360 OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



man. The tabak trees are under the care of certain hantu 

 or wood-spirits and it would be hopeless for the uninitiated 

 to attempt to find gkaru ; even the Pawang has to be very 

 careful. 



The following is the process as far as I have been able to 

 ascertain it : — 



On the outskirts of the forest, the Pawang must burn in- 

 cense, and repeat the following charm or formula : — 



\ '■ Homali hamali matilok ( mandillah ? ) serta kalam 

 u mandiyat serta teboh. Turun suhaya trima suka turun 

 " kadim serta aku kabul kata gharu mustajak kata Allah 

 u Berkat la ilaha il'allah. Hei Putri Belingkah, Putri 

 " Berjuntei, Putri M enginj an aku meminta isi tabak. Ta 'boleh 

 u di surohkan, ta'boleh lindong kapada aku kalau di suro/i 

 C( di lindong kan biar durdka kapada tuhan." 



There is no " pantang gharu " except that the words 

 ,( isi" and " tabak " must be used instead of "tras" and 

 "gharu ". 



He then proceeds to search for a likely tree, and upon find- 

 ing one he again burns incense and repeats the spell as above. 

 The tree having been cut down the next thing is to separate 

 the gharu from the sap-wood. The best way is to let the 

 tree rot, but the Pawang is often f< hard-up " and does not 

 mind wasting some of the gharu in his hurry to realize. 



The following are said to be the tests for finding gharu in 

 a standing tree. 



i. The tree is full of knots. (Berbu?ig kol.J 



2. The bark full of moss and fungus. (Bertumuh ber- 



chanddwan.) 



3. Heart-wood hollow. (Berlobang.) 



4. Bark peeling off. (Bergugor kulit.J 



5. A clear space underneath. (Mengelenggang.) 



6. Stumps jutting out. (BerchulakT) 



7. Tree tapering. (Bevtirus.) 



8. The falling of the leaves in old trees. 



