When a Hottentot man goes hunting, his wife kindles a fire at home and does nothing while he is gone but carefully tend it. They believe if she lets it go out that he will fail in his hunting. Hottentot conjurers are thought to be great snake charmers. It is said that they can hiss in such a way that all the snakes in the district will be attracted to them. So much are these conjurers feared that every one wears some object about him to protect himself against their power. XXVII. MALAYS. The Malays live in the Malay Peninsula, on the great islands near it,—Sumatra, Borneo, and Java,—and on a host of lesser islands in that part of the world. They also form part of the population of the great island, Madagascar, lying east of Africa. They are short, with brown skin, dark eyes, straight and coarse black hair, and broad, round heads. Their forms are slight and graceful. They are active and gay, quick and intelligent; they are easily offended, do not readily forgive injuries, and are often deceitful and treacherous. The Malays are believed to have come from the continent of Asia not more than three thousand years ago. They are fairly industrious in working their fields, the most important crop from which is rice. They have other crops, however, and also raise many fruits. They use the buffalo as a help in field work and for drawing carts. Those Malays who live near the coast fish, and use both fresh and salted fish for food. They are good sailors, making journeys by water to China, Australia and other islands. They are shrewd in trading. Formerly, many Malays were bold pirates, as indeed in some parts they still are. Malay houses are usually built of boards, are rectangular in form, and have a two-pitched roof. They are almost everywhere, set up on posts quite high above ground, and must be reached by means of ladders. The Malays are great chewers of betel nut. A piece of the nut is mixed with a little lime, placed in a leaf, and chewed. It colors the saliva red and stains the teeth a brownish black. So used are the Malays to these stained teeth that they no longer admire white teeth. Of a man whose teeth are not stained with betel they will say, “he has teeth like a dog,” and seem to consider it a disgrace. They even chip off or file away the enamel on the front of the teeth of children so that they may become sooner blackened. [Illustration: MALAY FAMILY: JAVA (VERNEAU).]