Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

CHAP. VI NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 271
they made me a model) was, they said, roughly speaking,
"a fathom and a half" in height (probably 2.1 m. to
2.4 m.), and was made of a kind of wood called, in
the Semang dialect, " temakah." The string was of
twisted jungle-fibre and the arrows ("wong loydd ")
were of bamboo with barbed iron heads.
I was further informed that the string was made from
carefully twisted strands oftree-bark, greased and waxed,'
and the arrow-shafts from an internode of bamboo.
The same informants told me that the shafts of the
arrows are often decorated with incised patterns, and
have barbed-iron points which fit into a socket at the
end of the shaft. This part of the shaft is bound
round with a thin sliver of rattan, and the point is so
fitted into it that any wounded animal that tries to
rid itself of the arrow (by rubbing itself against the
brushwood) may succeed in breaking off the shaft, but
will leave the point sticking in the wound. A wound
from this point, moreover (which is crusted with
several coatings of Upas poison), soon kills its victim.
The arrow is usually winged with feathers of the
hornbill, and the point is rudely forged by pounding
a red-hot piece of iron between two large stones.
Perak Semang".—The Semang (of Perak) have a
very powerful bow and iron-barbed arrows, with which
they kill the largest game.'- It is usually about 7 ft.
(2.1 m.) in length, and the iron heads of the arrows,
which are given a high finish, are of good workman-
ship, and poisoned.^ Mr. L. Wray writes me that
the arrow-heads (of the Perak Semang) are made of
' DeM., who confirms this (/.'//. ii. = feathers or "vane"; and "go" =
6 1 8), adds that sinews of wild animals quiver. The bow isof "ibul" wood, and
(deer or bull) are also used for the cord. 2 metres in length, with a curvature of
- Swett. p. 228. According to 0.30 m. The arrow is 90 cm. in
De M. "ak" = bow; *'ya6" = bow- length. For further details, cp.
string; " loi" = arrow-point ; "preg" L'H. ii. 618. ^ fjale, p. 290.