part of the country was agreed on by three chiefs from Mĕnangkâbau; one Dato' Laut of Pâya Kumboh[1] selected a stream called Lâyang; from him Dato' Si Maharâja[2] is descended: another Dato' Pûtih from Sri Lĕmak took the stream called Lûbok Rûsa; from him is descended Dato' Sinda Maharâja:[2] another Dato' Inda Pĕtrâ, a man of Bâtu Bâlang took the stream of Bintongan; he was the ancestor of Dato' Andîka.[2]
These three all began planting in the places named. They claimed from the sources of the streams to their junction with the main stream. While engaged in clearing, they heard the sound of many trees falling down stream within the range of their claims, on going to see the cause, they found one Dato' Pûteh Kĕpâla a Sri Mělěnggang man of Mĕnangkâbau occupied in clearing. (Dato Mandělîka[2] descends from him.) The place was called Bâta Hampar. Then there was a dispute between the three chiefs and Dato' Pûteh Kĕpâla, the former claiming from the gullies to the mouths of their streams, saying they had settled there first; the latter claimed the same, and their claims were equally strong, for they had been all recognised from Johor. Later on authority came from the Pĕnghûlu dividing the land between them, and making the boundary from Bâtu Mĕnunggul to Tunggâl Mĕrbau in the Bâtu Bĕsar jungle, and thence to Tunggâl Châchar, on to Kwâla Ânak Âyĕr Hîtam in the Sêpri stream; whoever went up the Leng stream must be under Dato' Si Maharâja, whoever went up the Lûbok Rûsa stream must be under Dato' Sinda Maharâja, and any one settling up the Bintongan stream must be under Dato' Andîka. So the Tîga Bâtu people under Nang Bĕsar, who went up the Bintongan, were under the jurisdiction of Dato' Andîka. So likewise in the case of the Sĕprî, Dato' Pĕnghûlu Uban brought two men from Johor, Dato' Chindei Luâtan (a Bĕduauda, from whom descends Dato' Sĕtir Maharâja), and a Mĕnangkâbau man of the Pâya Bidâra brauch of the Bâtu Hampar, (from whom Sûtan Bĕndahâra is descended), and told them to settle on the Sěprî. They worked
