ARRIVAL AT DATA LAONG 195 



and three times he came to tell me that he still had to 

 think over it. Finally, after three hours' deliberation, 

 he accepted my proposition — provided I would pay for 

 two days instead of one ! In order to get action, and 

 considering all the days they voluntarily had waited for 

 us at the ridge, I acceded to this amendment and he went 

 away happy. 



The men and the prahus came promptly and we be- 

 gan loading; I was glad at the prospect of getting away 

 from the low-lying country, where we had our camp 

 among bamboo trees, with the chance of being flooded 

 should the river rise too high. As we were standing near 

 my tent, getting ready to take it down, a plandok (mouse- 

 deer, tragulus) came along — among the Saputans, and 

 probably most Dayaks, reputed to be the wisest and most 

 cunning of all animals, and in folklore playing the part 

 of our fox. It was conspicuously pregnant and passed 

 unconcernedly just back of the tent. As the flesh is a 

 favourite food of both Dayaks and Malays they imme- 

 diately gave chase, shouting and trying to surround it, 

 which made the plandok turn back; then the wonder- 

 fully agile Saputan chief darted after it and actually 

 caught it alive. Extraordinary agility is characteristic 

 of most Dayaks. An army officer in his report of the 

 Katingans describes how a Dayak "suddenly jumped 

 overboard, drew his parang, and with one stroke cut a 

 fish through the middle. Before we knew what had 

 happened the material for our supper was on board." 



After a pleasant drifting down the current of the 

 Kasao River, about noon on April 7 we arrived at Data 



