X WAR 171 



pots ; fire must be made only by friction (see PI. 

 89) ; they must not smoke ; boys may not lie down, 

 but must sleep sitting. The people who remain 

 at home are not expected to observe these tabus ; 

 they may go to the farms, but must keep quiet, and 

 undertake nothing outside the ordinary routine. 



If the object of the attack is a village in their 

 own river, the expedition paddles steadily day after 

 day until it reaches the mouth of some small 

 stream at a distance of some miles from the enemy's 

 village. Forcing their boats some two or three 

 miles up this stream they make a camp. Here 

 two solid platforms are built about twenty feet 

 apart, and a large beam is laid from one to the 

 other. The chiefs and principal men take their 

 seats on the platforms, and then every man of the 

 party in turn approaches this beam, the fighting 

 leader, who is usually not one of the chiefs, coming 

 first. If he is willing to go through with the business, 

 i.e. to take part in the attack, he slashes a chip 

 from the beam with his, parang and passes under it. 

 On the far side of the beam stands a chief holding 

 a large frond of fern, and, as each man passes under, 

 he gives him a bit of the leaf, while an assistant cuts 

 a notch on a tally-stick for each volunteer. If for 

 any reason any man is reluctant to go farther, he 

 states his excuse, perhaps a bad dream or illness, 

 or sore feet, and returns to the boats, amid the 

 jeers of those who have passed the ordeal, to form 

 one of a party to be left in charge of the camp and 

 boats. 



Next, all the left-handed men are sorted out to 

 form a party whose special duty is to ambush the 

 enemy, if possible, at some favourable spot. These 

 are known as the hornets [singat). I f any swampy 

 ground or other obstruction intervenes between 

 their camp and the enemy's village, a path is 

 made through or over it to facilitate retreat to the 



