Everything became changed instantly. The ceiling was of
ironwood, and the planks of the floor were of a wood called lampong, which
resembles cedar. Large numbers of brass vessels were there, and many gongs
were brought from the prahu, besides a great quantity of various goods.
The mother said: "This is well, Semang." She felt that she no longer had
cause to be troubled; that whatever she and Semang might need would come
without effort on their part.
NOTE. - According to Long-Glat belief, the deer, called in Malay rusa,
possesses a magic liquid which enables it to restore the dead to life. The
name of the liquid is telang kliman (telang = liquid; kliman = to make
alive).
18. ADVENTURES IN PURSUIT OF MAGIC
(From the Long-Glats, kampong Long Tujo)
Once there lived a woman, Boamaring, who was Raja Besar in a large kampong
where people did not know how to work. They could not make ladangs nor
prahus. Everything they needed came to them of its own accord, and the
rajas of the neighbouring kampongs were afraid of her. This is the way it
came about.
She heard a rumour of a musical instrument which could play by itself, and
which had the power of bringing all necessary food. She said to her
husband, whose name was Batangnorang, "Go to the limit of the sky and
bring the instrument that plays by itself." Putting on tiger skin, and
carrying his parang and sumpitan, Batangnorang went into a small prahu
which was able to fly, and it flew one month, to the end of the sky. He
landed in a durian tree, near a small house covered with the tail feathers
of the hornbill. Its walls were of tiger skins, the ridgepole, as well as
the poles of the framework, were made of brass, and a carving of the naga
stood out from each gable.
He heard music from inside the house, and saw a woman dancing alone to the
tune of the instrument that played by itself. She was the antoh of the end
of the sky, and he knew that she ate people, so he was afraid to come
down, for many men since long ago had arrived there and had been eaten.
Many corpses of men could be seen lying on the ground. From his bamboo
cask he took a small arrow, placed it in his sumpitan, and then blew it
out toward the dancing woman. The arrow hit the woman in the small of the
back, and she fell mortally wounded. Then he flew down to the house,
finished killing her with his spear, and cut her head off with his parang.
He then went up to her room and took the musical instrument, her beautiful
clothing, and beads, and placed all, together with the head, in his prahu.
He also took many fine rattan mats, burned the house, and flew away in the
sky.
