54 IN MALAY FORESTS. 



The pawang picks up " the head of the sidins" slings 

 it over his right shoulder, and looks round for a 

 suitable tree to which to tie it. Selecting one on 

 the line that has just been cut, he chips off a small 

 piece of the bark with his knife. The bark falls to 

 the ground on its face that is, with the inner side 

 downwards and the tree is a lucky one. (Were 

 the bark to fall on its back another tree would be 

 chipped until a lucky one is found.) Taking care, 

 then, not to stand on the roots of the tree or in 

 its shadow, he grasps it with his left hand at about 

 the height of his head, and in a rapid mutter, with 

 here and there a word thrown in in a louder tone, 

 he makes this petition. The words cannot be dis- 

 tinguished by the listener, but the following is a 

 literal translation : 



" Hail ! all hail ! 



Mother to the earth ! 



Father to the sky ! 



Brother to the water ! 



I crave permission to enter on your domain, 

 And to tie my nooses to this tree." 



This preliminary invocation is over in a few seconds. 

 The pawang then opens the strings that bind the still 

 coiled-up nooses, takes hold of the rope at the end 

 of the main line of the sidin, and brings this rope 

 round the tree at about five feet from the ground, 

 so that it will be ready to be tied when he has 

 finished the next invocation. Then in the same 

 guttural tones he begins the charm against untoward 

 influences. It is of four lines and in rude verse, being 



