SHAMANISM IN PERAK. 231 



bod)' divided into joints. Every part of the bird was then placed 

 reverently inside the balei, including the feathers and entrails. The 

 wings were tied to the streamers of the fringe outside, as were 

 innumerable sweet offerings — wajil, do did, tebu, pisang (confec- 

 tionery, pastry, sugar-cane and plantains). I did not ascertain 

 what the sour and the pungent consisted of, but they were no 

 doubt contained in small saucers and other receptacles which I saw- 

 being poked through the little doors of the toy house. 



When all was ready, the drumming, the invocations and the 

 performances of the pawangs began again. Each in turn, after 

 having repeated much of what I have already described, advanced 

 to the couch of the patient and waved the evil spirits away from 

 it into the little balei, which was placed close by. The demons 

 were coaxed, entreated and threatened by turns. Each pawang, 

 armed with a bunch of leaves dipped into a bowl of tepong 

 tawar, guided an indefinite number of the evil ones into the 

 place where the feast had been spread for them. The incanta- 

 tions and waving went on for a long time, and it wanted only 

 an hour or two of dawn when it was concluded that the last of 

 the demons had entered the receptacle. The balei was then 

 lifted up and carried off down to the river ( on the bank of 

 which the house stood ) escorted by the pawangs, who with 

 more charms and incantations drove the spirits in front of them 

 to the water side. Then the bcdei berpusing, with its array of 

 delicacies and its freight of wickedness, was set afloat on the 

 river and soon disappeared down the stream in the darkness. 

 The last ceremony was the repetition of a formula as the party 

 returned to the house from the river. One of the men belong- 

 ing to the family called out to the women in the house " Semboh 

 hetahf "Is there any improvement?" And a shrill female 

 voice shouted back the prescribed reply " Ber-lari ber-jalan " 

 " Running and walking, " in allusion either to the state of the 

 patient, implying that she was up and about again, or else to 

 the hasty retreat of the evil-spirits, I am not quite sure which. 

 JSTo improvement, however, took place, and though the efforts 

 of the pawangs were redoubled on the following night, and the 



