THE PINJIH RHINO. 25 



parched rice, and the rice I have mentioned as a 

 delicacy, was accepted. 



This, Pa' Senik was careful to explain to me the 

 next morning, was not in this case to be considered as 

 representing the exchange value of the rhinoceros ; it 

 was tendered and accepted only in the sense of a pro- 

 pitiatory offering. All that was vouchsafed was that, 

 as far as the Earth Spirits were concerned, we were at 

 liberty to follow the rhinoceros ; whether we succeeded 

 or not was another thing, and to that the Jin would 

 not commit himself. But we were given an omen, 

 and told that if we met a tiger's tracks crossing those 

 of the rhinoceros, we were to return at once, and not 

 to make another attempt ; when we made our offering 

 at the entrance of the forest, certain signs in the flame 

 of a candle would tell us the disposition of the guard- 

 ian spirit ; and, thirdly, we were to be guided by our 

 dreams that night. The Jin then threw Che Mat into 

 a final frenzy and left. This ended the night's work. 



We were astir early the next morning, and Malias 

 eagerly asked me what I had dreamt. Alas ! no omens 

 were to be gathered from my dreamless sleep ; nor had 

 any one else been favoured, except my little Tamil 

 " boy," who had been very much frightened by what 

 he had peeped in to see overnight, and who plaintively 

 said, in tones that showed he wished it were true, that 

 he had dreamt of being back at my house. Pa' Senik 

 was ready with his offering, and after breakfast he, 

 Malias, and I set off for a walk in the forest. We had 

 no news "of the whereabouts of the rhinoceros, for, as 

 I have said, no one would go to look for this animal's 

 tracks ; but a day would be well spent in learning as 



