THE WILD TRIBES OE THE MALAY PENINSULA. 478 



sonic one of the dcnizriis or products ot" tlic jmiylc. ('oiiuncnciiisj;' l)y 

 •settiiiii' forth the attributetrand habits of some })ai'licular wild animal; 

 or l)ird. they would proceed tO'descrit>e the incidents of its ])ursuit l)y 

 men from their encampment, its death l)y a venomed shaft from the 

 blowg'un, the return of tlie successful huntsmen, and the im})artial 

 division of th(^ spoil. It has often Ik'cu said that these songs are mere 

 g-ihherish and luive no connected meaning. AVliether they are so or 

 not, the following extraets will show. 



The first i.s one of the Semang- songs which 1 took down in Kedali. 

 It refers to a kind of long"-taile(l monkey called "kra," whose name 

 forms tlu' l)urden of the song'. 



"He runs along tlie braiu-lies, the km, 

 Carrying fruit with him, the kra. 

 He Malks to and fro, the kra, 

 Over the knotted '>'<eraya' tree, tlie kra, 

 Over the knotted 'ranilmtau' tree, the kra, 

 Over the live baad»ootJ, the kra. 

 Over the dead l)anilK)os, the ki'a. 

 Over tile giant 1)ainboos, the kra. 

 He hangs downwards, tlie kra. 

 And runs along the branches, the kra, 

 He runs along and hoots, the kra, 

 And peers forwani, the kra. 

 Among the young ramlmtans, the kia, 

 And shows his grinning teetli, the kra. 

 From every 8ai)ling, the kra I" 



Here is one of the fTakun song's, which is one out of a set of about 

 thirty ditferent ones wldch 1 took down in Selangor: 



" 'Impit-impit' is the cry of the rhinoceros, 

 The rhinoceros of the herd (calling) to the reclnsi' rhinot-eros, 

 He calls his comrades to seek for fooil. 

 He walks the forest and climbs the hills. 

 He walks abroad when the dew dries on the granite. 

 What skills it for me to resist the rhinoceros? 

 I call my comrades, but my comrades are not there. 

 I am terrified and clind) up into a tree. 

 But the rhinoceros waits at the tree's foot. 

 I break off a bow and throw it down to him. 

 The rhinoceros champs it, and j^asses onward. 

 I climb down to ground again and luu l)ack homewai<ls 

 And climb into the hut, but the rhinoceros follows. 

 I take my gun and shoot the rhinoceros. 

 The bullet has hit him! The rhinoceros has fallen! 

 I roast him next and cut up the rhinoceros, 

 And give of the meat a little U) everyone. 

 But the horn J sell to the Chinese foreigners." 



Other song's in my collections describe the tiger, (dcphant, beai', 

 crocodile, birds and l»ats, tish, \arious reptiles, and fruit. A Ncrv 

 pretty one is at)out children bathing. 



