JUNGLE STRATAGEMS 47 



rapidly lost their self-consciousness and treated me 

 simply as a companion who knew more than they 

 knew and who had a wonderful gun and a kit of 

 medicine. 



In jungle countries white men are always sup- 

 posed to possess great knowledge of medicines and 

 curing, and I was often called upon to act as doctor. 

 At first the Malays showed some hesitancy at 

 accepting the orang puteh ubat (the white man's 

 medicine), but gradually they became less shy. 

 During my circus days I had acquired a knowl- 

 edge of first-aid work, and in the jungle I became 

 quite proficient in patching people up. They be- 

 lieved that most ailments could be cured by their 

 own doctors, who heal by magic, but they were glad 

 to have me prescribe for them when magic failed to 

 work. 



The Malay doctor is supposed to be favored by a 

 spirit, and a bdtu bintang (star stone) is given to 

 him while he sleeps. In other words, he is made 

 and not born a doctor. His batu bintang is just one 

 of the charms with which he effects cures. He has 

 a batu that is a petrified part of a Sembilan fish. 

 Water in which this has been soaked is given to 

 the patient to drink or is rubbed on the part affected. 

 Other charms are the bdtu lintar (thunderbolt), 

 which is rubbed wherever pain is felt; another 

 batu, also a thunderbolt, which is a piece of crystal ; 

 a batu that is part of the backbone of some animal ; 

 one that is another piece of crystal; and, finally, 



