Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra85861922roya).pdf/90

 drove the intruders away, but as repeatedly they returned. It happened that she had an old friend named Faseh who had died about a year before and was believed to have become a tiger. In her impatience, the old lady shouted out: "O Faseh, my friend! If you really have become a tiger, please do me the favour of driving away these nasty buffaloes, and thus save my little garden from being destroyed." A few moments passed. Then all of a sudden, the buffaloes bellowed and rushed out of the compound helter-skelter for their life; while above the confusion rose the terrible roar of an angry tiger. We were panic-striken in the little hovel where we lived, and the old lady felt sorry for having called the tiger. But for the rest of the night and for many nights afterwards the buffaloes never returned.

Another incident of a different nature illustrates the superstition. A Malay woman named Ba'idah, belonging to one of these tiger-breed families, had a dead brother, believed to have turned into a tiger. One night she dreamt that this brother in the shape of a man returned home from a long journey, very badly wounded in his chest by an accidental shot from a spring-gun (bělantek usa). He came up the verandah (sĕrambi) and there lay groaning with agony and saying he was going to die. When she woke up in the morning she told her husband what she had seen in her dream. On opening the door leading from the main room to the verandah they found that all the verandah was besmeared with fresh blood. They suspected this was the blood of the wounded brother who had come home in the woman's dream. It seemed that the tiger had left the house only a short while ago. Calling their neighbours' who came with guns and spears, they followed the track of the blood and foot-prints into the forest. They did not go far when they came upon the carcase of a huge tiger. The distinctive marks they found on the carcase assured them that it was indeed the woman's brother. The mortal wound was exactly in the chest, and appeared to have been inflicted the very same night. Many similar incidents are known throughout Jempul. Time and again it is related these family-tigers visit their relatives' houses during the nights of holy festivities, such as Hari Raya. Sometimes they manage to make their way into the kitchen, and feast over some rĕbus kĕrbau or ikan pindang that may have been left on the hearth. Morning comes to tell the tale from the traces they leave behind and the clean-licked cooking pots and dishes. This would make an interesting counterpart to the well-known nursery tale of Santa Claus who comes on Christmas eve to bring presents for children.

There are many little graveyards throughout Jempul which are credited with having produced tigers out of human corpses. Two of them deserve special mention, and these are Kubor Nesan and Kubor Lĕban, situated in Kampong Tengah. These two are among many which have become highly revered by the ignorant masses. They pay their vows (niat) there, and propitiate the spirit of the place.