ELEPHANTS 71 



but convey them through miles of jungle country to 

 a port. Months of hard labor were before us, and 

 the success of the expedition was by no means as- 

 sured, even though we had our elephants safe in 

 the stockade. It was to be a great test in managing 

 the natives. 



There is only one thing that a Malay values, and 

 that is his kris his knife. To lose this cherished pos- 

 session means to lose honor. There is a saying to 

 the effect that money will buy everything but a 

 lucky kris. Their disregard of money makes all 

 dealings with Malays extremely difficult, and their 

 dislike for work has completely blocked more than 

 one project. To my mind, the Malays are the laziest 

 people in the world. 



When work is an exciting or amusing game, such 

 as the hunt, they will go on for days without signs 

 of fatigue. They seem to keep alive by some fanatic 

 energy. But when work is just plain labor, they 

 will say "Wait," or "I must think." Or a Malay 

 may say candidly: "Sir, I have just had plenty to 

 eat. I am content." Many times I have had a 

 Malay tell me, when I asked him to do some work, 

 that he had enough rice and fish for the day and 

 that he might die during the night. It is an unan- 

 swerable argument. Tomorrow's food can be found 

 when tomorrow comes. 



The Malay's food is simple and his clothes are 

 few. With no more effort than dropping a few 

 seeds and covering them with earth, he can grow 



