104 corn.— ffrfff//, 



these first have been thus, with due riles, bonded in <hft 

 granary, a jar of wait r is placed h«>idc them and the 

 harvest is begun in earnest. Many nols, either from 

 hating been weaned rrnm Hirse Ijesenip^' Pi/jJf^tili- 

 ons or out of' carelessue** or perversiH . Mfckd to 

 perform the cereunnie* in wh >le or la part. 



The true Siamese, when iliey first sow the s< i d in 

 the nursery, set up a white triangular flag on the spot. 

 It lias a square compartment near the upper part 

 within which anoiher square i* inscribed, die angles 

 of which rest on the centre of the faces of the outer 

 smiare : four triangular compartment* are thus form- 

 ed. The cardinal points, with fmr i liter mediate ones 

 orr tlie (niter square, are denoted by the Phra Khawa- 

 nv (light in all) or guardian spirit* described in their 

 Baii legends. Betwixt each figure is a unit (1); 

 within the two uppe r triangles are written Bali SjJJfr- 

 hles, Na Mo, symbolical of two Buddhas: in the cen- 

 tre Phoot, and tiie tmwr angles, Tha and Ya. or 

 Phoothaya, the name of Buddha in the Siamese-Bali 

 language. 



The flag being hoisted, the ryots invoke in a silting 

 pasture, by name, Phra Eeu or India, the protector 

 of mankind, and Nang Phra Thuranee, the goddess 

 of earth, and Chau Deen, the spirits, lords of the 

 soil; who, it may be lr r. i vH, are much dreaded 

 and are propitiated by beast ial sacrifices when a tin 

 or other mine is to lie opened— also Bririieeoo a spirit 

 which guards the «urlaee of the ground j Plira Phrom 

 or six superior gods j Phra Yom or Yama, god of the 

 infernal regions, Una Kan, the angel of death 

 and guide of the liberated souls of those mortals who 

 have been doomed to expiate their crimes in hell ; 

 besides many other deities and sprites belonging to 

 the copious pantheon of the Hindoos and Boodhiats. 

 When the grain is ripe they tie nine bunches (before 



