Evening star., 1928-04-08

knife and tapped two Of the sleeping
Dyaks upon the shoulder. Without a
word they took their knives, picked up
their paddles. and followed me to the
dugout
For some moments we sat motionless,
trying 10 locate the drumming. In the
darkness I could family see the Dyak
IN the bow of the dugout turning hts
head from side TO side ! touched him
On the shoulder. and pointed 70 the left
bank. He shook his head. The Dyak
behind me put hand over each ear,
alternately. holding his head in the air
like a pointer. They we're finally
agreed that the medicine man was
down the river. perhaps in paddy
field. Paddles dipped in the water. and
We glided swiftly into the currents OF
mid-stream.
blackness, cutting its way between
mountains in mighty, full-shouldered
curves: and the trip-hammer drum
ming Of the medicine men became
lounder as we rounded each succeeding
bend. The grunting OF wild boar, as
they plowed up the mud banks with
their tusks. and the feathery rustling
OF troupes of red monkeys In the trees
along the river were the only other
sounds To be heard.
-
TIE nose OF the dugont pushed softly
- into the bank, and we waded bare
footed through the soft mud up TO an
old paddy field. We made our way eau
tio1sly through fallen trees, and fol-
lowed beaten trails through patches OF
jungle, finally coming TO the top OF a
small hill Below US. In q little hut
raised high above the ground on poles,
the Vitch-heaIing was going on.
The two Dyaks refused To approach
closer with me. Those men In the hut
we're Undanoems. they whispered 70 me
They were many and they we're fine
fighters Perhaps they were preparing
20 go out and take heads. II would be
dangerous 10 fight 50 many Undan-
oemE: IL would be much better IL We
returned 10 the biyouac at once.
They were not telling the truth, and
I knew IT. There seemed TO be little
fear Of death, and II there were, a
Punan would be the last 70 run from IT.
They were held back by superstition, by
fear Of tch-doctors. but would not
admit IL. I respected their fear They
waited for me on the hilltop, and ]
crept down towards the hut.
/ was still hundred yards OF. and
ss quiet aa the earth itself. when the
drumming stopped and the pitch
torches were covered sank down low
and waited II was impossible 10 see
the hut, and / could hear no suggeS~
tion Of q sound save my own breathing
Cautious az l had been, some one had
either seen or heard me, and given the
signal, ] waited for some minutes; stiii
no sound.
THEN, without attempting 10 quiet my
footsteps, ! approached another
hundred steps and called out In B0rneo-
Malay, the lingua -ffanca OF the EaritO
tribes. No one answered. ! ieit eau"
tious about approaching further; q
blow-pipe dart shot by instinct IN ths
dark has an uncanny way OF fndlng lth
marx A scratch from It's poisoned tip
means death within 10 or IL minutes
From the size Of the hut when IT, was
lighted, / judged there were not Lest
| than SIX people within IL.
Again | called out, saying that was
| d white man from Poer0kkrTlah0e and
| thsL the white chief al P0efoek~TIa
| had given me medicine tO cure the sick
| UIldsnoenls. / did not know definitely
| that 4 sick person lay within, ~ WA
| the only alibi / had 10 offer with the
| end of seeing The Witch~bssiing con-
tinue. however, and fortunately enough
the torches were uncovered, ana ap.
preached and climbed up the notehed
log Of the hut. A