MALAY SKETCHES
moving his fingers up and down the blade. After a little while a few drops of water fall from the point of the kris, and these drops quickly develop into a stream that will fill a cup. The "pâwang" will then hand round the blade and tell you to bend it; this you will find no difficulty in doing, but by making two or three passes over the kris the "pâwang" can render it again so hard that it cannot be bent.
The only drawback to this trick or miracle is that the process ruins the temper of the steel, and a kris that has been thus treated is useless.
One evening I was discussing these various superstitions with the Sultan of Perak, and I did not notice that the spiritual teacher of His Highness had entered and was waiting to lead the evening prayer. The guru, or teacher, no doubt heard the end of our conversation and was duly scandalised, for the next day I received from him a letter, of which the following is the translation:
"First praise to God, the Giver of all good, a Fountain of Compassion to His servants.
"From Haji Wan Muhammad. Teacher of His Highness the Sultan of Perak, to the Resident who administers the Government of Perak.
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