252 IN MALAY FORESTS. 



wait for us. He is going to tuba the river to-night 

 on his own account, and what chance will there be 

 for the rest of us to-morrow ? " 



And Itam was very properly humble. 



After a while one of the men burst into a song, of 

 which the refrain sounds somewhat as follows : 



" Deng a deng : Deng deng deng : Deng a deng ! 

 Deng a deng deng : Deng deng dang 

 Deng a deng deng : Deng dang dong." 



The Malays call it the "dendang" song, and to a 

 wild catchy refrain, of which my written characters 

 can only give a bare idea, they sing impromptu verses. 

 When the first singer had finished a stanza, another 

 man answered it, and then the two sang against one 

 another, time and time about, each happy turn of a 

 phrase or trick of a rhyme winning instant apprecia- 

 tion and applause from a highly critical audience, 

 until one man, failing of a reply, admitted the other's 

 victory and, with a laugh at his defeat, handed on the 

 right of contest to a third party. 



By the time that midnight was reached and the 

 moon was poised overhead, the dug-outs were half 

 filled with the milky juice of the abraded root ; and 

 as there was no sign of the abatement of the energy 

 of the pounders or the spirit of the singers, I stole 

 away to the bed on my boat. 



At the little distance the " dendang " had a lullaby 

 sound, and the soft moonlit streaks of the smoothly 

 flowing water were a restful sight on which to close 

 sleepy eyes. All round us was the great primeval 

 forest, old beyond all knowing, and from age to age 

 but rarely invaded by man; and from the heart of 



