ONCE upon a time there was a young man from Pasauran, a remote village in Banten. His name was short and simple, Djahidin, but behind the simplicity of his name, this village youth had admirable courage: he had traveled to various cities and countries, from Batavia, Singapore, Japan, Papua New Guinea, and even as far as America.

The story of this Sundanese youth was narrated in De Lotgevallen van Djahidin (Djahidins Experiences). Published in 1873