12 



12. RELIGIO>'-. 



The Orang Besisi of Tamboh appear to be almost without any 

 religious beliefs. Possibly they have some and would not tell me 

 about them, but the Batin denied that they had anything of the kind. 

 All he would admit was that they had heard of the " Pulau Buah," 

 where, according to Skeat. the soul of the Besisi dead are supposed 

 to go. From his conversation, however, I gathered that he did not 

 seem to think much of the idea of going to such a place, if in fact, he 

 did not altogether disbelieve in it. 



Ghosts. — Ghosts, however, appear to be firmly believed in and the 

 following names of hantu were mentioned to me, though I could not 

 find out in some cases from whence they were derived or what was 

 their occupation. 



Hantu I'oyu (a wood spirit); 



.)in Kafir ; 



Hantv Sheita)i tneri ; 



Hantu Limhas ; 



Hantu Kambing (which comes to eat the blood when a 

 birth takes place). 

 [The liist mentioned, which should possibly read hantu kembany, is 

 equivalent to, if not actually derived from, the well-known Malay 

 penanqgal a 71. \ 



13. L.\NGUAGK. 



General Remarks. — The usual difliculties were experienced in 

 obtaining translations of words expressing some general idea. Foi- 

 instance, it was impossible to obtain any word for "brother" (sndara) 

 though those for eldei- brother and younger brother were at once 

 given in answer to the question : "'What do you say fot brother'"':' 

 Again, when the word for "beast" was asked for my informant at 

 once tried to descend fi-om the general to the particular and started 

 giving the names for elephant, tiger, etc., being unable to grasp the 

 full meaning of the question. Much the same sort of difficulty was 

 experienced in obtaining the Besisi for such words as "I." "thou," 

 "he," etc., and "who," "this" and "that." 



Numerals. — The Besisi only possess words, distinct from Malay, 

 for the numerals : 1, 2, 3 they are as follows : 



