In Reply to: Bali Photos posted by gecko on Saturday, 19. March 2005 at 19:02 Bali Time:
The text below the historical drawing, with the headline 'Ein König aus der Insel Bally' is a description of the drawing, it's written in old German, obviously the writer of the text was not very well educated, because the text contents several mistakes, maybe he was a sailor, but despite of this the text is interesting.
Translation / explanation:
This king so came in February, year 1597 to the Dutch's ship, whose fired a big cannon on his demand, sitting on a wagon, at this two white buffalos dragging it.
His guards had each of them a Chinese dagger, a spear like a tube how are at (A), to see like drawn at (B) and (C) the arrows they carry in quivers with them they shoot or blow.
They are of pagan believe one is praying to the sun, another one is praying to a cow. When a man has died, his body will be burned, then his wife willingly jumps into the fire and will be burned as well.
With this king two Dutchmen remained voluntary.
Best regards
Thorsten