred.
One of the hindermost was a man named Gĕnih, and to him To’ Kâya shouted:
'Gĕnih! it profits the Râja little that he gives thou and such as thee food both
morning and evening! Thou art indeed a bitter coward.[10] If thou fearest me so
greatly, go seek for guns and kill me from afar off!'
Gĕnih took To’ Kâya's advice. He rushed to the Bâlai, or State Hall, and cried to
Tŭngku Mûsa, the Sultân's uncle and principal adviser:
'Thy servant To’ Kâya bids us bring guns wherewith to slay him.'
Now, all was not well in the Bâlai at this moment. When the first news of the
âmok had reached the Sultân, all the Chiefs had assembled in the palace, and it
had been unanimously decided that no action could be taken until the day broke.
At dawn, however, it was found that all the Chiefs except Tŭngku Pănglîma, To’
Kâya Dûyong, Pănglîma Dâlam, Imâm Prang Lôsong, and Pahlâwan, had
sneaked away under the cover of the darkness. Tŭngku Mûsa, the Sultân's great
uncle, was there to act as the King's mouthpiece, but he was in as great fear as