'JO AN ACCOUNT OF THE WILD TRIBES 



superstitious practices, without winch they 

 are supposed to be of little oi" no ellect. 

 But it is amon^jst the Malays that tficir 

 skill is much iu lionour, and their persons 

 objects both oi veneration and oi Icar. The 

 Malays are ridiculously superstitious on 

 that point; they have a firm ftiith in the 

 efficacy of the supplications of the Pawangs, 

 and an extraordinary dread of their sup- 

 posed supernatural power. The Malays ima- 

 gine that they ai e endowed with the power 

 of curing every kind of sickness, and of 

 kiiliug an enemy, however distant ho may 

 be, by the force of spells; and willi tlic 

 gift of discovering mines and bidden trea- 

 sures. It is not uncommon to see Malay 

 men and women, at the sight of a Binua 

 Pawa ng, throw themselves on llie grouiifl 

 before bini. 



1 could not ascertain the ordinary way 

 for becoming a Pawang, nor discover any 

 i-ereuiony by wliich the l\nvarigsbip is en- 



