7. Five cubits of red cloth by means of which the soul-basket was to

be slung round the neck of its bearer. (The correcter custom would require an expensive cloth of the kind called jong sarat, or the "Loaded Junk," according to my informant the Pawang.) Three new Malay skirts or sarongs were added, (one to each basket), and everything being ready, the various receptacles described above were entrusted to five female bearers (Penjawat), who descended from the house, with the Pawang at their head, and set out for the rice-field. Before they had gone many yards they were joined by the owner of the field, who walked in front of them bearing what was called the junjongan padi. This was the stem and leaves of a dark red kind of sugar-cane, which was used in substitution for the black or "raven" variety (tebu gagak) which, the Pawang explained, would have been used in preference if it had been obtainable. Meanwhile the procession passed on, and the Pawang repeated as we went the following prayer to the spirits:-- "In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, Peace be with thee, O Prophet 'Tap, in whose charge is the Earth, I know the origin of the Rice, S'ri Gading, Gemala Gading, That (dwelleth at) the end of the clearing, and that (dwelleth at) the beginning (top) of the clearing; That is scattered broadcast, that is cast headlong, That is over-run (!) by the ants called Silambada. Ho, Dang 'Pok, Dang Meleni, [421] (and) Dang Salamat, who carriest the pole slung on thy back, Gather together and press hitherwards your attendants. May safety and our daily bread be granted us by God." On reaching the rice the procession filed through a lane already made in the rice, until the "mother-sheaf" was reached from which the Rice-soul was to be taken. But immediately on arriving at the spot, and before depositing the rice-baskets on the ground, the Pawang repeated these lines:-- "Herons from all this region, Roost ye upon the shaft of my bow; Retire ye, O Spectral Reapers, That we may deposit our baskets upon the ground." Here the baskets were deposited, and the Pawang took up her station in front of the mother-sheaf, of which mention has just been made. Covering her head with a flowing white cloth of which the ends fell upon her shoulders, the Pawang now stood up facing the sheaf, and waved the ends of this cloth thrice upward to the right, thrice upward to the left, and finally thrice upward to the right again. Then for a few moments she stood still, close to the sheaf with her head bent forward and buried among the ears, after which she reseated herself and dabbled the tepong tawar thrice upon the roots of the sheaf. One of the female bearers now planted the stem of the sugar-cane upright in the centre of the sheaf, [422] whilst the Pawang sprinkled it with the tepong tawar, and then holding the sharpened end of it over the incense, fumigated it, saying:-- "Peace be with thee, O Prophet 'Tap! Lo, I plant this Sugar-cane For you to lean against, Since I am about to take away this Soul of yours, S'ri Gading, And carry it home to your palace, Cluck, cluck, soul! cluck, cluck, soul! cluck, cluck, soul!" Here the Pawang and Penjawat (Female Bearer), together proceeded to plant the sugar-cane in the centre of the sheaf, and (pressing the sheaf more tightly round the sugar-cane) drew the waist of the sheaf together and belted it with some of the outer stems of the sheaf itself; then the Pawang applied the tepong tawar once more to the sheaf, and after fumigating it in the usual manner, ran her hands up it. Next she took in one hand (out of the brass tray) the stone and the egg, cockle-shell and candle-nut, and with the other planted the big iron nail in the centre of the sheaf close to the foot of the sugar-cane. Then she took in her left hand the cord of tree-bark, and after fumigating it, together with all the vessels of rice and oil, took up some of the rice and strewed it round about the sheaf, and then tossed the remainder thrice upwards, some of it falling upon the rest of the company and myself. This done, she took the end of the cord in both hands, and encircling the sheaf with it near the ground, drew it slowly upward to the waist of the sheaf, and tied it there, after repeating what is called the "Ten Prayers" (do`a sapuloh) without once taking breath:-- "The first, is God, The second, is Muhammad, The third, Holy Water of the five Hours of Prayer by Day and Night, The fourth, is Pancha Indra, The fifth, the Open Door of Daily Bread, The sixth, the Seven Stories of the Palace-Tower, The seventh, the Open Door of the Rice-sifting Platform, The eighth, the Open Door of Paradise, The ninth, is the Child in its Mother's Womb, The tenth, is the Child created by God, the reason of its creation being our Lord. Grant this, `Isa! [423] Grant this, Moses! Grant this, Joseph! Grant this, David! Grant me, from God (the opening of) all the doors of my daily bread, on earth, and in heaven." This prayer completed, [424] she dug up with the great toe of the left foot a small lump of soil, and picking it up, deposited it in the centre of the sheaf. Next she took the contents of the soul-basket (the egg and stone, candle-nut and shell as before), and after anointing them with oil and fumigating them, replaced them in the basket; then taking the penuwei sulong ("Eldest Rice-cutter"), anointed the blade with the oil of frankincense, and inserting the thumb of the right hand into her mouth, pressed it for several moments against the roof of her palate. On withdrawing it she proceeded to cut the first seven "heads" of rice, repeating "the Ten Prayers" as she did so. Then she put the seven "heads" together, and kissed them; turned up the whites of her eyes thrice, and thrice contracting the muscles of her throat with a sort of "click," swallowed the water in her mouth. [425] Next she drew the small white cloth which she took from the soul-basket for the purpose across her lap, and laying the little bundle of seven ears in it, anointed them with oil and tied them round with parti-coloured thread (benang panchawarna), after which she fumigated them with the incense, and strewing rice of each kind over them, folded the ends of the cloth over them, and deposited them as before in the basket, which was handed to the first bearer. Then standing up, she strewed more rice over the sheaf, and tossing some backwards over her head, threw the remainder over the rest of the party, saying "tabek" ("pardon") as she did so, and exclaiming "kur semangat, kur semangat, kur semangat!" ("cluck, cluck, soul!") in a loud voice. Next she pushed the cocoa-nut shell (which had contained the tepong tawar) into the middle of the sheaf, and removed all traces of the lane which had been trodden round the sheaf (to make it accessible) by bending down the surrounding ears of rice until the gap was concealed. Then the First Bearer, slinging the basket of the Rice-child about her neck (by means of the red cloth before referred to), took an umbrella [426] from one of the party, and opened it to shield the Rice-child from the effects of the sun, and when the Pawang had reseated herself and repeated an Arabic prayer (standing erect again at the end of it with her hands clasped above her head), this part of the ceremony came to an end. Moving on to another part of the field, the Pawang now cut the next seven "heads" and deposited them in one of the three rice-baskets, which she then handed to one of the female bearers, telling her and her two companions to reap the field in parallel straight lines facing the sun, until they had filled the three rice-baskets, after which they were to return to the house. Leaving the three reapers at their task, I followed the Pawang and Eldest Bearer (the latter still shielding the Rice-child from the sun with the umbrella) and arrived in time to witness the reception of the party as they reached the foot of the house-ladder. Here (on the threshold) we were met by the wife of the owner, and other women of his family, the former thrice calling out as we approached, "Apa khabar?" ("What news?"), and thrice receiving the reply, "Baik" ("It is well"). On receiving this reply for the third time she threw saffron-rice over the Pawang and repeated these lines:-- "Chop the 'tree' Galenggang (a kind of shrub), Chop it to pieces in front of the door: Yonder comes One swinging (her) arms; That (methinks) is a child of mine." To which the Pawang immediately replied:-- "Chop the young bamboo-shoots as fine as you can, If you wish to stupefy the fish in the main stream. In good sooth I have crossed the stream, For great was my desire to come hither." And the bearer of the Rice-child added--doubtless on the Rice-child's behalf:-- "This measure is not a measure filled with pepper, But a measure filled with rice-husks. My coming is not merely fortuitous, But great (rather) was my desire, the wish of my heart." She then entered the house and laid the Rice-child (still in its basket) on a new sleeping-mat with pillows at the head. About twenty minutes later the three Bearers returned, [427] each of their rice-baskets covered with a sarong. These baskets were carried into the bedroom and deposited in order of size on the mat at the foot of the soul-basket, the largest basket being the nearest to the soul-basket. Finally, the Pawang removed the sarongs which covered each basket and deposited them on the Rice-child's pillow, and sticking the "penuweis" into her hair, fumigated the entire row of baskets and the Rice-child, and covered them over with the long white cloth, after which the wife of the master of the house was told to observe certain rules of taboo for three days. The following were the taboos imposed upon her:--