HUMAN TREE-DWELLERS 123 



down— taking the precaution to unload it and keep 

 on my cartridge belt— the Sakais curiously fol- 

 lowing like a flock of birds, all reappearing at a 

 distance of forty or fifty feet, in open sight, so 

 soon as I reached camp. But I got no nearer 

 them without the rifle than with it. Always, so 

 soon as I started toward them, they disappeared, 

 evidently keeping close watch of me, because as I 

 retraced my steps they were visible again. 



Determined to stop in the vicinity until I should 

 learn a little more of these people, I moved up the 

 hill to get out of the mudhole in which we had 

 camped, and discovered a tree with what at first 

 sight appeared a strange new growth, but, on close 

 inspection, developed into a rude tiny house, with 

 a small head and beady eyes peering at me from its 

 platform. Farther on was another tree-house, and 

 near it several others. I motioned my Malays to 

 stop here, but our camping preparations raised 

 such a commotion among the Sakais hovering on 

 our van that in order to mollify them we moved on. 



These houses are built in forked trees, from eight 

 to twelve feet above the ground, and are reached 

 by bamboo ladders, which are hoisted at will. The 

 house itself is very much of the kind of shack we 

 put up for each night's shelter, except that the 

 flooring is lashed together piece by piece and bound 

 securely to the tree limbs with rattan— the sides 



