START FOR CENTRAL BORNEO 153 



of our baggage was being brought up and until a new sta- 

 tion for storing goods had been estabHshed in the jungle 

 higher up the river. Rajimin had an attack of dysen- 

 tery, and although his health improved he requested 

 permission to return, which I readily granted notwith- 

 standing his undeniable ability in skinning birds. He was 

 afraid of the kihams, not a good shot, and so liable to lose 

 his way in the jungle that I always had to have a Dayak 

 accompany him. It is the drawback with all Javanese 

 that, being unaccustomed to these great jungles, at first 

 they easily get lost. Rajimin joined a few Malays in 

 building a small float, on which they went down the river. 

 Several Malays aspired to succeed him as taxidermist, but 

 showed no aptitude. I then taught one of our Javanese 

 soldiers who had expressed interest in the matter. Being 

 painstaking and also a good shot, the new tokang bu- 

 rong (master of birds), the Malay designation for a taxi- 

 dermist, gave satisfactory results in due time. 



One day while I was taking anthropometric measure- 

 ments, to which the Ot-Danums grudgingly submitted, 

 one of them exhibited unusual agitation and actually 

 wept. Inquiring the reason, I learned that his wife had 

 jilted him for a Kapuas Dayak who, a couple of nights 

 previously, when the injured man was out hunting wild 

 pigs for me, had taken advantage of the husband's ab- 

 sence. Moreover, the night before, the rival had 

 usurped his place a second time, compelling the husband 

 to go elsewhere. The incident showed how Dayak ideas 

 were yielding to Malay influence. He was in despair 

 about it, and threatened to kill the intruder as well as 



