Page 87 - Malay sketches

LATAH

that had
accident that their comrade was Idtah, they
ordered him to climb the tree, which he had at
once done, and that then, out of sheer devilry,
"
some one had taken a bit of rattan, said, Do you
see this snake ? I will tie it round the tree, and
then you can't come down," and so left him from
10 A.M. till the afternoon, when the inspector
returned and released him.
The time of Kasim's penance was probably
greatly exaggerated, but that is how the story was
told to me, and of all that follows I was an eye-
witness.
I made Kasim Minor my orderly, and as he was-
with me I had better of
constantly opportunities
studying his peculiarities. About this time also I
learnt that Kasim Major was also Idtah.
it was for
Speaking generally, only necessary any
one to attract the attention of either of these men
by the simplest means, holding up a finger, calling
them by name in a rather pointed way, touching
them or even, when close by, to look them hard in
the face, and instantly they appeared to lose all
control of themselves and would do, not only what-
ever they were told to do, but whatever was sug-
gested by a sign.
I have seen many Idtah people, male and female,
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