JUNGLE STRATAGEMS 37 



Malay headman, who represented the government 

 in that locality, and the conversation turned to 

 large elephants. Jumbo, who was eleven feet two 

 inches, had died, and I had it in my mind that I 

 should like to find an animal big enough to take his 

 place. "Have you ever seen a twelve-foot ele- 

 phant?" I asked the headman. And as quick as a 

 flash, he answered, "How many do you want?" He 

 could not understand why I rolled back on the floor 

 and laughed until my jaws ached. The headman 

 was a true Malay. 



I found it best, in trying to get information from 

 a Malay, to ask my question and then, before he had 

 a chance to speak, say: "Jangan flkir jawdb ya 

 tidak. Sahya bulih fikir. (Don't think answer 

 yes or no. I'll do the thinking)." Then he would 

 generally admit immediately that he didn't know, 

 but he would always offer to bring his brother or 

 some other person that he thought might know. It 

 is a trait that makes business relations between the 

 whites and the natives difficult, and is to a large 

 degree responsible for the fact that much of the 

 business in the Archipelago is done through the 

 Chinese. The Chinese have sufficient patience and 

 understanding to deal with the Malays, and they 

 know how to make them work. 



There are two distinct classes of Malay: the 

 Orang Ulu, living in the jungle, and the Orang 

 Laut, living on the coast. Through their associa- 

 tion with the Chinese merchants, some of the latter 



