New-York tribune., 1909-01-24
A STRANGE PEOPLE.


Away among the deep forests in the heart of
the Malay Peninsula there dwell a singular peo-
pie whose curious habits only partially
understood. An Italian explorer found them so
interesting that he spent fifteen years in study
ing their habits and customs, and has some
wonderful stories to relate about the Sacai.
Ihey 1--we In a barbarous state, spending most of
their time in gathering poisons from plants,
which they prepare according to secrets known
only to themselves, for protection against their
enemies and for bringing down their quarry in
the chase.
So accustomed are the Sacai to the life in the
woods that the few who have been at various
times induced to go down to the coast have al
most invariably returned to their native wilds on
the first favorable occasion. There they hunt
game and birds and gather the fruits on which
they subsst- Though life has its dangers, ii has
also Its compensatlons- Nature is particularly
rich in her bounty, and abundance of berries
and foodstuffs is found the bushes and giant
trees, among which fly birds of rare and gor-
geous plumage. But what proves most at
tractive TO the natives is the great variety OF
poisonous plants. They speak about the diff
ferent poisonS Familiarity and often as We
speak about the weather, and the discovery of
new kind combination is hailed as an event of
the greatest Importance The reason for this ia
because the poison is used in killing game and
catching fish, and for the preservation of their
independence, the various concoctions being
mixed according to the resisting power of the
object for which they are intended Thus. for
instance, the hunter would think of vast
ing strong poison on a small animal ne con
sidered unworthy of such an honorable distinc-
ton Besides. he must study TO bring down
such game as he afterward uses for food with
poisons which will in way affect him.
Poisons not difficult to find Growing
among the rank grasses and the trunks of
trees, and mingling with creeping flowers are so
many poisonous plants that the traveller must
be constantly the lookout to avoid them.
Some are so deadly that the odor arising
from them is oYerpowering, causing serious i'll
ness; others skin diseases and painful
swellings of the body if their leaves chance to
touch ever SO lightly the hands or other exposed
parts For this reason the orchid hunter cannot
be too careful, since il Is usually where these
dreaded plants flourish most abundantly that
the alluring white, red, purple, blue and many
coIored orchids found TO thrive most luXurl
antly
In spite of his extraordinary passion for con-
cocting poisons, the Sacai is thorough gentle
man in the chase and a worthy foeman to meet.
He is a big-hearted fellow, having none Of the
barbarous methods of other inhabitants of the
Malay Peninsula whose greatest pleasure is to
torture fallen foe. When he poisons an arrow
his object is TO death quickly and
painlessIy as possible. For this reason the Ma
laws respeo< and fear him, and tell narrowing
stories about his conduct in the constant skir-
rnishes between these two irreconciiable peoples.
scornS to send his poisoned arrow after a flying
foe.
He seems to be particularly happy in his do
rnestic affairs Husband and wife live happily
together and quarrelling i'll treatment is
practically unknown among them In the event
of mother-in-law upsetting the peace of the
home by interfering with It's arrangements, the
Young couple adopt the wise plan OF pulling
down their hut and building new one at re
spectacle distance from the cause of disturbance
The children show much love and respect Iof
their parents who allow them unlimited free
dom TO amuse themselves and follow their own
pursuits Other admirable traits OF this strange
people are their for the sick their readiness
10 help their comrades in need and their eXtraor-
dinary love for all kinds of animals.-Cham-
Ders's Journal