Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

314 WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS part ii
The cover or cap of the quiver, which was made
of finely woven basket-work (of rattan), was fitted
on to its upper end or top.^ It consisted of three
triangular sections of basket-work, the edges of
which overlapped, and were so brought together as to
make a kind of peaked lid. Inside this cap was kept
a supply of the usual palm-down (or tinder),^ the in-
teriorly projecting edges of the cap-sections being
left free to hold this down or fluff in its place. ^ An
additional supply, together with the complete apparatus
required for poisoning fresh darts when the supply
runs short, is sometimes pushed down into the centre
of the spiral formed by the rolled-up reed-bundle.
It was also the rule among the Besisi to carry in the
quiver a little beeswax for polishing the points of
their darts, so as to prevent them from adhering to
the sides of the reeds. To effect this polishing they
wax a rectangular panel on the front of the quiver,
after scraping off the surface of the cuticle, and work
up the points of their darts by rolling them upon it.
The quiver is called " lok " in Besisi ( = " telak "
elsewhere), and its cover (Mai. " tudong ") was
called " tebong lok." Inside this cover, which was
hollowed out of a soft wood resembling " pulai," was
carried the tinder or palm-fluff (the " rabok tukas
of the Malays =Bes. " barok "), which was used, as
has been said, as a sort of wadding for preventing
windage in shooting with the blowpipe.
In addition to this tinder, two or three leaves of a
creeper called the " Bringer-down of squirrels " ^
(" akar penurun tupei "), or of another creeper called
1 Cp. V.-St. ii. 121.;
•* ?="
Penurun lotong " (" Bringer-
- Seep. 260, ante, n. i. down of monkeys "), Ca/^arza jM^rt/a^a,
3 In the wooden cap a slight bamboo Muell. It is called by the Blandas
bar takes their place.
" salerik tupei."
"