Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

CHAP. VIII SAVAGE MALAYS OF SELANGOR 391
boos was fitted a sort of piston-rod, which was bound
round with cloth. These rods were held one in each
hand, and when moved up and down alternately pro-
duced a continuous current of air.'
Mantra. — Of the industries of the Mantra, with
regard to the subjects treated of in this chapter, nothing
special has been recorded, though we learn from
Logan's Journal that their girls were taught to make
bags and mats.-
Writing is unknown ; they reckon dates by tying
knots in a string.^
Jakun of Johor.— Like all Indian nations, the Jakun
have a propensity to idleness ; but
to be exact in this
account, and just towards them, I must say that thev
are not so lazy as either the Malays or Hindus. Their
first and principal occupation is the chase ;
they
have
a great predilection for this exercise, it being the first
means by which they feed themselves and their
families ; and
from having been brought up in that
habit, in which the greater part of their life is spent,
they should be skilful hunters, which in fact they are,
both in their way and in the manner of using their
weapons, as will be seen elsewhere. In the daytime
they remain at home, where they prepare their arrows
and other weapons, the substances with which they
poison their arrows, and cook and eat the animals
caught the day before, or build or repair their houses,
etc.^ The Jakun who have no taste for cultivating rice,
or who are not acquainted with the manner of doing
so, are generally very miserable ;
they
are then
obliged to look to the Malays to provide for their
' G. C. Bellamy, p. 229. tradition of a lost book, sec p. 536,
- J. I. A. vol. i. p. 330. infra, and ii. 346, 347.
3 Ibid. For the Besisi and Mantra * J. /. A. vol. ii. p. 25S.