points of the ordinary Malay compass three or four times in the lunar month.
The subject of omens in general has been shortly dealt with at the beginning of
this section, and also incidentally mentioned in connection with various
departments of nature and human life. It would hardly be possible to make a
complete or systematic list of the things from which omens are taken. Apart
from those depending merely on Times, Seasons, Numbers, and Aspect, which
have been already dealt with at quite sufficient length, it may be noted that
omens are drawn from earthquakes, thunder, “house-lizards, rats, and other four-
footed things,” according to the times at which they are observed, from the
colour, smell, and nature of soil (in choosing building-sites), from birds, and, in
fact, from a very large variety of matters which cannot be classified under any
general head. The lines of the hand are, of course, interpreted among the Malays,
as elsewhere, as signs of good and evil fortune. It has not been possible to collect
much information on the subject of Malay chiromancy, but for the benefit of
European adepts in “palmistry” (as it seems to be usually styled nowadays) it
may be worth while mentioning that the Malays attach importance, as an
indication of long life (ʿalamat panjang ʿumor),^248 to the intersection of the line
round the base of the thumb^249 with the one which runs round the wrist
(simpeian ʿAli), while a broken line across the palm (rĕtak putus) is believed by
them to be a sign of invulnerability (tanda pĕnggĕtas, ta’ buleh di-tikam).
Upright lines running up the lower joints of the fingers, in the same line as the
fingers themselves, are a sign of prospective wealth (ʿalamat ’nak di-panjat dĕ’
duit, tanda orang kaya), and a whorl of circular lines on the fingers (pusat
bĕlanak) is a sign of a craftsman (ʿalamat orang tukang).
More important, perhaps, are the omens believed to be derived from dreams, of
which there seem to be several different methods of interpretation. According to
one system the initial letter of the thing dreamt of determines the luck: thus to
dream of a thing beginning with T is very lucky indeed, to dream of a thing
beginning with H means that a visitor from a distance is to be expected; N
indicates sorrow, L is a hint to give alms to the poor and needy, and so forth.
According to another system, a purely arbitrary meaning is put upon the subject-
matter of the dream, or, at most, some slight analogy is the basis of the
interpretation. Thus to dream of a gale of wind in the early morning is an omen
of sorrow, to dream of hail means acquisition of property, to dream of bathing in
a heavy shower of rain indicates escape from a very great danger, a dream about