169
This statement must not be accepted without reserve, though it may be true of the particular
districts in which the information contained in this article was collected. ↑
170
In some parts of Selangor, said to be called “nibong” or gharu “tulang ayam.” ↑
171
In Selangor called gharu “jĕnjolong.” ↑
172
Here “lampan” (?) ↑
173
Yet another variety is called in Selangor gharu “isi kang tua.” The following are the names of
certain other, gharu-trees, of which the product, however, is said to be useless for market
purposes. They are gharu tutor, gharu dĕdap, gharu kundor, and gharu akar. ↑
174
A pikul is 133⅓ lbs. avoir. ↑
175
R.N.B. in J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 18, pp. 359–361. ↑
176
On putting this theory to the test, I found that the singing noise referred to was in reality
nothing but the low whispering noise caused by the flow of the sap, which could be distinctly
heard, even without putting the ear to the bark, when the tree was struck by the cutlass. The
Malays, however, look upon it as the voice of the spirit, and add that if you hear it at night you
must repeat the charm, altering the first line only to “Ho, offspring of the King of Forest
Butterflies” (Hei anak S’ri Rama-rama hutan). ↑
177
“The gaharu merupa is a piece of strangely formed gaharu wood, having a rough resemblance
to some living creature, be it a bird, a dog, a cat, or something else.
“The writer of these lines has never been able to see one of these gaharu merupa, and it would
seem that none have been found in Siak in recent times.
“The power which it is believed to possess rests on the supposition that it is the spirit of the
kayu gaharu. With it in hand, the holder is sure to make large finds of gaharu wood in the
jungle.
“The gaharu wood is not the wood of a tree named gaharu, but is the product of a tree of the
name of karas.”—J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 17, p. 154. ↑