RECORDS OF MALAY MAGIC. 11 
there spread upon a mat in the sun to dry. To spread rice 
so as to cause it to dry prorerly is not an easy matter; in the 
present case the operator (who in this case was the owner) 
stood near the central mat and spread out the grain across the 
mat in long even courses with a sweeping motion of the hand 
‘¢ di-kékar di-kachan,” or ‘‘ membalik-kan jémoran’). The follow- 
ing objects occupying meanwhile the centre of the mat:— 
(1) A rattan frill (one of those used for the cooking pots, 
called ‘“ lékar-jantan” ). 
(2) A bowl of water, laid upon the frill and intended, I was 
told, for the ‘‘semangat padi” to quench its thirst, 
should it feel the effects of the hot sun, 
(3) A big iron nail, 
(4) One of the nuts called ‘ buah kras,” 
(5) Ten empty rice ears, a couple of which tied in a slip-knot 
(simpul pulih) were fastened to each corner of the 
matting. 
Some hours later, when the padi been turned and had thus 
been sufficiently dried, it was again collected in the baskets, and 
carried back to the house to be pounded. This part of the cere- 
mony took place the same evening (the sun meanwhile having 
been very powerful). The padi was pounded and winnowed 
in the ordinary way, the only noteworthy point being the tying 
of bunches of the grass called ‘‘ sambau dara” to the upper ends 
of the long wooden pestles used by the Malays for pounding 
their rice. Finally the wreath of padi-straw, referred to above, 
was deposited by the owner of the field in a place where three 
paths met. Underneath it was a heap of the chaff just obtained 
by the pounding and on the top of it a big stone which was 
intended to keep it from being blown away. 
The sugar-cane is left in the midst of the sheaf until the 
latter is reaped. This is done by the wife of the owner and when 
it takes place it is pounded in the ordinary way, the grain 
which results being mixed with that of the seven ears before 
alluded to, and both deposited in the rice bin (‘‘ kepok”) together 
with a stove and a piece of rosin (dammar) and a wreath of the 
rice straw. I may add that I saw the relics of the previous 
year’s charms in the rice bin of the Malay at whose house I 
witnessed the ceremonies | have just described. 
I did not witness the preliminary search for the sheaf in 
