Next morning Iyu came to the place where Sora had found the root and the
fruit, and he ate all that remained there, but this belonged to an antoh,
called Amenaran, and one of his children saw Iyu eat the root which he did
not cook, and also saw him climb the tree and eat the fruit. He went and
told his father, the antoh, who became angry, spoke to Iyu about it, and
wanted to know who had given him permission.
Iyu, who was up in the tree still gorging himself with fruit, said he was
not afraid and he would fight it out that evening. Amenaran stood below
and lightning poured forth from his mouth and thunder was heard. Iyu said:
"I have no spear, nor parang, but I will kill that antoh." And the big pig
he had eaten and all the roots and all the fruits that he had been feeding
on, an immense quantity of faeces, he dropped on Amenaran's head, and it
killed him. Iyu returned home and told Sora that he had put Amenaran to
death. They then went out and killed many animals with the sumpitan and
returned to the kampong. "Now that antoh is dead we can no more eat raw
meat nor much fruit," said Iyu. Long ago it was the custom to eat the meat
raw and much of it, as well as much fruit, and one man alone would eat one
pig and a whole garden. Now people eat little. With the death of antoh the
strong medicine of the food is gone, and the Saputans do not eat much.
NOTE. - Laki is the Malay word for man or male, adopted by many of the
tribes. The native word for woman, however, is always maintained. Keladi
is a caladium, which furnishes the principal edible root in Borneo.
11. THE WONDERFUL TREE
(From the Saputans; kampong Data Laong)
Tanipoi bore a female infant, and when the child had been washed with
water on the same day, the father gave her the name Aneitjing (cat). Years
passed, and the girl had learned to bring water in the bamboo and to crush
paddi. And the mother again became pregnant, and in due time had another
little girl which was called Inu (a kind of fruit).
Now, among the Saputans the custom long ago was that the woman who had a
child should do no work during forty days. She must not bring water, nor
husk paddi, nor cook. She remained in the house and took her bath in the
river daily. She slept much and ate pork cooked in bamboo, and rice, if
there was any, and she was free to eat anything else that she liked. Her
husband, Tanuuloi, who during this time had to do all the work, became
tired of it, and he said to his wife:
