SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN. 155 



The Sakai houses I have seen have for the most part consisted 

 of a slanting attap, or plaited palm leaf roof, resting on the ground 

 at one side, and supported at the other by two upright posts that is 

 with three open sides. Many have two such roofs, placed in apposi- 

 tion at the apex with the two ends open and occasionally one end is 

 closed up. The beds consist of a number of fairly stout branches, 

 about six feet in length, raised a little from the ground, but the 

 Sakais very often sleep in the open air, on the ground. 



Their food consists of rice, tapioca, monkeys, snakes, squirrels, 

 birds or, in fact, the flesh of any animal or bird that they come in 

 contact with ; but they never kill except for the purpose of obtaining 

 food or for protection. 



The Sakais of the interior are exceedingly bashful and timid 

 and never travel alone, but always in parties of two or more. If 

 they happen to meet a stranger on the road or path, and can 

 possibly do so without being observed, they will slip into the jungle 

 and hide till the stranger has passed. If they know that they have 

 been seen they will walk straight ahead, looking neither to the right 

 nor left, but keeping as far as possible from the stranger. Should it be 

 a party of women and the stranger speaks to them, they will not reply, 

 while if it is a party of men one of them will reply, as briefly as 

 possible, but without halting. 



They are very kindly by nature and would not willingly do any 

 creature any harm. Mr. G. B. Cerruti, than whom there is no greater 

 authority on the Sakais, informs me that the women will even nurse 

 and bring up, as one of their own family, any young animal that they 

 may find in the jungle ; he gave me a photograph of two Sakai 

 women acting as foster-mothers to young pigs. 



The Sakais are quite at home in the jungle. The way that they 

 can pass through what looks like impenetrable forest is little short 

 of marvellous. 



They are not business men in any sense of the term, and they are 

 being constantly cheated by the Chinese traders engaged in the jungle 

 produce trade, for whom they frequently collect jungle produce. The 



