[122] J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 31, p. 28. [↑]
[123] Pekiriman: lit. a “sending,” a thing which is sent, and hence a present, the “present” being the bait. [↑]
[124] Ulubalang, or hulubalang, a captain or champion (v. Kl. s.v.): in this context the crocodile is of course intended. [↑]
[125] Pematahan: lit. the “break” of the bay, i.e. the central point (from patah, to break). [↑]
[126] Alir: the name of this particular method of crocodile catching. Thus mengalir = to catch crocodiles in this particular way (as described above). Rotan alir = the long rattan line attached to the bait. [↑]
[127] Telentang: this and the next line probably refer to some form of omen which is taken from the way in which the tree falls; but this was not explained to me at the time. The “supine position” in this case would no doubt be an allusion to the position of a dead crocodile which has “turned turtle,” whereas to be “prone” would be its natural position as it swims. [↑]
[128] Yang berdosa: this, of course, refers to the guilty crocodile or crocodiles, i.e. the maneaters, who are considered to have “sinned” in eating human flesh. [↑]
[129] Si Anu: the name of the victim or victims should be mentioned here. [↑]
[130] Kalangan darah: it is difficult to see the exact meaning of this phrase; at first sight it looks like “the curse of the barring of the blood,” but my Malay authority insisted that it meant the “blood-bars,” and that it was an allusion to the bones, which were supposed to “bar off” blood from blood, and that the real significance of the phrase was “choked to death with bones.” It looks to me, however, much more like a mistake for, or variation of, the phrase mengklan darah, of which there are plenty of examples; but until more instances are collected the explanation must be considered doubtful. [↑]
[131] Biak kembang, d.s.b.: “increase and multiply” is the only sense given to biak or bijak (v. Kl. s.v.), but the phrase may possibly be corrupt. [↑]