THE PINJIH EHINO. 19 



his traditional craft. It was lengthy and full of 

 repetitions : but the gist of it was that here was 

 a white man, who came to ask the assistance of 

 the spirits; and here were Malias, Che Mat, and 

 Pa' Senik, the servants and followers of the white 

 man, and they too craved the assistance of the 

 spirits; and in the forest was the rhinoceros whom 

 they desired to take, and whom they now besought 

 the spirits to give them. What answer would the 

 spirits give us, and by what means could we ensure 

 their assistance in the enterprise ? Such, in a few 

 words, was the meaning of an invocation that lasted 

 twenty minutes. The chant ended, Pa' Senik laid 

 aside his bow, and asked one of the company to 

 recite from the Koran. A man at once began to 

 intone some verses, while the whole audience joined 

 in the usual responses and replies, and the protection 

 of the Islam religion was thus called in upon pro- 

 ceedings utterly at variance with the teaching of 

 Muhammad. When this was over, a tray containing 

 rice and various kinds of curry was brought up to 

 Che Mat, who had hitherto remained silent and 

 motionless, in pose of entire abstraction. He now 

 roused himself, and throwing some gum benjamin 

 into the censer over which he faced Pa' Senik, 

 moved the tray in and out of the thick smoke 

 until it was thoroughly fumigated. Then he took 

 a saucer of rice from an attendant, and passed it 

 in a similar manner through the smoke, and after 

 placing a lighted candle on the edge of the saucer, 

 put it on a tray suspended from the roof between 

 the two men. Finally, a plate of parched rice was 



