THE PATIN FISH 417 



21. THE PATIN FISH 



(From the Katingans; kampong Talinka) 



A Dayak went fishing and caught a patin which he 

 j took home in his prahu. He left the fish there and ad- 

 vised his wife, who went to fetch it. Upon approach 

 she heard the crying of an infant, the fish having changed 

 into a child, and she took it up, brought it home, gave 

 it to eat and drink, and clothed it. The little one proved 

 to be a girl who grew to womanhood, married, and had 

 children. She said to her husband: "As long as we are 

 married you must never eat patin." 



After a time the husband saw another man catch a 

 patin, and feeling an irresistible desire to eat the fat, 

 delicious-looking fish, he was presented with a portion 

 which he took to his house and cooked. Seeing this, his 

 wife for the second time said: "Why do you eat patin ? 

 You do not like me." "I must have this," he said, and 

 he ate, and also gave it to his children to eat. "I am 

 not human," she said, "I am patin, and now I will re- 

 turn to the water. But mind this: If you or your de- 

 scendants ever eat patin you will be ill." And she went 

 down to the river and became fish again. Since that 

 time her descendants do not eat patin, even when they 

 accept Islam. Some have dared to break the rule, and 

 they have become ill with fever and diarrhoea, accom- 

 panied by eruptions, abscesses, and open sores on the 

 arms and legs. The remedy is to burn the bones of 

 the fish and waft the smoke over the patient. For 



