HUMAN TREE-DWELLERS 127 



is a pipe about an inch and one-half in diameter 

 and six and one-half feet in length; the bore, 

 drilled most accurately, is quarter inch, and the 

 darts nine inches in length, about the circumfer- 

 ence of a heavy darning needle, are sharpened at 

 one end, and poisoned. With these they secure all 

 the meat they eat in the jungle: birds, monkeys, 

 snakes, lizards. They also have knives made of 

 bamboo, with which they cut roots, herbs, #nd 

 fruits. I was amazed at the marksmanship of the 

 Sakais with these blow-guns ; frequently I saw them 

 hit with precision and repeated accuracy small 

 targets full sixty feet distant; and they appeared 

 able to drive a dart into the crawling flesh of 

 lizard as far as it could be seen. I did not see 

 them gunning for leeches; from any visible sign 

 to the contrary, the leeches did not seem to bother 

 them. At the same time I observed that they were 

 cautious about drinking the stagnant jungle water, 

 and that they would go far to fill their buckets, 

 which were hollow bamboo about three feet long 

 and four inches in diameter, from the valley 

 streams. They seemed fond of music, if con- 

 tinuous effort may be accepted as indication of a 

 musical soul, and the girls twanged a not unpleas- 

 antly queer tune on a crude, two-stringed hollow 

 instrument. Once I saw a man with a kind of 

 flute, which he blew shrilly with his nose. 



