124 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 



natives and I knew that the tale would not suffer 

 in the telling. 



Omar was to determine, if possible, the exact 

 location of the orang-outangs and to make arrange- 

 ments, such as engaging recruits for the hunt, in 

 advance of my arrival. I planned to have a gen- 

 eral council of all the men who were to take part 

 in the work. Such a council would have a double 

 advantage: in the first place, it would give me the 

 benefit of their experience, and secondly, it would 

 make them feel that I depended upon them. 



It took us four days to gather as much rattan 

 as we could carry in our boats; then, with thirty 

 men, we started up the river. I found at each vil- 

 lage that Omar had done more than justice to the 

 crocodile story and that he had taken with him a 

 select crew of men. As in Trengganu, the natives 

 felt that this was to be the great sporting event 

 of the year, and they were anxious to take part. 

 Their keen interest in the adventure made it pos- 

 sible for us to choose the strongest and best of 

 them, together with a few older men, who knew 

 the jungle. 



Our boatmen swung on their paddles steadily, 

 pushing the boats against the current. Solid banks 

 of foliage lined the sides of the stream, and, in 

 places, the branches touched overhead, making a 

 thick canopy that shaded us. In the sun, the heat 

 was blistering. 



When we arrived at Omar's kampong, the entire 



