TWO RELIGIOUS CEREMONTES, 179 
This ceremony takes place some few days or weeks after 
the death of a Milano and as in the Payun the suggestion 
arises in the dream of an aged friend: in his dream he learns 
that the departed spirit is short of some necessity of life 
such as food or clothing. The object of the ceremony is to 
communicate with the unfartunate spirit and to supply his 
wants. Accordingly, they send for a Bayoh who has unques- 
tionable experience in the spirit world and he undertakes to 
bring satisfaction to the departed spirit. 
So at an early date, a small party of interested friends 
assemble in the house just after sunset, and with no display 
and little noise the ceremony commences; At a Plato which 
one of us had the opportunity of attending, there were two. 
Bayoh of which one happened to be a Batut’ (vide infra)— 
who with heads completely shrouded in a cloth, took up their 
position side by side on a small mat on. which they were to 
journey along the river ot death to enter the nether world. 
Each Bayoh had provided himself with a paddle and whilst on 
the mat he went through the motions of paddling just as if the 
mat were a boat floating down stream. They talked aloud in 
quite a natural manner remarking for example on the swiftness 
of the current or on some overhanging tree as they passed 
quickly by: the scenery changed, and here and there were 
hidden rocks of which the one hurriedly warned his friend : 
then came an upset with much excitement and awe-inspiring 
splashing of water—introduced for the purpose—all over the 
room : but after a while, resuming their journey with nothing 
worse than a wetting, they glided swiftly down the stream and 
eventually entered the nether world itself. Here the conver- 
sation changed and their remarks referred to the departed souls 
whom as they recognized, they occasionally accosted. “What 
an awful wound Igu_has still!’ and ‘ There goes Mandori as 
lame as ever.” Such were their comments on a few deceased 
friends whose souls they met. When in this nether world the 
Bayoh often resorts to conjuring tricks in order to impress the 
nolookers. For instance he grasps at an imaginary object in 
the air and produces therefrom some tobacco or sireh leaf, 
R. A. Soc., No. 57, 1910. 
