IN THK COUNTRY OF 1IIMA. 
003 
When these ends of threads are twisted, the Orang Dongo make 
them anew into cloths of which they cut out their coarse clothes. 
It is asserted in Bmia that the assistants in the feast go entirely 
naked during its continuance. I do not believe this. No other 
person has ever assisted at this feast. The people of the plains dare 
not go during this time into the villages of the mountains, for it is 
then that the evil spirits (Seihtan gunong) are most active, most 
malicious, and most to be feared. After three days of feasting they 
return to the village ; on the morning after their return all repair to 
the sea side into which they throw the remains of the provisions of 
the mountains. This is probably a kind of offering. When they 
go to the sea they put on their best clothes and ornaments, they 
then dance to music or clapping of hands, eat and drink, and in 
the evening return to the mountains, after which the feast is at an 
end. When I travelled in the country of Dongo it was a few days 
before the Roujd. They were already making preparations for the 
feast, and I had the pleasure of hearing the furious yelling of the 
hound and famished dogs. It ought to be added, that before quitting 
the village at the commencement of the feast, they lead a black dog 
round the kampong, every one whipping it. This dog is called Rmtja 
and it is from it, they say, that the feast takes its name. It is not 
at all astonishing that such people should he superstitious. Every 
thing with them is matter for superstition. They dare not for ex¬ 
ample burn in their houses oil lamps, or tallow candles; this would 
cause a bad rice season. They only burn in the houses wax candles, 
or flambeaus of wood or bambu. They looked upon me every where 
as a Ddwci, simply because on one of the ridges which I had climbed 
I caught a young hind living, and because the resinous juice of the 
Semecarpus Anacardium did not injure on touching my skin. After 
all, the Orang Dongo are a very peaceable people, submissive, labo¬ 
rious and timid to a very great degree. Theft, assasination and 
adultery are almost unknown amongst them. Polygamy is permit¬ 
ted, but very little practised. For some time past, Hadjis and fana¬ 
tic Arabs have endeavoured to convert the Orang Dongo to Maho- 
medanism. They have not had much success. They do not adopt 
a very attractive method. They traverse the villages of the moun¬ 
taineers, rod in hand, and crying “ dogs, do you wish to pray or not”! 
The converts, for there are some, remain as they were before, except 
that they wear a morsel of cotton handkerchief upon the head, 
do not eat pork any more but in secret, and construct their house? 
