156 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANATOMICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL 



system of dealing with them is by barter ; beads, cheap cloth, 

 tobacco, salt, etc., being exchanged for rattans, rubber, etc. They 

 always allow the other party to fix the price. I bought four blowpipes 

 and four cases of poisoned darts from Sakais for one dollar and about 

 a dozen cigars. I would have given them more, but I was a long way 

 from civilisation at the time and getting short of money. However, 

 they were quite pleased with the bargain, or at any rate appeared to 

 be so. 



The men are very jealous of strangers and their women folks. 

 Although I have met young women often, when travelling on the 

 roads and paths, I have never yet seen one in a Sakai village or 

 encampment. It is difficult, or almost impossible, to reach their 

 homes without a guide. There is no path leading to a Sakai village ; 

 and on every occasion the guide has given a whoop when nearing the 

 village, which, I presume, was to warn the people that a stranger was 

 coming ; consequently, on my arrival, only the men and a few skin- 

 diseased old women were to be seen, the younger women having 

 disappeared. Others, who have had dealings with the Sakais, have 

 told me they have had similar experiences. The women, when young, 

 are not at all bad looking, but both women and men, when they grow 

 up, become affected with loathsome skin diseases. 



The Sakais are a very dirty race and seldom or never bathe. 

 Although I have occasionally seen Sakais on a raft on the Perak 

 River, they are not fond of that method of transport, being essentially 

 landsmen, and preferring to keep to the land, if that is possible. 

 They are very honest. If you tell a Sakai to come to see you in a 

 certain number of days, he will not make a definite promise to do so. 

 He will say, " If I remember, I will come, but if I promise definitely 

 to come, then I will not be able to sleep for thinking about it, and 

 that will make me ill, and then I will probably not be able to come 

 after all ". And that is all the promise you will get from him. 



According to Mr. Knocker, Curator of the Perak State Museum, 



the Sakais are unable to count more than a few numbers. He says, 



It is never advisable to make any arrangement with him for more 



