120 HUMAN TREE-DWELLERS 



hind the concealing trees. I could get but the 

 merest glance, but that told me the heads did not 

 belong on Malay shoulders, and yet I knew not 

 what they were, nor was I prepared to see human 

 beings of any kind in this country, friendly or un- 

 friendly, although I had heard tales of half -wild 

 people, Sakais, that roamed the northern section 

 of Malay. I am a believer in preparedness, how- 

 ever, especially when the atmosphere is unfriendly, 

 as my sullen party suggested it might be, so I 

 backed against a tree, with cocked rifle, and in 

 addition to the full half -magazine, took four car- 

 tridges out of my belt that I might have them in 

 hand did the necessity arise. Thus I stood ready 

 for whatever emergency might come. There was 

 no movement on the part of my hidden watchers, 

 however, other than that the heads continued pop- 

 ping out and back, and from many new quarters, 

 keeping me busily watchful. It was the most 

 acute case of rubber-neck I have ever developed. 

 Thus I stood waiting for something to happen, and 

 impatient to exasperation after ten minutes of this 

 rubbering game that nothing did happen. 



At last came my two Malays. The heads now all 

 popped out and stayed out, but nobody followed 

 from behind the trees. As he took in the situa- 

 tion, Pari, my head man, pointed energetically at 

 the heads and repeated over and again " Sakai "— 



