[173] Yet another variety is called in Selangor gharu “isi kang tua.” The following are the names of certain other, gharu-trees, of which the product, however, is said to be useless for market purposes. They are gharu tutor, gharu dĕdap, gharu kundor, and gharu akar. [↑]
[174] A pikul is 133⅓ lbs. avoir. [↑]
[175] R.N.B. in J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 18, pp. 359–361. [↑]
[176] On putting this theory to the test, I found that the singing noise referred to was in reality nothing but the low whispering noise caused by the flow of the sap, which could be distinctly heard, even without putting the ear to the bark, when the tree was struck by the cutlass. The Malays, however, look upon it as the voice of the spirit, and add that if you hear it at night you must repeat the charm, altering the first line only to “Ho, offspring of the King of Forest Butterflies” (Hei anak S’ri Rama-rama hutan). [↑]
[177] “The gaharu merupa is a piece of strangely formed gaharu wood, having a rough resemblance to some living creature, be it a bird, a dog, a cat, or something else.
“The writer of these lines has never been able to see one of these gaharu merupa, and it would seem that none have been found in Siak in recent times.
“The power which it is believed to possess rests on the supposition that it is the spirit of the kayu gaharu. With it in hand, the holder is sure to make large finds of gaharu wood in the jungle.
“The gaharu wood is not the wood of a tree named gaharu, but is the product of a tree of the name of karas.”—J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 17, p. 154. [↑]
[178] J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 26, pp. 39, 40. [↑]
[179] Orang hulu literally means “men of the inland country,” but here denotes especially the aborigines known to the Malays as Jakun, orang hutan, orang bukit, and by other names. [↑]