The “fruit” (or piece of wood, as the case may be) was left in the palm of one of
the boys, and as soon as the reciter came to the end of the rhyme the boy with
the token had to jump out of the ranks before he was stopped by the boys on
each side of him, each of whom suddenly stretched out his legs for the purpose
of tripping up the runaway. When they touched him he lost his turn, but if he
succeeded in getting clear without being touched he obtained the privilege of
going to the other end of the ground and calling any boy he chose out of the
ranks to carry him back again, at the invitation of the late spokesman. On his
return he was stopped in front of the ranks with the challenge:—
Q. Datang dĕ’mana? (Whence do you come?)
A. Datang dĕ’ Bali. (I come from Bali.)
Q. Apa di-bawa? (What do you bring?)
A. Bawa kuali. (I bring a cooking-pot.)
Q. Siapa nakhoda? (Who is the master (of the vessel)?)
A. Nakhoda ’Che ʿAli. (’Che ʿAli is the master.)
Q. Mana sampan tunda? (Where is the boat you were towing?)
A. Putus tali. (Parted from the rope.)
Q. Mana pas? (Where is your pass?)In reply to this last question the pass (i.e. the fruit or piece of wood) was shown
and both boys rejoined the ranks, whereupon the game recommenced da capo.
Hantu Musang or “The Pole-cat Fiend,” is a game in which a boy sits down
(between two others) with a cloth thrown over his head, the ends of which are
twisted up (like rope ends) by the two boys on each side of him; the cloth fits his
head like a cap, with a long end at the back and in front. First the boy in front
pulls his end of the cloth and then the boy at the back pulls his end, thus causing
the boy between them to rock to and fro. This treatment is continued for some
time while they repeat the following rhyme:—
Chok gĕlechok ....
Gali-gali ubi. A-digging tapioca
Mana kayu bongkok Wherever (there is) knotted timber
Disitu musang jadi. There the pole-cat breeds.
Chang gulichang ....
Serak bunga lada Scatter (?) pepper-blossom.