He was lazy; he would not be a raja if he were not. If he
were on the move one day, he would sleep most of the next.
Among my twenty-two Kayans was an efficient and reliable man called
Banglan, the sub-chief of Kaburau, who was alert and intelligent. He had
only one hand, the result of a valorous fight with a crocodile, by which
his prahu (native boat) had been attacked one day at dawn in a small
tributary of the river. The animal actually upset the prahu and killed his
two companions, in trying to save whom with no weapon but his bare hands,
he lost one in the struggle. In their contact with the crocodiles the
Dayaks show a fortitude almost beyond belief. A Dutch doctor once treated
a man who had been dragged under water, but had the presence of mind to
press a thumb into each eye of the reptile. He was badly mangled, but
recovered.
As long as we remained at a low altitude camping out was not an unalloyed
pleasure, because the tormenting gnats were exasperating, and at night the
humidity was great, making the bed and everything else damp. The
atmosphere was heavy and filled with the odor of decaying vegetable matter
never before disturbed. In the morning at five o'clock, my hour for
rising, there was considerable chill in the air. It was difficult to see a
star here and there through the tall trees and dense undergrowth that
surrounded us as closely as the walls of a cave.
The stagnant atmosphere and dark environment, which the sun's rays vainly
attempted to penetrate, began to have a depressing effect on my spirits.
After a couple of nights spent thus, a longing for sunshine came over me
and I decided to stay one day, make a clearing, dry our belongings, and
put up a shelter in which to leave some of our baggage; all of which could
not be carried up the hills.
I told the raja and Banglan that I wanted the sun to shine into the camp,
and the men immediately set to work with cheerful alacrity. The Dayaks
have no rivals in their ability to make a tree fall in the desired
direction. First, by carefully sighting the trunk, they ascertain the most
feasible way for the tree to fall, then they chop at the base with native
axes, sometimes four men working, two and two in unison. In a remarkably
brief time it begins to weaken, the top making slight forward movements
which are followed by a final sharp report announcing the end of their
labour.
Quickly noting that they were masters in their craft, I permitted them to
fell forest giants in close proximity to our tents, some of which landed
but half a metre distant.
