— 75 — 



Here also is found the cassowary (*), which is as large as a crane ; 

 it has a round body and a thin neck , longer than that of the crane ; its soft 

 red crest is like a red cap and begins on both sides of the neck ; the beak 

 is sharp and the whole body is covered with hair as of a goat: sparse, long 

 and of a greenish colour. It has long legs , with hard black claws , which 

 are very sharp , so that it can rip open a man's belly untill the entrails come 

 out and death follows. It likes to eat burning coals, whence its name. It 

 is impossible to kill it with a stick. 



In the mountains of this country a supernatural animal is found , 

 called the divine stag ( 2 ). It looks like a large pig and is about three feet 

 high ; the forepart of the body is black , the hind part white and the hair is 

 sleek, short and very fine. The mouth is like that of a pig, but not flat 

 in front; the hoofs have three grooves and it only eats plants, not other 

 animals. 



The cattle , goats , pigs , dogs , fowls and ducks , gourds and fruit , are 

 the same as in Java. 



The people of this country are much given to gambling; they play 

 pa-kui, chess, or fight cocks, in all cases staking money. 



In trading they take Chinese copper coin and cotton cloth ( 3 ). They 

 also send to China tribute of the products of their country. 



On the trade of Palembang and Djambi in the 16th century we find the 

 following notice in the 



Tung Hsi Yang K'au (1618). Book III. 



When a ship arrivés at Ku-kang (Palembang), a present of fruit and 

 silk is offered to the king, for which there is a fixed quantity. 



When the men of Djambi bargain for goods, the price is agreed upon 

 in. gold, but they pay only with pepper; f. i. if something costs two taels 



C) l K^ ^H the fire-fowl; this name has been afterwards applied to the turkey , which is now 



designated by it. The cassowary is not found on Sumatra and the specimen our author saw, 

 must have been brought from the Moluccos. 



O jjjljl J^ , evidently the tapir, a native of eastern Sumatra. 



( 3 ) The Hsing-ch'a Shêng-lan has tb e following passage: 



//Articles of import are glass-pearls of various colours , green and white crockery, copper caldrons, 

 //cotton-cloth and silk-gauze of diiferent colours, coloured silks, large and small earthen jars, copper 

 *coins, etc." 



