Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
The Chief, Sembulu, Was Ont Afier Heads
and He Pref erred the Heads of White
Men-A TINE Adventure in the Jungle.
Sho7Uers of Spears and Poisoned Arroz0S.
Exploration Party Meets a Real Peril.

help us. But friendships among savages are
not very reliable.
Meanwhile our job for the moment was to
tackle Sembulu, undermine his influence and
break the superstitious fear of white men he
had taught the natives knew he was nobody's
fool. had just one interview with him that
showed me his caliber. He came down the
river to meet me in a highly decorated war
prahu propelled by the powerful strokes of q
dozen war-painted warriors At my signal
although he must have known that half dozen
guns were trained on him from our stockade-
he stepped fearlesSly ashore. He was tall man
with the proud bearing and the dignifled mien
Of a true Polynesian- beardless and with eagle
eyes-wearing earrings of tiger claws and car
rying a long spear. A truly imposing figure. 1
warned him that he had better not attack us.
I reminded him that If his warriors
ceeded in making museum exhibits of our heads,
the Great Whits King across the water would
send soldiers to punish him, destroy his villages
and take his country away from him. But as
spoke rage took possession Of him and his
nostrils dilated with contempt as he replied
The white man has come to my country
unlimited. He has brought evil magic to
hills. Whose hills these? Are they not
ours? Were they not our fathers? speak
truth. Sembulu is powerful in his own land
VIII attack you and your heads shall ornament
the lintels Of my house. Let 1t serve as a warn
ing to your Great White King that his head
too will look down from doorpost If he should
be foolish enough to come after you"
It was a good speech. And in my heart
couldn't blame him. But we couldn't allow
ourselves to be beheaded. The problem was
how surely to get message down the river to
inform Pelandet and Lambang of the situation,
for il was very doubtful under the circumstances
that my soldier messenger had won through.
THE day after SembuIu's visit half dozen
large war prahus manned by some 20
natives each appeared in the broad reach Of the
river. There were also small canoes carrying
from two to four warriors. so that by afternoon
there were at least 200 of them floating on the
stream or resting on the bank each one of them
armed with shields, blow-guns and evfl-looking
steel-edged parangs, and suspiciously watching
our every movement. Finally Tfndig came to
me and said that he had picked out two OF his
best men TO convey my message to the friendly
tribes. We dared not use one of our own
canoes because it to be recognized and
its occupants would never get out alive, but
Tindig had conceived the daring plan of steal
ing one of the enemies small canoes.
We waited anXiousy until the sun had gone
down and then in the brief interval Of darkness
between sunset and moonrise our messengers
slipped off noiselessiy and disappeared into the
gloom of the mangrove swamp. And as they
went odd feeling of loneliness crept over us.
meet barbarous end in this desolate country.
The first incident of note occurred about
o'clock in the morning. Dawn was just breaking
and the rich red shafts of sunlight were fash
ing along the deeply colored green foliage
the opposite bank of the stream, clarifying the
mangrove swamp and lighting up the surface of
the lazy river, when from the gloom and silence
under the trees where the canoes had been
moored large prahu powerfully propelled by
80 paddles suddenly shot forth and came
straight for landing. All the rowers were
in full dress. Their skulls and faces were
plastered with dauhs of yellow and black clay
and their heads were literally covered with
nOdding egret feathers, and strapped over their
shirts Of tree bark in Sheaths made of animal
hair were loaded murderous looking parangs.
1t was not an encouraging sight, to be sure, but
for the moment it did not cause us much ad-
diti0nal uneasineSS, for we felt sure they would
not attempt frontal attack against our rifles.
So We continued diligently at work reinforcing
cur bamboo palisades and covering our primitive
fort with roof.
But pretty soon the naneuvers of the gentle
men In the fine feather hats began to be little
disturbing We noticed that the big war prahu
stationed itself a guard at our landing place
On the hank, and as it did 30 the loud and
violent talking and CALCULATIONS Of the 200 other
warriors stopped entirely as they left their
canoes and slowly disappeared IN the mangroye
swamp. leaving their craft tied to the trees.
AND VIII confess CnaL Wnen Sllence SeLtteu
down upon us and nothing could be seen on
the deserted river more formidable than few
water fowl and q flock OF scarlet-feathered
parrots to dispute our passage down the river to
safety. began to feel distinctly uneasy.
Stin up to noon nothing happened. and We
Innched finally q little more comfortably than
We had breakfasted. But that something sin
lister was brewing in the jungle we knew wen
The profound stiffness. the air Of dssolation was
awful
Then suddenly the hroOding stiffness was
alan I,.rH ND