410 DESCRIPTION OF BATAVIA CHAP, xvn 



commands upon him, and that if he neglects to fulfil them, 

 he will certainly suffer sickness or death as a punishment 

 for his inattention. Consequently he begins to labour over 

 in his brains all the circumstances of his dream, and try his 

 utmost to put some explanation or other upon them. In 

 this, if he fails, he sends for the cawin or priest, who assists 

 him to interpret them. Sometimes Satan orders him to do 

 this thing or that, but generally he wants either meat or 

 money, which is always sent him, and hung upon a little 

 plate made of cocoanut leaves on the boughs of a tree, near 

 the river. I have asked them what they thought the devil 

 did with money, and whether or no they thought that he 

 ate the victuals. As for the money, they said, so that the 

 man ordered to do so did but part with it, it signified not 

 who took it, therefore it was generally a prey to the first 

 stranger who found it ; and the meat he did not eat, but 

 bringing his mouth near it, he at once sucked all the savour 

 out of it, without disturbing its position in the least, but 

 rendering it as tasteless as water. 



But what is more difficult to reconcile to the rules of 

 human reason, is the belief that these people have, that 

 women who bring forth children sometimes bring forth at 

 the same time young crocodiles as twins to the children. 

 These creatures are received by the midwives most carefully, 

 and immediately carried down to the river, where they are 

 turned loose, but have victuals supplied them constantly 

 from the family, especially the twin, who is obliged to 

 go down to the river every now and then, and give meat 

 to this sudara, as it is called. The latter, if he is deprived of 

 such attendance, constantly afflicts his relation with sickness. 

 The existence of an opinion so contrary to human reason, 

 and which seemed totally unconnected with religion, was 

 with me long a subject of doubt, but the universal testimony 

 of every Indian I ever heard speak of it was not to be 

 withstood. It seems to have taken its rise in the islands of 

 Celebes and Bouton, very many of the inhabitants of which 

 have crocodiles in their families ; from thence it has spread 

 all over the eastern islands, even to Timor and Ceram, and 



