RAJA AMBONG.
A MALAY FAIRY TALE.
[This is the third of Mir Hassan's Cheritras. The other two—"Sri Rama" and "Raja Donan"—have been printed in the two preceding numbers of this Journal.]
RAJA AMBONG and Princess Bongsu Chandra Rupa 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 Ambong on the throne, there being no other heir of the royal stock. When Raja Ambong 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 Ambong, 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 Ambong 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 Ambong mentioned the want of workmen, when the old man at once told him to give
