148 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



you like," said Plandok. " But I can't get down 

 forwards and I can't get down backwards." " Then 

 throw yourself down," said Plandok^ and Kelap threw 

 himself down and came to the ground with a great 

 thud. The people in the house heard the sound 

 and said, " There's a durian falling." Then Plandok 

 began to divide the fruit into heaps. ** This is for 

 me and that's iox you^' he kept calling out; and every 

 time he put some more fruit to Kelafs heap, he 

 shouted louder than before. " Hello," said the 

 people in the house, " there's somebody dividing 

 something," and they ran out to see what was going 

 on. Plandok skipped away with his share of the fruit, 

 and left Kelap to hide himself as best he could under 

 the broad leaves of a Caladium plant. The people 

 saw the tree stripped of its fruit, and Kelafs tracks 

 on the ground soon led to the discovery of his hiding- 

 place. " Here's the thief," said the people, ** let's 

 put him in the fire." " Oh yes," said Kelap, '' please 

 put me in the fire ; last time they put me in the fire 

 they only half did the thing, and left one side quite 

 untouched by the fire." ^ '* Oh ! that won't do," said 

 the people, ** let's squeeze him in the sugar-cane 

 press." *' Oh yes, please squeeze me in the press," 

 said Kelap, '' last time they put me in the press they 

 only squeezed one side of me." ^ " Then that won't 

 do either," they cried, *' let's throw him into the 

 river." " Oh ! don't throw me into the river," said 

 Kelap, and began to weep. So they threw him into 

 the river. Kelap swam out to the middle of the 

 river and, putting up his head above the surface, 

 called out, ** That's alright, this is my home." At 

 this the people saw that he had got the better of 

 them, and determined to turn the tables by poison- 

 ing the water with tuba? The bat overheard 

 what they were saying, and at once flew off to 



^ This refers to the difference of colour between the carapace and the plastron. 

 ' Refers to the flat under surface contrasting with the rounded back. 

 ^ See vol. i. p. 139. 



