Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

3IO WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS part ii
generally held when it was being carried on a hunt-
ing expedition. I cannot say for certain whether
this explanation is of wider application, but if so it
would explain why this part of the bamboo is so
frequently stripped of its outer cuticle and polished
with wax.
The Cleaning-rod.
A primitive kind of cleaning -rod which was
frequently used by the Besisi was called "jenghek."
It was made on the ramrod principle, a long rod of
palm-wood being perforated at one end, and strips of
palm-leaf threaded through the perforation. This
rod, when worked up and down the tube, made the
cleaning of the interior of the blowpipe an easy
matter. The muzzle of the blowpipe was in addition,
not unfrequently, stoppered with leaves in order to
keep out white ants, the small wild bees called
" kelulut," and many other kinds of insect—a precaution
which is of no small importance in the Malay
Peninsula.
The Dart.
The following are the names given by the Besisi
to the different parts of their blowpipe-dart ("damak").
The shaft is called " huyang," the butt-end " bentol,"
the point "chen," and the nick above the point "gret."
The conical butt-end (also called " tom bentol ")
is only made of what is called in Besisi "long angkau,"
—which is the stem of a kind of creeper called in
Malay " akar lada luan,"—or of some light wood such
as " pulai."
The stem or shaft of the dart is made from the
leaf- ribs of various kinds of palm, especially the
" serdang," " ranggam," " kepau," " kumung " (.'^), and
I