THE PINJIH RHINO. 17 



made a living by shooting deer. He was now old 

 and poor, but despite his age was keen to go after 

 the rhinoceros, and, knowing its haunts and wallows, 

 assured us that he could bring me up with it. But 

 this was no ordinary quest, he said ; if without pre- 

 liminary preparations we went in search of tracks, 

 we were foredoomed to the failure that had attended 

 all previous efforts. We must first "ask" for the 

 rhinoceros from the Jin Tanah, or Earth Spirits, 

 who have power over the forest and all its inhabit- 

 ants, and to whom the attendant spirits of kramat 

 animals are vassals. Pa' Senik, who was a pawang, 1 

 proposed to make a feast and invoke the spirits, and 

 to ask them to give us the rhinoceros and to accept 

 compensation. We should not have to pay much, he 

 said, for the spirit, if it accepted the offer, would 

 probably ask for something to eat, a fowl perhaps, 

 or some eggs, and a lime or two. Of course, if the 

 spirits proved obdurate, nothing could be done, and 

 we must not think of any act of defiance ; but, if 

 made with skill and address, our application would, 

 he thought, be favourably considered. The exchange 

 value of a rhinoceros in the spirit world seemed to 

 be extremely moderate, and I gave the old man a 

 dollar (all he asked for) with which to prepare the 

 feast preliminary to the invocation, and arranged to 

 go to his house to witness the ceremony. 



The following Saturday was the day agreed upon, 



1 Apdwang is a man who, by ceremony, incantation, or charm, 

 propitiates or invokes the assistance of the spirits. He figures in 

 every enterprise and festival of the Malay community. For a fuller 

 account see the Appendix. 



B 



