JUNGLE STRATAGEMS 47 
rapidly lost their self-consciousness and treated me 
simply as a companion who knew more than they 
knew—and who had a wonderful gun and a kit of 
medicine. 
In jungle countries white men are always sup- 
posed to possess great knowledge of medicines and 
curing, and I was often called upon to act as doctor. 
At first the Malays showed some hesitancy at 
accepting the érang piteh tbat (the white man’s 
medicine), but gradually they became less shy. 
During my circus days I had acquired a knowl- 
edge of first-aid work, and in the jungle I became 
quite proficient in patching people up. They be- 
lieved that most ailments could be cured by their 
own doctors, who heal by magic, but they were glad 
to have me prescribe for them when magic failed to 
work. 
The Malay doctor is supposed to be favored by a 
spirit, and a batu bintang (star stone) is given to 
him while he sleeps. In other words, he is made 
and not born a doctor. His batu bintang is just one 
of the charms with which he effects cures. He has 
a batu that is a petrified part of a Sembilan fish. 
Water in which this has been soaked is given to 
the patient to drink or is rubbed on the part affected. 
Other charms are the batu lintar (thunderbolt), 
which is rubbed wherever pain is felt; another 
batu, also a thunderbolt, which is a piece of crystal; 
a batu that is part of the backbone of some animal; 
one that is another piece of crystal; and, finally, 
