Page:Life in Java Volume 1.djvu/188

number of priests, all kneeling in the Arab fashion, their bodies partly resting on the calves of their legs. They were all more advanced in years than the others, probably the patriarchs of their respective villages. Some of them even looked bent with the " weight of years!" Behind each sat a payong bearer, sheltering his master from the sun. The sacerdotal dress consisted of a white gown, over sarongs of batek, which were tied to the waist by broad red belts. Over the shoulders hung two bands of yellow silk, bound with scarlet, with tassels and coins hanging from the ends. Round the head was a large turban, ornamented with gaudy silk scarfs. Before each priest were small packets made of plantain leaves, containing incense, chips of sandal -wood, and other preparations; wooden censers, from which arose clouds of aromatic perfumes; and a basket of plaited rattan, containing water, near which was a goupillon, made of plantain leaves, with flowers fixed at the top.