A DEER-DRIVE. 61 



hastily and roughly replaces the sidin, which has 

 been disarranged in the struggle, calls off the dogs, 

 and quickly goes back to his hiding-place, in the hope 

 that there may be another deer in the ground. The 

 stricken animal is not released from the fatal noose 

 that holds it ; but it rarely struggles after being ham- 

 strung, apparently giving itself up to death. 



While this is going on at the sidin, a shot is heard 

 from the beaters' side, and before long they come up, 

 and the drive is over. Questions and answers are 

 shouted on every side. The success that has attended 

 the nooses is equalled by that of Che Mamud, the 

 headman's son, who was with the beaters, and who 

 has shot a deer that was concealing itself in a thicket 

 in the hope of breaking back through the line. It is 

 lucky that he succeeded in so doing, for his neigh- 

 bour would probably otherwise have got the bullet, 

 the jinggi the blame, and the poor pawang the re- 

 proaches. Nothing, however, goes wrong to-day, and 

 the second deer is brought up by four men and de- 

 posited close by the still living animal. The throat of 

 the latter is then cut with all ceremony. The throat 

 of the other deer was cut as soon as it was shot, for 

 fear of its dying of the wound, in which case it would 

 not have been lawful food for Muhammadans. It is 

 interesting, as showing the distinction between the 

 Malays' present religion and their pre-Muhammadan 

 superstition, that this ceremony is not performed by 

 the pawang. 



There is now an interval for rest and refreshment, 

 and while the cigarettes and betel-leaf pass round, 

 the incidents of the day and the weight of the deer 



