18 MALAY POISONS AND CHABM CUBES 



and the little boy was known as Akmal Hakim, When 

 he was quite young the trees 'would speak to him and 

 tell him if their roots and leaves were useful as medi- 

 cines, even teaching him how to make combinations 

 which would bring the dead to Hfe. For such time as 

 Akmal Hakim stayed in that country no deaths occurred 

 in the land ; but he began to get proud and God became 

 angry with him. One day Akmal Hakim decided to 

 cross a river and go to a distant country taking all his 

 books on medicine with him. God commanded the 

 Archangel Gabriel to take the disguise of a boatman and 

 upset the boat during the crossing. Gabriel did this 

 and Akmal Hakim was drowned. When the boat 

 upset all the books were lost in the water except frag- 

 ments which floated away to various countries. From 

 these torn sheets the Imder learned to become a 

 hoTmr or physician." The Akmal Hakim of this legend 

 is probably identical with the celebrated Lulonan 

 (or Luqman) al-Hakim of Arabian fable. Very httle 

 is known about this mysterious person. Accounts differ 

 as to his parentage and date. He is mentioned in the 

 Koran, and is generally supposed to have been a 

 philosopher, the supposed author of a collection of 

 Arabian fables, and, hke jiEsop, a slave noted for his 

 ughness. He is referred to again in the sacrificial song of 

 the To' Bomor PSt6ri (Chapter IV), and his name occurs 

 in other neutralising charms given bySkeat (Ref. 11). 



Regarded as a physician, the homor is held in honour 

 for his sagacity and for the fortunate use of the curative 

 or remedial plants and other drugs that he may employ. 

 He is a self-made handy-man who Hves by his wits, with 

 or ^dthout the aid of magic. He wears no special 

 di-ess ; his office is only inherited if the soul of a dead 

 homorj in the form of a tiger, passes into the body of 

 his son ; as a rule he quahfies for his title (To' Bomor) 



