Page 218 - Malay sketches

MALAY SKETCHES

in it long without seeing phenomena that are not
always explained by modern text-books on Natural
Philosophy.
I was first introduced to an Arab of remark-
very
able appearance. He was about fifty years old, tall,
with pleasant features and extraordinary grey-blue
clear and a man of and
eyes, far-seeing, striking
impressive personality. I was travelling when I
met him, and tried to persuade him to return with
me, but that he said he could not do, though he
to follow me an He
promised by early steamer.
said he would be able to tell me all about the
who committed
robbery, it, where the stolen pro-
perty then was, and that all he would want was an
empty house wherein he might fast in solitude for
three days, without which preparation, he said, he
would not be able to see what he sought. He told
me that after his and he would
vigil, fast, prayer,
lay in his hand a small piece of paper on which
there would be some writing, into this he would
pour a little water, and in that extemporised mirror
he would see a vision of the whole transaction.
He declared that, after gazing intently into this
divining-glass, the inquirer first recognised the
of a little old man. That saluted
figure having duly
this Jin, it was only necessary to ask him to conjure
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