(secondary) Forest-Growth.”^110
It is generally taken by means of a snare called tapah pĕlandok, but sometimes
by tapping on the ground with sticks (mĕngĕtok pĕlandok), the sound of which is
supposed to imitate the drumming of the buck’s fore-feet upon the ground in
rutting-time, by which the attention of the doe is attracted. Whatever the reason
may be, there is no doubt that the method is often successful.
When this “tapping” method is adopted, the charms used are similar to those
used for calling the big deer, e.g.—
“Arak-arak iring-iring
Kĕmbang bunga si Panggil-Panggil,
Datang bĕrarak, datang bĕriring,
Raja Suleiman datang mĕmanggil.Follow in procession, follow in succession,
The Assembly-flower has opened its petals.
Come in procession, come in succession,
King Solomon comes to summon you.”But at the end of the charm is added, “Ini-lah gong-nya,” i.e. “This is his (King
Solomon’s) gong.”
The stick which is used may be of any kind of wood except a creeper, and the
best place for the operation is where the ground sounds hollow when tapped.
Either three, five, or seven leaves must, however, be laid on the spot before the
tapping is commenced.
The directions for setting the snare (jĕrat or tapah pĕlandok) were taken down
by me as follows:—
First look for a tree whose sap is viscid, and chop at it thrice (with a cutlass). If
the splinters fall, one the right and the other the wrong way up (lit. one prone and
the other supine), it is a bad sign (though it is a good sign when one is setting a
trap); for in the case of a snare they must fall the wrong way up (supine).
When this is done, commence to set the snare near the foot of a tree, at about a