viii Obituary. — David Thomas Gwynne- Vaughan. 
‘ They admit, and really believe, that I am an advanced devil doctor 
(Pawang) myself. I barefacedly claim this honour. I have been away in 
a Malay hut, half a dozen waist-bare folk variously squatting on mats, in 
a closed space some 8 foot square, lighted by a couple of smoky dammars, 
all of us smoking or chewing betel, and having chanted and tambourined 
our nerves into a high state of tension, I have seen a brother Pawang drum 
himself into a positive epileptic fit, uttering short screams and mirthless 
laughs, throwing about his head, and twisting his limbs in a most unearthly 
manner, while we rhythmically drummed and incanted all the faster. The 
statements he made when in the fit were acted upon with the intention of 
amending the sick person whom we were professionally attending. It is 
known that devils had entered into the Pawang while in that state, and 
while he is coming to they speak through him. I must say he made 
a tolerably close approach to my preconception of demoniacal possession, 
but when the devils spoke in friendly and appreciative terms of myself, 
I was forced to confess it was not the real thing. They said that they had 
informed me of the best medicine. I stated that I had been informed, and 
that it was well. Then, since the person had dysentery, I administered 
chlorodyne, produced a rapid cure, and by the Pawang himself (who really 
seems half to believe it all ) I am believed to control devils of extraordinary 
capabilities. I have been told that there are folk who would very much 
like to see my devils enter me. But I refuse because I am aware that 
I could not anything like approach the performances of the native pro- 
fessionals. I explained that my “ Hantus ” are exceedingly shy (“ malu ”) of 
entering any one, and they only enter me under the most persuasive circum- 
stances. Further to keep up their reputations, that if they, by mistake, 
entered any one else, they would almost certainly “ bust ” him. 
‘This may appear rather nonsense to you, but it is good sound, rational, 
and believable stuff out here, based on a knowledge of the popular opinions 
and surmises. It isn’t Alice in Wonderland, though it is rather like.’ 
Kelantan River , July 26, 1899. 
‘Twice Hadji Sirath and I have had to work the raft on alone, half the 
time wading and half punting it along. The river is full of rapids ; several 
times I have passed over rapids or waterfalls of 4 foot fall in almost as 
many yards, the passage being between rocks hardly apart enough to allow 
the raft to pass ; twice indeed the bamboos of the raft touched on both 
sides, and once indeed even mounted the rock at one side. Between the 
wild swirl and rush of the waters, the swift descent of the raft twisting and 
turning with all its bamboos creaking and splitting, our cries of encourage- 
ment and warning, the waving of poles and the splashing of water, these 
rapids make the most exciting sort of time in their shooting. I would like 
to have a photograph of our descent immensely. If we made a really bad 
