10 CAVE DWELLERS OF PERAK. 



being reduced to one incli iu thickness. A second mealing 

 stone was found in December, 1895, in an adjoining cave, at 

 a depth of about two and a half feet from the surface. This 

 is also worn on both sides to a very considerable extent, but 

 is much thicker than the previously found one, and is quite 

 perfect. The name gives rather a wrong impression of the 

 purposes to which such things are applied in the East. This 

 implement is not used for grinding grain, and its presence does 

 not imply agriculture in any form. The Malay equivalent is 

 made of a flat slab of wood, with a grinder of coconut shell, 

 and is called " sankalan." It is used for grinding up chillies, 

 ginger, turmeric and other things, preparatory to cooking or 

 eating them raw. Stone ones are used in IncUa, and are the 

 common curry -stones of our kitchens in the East. The Sakais 

 also use rude wooden " sankalans "; not unfrequently part of 

 the joint of a bamboo is xised for the purpose when they 

 are travelling in the jungle. In this they grind up their salt, 

 chillies and other flavouring to eat with their rice, which 

 they boil in a joint of bamboo. Pounding stones, mostly of 

 hard quartz, and more or less round or egg - shaped, have been 

 found in several of the caves. These bear marks on them 

 clearly shewing the use to which they have been put. 



In the year 1891 further excavations were made in this cave, 

 and two human skeletons were dug up. They were of advilts, 

 and were lying close together. The positions were similar, both 

 skeletons being on their sides with the legs drawn up, but not 

 so close to the body as to suggest their having been bound 

 in that position. The teeth were not filed or artificially ground 

 down, and some Malays who were present when they were 

 exhiimed said that they could not have been Malayan. The 

 inference was drawn from this interment that the bodies had 

 been allowed to remain in the positions in which they had died, 

 and that they had been simply covered over with the earth of 

 the cave without any grave having been dug. Probably it was 

 a case of epidemic disease — cholera, small -pox, or something of 

 that kind — which woi;ld account for two almost simultaneous 

 deaths. 



The bones were very soft and much broken up, but still in 

 their proper anatomical positions. The crushing of the bones 

 was undoubtedly due to the trampling of elephants, as this cave 

 has been much freqviented by them for a long series of years. 

 Parts of the roof and sides are perfectly polished by these 

 animals having been accustomed to rub themselves against the 

 marble rock. The bones were decidedly small, but they were in 

 such a friable condition that it was impossible to dig them 



