IX 



LIFE IN THE JUNGLE 145 



attack. They sometimes take to the water and are 

 then easily secured. Punans, who hunt without 

 dogs (which in fact they do not possess) will lie in 

 wait for the rhinoceros beside the track by which 

 he comes to his daily mud-bath, and drive a spear 

 into his flank or shoulder ; then, after hastily 

 retiring, they track him through the jungle, until 

 they come upon him again, and find an opportunity 

 of driving in another spear or a poisoned dart 

 through some weak spot of his armour. 



Birds and monkeys are chiefly killed with the 

 blow-pipe. 



Traps 



Traps of many varieties are made. For pig and 

 deer a trap is laid at a gap in the fence about the 

 padi field. It consists of a bamboo spear of which 

 the end is sharpened and hardened in the fire. 

 This is laid horizontally about two feet from the 

 ground, resting on guides. Its butt end is lashed 

 to one end of a springy green pole at right angles 

 to its length ; the pole is laid horizontally, one end 

 of it being firmly fixed to a tree, and the other 

 (that carrying the spear) bent forcibly backwards 

 and held back by a loop of rattan. This spring is 

 set by means of an ingenious trigger, in such a way 

 that an animal passing through the gap must push 

 against a string attached to the trigger, and so 

 release the spring, which then drives the bamboo 

 spear across the gap with great force. (The 

 drawing (Fig. 22) will make clear the nature of 

 the trigger.) 



In one variety of this trap the spring is set 

 vertically. The trap is varied in other ways. A 

 curious practice of the I bans on setting such a trap 

 is to measure the appropriate height of the spear by 

 means of a rod surmounted with a carving of a 

 human figure (Fig. 23). 



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