20 BROUWER and WING EASTON 



Where money is not a tender, the traveller should have recourse 

 to barter. Articles for barter should not be procured before the 

 district in question is nearly reached and then only after accurate 

 information has been gathered from the authorities or the mission 

 as to articles which are acceptable, for tastes greatly differ in this 

 respect in different districts. 



7. SERVANTS. 



Obtaining a good travelling-servant, who at the same time is a 

 cook (a djongos as he is called in the Indies) is one of the most 

 important and most difficult matters. A really good travelling-servant, 

 that is one who has travelled before and does not object to life in 

 the jungle is as a rule anything but submissive. Besides many 

 travellers have the bad habit of leaving everything to their man, 

 of letting him keep the keys of the boxes, etc. Don 't set the cat 

 to watch the cream! The consequence of this is that the majority 

 of such servants do not know the true difference between mine 

 and thine. Especially in the case of a beginner however it will be 

 almost impracticable to prevent theft alltogether, yet much may 

 be done in this direction by not handing over the keys and taking 

 the trouble of getting things out of a box oneself and particularly 

 by inspecting the things not locked up regularly. If this conduct 

 is put into practice immediately at the beginning of a trip and 

 the servant notices that you keep an eye on everything, it may 

 be that he gives warning, but also that if he is satisfied for 

 the rest, he gives up his attempts. Although actual theft should 

 not be tolerated, yet the traveller should not be too strict in 

 regard to petty offendings. 



Bringing servants from Batavia or one of the other large sea- 

 side towns of Java to a remote island, however tempting it may 

 seem, is always risky, for if the servant does not know that part 

 of the archipelago by his own experience he cannot be kept against 

 his will later on, and his voyage back to Java must be paid. The 

 surest way is to try and get a servant through a friendly family, 

 but it should not be supposed that this is done quickly. If this 

 plan succeeds, the terms should be agreed on in the presence of 

 witnesses. 



In selecting help always beware of servants of mail-steamers and 

 hotels, who often apply, although a useful boy may sometimes be 

 obtained through a reliable hotel-mandor. If a really good boy is 

 found, keep him contented and satisfied. 



