178 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 



day for the splitting and twisting the rattan into 

 rope, and two days for net-making, the net-making 

 to start on the third day at six o'clock in the morn- 

 ing until four o'clock in the afternoon and no work 

 to be done on the nets until the next morning, when 

 they started again at six o'clock and worked until 

 four. The nets were to be made ten by eight with 

 six-inch mesh, there would be four men to a crew, 

 and three crews would go in for the prizes. Those 

 who wanted to enter were to step forward and the 

 Tungku would pick them out no old men or boys. 

 They were to start the next morning, the prizes 

 were five dollars (Mexican) to each man of the 

 crew that made the best and most nets, three dollars 

 each to the next crew and two dollars each to the 

 last. As soon as the Tungku had picked them out, 

 each crew should choose the space they wanted to 

 work in and set their poles and stakes for the 

 twisting of the rattan and the making of the nets. 

 This I told them to do as it saved them a lot of time, 

 trouble and confusion, for then each crew would 

 know the space it was to work in so as not to inter- 

 fere and get in one another's way. The race was 

 not to begin until the next morning at six o'clock, 

 when they were to line up at the Tungku's house 

 and at the word "go" start for the jungle and cut 

 rattan. 



Believe me, I started something ! If there is one 

 thing a Malay loves, it is a game or race of any 

 kind, pitting themselves against one another; any- 



