Evening star., 1928-04-08

same side of the river as We we're. They
| had foreseen our predicament. and had
| decided TO make the most Of It.
THE Undanoems had apparently de-
= eided to end the struggle within the
! day. for the medicine drums had ceased
| beating entirely. The awful stiffness OF
| the Jungle became even more oppreS-
sive than the tom-toming had been. for
at the slightest movement or sound the
soldiers and coolies dropped their bur
denS 10 be on guard.
One of the soldiers and myself did
| the cutting. and the others followed
| with the baggage. Every few yards We
stopped 10 listen. We we're practically
helpless against . fight Of poisoned
darts in that condition. for their slight
| est scratch meant certain death. just
one silent. unerring volley at those OF
us who carried the guns. and the witch
doctor would have his revenge.
The attack came early that afternoon.
I heard q scream as was cutting and
turned around TO see one OF the MalayS
StasSering back. and others Of them
dropping 10 their knees behind the dug
out. As rushed back. firing and re-
leading. the Punans whipped out their
long knives. gave a hlood-curdllng war
cry. and charged into the jungle.
The soldiers stood their ground Ike
wooden Indians and fired in6tScriminate
yolleys into the forest. then they threw
down their rifles. flashed out their
swords and toeether We dashed in. not
knowing where the enemy lay. oat re-
flSing 20 stand still and be shot down
like pigeons. fired from the waist ~
shadowy form ahead and felt dart
Y ssSFN
went ON. We kept on for hundred
yards or 81 and then stopped.
&&
THEN three more darts came throGSh
Il the air: one went yard vide of MY
chest, another sped by my les and the
third stuck into tree and broke OF.
In another moment there VAS 10 StGn
or sound OF the enemy. The three
PunanS naotioned us 70 come III their
direction and when We arrived pointed
out the direction in which the Un0s-
noeMS had retreated We spread oat
fanwiSe and started through once more.
eut the punanS and Malay coolies would
not keep in line and went On like tigers,
After half hours s<uitleSS chase
decided that IL was pSN<NSS to follow
them further, The three soldiers were
still with me, but II was practically I'M
kNNaSA8tC W NSAkA INV A&t&AN &Ak0 NNNhANtN
back, Their old head-hunting ardcr
was aroused. and whether there were
fifty undanoenlS or 4 hundred and ATTY.
II made no difference. They were calt
for blood
We returned 10 the tran 60 find that
one Of the AtalayS-the one who had
Shrieked been struck in the neck
With y dart, With his first scream he
had tried to draw out the dart. but the
shaft had been cut above the barb and
broke OF, leaving the poisoned head
within the flesh. Fortunately he Was
our only loss No one else had been
touched Several darts were stuck into
the rattan packs the men carried and
the broken point Of another was i'm
hedded into tree beside which I had
been cutting, ConSldertng that they
had shot froA = distance Of about le0
feet and through. thtek Jungle. their
aim was not 40 bad, III We had been
without rifles they would have ap-
preached closer and made every dart
count
Now that we had felt the strength cf
the undancemS We decided that Ii was
safe to split our party--hoth 60 Speed
up the cat through the Jungle ana 20
quart against the possibility Of q second
attack nom the rear, This We did, and
IN Two days We we're well out az their
country. far froM the thanap OF med
ietne drums and poisoned aartA
tcoesFlsh1 lssel