He had seven bites on one ankle and two on the other, and the
resulting wounds were swollen and suppurating, but by the application of
iodine followed by hot compress bandages, he was able to resume his work
in three days. Nevertheless, suppuration formed even at a distance from
the wounds, and five months later they were not entirely healed. It is bad
policy to remove leeches forcibly in spite of the temptation to do so. The
application of salt or tobacco juice makes them drop off, and the wounds
are less severe, but few persons have the patience to wait after
discovering a leech. The animal is not easily killed. The Dayaks always
remove it with the sword edge and immediately cut it in two.
On our return to our old lodging-house near Kaburau I spent a week making
ethnological collections from the Kayan, who brought me a surprising
number, keeping me busy from early until late. Before continuing my
journey up the river I decided to go down to Tandjong Selor in order to
buy necessary provisions and safely dispose of my collections. The Kayans
were glad to provide prahus, the keelless boats which are used by both
Dayak and Malay. The prahu, even the largest size, is formed from a
dugout, and to the edge on either side are lashed two boards, one above
and overlapping the other. This is accomplished by threading rattan
through numerous small holes. As these are not completely filled by the
rattan, they are plugged with fibre and calked with damar to prevent
leakage.
In order to travel more comfortably we lashed a prahu at either side of
mine, while many of the natives who took advantage of the occasion to
visit the shops in town, tied theirs at the rear of ours. It was a gay
flotilla that proceeded down the river, the Dayaks singing most of the
time, especially the women who accompanied their husbands, a number of
them sitting in my large but crowded prahu. The women never seemed to grow
tired of the Mae Lu Long, a jolly song which I had several times heard
them singing when returning from the fields in the evening. Its words are
of a language called Bungkok. The Kenyahs have the same song, and when I
sang it to the Penihings on the Upper Mahakam they also understood it.
These Kayans (Segai) are able to sing in the following six dialects or
languages: Bungkok, Tekena, Siudalong, Siupanvei, Lepoi, and Lui Lui.
[Musical notation:
KAYAN WOMEN'S SONG
(On returning from the fields)
Lively.
Mae lun long son dong min ma - i min kam lam (Repeat)]
At times as they paddled along, the men would sing without words, but more
impressively, a song which until recently was used when the Kayan returned
to a kampong from a successful head-hunting expedition.
