ARRIVAL AT TAMALOE 173 



did not mind in the least. Others came to his assistance 

 and struck at its head with their paddles, but were un- 

 able to accomplish their purpose as it was too well en- 

 trenched. 



A splendid primitive picture of the savage in pursuit 

 of his dinner, the Penyahbong stood erect with his back 

 toward me, holding the tail firmly. After a few moments 

 he bent down again trying in vain to get hold of its neck, 

 but not being able to pull the snake out he had to let the 

 dainty morsel go. Later we saw one swimming down the 

 current, which the Penyahbongs evidently also would 

 have liked a trial at had we not already passed the place. 



The river widened out again, the rocks on the sides 

 disappeared, and deep pools were passed, though often 

 the water ran very shallow, so the prahus were dragged 

 along with difficulty. Fish were plentiful, some aston- 

 ishingly large. In leaping for something on the surface 

 they made splashes as if a man had jumped into the 

 water. On the last day, as the morning mist began to 

 rise, our thirty odd men, eager to get home, poling the 

 prahus with long sticks, made a picturesque sight. In 

 early March, after a successful journey, we arrived at 

 Tamaloe, having consumed only fourteen days from 

 Bahandang because weather conditions had been favour- 

 able, with no overflow of the river and little rain. It was 

 pleasant to know that the most laborious part of the 

 expedition was over. I put up my tent under a large 

 durian tree, which was then in bloom. 



