150 L1TAH. 



A Malay woman, of respectable position and exceedingly res- 

 pectable age, was introduced to me some time ago as a strong latali 

 subject. 



I talked to her for at least ten minutes, without perceiving any- 

 thing abnormal in her conduct or conversation. Suddenly her 

 introducer threw off his coat. To my horror, my venerable guest 

 sprang to her feet and tore off her Tcabaydh. My entreaties came 

 too late to prevent her continuing the same course with the rest 

 of her garments, and in thirty seconds from her seizure the paro- 

 xysm seemed to be over. 



What struck me most in this unsavoury performance was tli6 

 woman's wild rage against the instigator of this outrage. She kept 

 on calling him an abandonned pig, and imploring me to kill him, 

 all the time that she was reducing herself to a state of nudity. 



One more instance : 



I have met a man several times lately who is a very strong latah 

 subject. He is cook on board a local steamer, and is naturally 

 (alas, for human nature ! ) the butt of all the crew, who daily and 

 almost hourly exercise their clumsy wit — the wit of sailors plus 

 orientals — at his expense. 



All this skylarking, however, had a tragical ending the other day, 

 which illustrates the point of which I am speaking. 



This cook was dandling his child forward one day ; one of the 

 crew came and stood before him with a billet of wood in his arms, 

 which he began nursing in the same way as the latah was nursing 

 his baby. Presently he began tossing the billet up to the awning, 

 and the cook tossed his child up also, time for time. At last, the 

 sailor opened his hands wide apart and let the wood fall upon the 

 deck, and the cook immediately spread out his hands away from 

 the descending child, who never moved again after striking the 

 boards. 



A parallel case will at once suggest itself to all old residents in 

 Singapore, where a Malay latah ayah, who saw her master tear up 

 a letter and throw it out of the window, promptly threw a basket 

 of clean clothes which she was carrying out of the opposite win- 

 dow, with the simple apology that she could not help doing so. 



