Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese Vol II. - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/229

 necessary agreements with one another. All this takes place several days before hand. At the making of the contract each party produces his fighting animal and exhibits it to his opponent in the presence of witnesses. When the stakes have been agreed upon, the two animals are symbolically dedicated to enmity against one another in the future by being allowed for a moment to charge each other with their heads down, or (in case of birds) to peck at each other. The animals are, after this ceremony, said to be "betrothed" (meutunang or lam tunang), while the owners are said to have "made this stake" (ka meutarōh).

The stake of each pair of opponents is called tarōh baʾ = principal stake, and is handed over to an ulèëbalang or keuchiʾ (who usually deducts a commission for his trouble) to be delivered to the winner after the fight is over. Outsiders may in the meantime, both before and during the fight, lay wagers with one another on its issue; the amounts bet are called tarōh chabeuëng or additional stakes. Thus even in the midst of the struggle the betting men may be seen moving about through the crowd, while their cries "two to one, three to two!" and so on, alternate with the tide of battle within the glanggang.

The final preparation of the animals for the fight savours a good deal of superstition. Not only is the choice of strengthening and other medicines controlled by superstition, but ajeumats (charms) are employed by the owner to make his animal proof against the arts of witchcraft by which the opponent is sure to endeavour to weaken and rob it of its courage. The kutikas or tables of lucky times and seasons are resorted to in order to decide at what hour of the appointed day it will be best to start for the scene of the combat, and in what direction the animal shall issue from its stall.

The animals are in the charge of their masters who however usually