FROM TALI TO TSEKOU 



posed towards us. They were heard in conference: "If the big 

 men come among us without notice, it can only be to kill ; we 

 will be beforehand with them." We had only just finished 

 dinner when the rallying horn was heard, and large fires were lit 

 on the surrounding heights. As a precaution, I served out car- 

 tridges, and recommended the men to watch by turns ; on which 

 they hugged their guns and responded, '' clieulo ! chculo !" (all 

 right !), and promised to do sentry-go in spells of two hours. 

 Finding us thus prepared, some of the people came in from the 

 village offering us dried fungi, and bidding us not to have any 

 fear. I took the opportunity to tell the chief that we were in no 

 way alarmed : our treatment of the villagers would correspond 

 with their treatment of us ; if they attacked us we were ready 

 for them. They then retired, and we lay down to rest. I woke 

 in about an hour. It was as dark as pitch ; the fire was half 

 out, and every man was as sound as a babe. It was no good 

 waking them ; so back to bed again ; one must run some risks in 

 travel. But the Toti folk missed a good chance that night. 



2nd (August). — We had three Lissous with us to-day, one of 

 whom, having been plundered by Loutses, turned the tables on 

 them by robbing the robbers of a sword and a red sash which 

 he was wearing. By his account the Loutses subsist entirely by 

 pillage. Asked why the Mekong Lissous did not retaliate upon 

 those of the Salwen, he said the latter were better armed, and 

 they were afraid of them. One of these Lissous produced a 

 curious musical instrument formed of three small palettes of bam- 

 boo with stops. By applying the stops to his teeth and making 

 them vibrate in turn with his finger, his open mouth acting as a 

 sounding board, he drew from them a soft and plaintive tone, so 



low that one had to be quite close to hear it. The instrument 



191 



