HAL AT PROVERBS. 141 



88. " Seperti peniajap berpaling handah ilir." 



Like a boat starting' down-stream and turning (as it leaves 

 the bank.) 



A Malay beanty dressed and decked out on the occasion of 

 a festival is compared to a boat equipped for a voyage, at the 

 moment when she heads round to the current. 



89. Seperti isi clengan kuku. 

 Like the quick and the nail. 



A figure to express the closest degree of friendship. As 

 inseparable as the nail ( of a man's finger ) and the flesh 

 underneath it. 



90. Sa'manis-manis gula ada pasir didalamnia, dan m'- 

 pahit pah it marnbu ada klatnia menjadi ubat. 



However sweet sugar may be, there is always some sand in 

 it, and however bitter the mambu may be, its astringent 

 qualities are useful in medicine. 



Nothing is altogether good or bad. The leaves of the 

 mambu are a native remedy in cases of small-pox. A bunch 

 of them is tied over the door of the house where the sick 

 person lies. When the disease is in its last stage, the leaves 

 are bruised on a stone with rice, and the paste so procured is 

 applied to the surface of the skin to allay irritation. 



91. Seperti behd pidang ka lumpur. 

 Like the eel which goes back to the mud. 



The return of a person to his own country or house after 

 having been abroad to seek his fortune. The next proverb 

 has a similar meaning. 



92. Seperti ihan pidang ha lubok. 

 Like the fish which returns to the pool. 



93. Seperti tetegok di rumah tinggal. 

 Like the night- jar at a deserted house. 



The tegok or tetegok is a bird, common in the Malay Penin- 

 sula, whose habits are nocturnal and solitary. It has a 

 peculiar, liquid, monotonous call. The phrase is used to 

 signify the solitude and loneliness of a stranger (orang dagang) 

 in a Malay kampong. 



