At the time of which I write, the then To’ Râja of Jĕlai was an aged man, cursed
by the possession of many sons, arrogant folk, who loved war. The eldest, the
most arrogant, the most warlike, the most ambitious, and the most evil of these,
was Wan Bong. He, the people of the Jĕlai called Che’ Âki, which means 'Sir
Father,' because he was the heir of their Dâto’, or Chief, which word in the
vernacular literally means a grandfather. He was a man of about thirty-five years
of age, of a handsome presence, and an aristocratic bearing. He wore his fine
black hair long, so that it hung about his waist, and he dressed with the profusion
of coloured silks, and went armed with the priceless weapons, that are only to be
seen in perfection on the person of a Malay prince. Into the mind of this man
there entered, on a certain day, an idea at once daring and original. Ever since
the death of Bĕndăhâra Äli, nearly a decade earlier, Pahang had been racked by
war and rumours of war, and, wherever men congregated, tales were told of the
brave deeds done by the rival Râjas, each of whom was seeking to win the
throne for himself and for his posterity. It was the memory of these things that
probably suggested his project to Wan Bong. Che’ Wan Âhmad had fled the
country after his last defeat, and Bĕndăhâre Korish, with his sons Che’ Wan
Âhman, and Che’ Wan Da, ruled at Pĕkan. To none of the latter did Wan Bong
cherish any feeling but hatred, and it occurred to him that now, while they were
still suffering from the effects of their fierce struggle with Che’ Wan Âhmad, it
would be possible, by a bold stroke, to upset their dynasty, and to secure the
broad valleys of Pahang as an inheritance for his father, To’ Râja, for himself,
and for their heirs for ever.
Every man in Pahang was, at that time, a soldier; and the people of Jĕlai and
Lĭpis were among the most warlike of the inhabitants of the country. All the
people of the interior followed Wan Bong like sheep, and he speedily found
himself at the head of a following of many thousands of men. For a noble to rise
up against his sovereign, with the object of placing his own family upon the
throne, was an altogether unheard of thing among the natives of the Peninsula;
but the very originality of Wan Bong's plan served to impress the people with the
probability of its success. The Râjas at Pĕkan were very far away, while Wan
Bong, with unlimited power in his hands, was at their very doors. Therefore the
natives of the upper country had no hesitation in selecting the side to which it
was most politic for them to adhere.
Wan Bong installed his father as Bĕndăhâra of Pahang with much state, and
many ceremonial observances. All the insignia of royalty were hastily fashioned
by the goldsmiths of Pĕnjum, and, whenever To’ Râja or Wan Bong appeared in