Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra11121883roya).pdf/163

 satisfy those kindly moralists who contend that all men are, to some degree, insanc. But I am dealing with a Malay subject as treated by Malays, and therefore draw attention to the fact that nothing can be more distinctly defined than their several attitudes towards an orang gila and an orang latah.

A strong case of this division of latah, which has come under my notice, was aa Kuâla Jumpol, when I was crossing the Malay Peninsula in 1875.

I there met a young Malay who was of material assistance to our party in pulling our boat across a narrow watershed into the Thi Sureting. His comrades told me the man was latah, but I could see nothing in his conduct or conversation which was not perfectly rational.

Some twenty-four hours after making his acquaintance, one night we let off a signalling rocket for the amusement of those who had given us assistance (none of those present had ever seen a rocket before). I was preparing to fire a second rocket myself, when the latah pushed me violently aside, snatched the torch from my hand, fired the rocket, and fell down on his face making an unintelligible noise, to all appearance the expression of fear.

I was somewhat startled, such rudeness and violence being quite foreign to the Malay character. When I sought an explanation from the by-standers, I was informed laconically "latah, tuan."

Next morning when I met this man, I found him perfectly rational and perfectly respectful.

I saw him standing alone on the bank as we put off down-stream, and I waved my hand to him. To my surprise he began waving his hand frantically in return, and continued to do so till I lost him at the first bend of the stream. I had began to whistlo an air. He also began whistling. His imitative faculty did not quite lead him to a reproduction of the tune, but the fact of an up-country Malay's whistling at all is sufficiently remarkable. As I rounded the bend, I saw him still waving and heard him still whistling. The steersman to whom I turned came out with the stereotyped formula "Dia buniak latah, tuan." I hope my poor friend's exertions ceased when their exciting cause passed out of sight.