Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-05-13
BY FRANK N. KENNEY.

Shooting.
BY FRANK M. KENNEY.
The home of "The Wild Man of
BOrneO" was our next port OF call
and is one very seldom visited by the
traveller. for there is no settlement of
and therefore regular
steamers do not stop even though
they may pass close by. There was
some little delay in going ashore
here as the only steam operated craft
were coal barges and their tenders
and this was our means of landing.
There are only thirty eight white
people on the island and they are
with the coal mines. The
latter is owned and operated by an
English company. The manager of
the cruise, Mr.. Clark, offered prizes
to the natives for those who were
best in the native sports and for the
occasion quite number of them were
brought to Labaun and there per-
formed for our edifcation and amuse-
ment.
The temperature was very high
but this did not seem to affect the
even though it made most of
our party seek the shade of the palm.
The first event on the programme
was football. Yes. football, but not
like that which we know, but entirely
different for the ball was made of rat
tan and woven together in an open
manner, and was about four inches
in diameter. This was played by
natives who had been in con tact with
the Europeans and consequently CIV
ilized. Sides were chosen and the
players lined up with one
from each side in the center. The
ball was thrown in the air and as it
came down one of the men kicked it
just as we would do. Then one of
the opposing players would kick it
back, and SO on until the ball was
permitted to strike the ground and
in which case it counted against that
side. It was remarkable the way
those men kicked the ball. Some
times it would be behind them and
to us it seemed impossible for them
to strike the ball but time after time
it was done, 90 expert had they be-
come. On the right side or on the
left made no difference, they seemed
to be able to hit it with their feet.
One fellow had habit of catching
the ball on his knee and then letting
it drop down and kicking it as it fell.
The game was most interesting.
Dances were next In order. The
natives were clothed in only a wide
breech cloth and so showed their fine
physique. Although not large. they
were well-muscled and apparently
possessed great strength for their
size. The Dance Of the Dragon was
first put on. A light framework had
been covered with cloth so that it re-
sembled q dragon, and inside of this
were twn men. One at the head and
the other at the rear. The eyes and
jaws were movable and as they were
kept in motion the appearance of the
dragon was far from prepossessing.
This dance consisted principally of
moving about the field to the time OF
a tune played on native instruments,
the nrincipal one being q drum,
Next came the War dance and this
in many respects resemhled that OF
the American Indians, with the ex-
ception that only two danced at a
time and the weapons we're spears,
and they protected their bodies from.
the spear thrusts of their opponent
with shield. This was we'll worth
Witnessing.
Next GA the programme was the
Buffalo races and these were most
amusing. The ships doctor, a Ger.
man, was always in for sport and
when the buffaloes, which were some
thing like our range steers, were
ready to start. Mister Doctor mount
ed one and participated in the race,
1t was bareback riding but the doc
tor managed to stay on top, and the
natives had less success and not only
fell off but also rolled over several
times before they stopped. 1t was
surprising how fast the beasts could
run.
Some excellent blow gun shooting
was done. This weapon consisted of
o bamboo tube followed out and
about eight feet long. The arrow
was also made of bamboo and sharp
ened on one end. On the other end
a lump of clay was placed so as to
make a tight fit. A wooden target
was set up about fifty feet away and
each man in turn placed an arrow in
his blow-gun, draw in a deep breath
and then put the gun to his mouth
and blew. So accurate was their
aim that seldom was a mess made