THE DEATH

The Death of Musa

I did not have the details about the death of Musa. But, my grandpa (Mamat) told me briefly how his father died.

It was one fine evening when Musa returned from his padi(rice) field. He took the route beside the Muslim Cemetery and suddenly spotted a small baby cobra aggressively and fiercely confronted him.

Musa tried to chase away the snake, but it didn't want to flee. So, Musa became very angry and he stepped over the head of the snake, pressed and forced it till death. He threw the snake into the bushes and walked home.

I was told by my grandpa that Musa Had a bad dream that night. He had a visitor claiming to avenge the death of his son committed by Musa. The snake killed by Musa was a baby boy of a Jinn family. The father gave Musa 1 day to prepare for his death. 

The following night became the moment of truth when Musa was attacked and bitten by a king cobra just after he finished his Isyak prayer. So, the revenge was really happened and Musa was struggling with great pain waiting for his death.

That night was also became a scary night for villagers because there were some tigers wandering around Musa's house. The tigers making noise and roaring. Musa did say something to them. Soon after that, the tigers left and Musa was gone forever...

My grandpa inherited the house and the land from Musa. The land was less than one acre and my grandpa had the smallest portion of the assets if compared to other sons and daughters of Musa. But, it was ok for my grandpa because he just had a small family then.

Musa was buried in Muslim Cemetery of the village called "Kubur Kelat".

I do not know how old was Musa at the time of his death. No death certificate was found. But my grandpa was very sure that his father's death was few years before World War II. I reckon he died at the age of 70 or 71 years old when he was still strong and healthy.

I will end my writing about Musa here and would like to thank so much for those who had wasted times by reading my blogs about Musa. However, this site will continue its stories about Musa's sons and daughters and his descendants in continuation thereof.

SETTLED DOWN 2

Marriage and Happy Life

Musa was then getting married with a local girl, named Fatimah. 

He modified and renovated his house to make it more comfortable and safer for his wife. He still remember the bad episode of his previous marriage. He knew the reasons and causes which led to the happening of the incident. He will ensure such tragedy will not be repeated again in his second marriage here.

Time ran very fast and Musa and his wife were granted their first baby, a daughter. They named her Aminah.

Then came the second one, a baby boy called as Boto'.

Later on Musa was awarded a twin, Fatimah and Said.

After Fatimah and Said was my grandfather, Mamat. Then came a daughter named Hitam. The last and the youngest one was another daughter, Lijah. So, altogether Musa had 3 sons and 4 daughters. 

Based on records, every sons and daughters were granted with a piece of land, about 1 acre each after their marriages. Selamah, Hitam and Lijah were granted adjacent lands surrounding Musa's land. Musa's land was later on granted to Mamat as his youngest son.

Meanwhile, Aminah was granted a land in area called Kampung Dusun while Boto' was granted a land a bit isolated in a different village called Tok Adis. Said had a land in another location called Padang Kemunting. All places granted however were under the same Mukim of Kuala Ibai.

So, every body from Musa's family has had lands and houses granted by Musa and they lived peacefully thereafter.

I have some memories with Selamah, Said, Hitam, Lijah and Mamat save for Aminah and Boto' as they died when I was still very young.

Save for Mamat, all sons and daughters of Musa have had many kids. The most productive one was Lijah, who was granted 8 kids. The second one was Hitam with 4 kids. The biggest family now days are from Lijah's descendants because almost all of her sons (save for Manaf) and  daughters were productive too.

My grandfather, Mamat originally was granted 3 kids but 2 of them ( Abu Bakar and Hawa ) were died at a very young age, leaving my mother Pe'ah alone as the sole descendant of Mamat. So, I came from a very small family of Mamat as part of the descendants of Musa.

NEW HOME

Kuala Ibai Kuala Terengganu

From Kuala Berang, Musa walked to the coastal area, headed to Kuala Terengganu. The town was a fishermen's port expanded vastly during the occupation of British. It was later became the state's capital of Terengganu in place of Kuala Berang.

It took about 10 days for Musa to arrive at Kuala Terengganu. He  passed by  places like Ajil, Wakaf Tapai and Bukit Payong on the way to Kuala Terengganu. He rested for 2 days in Bukit Payong before continued his journey.

He arrived at Kuala Terengganu on the last day of the year 1893. He had been wandering around the town searching for landed property to be bought. He found out that the properties in the town were expensive.

So, Musa walked to the south of the town and arrived at a place called Kuala Ibai. He tried to buy a piece of land facing the sea, but no body agreed to sell the land to him. He was told that there were some landed properties for sale in Kampung Kolam Kuala Ibai. The place was just less than 1 km away from the sea shore.

It was a perfect place for a new settlement for Musa. Even though the place was surrounded by a swamp area, Musa still satisfied with location and proceeded with the purchase of the land. The land he purchased was about 5 acres and about 40% of the same were swamp area. But the price was cheap and Musa was happy to have the land.

So, on the first day of the year 1894, Musa had a landed property in Terengganu.

The name of Kampung Kolam was originated from the meaning of the place itself. 'Kolam' in Malay language means pool, pond or swamp in English. Since the village was surrounded largely with swamp area, the founder of the place named it Kampung Kolam or Swamp Village.

Musa constructed a small wooden house by himself using timbers from the land itself. The house was a typical Malay wooden house with pillars strengthening the floors and the roof.  The roof was made from a kind of palm trees leaves locally called "nipah" and the wall was made from bamboos plus that nipah leaves fixed horizontally to the wall. The floor was made from bamboo timber which grew strongly on the land. 

It took 1 month plus for Musa to complete the construction of the house. In the mean time, he was allowed by the head of the village to stay temporarily at the village's Mosque pending completion of the house. He also started clearing the surrounding area of the house and planted coconut trees and other fruit trees such as mangoes, banana and jack fruit.

Meanwhile, Musa's arrival in the village and his quick settlement had attracted attention of many people resided around the area and became a hot topic of their daily conversation in the coffee shops. They thought Musa was a very rich man and they knew he was a bachelor.

So, suddenly Musa had been  targeted as a dreamed husband for girls in the village...

He will be married again...for a second time in his life. But, those local people did not know he had been married before in Kelantan.

New episode in his life will begin...soon.

NEW LAND - End of 1893

Good Bye Friends - Finding New Home - Terengganu

It had been 3 months for Musa living with tigers in the thick jungle. Sometimes Musa has to divert the route to avoid them from confronting with people from nearest villages. He did not want to make new enemies. His presence accompanied with a group of beasts will definitely scared the villagers. Besides, the cubs were getting more aggressive and always hungry.

Apparently, Musa must find a solution for the unusual problems. He must discharge himself from the tiger's family. Sooner was the better. He must go back to the life and the likelihood of humanity, to the real life of a person with sound mind.

He must talk and make agreement with the tigers. The agreements were that they will always remember not to hurt each other till they die and have rights to visit each other when they missed them very much. Proper place, time and manner of the meeting will be arranged by Musa.

So, the friends, human and beasts had to be separated accordingly. Finally the friendship has had to be ceased. They knew it will be a very long time for them to meet again. But, Musa had given some names to each of the beasts. If he really needed them, he will call any single name or all names if necessary.

Musa had tried to join the public by having tea or coffee and buying new clothes from the shops in the villages that he had passed by. It was certain that the local people did not know him at all and did not even bother about him. He heard that the place was known as Kuala Berang.

Musa believed that the place he stayed had different government and different jurisdiction with Kelantan. At that time, in the year of 1893 there was no federal government in Malaya. Every states have its own ruler with its own laws and jurisdictions. So, if one has committed a crime in Kelantan, he could not be arrested in Terengganu, what more to convict him and likewise.

So, he started to find a suitable locations to settle down. He moved closer to the coastal area where he can start a new life and at the same time he can be a fisherman again...

THE AUTHORITY

Search For Musa


The 3 boats chasing Musa on the killing night were actually the Marine Department's boats. Each boat carried armed policemen and few villagers who were experts in trailing criminals or bad guys.

It was the screaming voice of the wife and her spouse in pain (after being stabbed by Musa with spear from underneath of the house) that woke up the 2 baby boys and the closest neighbor. The babies crying and the neighbor called for help.

The killing incident has woke up almost entire villagers and within less than an hour Musa's house and its surrounding was full with them. The police arrived to the place about half an hour later. All visitors were astounded with what they have seen. They did not believe their own eyes. The nude corpses were still remained intact as well as their sexual organs. The spear had fixed the two bodies, male on top of female with their eyes and mouth opened wide. They were shocked by a big surprised with painful death.

The head of village covered the corpses with cloth to hide the bodies from the public. He did not touch the corpses and waited for the police to investigate. He thought that it will be very difficult to separate the bodies because they were fixed together by the spear and the wooden floor. The male body has to be removed first from the spear...and to be followed by the female one.

Soon, Musa's house and its surrounding were flooded with visitors who wanted to know and see what was happening. And later on there were many personal speculations, guessing, comments, justifications, accusations and opinions from the public. 

Some supported Musa's action and will do the same if their wife committed adultery. Some did not agree and will let the government or police to punish the sinners. Some will happy if Musa can escape and pray for his survival. Just few of them would like to see Musa be arrested and punished. They were persons related to the victims who had program to retaliate and avenge if Musa was set to be freed later on.

The big group of policemen and villagers had stopped at the coffee shop where Musa had breakfast before. That place were known as Kuala Besut, Terengganu.

After gathering information, the chasing group headed to the jungle following Musa's footsteps. Soon they found the big tree where Musa used to sleep and encountered the tigers.

Luckily, Musa was not there anymore. Musa had ran deeper to the big jungle and higher mountains with his new family.

The chasers found the soil around the tree were full of tigers' footprints and its scratches. There was no possible chance for a human to survive from the attack of some tigers. Even though there were no evidence to support their claims that tigers had killed and ate Musa, they were optimized that the remains of Musa's body such as his bones were taken away by dogs or wolfs.

The group then decided to stop their search for Musa and will confirm of his death by tigers' attack in the jungle as final report.

To some people, Musa's disappearance was a mystery and they believed Musa was still alive because he was once been a close friend and a student of Tok Kenali. Surviving in the jungle was just a very small matter for these type of man whom had devoted his life to Allah and his family.

So, the search for Musa was finally aborted and came to an end...

TIGERS

New Friends

The smell of Musa's urine has  had attracted the tigers. They were a group of tigers consisting of a male and a female and three young cubs. They were scratching their claws at the root base of the tree and kept grinning, roaring and roaring...

Shivering Musa has nobody to help. He must remember and get help from his God. He recited few versus from Al Qur'an and craved mercy and help from Allah. He repeated that many times and had not stopped until he fell asleep again...

Morning sun sparkled and its shine has struck Musa's eyes. He woke up quickly and looked down around the root of the tree. The tigers had left, leaving the scratched land around the tree.

Musa must go quickly because the tigers will come back soon. So he untied the sarong from the hanging root which contained his supplies. He hanged and going down slowly to the ground.

Just about his foots touching the ground suddenly one huge male tiger appeared just in front of him. Musa stunned and frozen. But his mind was working. He recited a verse from Al Qur'an in Surah Yusuf from Ayat 4 and repeated it several times with full concentration. Then he blew his breath straight to the face of the tiger.

Allah the Almighty, with His willing the tiger bowed and lowered its head touching the ground in front of Musa. The tiger grounded its body and reclined closer to Musa. Its body touched Musa's feet.

All of sudden Musa regained his braveness and strength. He lowered his body and touched the tiger's neck slowly and softly. The beast closed its eyes and looked like enjoying the massage.

an example of a cub, like the one playing with Musa?

Then came the moment of truth, the female with its three young cubs appeared from nowhere. The female stood to the ground with an attack mode and ready to lunge on Musa. Suddenly the male stood up as if it was protecting Musa. There were lots of grinning and roaring between the two tigers. Musa lurked behind the male tiger with suspense.

The young cubs however were not interested in their parent's altercation. The cubs ran to Musa, smelling and licking Musa's body and clothes. Soon after that, it looked that the cubs had a new caretaker. They became comfortable to each other just in a blink of eyes. And the mother has to obey and abide with the majority's decision.

That day Musa was very busy to suit himself with the life styles of the new friends and had to play with them with such a strange game...Silat Harimau!!!

This time, he had to learn the tricks from the tigers how to defend and attack. It was priceless!!!

IN THE THICK JUNGLE

First Night In Jungle

Musa was deep inside the thick Tropical Rain Forest where there were hills and ravines, home of mosquitoes and leeches and playgrounds of snakes and tigers. How to survive with that type of surrounding? He was alone, frustrated, sad and depressed.

"Ya Allah! Help me please. I crave to you Allah the Almighty, protect me from all dangers and difficulties. There is no effort and strength on me save from You ". Musa prayed to his God when he started to feel the forces of the jungle became closer to disturb him then.

He found a suitable place under a big tree where he can take a rest and eat. There was a big branch of the tree above his head at about 5 meters high. There were some roots of the tree hanging to the ground. Musa tried to climb to the big branch of the tree using the roots. The roots were strong and he managed to settle himself on the branch. The huge tree and its big branch was a perfect place for him to sleep that night.

Not far from the big tree he found a small stream created after a heavy rain before that. He used the water to clean and cool his body. He started to pray and pray for the Solah that he had missed before.

After performing the night Solah, Musa had his dinner, some cooked rice with salted fish that he bought from the coffee shop in the morning and bananas. Then he quickly packed his belonging with a sarong and brought them up to the big branch. He tied up the sarong to one of the strong hanging root .

He tied up one of his leg to another strong hanging root to ensure he will not fall down when he fell asleep.

Just about having a deep sleep, Musa stunned by the roars of tigers beneath the big tree.

Musa was very frightened and immediately became panic.

Inadvertently, he pissed off...and the tigers were getting much more excited for the awaiting dinner...

ANOTHER ESCAPE

Escape From Death Sentence

For the second time in his life, Musa escaped from home. The first one was by leaving his own native land in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The escape was just a matter of trying to have his own life, gaining experience, working for moneys and the most was to free himself from his father's control.

But the second escape was very much different. It was a question of life and death. He had murdered 2 persons. The penalty for taking life of other person under Muslim Law at that time if found guilty was to be convicted with death sentence too.

Musa sailed with his boat heading towards the south. He intended to go back to Singapore where he knew some people who can help him.

He could not sleep all night long. He cried and cried and felt very sad about his wife attitude of destroying all beliefs, moneys and loves that had been given to her. He had to kill them because he was a man who'd lived with honor and faith. He strongly believed that Allah will forgive him and those who had committed the adultery. He knew in Islamic Law there was a section of the law called Hudud which will punish the persons (matured and married offender) who were guilty of adultery by stoning till death. And he believed he had acted rightly in compliance with the Muslim law.

He believed that the government of Kelantan at that time which has British Adviser will not convict the couple properly under Muslim Law for an offence of  adultery. The couple will be tried under Common Law which will release them from stoning under Muslim Law. Musa had disagreed with this. He had decided to kill the couple for that religious reason and for his own pride. He did not want people to call him as a cowardly husband.

He felt very sad and sorry about his 2 baby boys who had just lost their mother forever. He felt sorry too for them because he could no longer take care of them...perhaps forever. He loved them very much.

It was about sunrise, when Musa woke up from inadvertent asleep. He suddenly noticed that he had no stock of fresh water and foods or other supplies needed for long sailing. So, he intended to come to the shore to buy his stocks. The beach was miles away from Melawi beach. He thought he had a safer place there.

His prediction was wrong because there were 3 boats chasing him and he could see them in the distance. By the size of the boats and their sailing clothes, Musa expected them to capture him in less than 2 hours if he kept on sailing.  

Panicked, hungry and tired, Musa rowed the boat to the shore. Took whatever things really important and necessary from the boat and ran away as quickly as possible heading to the jungle...to the mountains if possible. That was his planning. If there was nowhere to go he will fight to the death, if possible. He will never surrender to the police or the authority. He will try to escape and kept lurking from them until it was far far away from them. He will settle down in another new place later on.

He had a parang with him and when spotted an almost ripe banana fruits in the village he chopped them off from the bark. He took out some coins from his pocket and placed it on a banana leave at the bottom of the banana clump, as the payment for the stolen fruits. The coins were more than enough to cover the cost or the price of the fruits.

Musa kept on escaping with banana fruits on his back. Some of the fruits will be ripen and ready to be eaten in the evening.

The morning was getting older and he search for any coffee shops around the area. He found one. He had his heavy breakfast there. From the shop he bought his supplies too.

Then, he continued his escape...walked hurriedly into the thick tropical jungle which he himself did not know its name and location.

BETRAYAL

Adultery

Musa had been working hard to make his family happy and living in pleasure. He went to the sea as early as 4.00 am to catch fish. Sometimes he had an assistant and some times alone. But most of the times he went for fishing alone to cut cost.

He had thrown away his public style of living. He devoted his entire life to his wife, Chik Mek (I am not so sure about the name because there appeared to be some other names referred to Musa's wife. So, I decided to call her Cik Mek, because that name was and is a popular name for a girl or a woman in Kelantan) and his 2 baby boys. In his mind is only Allah, his Messenger and....his beloved family.

Until, one cruel day, he had some words from the chief of the village. At first, the chief told him to calm down, remember Allah, be patient and not to react stupidly when hearing those words. The chief promised to do something and take necessary action after that.

He fell down with his hands covering his face on the ground. He cried and shouted..."why, why and why" many times...The chief tried to calm him down and Musa seemed to be abide by that. He then walked home as if nothing happened.

That evening he told his wife that he will be leaving to Kota Bharu for some business and will be away for at least 1 week. He watched his wife properly and waiting for some words or comments in return from his wife. There was no surprising words or worried reactions from his wife. The only impressions were just wishing good bye and asking him to be careful when he was away.

The night arrived and Musa came back to his house, wearing dark clothes and armed with a spear. He went to underneath the wooden floor of the house and started watching and listening. About 10 pm he saw someone walking towards his house, dressed like a Malay woman, but couldn't recognize her. The visitor knocked the front door several times and Musa's wife without hesitation, opened the door and welcomed in the visitor.

Musa had some relief but not for long, because he suddenly heard some conversations held between his wife with a male voice. The male asking about the kids whether they have slept already and the wife confirming the question by saying yes. So, a man dressed like a woman got into his house for what?

Musa could not believe his ears, when soon after that he heard clearly how his wife moaned. The sound of two persons making love were too obvious, no more proof was necessary. That was enough and strong evidence for him to accuse that his wife had committed 'zina' or adultery.

Adultery! His beloved wife has committed an adultery... like what being informed by the chief. It was true.

Musa could not wait any longer. He set the spear heading upright and with the words "Allahu Akbar" and using all power that he had, he pushed up the spear through the thin gap between the floor woods. The sharp spear hit the back of his wife, went through her chest and stabbed the heart of her spouse. They both died almost immediately...after a loud screaming for pain.They died with the man on top of the lady and both naked with sexual organs still intact. What a death! What a shame!

Musa crawled out from underneath of the house and ran to his boat.

He must escape quickly to save his neck....

SETTLED DOWN

Getting Married-1891

During  his study under the scholar called Haji Jamaluddin at Perupok, Bachok, Musa had met a local woman and fell in love with her. After completing his study, he got married and settled down in Bachok.

Musa then moved on to a new place called Pantai Melawi, which is also located in the province of Bachok. The place was facing the South China Sea with beautiful sandy beach. He bought a piece land facing the sea and constructed a new wooden house.

At that time, most of the Malay houses were made from wood with the poles or pillars were set upright. The floor of the house was normally about 4 to 5 feet high. You may sit or squat under the floor of the house.There were also a double storey wooden houses, but the cost for such houses were much more expensive.

Musa bought a fishing boat and worked as a fisherman for his survival and to support his new family. 

Even though he still have his saving, he had been working hard too as a fisherman. Sooner then, he had been a father of 2 boys.

He had no time to relax or visiting his friends or teachers and the famous scholars where he learned a lot before. As a married man, his new life was devoted to his family.

And Musa worked harder and harder as a fisherman to support his family. His saving was also slowly accumulated again!

He was happy and have had a happy life with his family...

KOTA BHARU, KELANTAN - 1890

School of Pondok

After settling down in Kota Bharu, Kelantan Musa had a wide chance to choose the scholars available in Kota Bharu Mosque at that time for the purpose of learning Islamic Studies.

The one really attracted him was Haji Wan Ali Kutan ( actual name is Haji Wan Ali bin Abdul Rahman). This respectable scholar had his own pondok and also known as Sheikh Wan Ali al-Kalantani.

The name “pondok” in Northern Malaya (Kedah and Kelantan) then, and even in Malaysia now, does not mean only the hut in which a student stays, but a generic name for a particular area in which such traditional system of Islamic education is available. The name “pondok” is then qualified either by the name of the locality or the name of the most prominent religious scholar in the institution. For example, there was then in Kota Bharu itself the Pondok Kubang Pasu, named after the locality Kubang Pasu, to the north of the town center.

So, Musa has became a student of Haji Wan Ali Kutan.

Musa also traveled to the north, to Tumpat where he found another famous scholar known as Haji Abdul Malik Sungai Pinang. He even went to Pattani, Southern Thailand to seek for religious knowledge.   

Musa learned Tasawwuf, Arabic Grammar, Fiqh and Al-Hadith from those scholars. It wasn't difficult for him to learn and understand the subjects taught because he had all the basic knowledge learned from his father before. His eagerness to study also making the subjects more interesting for him.

Musa then heard about the other young scholars whom had returned from Mecca like Tok Selehong and Tok Kenali. Later on Musa had been their student and their friend too.

Musa then shifted to Bachok, Kelantan and studied with a scholar known as Haji Jamaluddin Perupok.

GOODBYE SINGAPURA

Going To New Place

Musa had been working much more harder for the last two months he was in Singapore. He tried to accumulate his saving before leaving the Port. Every cents and dollars were counted. Savings getting more and more, accumulated every day.

No hesitation about going to Kelantan. He counted the days left in Singapore and wonder what will be his fortune in Kelantan. He had attained the age of majority/maturity, at 21 years old ( under Common Law). It meant that he had been working in Singapore for more than 5 years, when he first stepped down there at the age of 16.

He noticed that Singapura development had been growing very fast. The place was called Singapore by the British who owned the Island and the Port. Soon the name Singapore was well known to the world as one of the busiest port in Asia. At the time Musa wanted to leave Singapore, the place was developing forward.

Just one thing I am really sorry and wonder about him, why didn't he purchase landed property in Singapore at that time with so much money in his hand? He can always go back to Singapore at any time from Kelantan, may be twice a year...or at least once a year. But he didn't buy anything in perpetuity. If he did, I might have been a millionaire today because landed property is very expensive in Singapore!!!

So, 21 years old rich Musa sailed with a merchant's ship heading to the north...to Kelantan state. The trip took about one week.

When he first stepped in on the shore of Kelantan, he started to became confused. Singapore was a modern and fast developing place, whilst Kelantan was far left behind as a dull place. Although Kelantan was also under the British administration at that time, there were not many things and developments brought by the British to the place. British settlement in Kelantan had released the territory from the Siamese power who had concurred and ruled the same for centuries before. Unfortunately, province like Pattani was failed to be included in the British control and the province once had its own Kingdom remained nonindependent till today.

Musa was brought to the merchant's house in Kota Bharu and later on he rented a house.

So, the new life in Kelantan had begun.

NEW INTEREST

Seeking For Religious Knowledge

Musa had enjoyed his life happily in Singapura, working early in the morning and going home late in the evening. That routine of life had been used to Musa and he seemed adapted to it.

Until one day, when he was approached coincidentally by a merchant from a state known as Kelantan. The merchant spoke in Klantanese dialect...something new to Musa and he found it very interesting. Further stories and tales from the merchant about Kelantan had made Musa felt very excited about the same.

So, he started to learn something more about Kelantan state. He was told by the merchant about many religious teachers are available in Kelantan. Some are the native and some are from Pattani, south Thailand. Many people from other places in the Malay Archipelago went to Kelantan to study Islamic Religious. 

The names like Tok Kenali,  Tok Selehong, Haji Abdul Malik Sungai Pinang and plenty more were later on became the icons of the Malay and Islamic Religious development until today. Musa had heard about Haji Abdul Malik's name being quoted several times by his father during the religious classes in his native home in Makassar.

Musa had chances to visit those names and learn further about Islamic Religious.

He had arranged a trip to Kelantan when the merchant came back to Singapura the following month. So, the seeking for religious knowledge was almost done.

Musa will leave Singapura forever, just like leaving his native land too...

RICH TEENAGER

Saving Money

Musa worked very hard and he got paid very well. He saved half of his daily income and spent the rest for foods and drinks and shelter. He rented a small room behind the company's hardware and stock buildings. The room was constructed by himself with the company's materials. 

I was told by grandpa that Musa had been saving lot of money for his future investment. He intended to invest not in Singapore but in some other places in Malaya.

Musa was also a faithful Muslim. With lot of money in hands, Musa was not drifted away with such immoral activities and leisures living which probably or usually enjoyed by other teenagers at his age. He has got no girl friends and have not visited pubs or night clubs, what more a whore.

His daily working hours ended at 5.00 pm and he extended it up to 7.00pm everyday as an overtime. He had been working everyday without a leave. His every night time ended at as early as 9.30pm when he went to sleep. As early as 5.00am he already woke up and ready for business. At 6.00am he already in the dockyard loaded or unloaded merchandises.

He had his breakfast together with lunch at 11.00am where he took his daily half an hour break. He had another break for another half an hour for Zuhr prayer (noon) and another half an hour for Asr prayer (afternoon prayer).

His way of life had been the talk of the place where he'd been working. Some admired him and some not. But he was the darling of the company. Should he had an English education he would surely had been appointed as a supervisor or higher rank or better post in the company. So, he remained as a laborer in the company...for couple of years there.

My grandpa wasn't really sure about the company that his father (Musa) had been working with. He could not remember the company's name but he knew his father had been working in Singapore with an English company.

THE SURVIVAL

Temasek, 1885

The fleet of 3 Pinisis had left Temasek heading towards Makassar without Musa on board. They did not even bother about Musa's disappearance from their ship. They were confident that Musa will survive in any where he lived in this world because he was a though hard working boy with good visions to success in future life.

That was true indeed.

Musa was easily taken by a company in the Temasek harbor to work as its laborer. Musa has no problem to find a place to stay because he had his own saving. He was all right financially. He was being paid for jobs or works done on board of the ship from Makassar to Singapore several weeks before that. He did not choose or seek good jobs. So long as the jobs or works were paid in cash, that will do for him. In just a matter of few days in Temasek, Musa had established himself as a good servant to the company.

That Temasek was known as Singapura during Musa's ocupancy in the island. Since the date Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles opened and established Singapura as a British port in 1819, the island had vastly expanded from a dull Malay fishing village into a very important port connecting China in the east and India in the west for the East India Company.

Although in Musa's time the East India Company was no longer in existence, the port of Singapura continued to be the most important port in South East Asia. The port grew rapidly as the place of trade exchanging markets between the Pacific in the east and the Hindi in the west.

At the age of 16 in 1885, Musa had been an important person who contributed to the development of modern Singapura which was later on renowned by the world as Singapore.

Singapore today...

THE ESCAPE 5

The Fleet

Sailing along with Musa's ship were the other two Pinisi making the fleet of 3 Pinisis altogether. All ships were equipped with canons and armed with weapons to defend them from the attack of pirates in Java Sea and South China Sea. They might encounter with pirates in Karimata Straits before they can reach Temasek or Singapura (Singapore). Then they might encounter other pirates in the Straits of Malacca before they can anchor safely in the Malacca harbor as their final destination.

So, the fleet was considered as strong, reliable and safe for the passengers, the sailors and the goods/merchandises on board. The should be able to sail without any attack from the pirates..., the strongest one was the South China Pirates and the Pirates Lords of the South China Seas of the 18th Centuries.

The fleet however managed to sail to Temasek safely without encountering any single disturbance from the pirates. The fleet unloaded some of the goods/merchandises in Temasek harbor before continuing their journey to Malacca harbor.

And, when they continued to sail, they found out that Musa was missing. He wasn't on board of the three Punisis. The decided to proceed the journey to Malacca harbor and will stop again in Temasek on the way back to search for Musa.

They believed that Musa had escaped while they were busy unloading the merchandises in the Temasek harbor. They will just take a look whether Musa was arround. They will not go far into the Island of Temasek if Musa was not spotted in the harbor. They will not concern so much about Musa. They will not stop again and anchor the ship at Temasek if it was not for taking some goods/merchandises to bring home for sale. So, seeking Musa was not really great things to do.

So, it was another escape by Musa and this time he was no longer on the ship. He was on the shore of new land to start a brand new life in a new circumstances for his survival. He had been in Temasek Island which was thosands of miles away from his homeland, the South Sulawesi...

THE ESCAPE 4

The Family of Musa

Why Musa sailed?

I don't really know why Musa left his family. I was told by my late Allahyarham Grandfather (Musa's youngest son) that Musa came from a big and respectable Bugis family in downtown of Makassar, South Sulawesi. His father was the village chief and the Imam of the Mosque. His parents taught Qur'an for the villagers and were renowned as among the best Qur'an reciters.

Musa's entire young life was filled in with religious, customs and traditions of Bugis. He was trained by his parents to obey and follow the religious and respect the elders. He was not allowed to leave the village save and except accompanied by his parents or other relatives in his family circle. He was sent to religious school in his village to recite and study Qur'an and other religious syllabus. The school's headmaster was his father. Musa was well controlled by his father and under full disciplinary observation. He had lost his freedom as a child and as a teenager.

When his age entering 15 years old he started to dream about escaping from his family. He heard and learned about the Dutch and Holland, British, Spanish and other races like Arabs, Chinese and Indians. His vision was to sail to those countries away from home, to learn something new and ran away from his parents' control. He had a very wide outlook on his life and his future.

So, that was probably the main reason why Musa escaped from his family. No one from his village knew where he had gone. After several months then his parents concluded and accepted the facts that Musa was disappeared and vanished into the world of Bunians. The search for Musa was stopped accordingly.

THE ESCAPE 3

Phinisi/Pinisi, the Ship

modern Pinisi, the two masted scooner/yacht

The ship which Musa was on board was a wooden two masted yacht constructed in the famous Bugis harbor called Paotere in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The ship was well known as the Phunisi/Punisi and became the proud of the nation of Indonesia.

the beautiful modern Pinisi schooner anchoring

Further details about the yacht can be obtained by clicking Pinisi now.

THE ESCAPE 2

The Hideout


Musa struggled for his life, for his survival. He did not want to die at the age of 16. He wanted to do many things in his life. He must not let himself drowned. He was a young boy with such a wide outlook on life.

He swam and swam with difficulties. He fought against big waves, under sea current and strong wind with beads of rain striking his face. Suddenly there came a big wave and the water splashed onto his face.

Musa woke up from his long sleep. Someone has found his hiding box inside the ship. That fellow splashed a bucket of water onto his face after failing to wake up Musa.

Musa had sneaked into the ship 1 day before the ship started sailing, leaving the harbor of Paotere in Makassar (Ujung Pandang). He brought along some breads and two pots of water for his survival during his hiding in the ship.

The ship was a proud traditional two masted wooden yacht constructed by the Bugis known as the Phinisi/Pinisi. It became the proud of the Indonesia for hundreds of years ago till today and considered as one of toughest wooden boats in production today.

photo of modern 2 masted Phinisi yacht

The ship along with 2 other Phinisi were on its own scheduled trip to Malacca in the Malay Peninsula, carrying local spices such as cloves, peppers and other products from Maluku (onions and garlics).

When they found Musa about 1 week later the fleet were about half way through its journey. It was impossible to turn back to send Musa home. So, they have to let him in and sailed towards Temasik, Singapura (Singapore) before entering the Straits of Malacca. But, with his matured and tough physical appearance, it was not difficult for Musa to gain the confidence from the Captain of the ship. Soon after that, Musa had became a familiar and important living robot doing everything asked or ordered by the sailors and the passengers of the ship. Poor Musa was a very helpful teenager.

a sailing Phinisi yacht

Traveling by sea at that time was dangerous and always exposed to the pirates attacks and  treacherous waters. That was the main reason young boys and kids were not allowed to board the ship and sail together.

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THE ESCAPE 1

Young MUSA

The name was MUSA BIN ABDULLAH. A male 16 years old Bugis boy from unknown family of a fishermen's village in isolated part of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Like other young Bugis of his age Musa loved the sea very much. His entire young life was spent on the sea activities as a fisherman.

One day he went to fishing in open sea with his 2 cousins with a small wooden boat. The boat was equipped with one mast for small cloth sail and 2 paddles for rowing purposes.

The luck was not in their favor when suddenly they were hit by a storm. The small boat turned upside down after being hit by a huge wave. The three youngsters hung to the wooden boat. But the wave was too strong. One after another lost their grips to the boat and vanished...