HISTORY OF SANTUBONG, SARAWAK. 5 
flies about in search of its victims. It is considered to be 
very dangerous and can kill people outright. The spirit is 
supposed to feed by sucking blood from the little finger of his 
master. If a man who possesses a polong”’ dies, whilst 
his spirit is out on evil bent, the ‘polong’ becomes a master- 
less vagabond who will hurt any or all out of pure malice: 
for this reason everyone dreads the Kundin grasshopper. If 
one finds a grasshopper with a grain of rice in his stomach 
most assuredly he is a ° Polong.” (Cf. Skeats’ ‘Malay 
Magic.’ p. 330). 
We may mention still another superstitious practice 
belonging to the Malays and yet reminding us of mediaeval 
times in Europe—viz. the “tuju” or “pantak.” If a person 
has an enemy on whom he would like to inflict bodily pain 
without running any personal risk he has resort to methods 
of sorcery: he would make for example a wax image into 
which he would stick pins just in the places where he 
desired his unsuspecting enemy to be smitten. Rather an 
amusing instance of this idea occurred only a few days ago: 
A few Sea Dayaks had been photographed and one of them 
went home bragging on that account, but his boast was soon 
turned to dismay for his mother assured him that he had thus 
put himself under the power of the artist since the latter had 
but to prick the eye of the picture and his victim would be blind- 
ed. The result was that the unhappy youth returned immedi- 
ately to the photographer and anxiously begged for the plate. 
The people of Santubong are ardent followers of the 
universal custom of stone worship. There is on the seashore 
not far from the Mission bungalow a large sandstone boulder 
which in profile has a fanciful resemblance to the open mouth 
of a huge monster: it is called the “batu boiak’’ (the croco- 
dile stone.) On this stone it is customary to place offerings 
to the spirits and here the seeker after wealth or happiness 
makes his prayers. Even the foreign Chinaman who would 
be lucky in his gambling bribes the spirits with offerings of 
food placed on the ‘Batu boiak.’ 
It has been known for many years that in Santubong one 
can at any time find fragments of ancient pottery, obsolete 
R. A. Soc., No, 51, 1608, 
