A PELANDOK TALti. 79 



The next day he set off again and travelled till about midday, 

 then he came across a big python which was fast asleep snor- 

 ing. It lay sleeping with its body in three coils but its head 

 was some way off in the middle of the main road. When the 

 pelandok saw that the snake was obviously fast asleep, he sat 

 down near the coil, because he thought that if the tiger were 

 to come he could once more quibble with him and say that he 

 was watching King Solomon's waist belt. So he sat there till 

 about the middle of the afternoon when the tiger once more 

 met him. When the tiger saw the pelandak sitting squatted 

 on his hands he became very angry indeed and intended to 

 spring on the pelandok. But the pelandok saw the tiger about 

 to spring on him and said, " Hai, hulubalang, don't spring on 

 me, because I am watching King Solomon's belt. He has 

 ordered me to do so because this is a valuable ancestral cloth. 

 This is what he is going to wear in state to-morrow. For the 

 king has given orders that we are to be summoned in a couple 

 of days when he is going to make a proclamation." 



The tiger gave up trying to catch him because he saw 

 that the cloth was very beautiful and also that the colour was 

 of mingled gold. He was very much surprised and very much 

 desired to feel what it was like to put it on, so he said, " Hai, 

 Toh Sang Dirimba, may I put it on ? " 



" Wait until I go and ask King Solomon." 



So the pelandok walked on until he came to an ant heap 

 into the top of which he claimbed. Then he shouted out to 

 the tiger, " Hai hulubalang, put it on." 



When the tiger heard that he put it on. The tiger saw 

 that the snake moved so he thought, " This thing seems to be 

 afraid of me, I seem to have been cheated." 



So the tiger took a stick and beat the snake. When he 

 hit it it crawled away. The tiger was very much astonished 

 that the pelandok should have cheated him once more and be- 

 came more angry than ever. So he began to search for the 

 pelandok again. But the pelandok had run away very far in- 

 deed, and the tiger could not find him. 



The pelandok came to a large river. When he got to 

 the bank" he saw a tree called Chadong. The fruit of this tree 



R. A. Soc, No. 46, 1906 



