ON NATURAL HISTORY AND ETHNOGRAPHY OF MALAY PENINSLLA. o95 



found difficult to feed them they were, on reaching Lampam, suckled by 

 a Siamese woman, who claimed to have previously suckled a bear. On 

 reaching Lampam we found that Messrs. Evar.s and Vaughan had pro- 

 ceeded to the ' Tale Noi,' or ' Little Lake, at the end of the Inland Sea, 

 and followed them accordingly. We did not overtake them, but our visit 

 to the ' Little Lake ' was of great interest. In one of the local ' wats ' or 

 temples a human embryo was found among the offerings. We also came 

 upon a small isolated tribe called ' Pram ' {1 Brahm) people, who claimed to 

 be a sacred tribe of Indian origin, and appear to have been hitherta 

 undescribed. They retained several peculiar customs, notably that of 

 burying their dead in a sitting posture, with the top-knot tied to the top 

 of the coffin. A copy of a sacred book, describing the origin of the tribe 

 and the story of their migration, was obtained with difficulty. It is said 

 to be written in an Indian language, which they themselves no longer 

 understand. Their dress consisted of a white robe, a white shoulder- 

 cloth, and a peculiar white two-peaked turban or cap. Their chiefs 

 claimed that they were the oldest inhabitants of the country, and that 

 they were not constrained to make obeisance even to the sovereign. 



After a few days' further stay in Singora, where we rejoined Messrs. 

 Evans and Vaughan, we proceeded to Patani in the commissioner's yacht, 

 arriving after a good passage just in time to witness part of the gorgeous 

 pageantry of a Malay ' royal ' wedding, between the Raja of Patani's 

 sister and the ' Paja Muda ' of Ivelantan. 



At Patani we were lodged in a big brick building ordinarily used as a 

 school. An unfortunate accident here greatly handicapped the photo- 

 graphic work. A big iron-bound shutter fell from its fastenings with a 

 crash inside the building, and striking our best camera, so injured it 

 that it had to be sent to Europe for repairs, a matter of months, and an 

 irreparable loss so far as photographic work was concerned. It had just 

 been used for taking a photograph of the Raja of Patani, who had mo«t 

 fortunately just returned to his house. Mr. Evans also had a narrow 

 escape. 



On the 28th we left for Bukit Besar, or Negiri (Indragiri), an isolated 

 mountain about -3,000 feet high, on which several days were spent. This 

 was known to the natives as a haunted mountain possessing a pond near 

 the summit, on which are said to grow certain magical shrubs, one of 

 which is believed to be the means of conferring perennial youth on its 

 finder, and another to be one of the most powerful love-charms in the 

 world. These treasures are guarded by a host of demons, and the natives 

 expressed great fear of them until the ascent to our camp (at a height of 

 about 2,000 feet) had been successfully accomplished, after which their 

 fears rapidly subsided. Mr. Evans got his first specimen of Peripatus 

 here, and Mr. Vaughan also did well with the mountain flora. 



On our return to Patani Messrs. Vaughan, Annandale, and Evans 

 proceeded up the Patani to Biserat in Jalor (Jala), which proved an 

 excellent collecting-ground. I stayed at Patani for some days longer; 

 and visited the very extensive saltpans near the river mouth, the Patani 

 potteries, and the grave and shi-ine of the celebrated local saint of Cape 

 Patani, about all of which much information was gained. Of the latter 

 many miracles are told, and his grave-posts (at the head and foot) are 

 still believed to make prophetic movements, one instance of which I was 

 enabled to test on the spot. Two very curious rods, such as are used in 

 divination, were here obtained. 



