260 UDA PRANG 



nothing, the sudden report of my rifle, breaking 

 in upon their prayer crooning, had startled them, 

 and at the same time aroused that dread of the in- 

 tangible which I have found to possess all simple 

 peoples, from the arctics to the tropics, to a fear- 

 some degree. They refused to paddle on ; in fact, 

 there was a movement to swing the canoe back, 

 which I stopped peremptorily; and then I up- 

 braided Uda, who much annoyed me by rather 

 leaning with the natives than with me, in language 

 with which he had no doubt become familiar on 

 board the coasting steamer. Every man of my 

 crew had picked up his parang, and it did look for 

 a few moments a bit more like a war than a pad- 

 dling party; meantime the canoe drifted back, held 

 head on, however, by Uda, who kept to his paddle 

 in the stern. Finally Uda pulled himself together, 

 and began talking to the crew, and after a few mo- 

 ments they put down their knives and took up pad- 

 dles again. It is remarkable how craven-hearted 

 the deep-seated dread of the unknown will make 

 natives of the wilds; and yet again how desper- 

 ately brave they will be where the conditions are 

 usual and the surroundings familiar. 



Wallowing through mud knee deep, I found the 

 tapir inland several hundred yards on three legs, 

 and succeeded, after about an hour's stalking, in 

 bringing it down. It is an ugly, pig-like looking 



