92 SKI RAMA, 



ers and devil-dancers, the impiety of whose performances, from 

 a Muhammadan point of view, is excused by immemorial usage. 

 The proceedings of Raja Laksamana, described further on, are 

 exactly those of a Malay pawang at the present day. 



The great hall of the palace was at once got ready in ac- 

 cordance with Raja Laksamana' s directions, and the implements 

 and properties required by him were prepared. These were 

 a candle (a cubit in length, measured from the elbow to the 

 top of the middle-finger, as thick as a man's fore-arm and with 

 a wick of the thickness of a man's thumb) , some bertik (parched 

 rice), bras kunniet (yellow rice), tepong tawar (sacred water), and 

 eight cubits of white cloth. Mats and carpets were spread, 

 curtains and canopies suspended, and a sort of altar (petarana) 

 was erected in the centre of the hall. 



Raja Laksamana commenced operations by burning incense 

 and fumigating with it the charmed water [tepong tawar), with 

 which he sprinkled the platform. He then set the candle 

 upright and lighted it, after having scattered some rice about. 

 The candle was then sprinkled with water, and there was more 

 scattering of rice and waving of incense. Then, pulling the 

 white cloth over his head and enveloping his whole body in it, 

 Ptaja Laksamana remained in abstracted contemplation from 

 sunset (pohon petang ) to daybreak the next morning.* 

 He then announced that an heir would be born to Sri Rama, 

 but that he must first get up an expedition by water for the 

 amusement of his Princess, fitting out for the purpose seven 

 sea-going boats and collecting numbers of young people with 

 bands of music to attend her. They were to proceed to a hill 

 on the sea-coast, on the top of which would be found a lake of 

 green water, with a river flowing down from it to the sea, and 

 two lofty trees (pohon tualang) beside the lake. Strict warn- 

 ing w r as given to Sri Rama not to bathe in this lake, as who- 

 ever did so would instantly be turned into a monkey. 



* Compare this with the description of a Malay pawang' a pro- 

 cedure. — Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic So- 

 ciety, No. 12, p, 222 



