the water, with head like an inverted copper (kawah),” where the water rushes
down the fall between the rocks.
The Hantu Longgak^58 is continually looking up in the air. Those who are
attacked by him foam at the mouth.
The Hantu Rimba (Deep-forest Demon), Hantu Raya^59 (“Great” Demon), Hantu
Dĕnei (Demon of Wild-beast-tracks), the Hantu-hantuan (Echo-spirits), and I
think the Hantu Bakal, are all spirits of the jungle, but are perhaps somewhat less
localised than the large class of spirits (such as the Malacca-cane, gharu, gutta,
and camphor-tree spirits) which are specially associated with particular trees.
The Hantu B’rok is the Baboon Demon (the B’rok being what is generally called
the “cocoa-nut monkey,” a sort of big baboon); it is sometimes supposed to take
possession of dancers, and enable them, whilst unconscious, to perform
wonderful climbing feats.
The Hantu Bĕlian, according to many Selangor Malays, is a tiger-spirit which
takes the form of a bird. This bird is said to be not unlike the raquet-tailed king-
crow (chĕnchawi), and to sit on the tiger’s back; whence it plucks out the tiger’s
fur and swallows it, never allowing it to fall to the ground.^60
The Hantu Songkei^61 is the spirit who so often interferes with the toils for
catching wild animals and snares for wildfowl (yang kachau jaring dan rachik).
He is described as being invisible below the breast, with a nose of enormous
length, and eye-sockets stretched sideways to such an extent that he can see all
round him.
The following charm is recited in order to “neutralise” his evil influence:—
Peace be with you, grandson of the Spectre Huntsman,
Whose Dwelling-place is a solitary patch of primeval forest,
Whose Chair is the nook between the buttresses (of trees),
Whose Leaning-post the wild Areca-palm,
Whose Roof the (leaves of the) Tukas,
Whose Body-hairs are leaves of the Rĕsam,
Whose Mattress leaves of the Lerek,
Whose Swing the (tree) Mĕdang Jĕlawei,