ABORIGINAL TRIBES: THE CENTRAL SAKAL 
tbe man when lie loses liis wits dnring the monientarj 
unconsciousness of a startling shock^ — but that moment 
is fatal : the bird carries off the spirit of life and the man 
sickens ^nd dies of inanition. There is the vampire 
{Ckrong-Sdlc), human-shaped, long-haired, drinking the 
blood of its victims. 
There are also the ghosts of special localitieSj of each 
holy place or Mramot with which the country is dotted. 
These spirits are slow to anger, but they dislike being 
disturbed and are apt to let the tronbler of their peace 
learn the impropriety of his behaviour. A thunder-storm 
is a favourite form of warning. On the other hand, the 
invisible elves of the forest,^ tbe shy Oravg Ihivinn of 
the Malays, are friendly to man and bring him Inck. 
Some visible ghosts speak Sakai and hurt nobody, but 
they are exceptional. There are also monstrous animals 
that are believed to prey on man. There is the Tnngal 
Man or cannibal coconut-monkey that walks erect and is 
found in lonely nninhaljited forests whore he eats any 
Sakai who has a taste for exploration. There is the 
dragon^ who lives under the earth and ought only 
to be referred to as "the person down below." ^ There 
is the Malay Mmva^s witli arms of iron and an iron 
pot-shaped head in which it both cooks and eats its 
dinner. There is the KMng Bhl\ or roc, a giant bird 
that has fortunately been an absentee from this country 
as far back as the memory of man can go ; but who 
knows ? — it may return. Then even well-known animals 
are bad enough in their way — the tiger who goes 
by many names lest he should take offence, and 
the crocodile who must be referred to politely as "onr 
old friend in the water." * And all the Central Sakai 
* Mai Ttpod,. ^ iv(mi?Sffli( = (Malay) ?iaj?rt, ^ Krom * Mffita jHi't4u, 
f 
