* * * * *

There being no ritual in the Sakai ceremonies, the simple functions of
the _Ala_ are very limited.

He has to mumble in an unintelligible manner mysterious words (the
meaning of which he does not know himself) when a poisonous mixture is
being boiled in order to render its venomous virtue more efficacious. He
makes exorcisms against the evil spirits when the wind arises or a heavy
storm breaks or he is called to visit a sick person.

In the latter case duties are merged in those of the physician's for
whilst preparing some remedies with herbs possessing medicinal
properties (of which he knows very few out of the multitude that grows
in the Malai forests) he proceeds to exercise the authority reposed in
him, according to the Sakai beliefs by attempting to cast out the evil
spirit from his patient.

This act is called the _tay nak_. He first asks the sufferer where the
pain is, then making a sort of brush with some palm leaves he holds it
in left hand. The right he closes loosely and lays it on the place that
aches, puts his mouth to the opening left through the lightly closed
fingers and begins to pull in his breath as hard as he can. Sometimes he
is able in this way to draw out the demon which has caused the illness,
from the patient's body into his hand and drives it away by
energetically beating it with the brush.

The sorcerer is aware if the spirit has come out by a very pale light,
which only he can see, though!

But if the malady is a serious one this cure fails, a sure proof that
the spirit is one of the most dreaded class and must therefore be
heroically fought by means of the _chintok_, as follows.

The village in which the afflicted person lives is closed in by numerous
traps, and planted all round with poisoned arrows so that nobody can
come near, even if someone were to succeed in crossing that original
_cordon sanitaire_ without any fatal consequence he would most certainly
be killed inside it as it is feared that another evil spirit may be
imported by an outsider, in aid of the one they are trying to get rid
of.

Over the body of the infirm they form a canopy of medicinal herbs; the
_Ala_ and the company present paint themselves in the most horrible
manner possible and as soon as it is quite dark (any sort of light is
absolutely forbidden) they dispose themselves around the invalid and
begin to madly beat their big bamboo canes. Their frenzy and the noise
they