ground, with the nooses hanging down, and two of the party conceal themselves
near the stakes armed with knives for the purpose of despatching the deer when
entangled in the nooses. The remainder of the hunters arrange themselves on the
opposite side of the thicket and advance towards it, shouting and yelling at the
top of their voices. The deer, startled from their rest, spring to their feet and
naturally flee from the noise towards the nooses, and in a short time are
entangled in them. As they struggle to escape, the concealed hunters rush out
and despatch them. Occasionally the flight is prolonged till the major party
arrives, and then the noble creatures soon fall beneath the spears and knives of
their assailants. The animal is divided between the sportsmen.”^100
The “gibberish” employed by the deer Pawangs when the latter enter the jungle
is intended to induce the wood demons and earth demons to recede, or at least to
dissuade them from active interference with the proceedings. Charms are also
employed by the Pawang, as he proceeds, from time to time, to “ask for” a tree
(to which the toils may be fastened); to “ask for” a deer; to unroll and suspend
the toils; to call upon the spirits (who are the herdsmen of the deer) to drive the
latter down to meet the dogs; to turn back the deer when they have got away; to
“prick” or urge on the dogs, or make them bark; to stop wild dogs from barking
in the jungle, or those of the pack from barking at the wrong moment; to deceive
the deer as to the reality of the toils used by the hunters; to deceive the spirits as
to the identity of the hunting-party; and, finally, to drive out the “mischief”
(badi) from the carcase of the slain animal; examples of all of which will be
found in the course of the next few pages.
The first charm which I give is one used in “asking for deer”:—
“Ho! master of me your slave, Sidi the Dim-eyed,
Si Lailanang and Si Laigan his brother,
Si Dĕripan, Si Baung, Si Bakar,
Si Songsang (Sir Topsy Turvy), Si Bĕrhanyut (Sir Floater),
Si Pongking, Si Tĕmungking!
I demand Deer, a male and a female,
Blunt-hoofed, hard-browed,
Long-eared, tight-waisted,
Shut-eyed, shaggy-maned, spotted;
If not the shut-eyed, the shaggy-maned and the spotted,