SEA TRAGEDY OF THE JUNGLE FOLK 127 



of my expeditions, for he removed many an obstacle 

 sometimes without my knowledge and worked 

 constantly to keep up the enthusiasm of the men. 



I wanted the council to be a formal affair, and so 

 I had Omar sound the call by striking on a hollow 

 log. The older men took their places first, squat- 

 ting in a semi-circle ; then the younger men squatted 

 behind them. The women and children loitered on 

 the outskirts at a respectful distance. All of them 

 were chewing betel-nut. 



From the house, I watched the council assemble, 

 but I did not go out until Omar came for me. Then, 

 with Omar and Munshee walking beside me, I left 

 the house, dressed in native costume Chinese trou- 

 sers, sarong and jacket. The chattering ceased as 

 I approached, and all eyes were centered on me. 

 Every one was visibly impressed by the fact that I 

 was wearing the clothes of a native, and that they 

 were of the finest quality, and entitled me to much 

 consideration. 



The importance of staging such an expedition 

 all the "magic," the talk, the council and the cos- 

 tume was not to be underrated. As I have ex- 

 plained before, the natives are extremely impres- 

 sionable ; if they like a man and believe in him, they 

 will do anything he asks, and if they do not believe 

 in him, they will run wild at the moment when he 

 needs them most. The orang-outang hunt was the 

 most important and difficult thing of its kind I had 

 ever attempted; it required the greatest technical 



