kwun) who recites chftrnii, and throws some silken threads 

 inio the river, keeping hold of the ends, whefl in a Iktle 

 tim* the alligator gets entangled in the threads and 

 brought oiil. These doctors eeem really to hav^ tfome mys- 

 terious power, and are not mere pre tender a, 



Thi^ elf iB called ^ ^ §f Se-16^bart, and n *aid 'o 

 abound in Amboyna, but m Batavia there are none ; we I'ave 

 heard uf its Qama, but have never fkllen in with it ; thad« 

 who have met with it edy, that ilia like a ualive woman, 

 difliring from the common class of Malays, and dwelling in 

 the deep jungle. Her eye h'xs no pupil , and she caw see in 

 the dark \ at night she if said to dy about^ with nothing but 

 her head, and entering ifrto jKople'a houses devours their 

 entrails. But she very much dialikes sour thifigs, coming 

 into contact with which she cannot open her eyes. The na- 

 tives say, that the way to dissolve her a pell la lo take the 

 juice of a lomon, and sprinkle it upon her, when she dares not 

 approach,* 



TMtS 'TO&TH-EJr-pRAO'TrKO TRIBB. 



There is a tribe of people at Benja^tnaBin, who are miieh 

 addicted to praying elr^rj evening, they Worship towards thfc 

 setting sun, and recite charma till the a\iti goes down. Thiiy 

 ^0 not eat the Eeeh of dog» or pigs, and when their friends 

 die^ ihey pull out iheir hair, draw their teeth, and sfrfp Chem 

 of their clothes ; saying, that as they did not bring these 

 thinp into the world with themj so when they die they 

 should not carry them away. This is one of the cruelties of 

 false religions, 



♦ This elf ia much belieted in by the Malays, and is called Pon- 



tiaiaak. Th^y think that it consists of a. human bead, with dishevelled 

 hair and flowing entraik, which flics about at ni^ht, and does much 

 roiicblef. In describiii)^ this, arvd several other matters, the author 

 hiB allowed himself to be misled by superstition. 



