1922.) I. H. N, Evans: Negrito Beltefs and Customs, 213 
it up and, preparing a fire, roasted it; and fifteen of the 
people died of stomach trouble through eating it, and fifteen 
remained alive. 
Then Tak Chemempes became a foalang-tree with two or 
three hundred bees’ nests in it. ‘The fifteen people who were 
left alive came across the foalang and made shelters there, so 
as to take the bees’ nests. They made a ladder! up the tree 
so as to reach the nests, and, at night, a man went up carry- 
ing a torch*® and a bailer made of the flowering spathe of a 
Bayas-palm, When he got to the nests, the bees became a 
man, who cut the climber’s throat, and, catching the blood 
in the bailer, let it down to the people below , Saying, “ There’s 
lots of honey : the bailer won’t hold it all!’’ 
Then he called another man up to help him, and cut his 
throat too. So he called another, and another, and so on, 
until eight had been killed. At last the cocks crew, and it 
was daylight, and Tak Chemempes vanished. But the seven 
persons who were left saw their dead companions lying under 
the tree, 
Next Tak Chemem pes became a crocodile and laid eggs on 
the shore of a river. A man who had been digging tubers 
came to the river to wash his hands, and, seeing the eggs, 
took them home, cooked and ate them m. ‘When night came 
the crocodile followed the man to the camp to which the eggs 
had been taken. All the people there were asleep, except 
one man and his wife. These two heard the crocodile com- 
ing, and called the men who had eaten the eggs, but could 
not wake them; sothey ran away. Then the crocodile came 
and ate up all the sleepers. 
After this Tak Chemempes became a lizard* in a tree 
share by telling the people that he had come from a far-away 
place. At last a girl followed him, and Tak Chemempes 
returned to his own shape and carried her off from there. 
Then he journeyed until he found some people fishing 
and tried to persuade them to go totheir huts to eat their fish. 
But the people told him how a certain man, named Tak Taihi, 
oppressed them by taking their fish, and said that, if he could 
overcome their oppressor, they would collect fish for him. So 
1 The kind of ladder which the Malays call — ore bambons paced 
end to end with notches cut in them for foot-rests o peg 
ing steps, fitted into the notches, Wooden pegs, colle pert are also com- 
monly driven into toalang trunks o form a ladder when Malays climb for 
on 
? For lighting his way and for smoking out the bees. 
3 Like the article used for bailing boats. It hasacross-bar, The honey 
is let jen in the bailer 
The species kno own to the Malays as lekeek (Gecko stentor). It live 
in Noles | in trees ee aaa has a loud and pais t cry, which is generally heard sa 
the early morning and towards evenin 
