xix] ASCENT OF THE TUBAO 



the spirits. I began, as a preliminary, and acting on a happy 

 inspiration, by presenting them with an entire piece of red cotton 

 cloth, which had an excellent effect. Then, following the suggestion 

 of the more influential Kayans, I took two glass beads and placed 

 them in a glass of water, throwing the contents in the direction of 

 the fields. They next brought me a living fowl, which I paid for. 

 They cut its throat and took some of its blood and the head, but 

 left the rest, which I had for supper that evening. In this case 

 the spirits were generous, taking the smallest and worst part and 

 leaving me the best. I was unable to learn what they did with the 

 blood and head of the victim. 



These doings appeared to have dispelled all anxiety and quieted 

 the population. But my success as a friend of the spirits and a 

 magician was to go further than I expected. For as the fowl which 

 lost its life and head in my cause was being roasted, my eye fell on 

 some sweet-potatoes which were amongst my supplies, and the 

 thought suddenly occurred to me to complete my success and fully 

 establish my prestige amongst these good credulous Kayans. 

 Acting on this I took up a knife and began to carve small idols 

 from the potatoes. This pleased the Kayans immensely, and I impaled 

 the idols on small sticks and distributed them amongst the principal 

 chiefs, instructing them to place them under a diminutive shed to 

 guard the paddy fields. I told them that as long as those divinities, 

 over whom my power was great, remained in the fields, no evil 

 spirits would dare approach their plantations. 



My manufacture of potato idols caused such pleasure that they 

 begged me to make some of a more durable material, such as wood,, 

 that they might keep them and wear them as amulets tied to their 

 parangs. But I was anxious to pursue my journey. Matters had 

 gone far better than I could ever have expected, and it was wise 

 to be off lest some incident should occur and show me up as a false 

 prophet. Permission to ascend the Tubao had been freely granted 

 on condition that I should neither enter the houses nor stop at 

 the rice fields. It was pouring with rain, but as soon as leave was 

 given I gave orders to start, and we paddled up the river until it 

 was quite dark, when we drew our boats up on the river bank and 

 slept that night in them. 



Next day, the 19th, we continued our way up, the Tubao assuming 

 more and more the aspect of a torrent, and it now became much 

 blocked with tree -trunks, which often entirely obstructed our 

 passage, and caused us much loss of time. In some places the depth 

 decreased so much that we had to substitute poles, or " suar," for 

 our paddles, and a little farther on we had to haul our boat bodily 

 through a very long rapid. We passed many rice fields, in each of 

 which was a lanko, but perched on piles, for fear of the Katibas 

 Dyaks, who often come thus far on head-hunting expeditions. 



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