THE AKUAN OR SPIRIT-FRIENDS. 383 
goes there to execute his promise. He cuts (sémbéleh) the pro- 
mised goats or whatever it may be; cooks some saffroned-rice (nasi 
kunyit), invites people to eat, has prayers of thanksgiving (do‘a 
sélamat) read for him by some lébm, (cf. Skeat, Malay “Magic, 
p- +2), and fires some big crackers as expression of peace and joy. 
Thus he “pays his vow,” discharging himself of the binding pro- 
mise he made to the spirit of the grave. If he fails to do so the 
spirit will appear to him in a dream demanding fulfilment, and in 
case of further default some untoward event is ‘certain to follow. 
One more story about the tiger-akuan will finish the matter. 
-A man living in Mémpanas, an outlying corner of Kuala Pilah, 
on the right bank of the Muar River, told me that he once had a 
long illness. No effort of the medicine-men was spared to restore 
him to health, and yet he did not recover. But he had a tiger- 
akuan which, by the way, he is beheved to have even now. During 
his delirium the animal appeared to him and told him that his 
affection had become chronic and that his only ehanee of hfe would 
be in having his body licked by it. On coming to himself, he told 
this to his people and asked to be exposed the following night in 
the open verandah without any hght. This was done. The door 
was bolted and the people kept themselves inside breathlessly 
watching what was to happen. The tiger came, stripped him naked 
and began to lick all over his body, so that the “ lip-lap ” sound 
of its tongue was clearly heard. Then it went away leaving him 
drenched with its saliva ary fluid. ‘Two days after, he was com- 
pletely cured. 
The akuan in the shape of any other animals than tiger is 
probably very rare. I have heard only of one single case, occur- 
ing in Juasseh, where a certain man is reported to have a crocodile- 
akuan, living in the river opposite his house. He feeds it, treats 
it kindly and at his call the animal comes up to the surface. He 
is even said to ride upon the animal’s back when necessary. No- 
body but he dares to bathe in that part of the river. The crocodile 
is always’ there. According to his own story, the spirit came to 
him in a dream asking to be “owned” and protected (béla) in 
return for which it would look after the water-supply of his paddy- 
fields, bring him luck and protect him and his family from evil 
spirits. He accepted the offer and was told that he could always 
find the new friend in the shape of a crocodile in the river opposite 
his house. The next day he found this to be true, and thencefor- 
ward he has been the “owner” of the crocodile. The terms of 
agreement seem to have been faithfully adhered to by both. The 
man gathers in a good harvest every year,—quite above the aver- 
age,—is always at ease and contented, and never gets ill, neither 
any member of his household. One striking fact about this case 
is that the “owner” is no medicine-man. The animal is not to 
be harmed, or all the benefits accruing from its friendship will 
be withdrawn, and some disaster threatened to the unfaithful 
“owner.” Before the animal came to this man it had offered it- 
R A. Soc., No. 86 1922, 
