Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR
"bertam," though a shaft made of the last-named
material is generally considered to be of inferior quality.'
The shaft of the dart with the point broken off is
called " pandong damak."
The polishing process, which is carried out very
carefully by the Besisi (with " memplas " leaves), is
called " chengat."
The Poison.
We now come to the Besisi dart-poison, the
ordinary ingredients of which were given me as
follows :
—
(i) " Ipoh batang " (in Besisi, '' cht^s'')= Anha?'2s
toxicaria, the Upas tree (the Poison-tree of Java).
(2) •' Malai."-
(3) " Tenet." ^
(4) " Jenu'," or " tuba," the well-known Malay fishpoison
similarly used by the Besisi.
According to another account that I received, the
ingredients of the Besisi poison ^ were :
(i) " Chong ches " (root of the "ipoh" creeper^
Stryclinos tieutc).
(2) " Ches {i.e. " ipoh ") malai."
(3) " Ches {i.e. " ipoh ") tenet."
(4) " Ches {i.e. " ipoh ") kroi."
(5) "Jenu " (Mai. "tuba").
(6) " Pedas," or pepper.'^
(7) " Warang," or arsenic.
' Occasionally we meet with the being used at all requires corrobora-
statement that these darts are made of tion.
bamboo. Darts made of this material, - = " Way " (V. -Si.). For iiiemifihowever,
would be of inferior quality, cations, v. App.
and where the report of its use is not s _ " K.annet " (V.-Si.).
due to careless observation, its employ- ^ Kor identifications, and a similar
ment is doubtless due to some tern- receipt pven by Hellamy (p. 220), v.
porary difficulty of obtaining a belter App.
material. This employment of bamboo * For a suggested reason (for the em-
is not at all usual, and the fact of its ployment of pepper), see p. 319, ;/. 7.
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