The Pirate of Rhio

 The Rhio Islands, are a group of small islands thirty miles south

of Singapore. Over a hundred years ago, a gang of pi­rates from Borneo decided to hide there. Their chief

was called Kerbau Hitain, or Black Buffalo. He had a very dark skin and was

very big.

"It's not easy to land,"

Kerbau Hitam said to his men. "The Raja of Rhio is very strict and he has

a lot of men to help him. Let's disguise ourselves as traders from

Johore."

"Excellent! Excellent!"

said his assistants.

The next

morning, the pirate ship approached the shore. The

Raja was waiting for them. "Where do you come from?" he called out.

"We are traders from

Johore," Kerbau Hitam replied. "We have some batek cloth and lace

we'd like to sell."

The Raja had a pretty daughter

called Normah, who was looking for some cloth to make a wedding dress. She was

going to get married next month.

"All right," said the

Raja. "You can land."

Tlie pirates

landed with their weapons

hidden under their shirts. Ina flash, they seized the Raja and held a

dagger at his throat.

Kerbau Hitam

called out to the villagers who were watch­ing, "if any of you try to

move we'll kill the Raja."

He ordered all of them to be locked

tip in a store near the Raja's house. The Raja was bound and gagged and taken

back to his house. His daughter Normah tried to run away from the back of the house but she was easily caught by

Kerbau Hitam's men. Kerbau Hitam grabbed her by the throat. "I'm

looking for a wife," he said.

"Would you like to marry me?" She screamed so loudly that Kerbau

Hitam ordered her to be gagged. "Shut her up with her father„' he ordered, "She'll soon change her mind after she's had nothing but rice and water

for a few days."

But the pirates did not know that

Rahim, Normah's husband-to-be, had been mending some fishing nets near the harbour when they had landed. He had seen

everything that had happened.

Without waiting a minute longer, he

jumped into his boat and sailed for Singapore. He decided that he could do

nothing himself and that it would be best to go to Singapore for help. Fortunately, the pirates were so busy that they

did not see him.

Rahim landed

at Tanjong Rhu. Soon he was surrounded by a group of fishermen. "You'd

better come with us straight away to see the

Temenggong, who is the chief of the island," they said.

When the Temenggong heard his

report, he said, "It's ter­rible. The

pirates must be stopped. I think I shall ask one of our Chinese friends

to help us." He sent for the Chinese head­man, and discussed a plan with

him.

Before

dawn the next morning, a Chinese junk left

Singapore for Rhio. The Temenggong and

Rahim were on board dressed as Chinese, together with the Chinese

headman and about twenty other Chinese.

Soon they arrived at Rhio. The

Chinese headman shouted out to the pirates

who were guarding the beach, "Can I speak to the Raja?"

Kerbau Hitam

came forward. "I am the Raja," he said.

"What do you want?"

"We're on our way to Singapore.

One of my officers died at sea. He begged us riot to bury him at sea as he

wanted to be buried near a famous Chinese

temple on this island. Don't worry

about money. We have plenty of gold on board. If you can allow us to

land, I shall give you a big reward. "

Kerbau Hitam

answered, "Oh, all right. But you must come ashore with all your sailors. My men will guard

your ship and the gold."

The Chinese headman rowed ashore in

a boat with the Temenggong, Rahim, ten of his men, and a coffin. When

they reached the shore, they carried the

coffin on their shoulders an(] walked towards the Chinese temple.

"Stop!"

shouted Kerbau Hitam. "Are you carrying any

arms?"

"We are

merchants," said the Chinese headman.

But Kerbau Hitam ordered them to be searched. Not a weapon was found.

Kerbau Hitam and a large band of

pirates jumped into a boat and rowed out to

the Chinese junk. They did not know that the rest of the Chinese were

still hiding on the junk wait­ing for them to come. Before Kerbau Hitam and his

men knew what had happened, they were seized by the Chinese and shut up in the

hold of the junk.

By this time,

the funeral procession had

reached the Chi­nese temple. The coffin was put on the ground.

"Now!" shouted the Temenggong. The Chinese opened the coffin and

armed themselves with the guns, swords and knives which they had hidden inside.

They ran to the Raja's house, led by

the Temenggong and Rahim, where the remaining pirates were easily captured

after a short fight.

"Praise be to God that you came

in time," said the Raja. "They were just going to kill me and my

daughter."

Rahim rescued Normah. He then set

free the villagers who had been locked up,

in the store at the back of the Raja's house. Rahim and Normah decided to get married immediately. The Raja

thanked the Temenggong and the Chinese for saving his life. He invited them all

to a big feast.

The next morning, the Temenggong and

the Chinese sailed back to Singapore with

the pirates. Later, Kerbau Hitam and his

gang of pirates were tried and hanged

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