For Over An Hour And A Half We Balanced Along The Prostrate Trunks, Into Some Of Which Steps Had Been Cut, But, Arduous As Was The Ascent, We Naturally Found The Descent In The Evening A More Hazardous Undertaking; Yet All Emerged From The Ordeal With Sound Limbs.

We arrived a little before noon and found some of the natives busy preparing their midday meal in and around a cool shed on top of a hill from where an extensive view was obtained of the past and present fields of the country.

Near by was a watch-tower raised on top of upright logs. At one side of it four bamboos of different sizes were hanging horizontally over each other, which produced different notes when struck, and probably had been placed there for the purpose of frightening birds away.

The Kenyahs "take turns" helping each other to harvest, and on this occasion they were assisting their chief. It was a scene of much animation, as if it were a festival, which in reality the harvesting is to them. The long row of men and women in their best garments, with picturesque sun-shades, cut the spikes one by one, as the custom is, with small knives held in the hollow of their hands. Assuredly the food which they received was tempting to hungry souls. The rice, after being cooked, was wrapped in banana leaves, one parcel for each, forty-four in all, and as many more containing dried fish which also had been boiled.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 87 of 489
Words from 23312 to 23565 of 132281