IN BORNEAN FORESTS 



[chap. 



centre to the circumference or outer edge The bottom part was a 

 solid block, equal in diameter to the upper cylinder, very heavy, and ' 

 furnished with a peg on which the upper block revolved. It was 

 convex at its upper end, and cut into radiating ridges which corre- 

 sponded to the grooves of the lower end of the upper piece. The 

 rice to be husked is poured into the upper cylinder at the funnel- 

 shaped end, and passes out where the lower end of the first and 

 upper end of the second cylinder meet with their grooved and ridged 

 surfaces, the husk being rubbed off the grains by a semi-rotating 

 movement given to the upper cylinder, which has lateral handles 

 for that purpose, whilst the lower one is held firm and upright by its 

 great weight. 



Fig- 5; 



-HAND-MILL FOR HUSKING RICE. 



As it was not my intention to travel any farther that day, I 

 determined to make an experiment with the upas poison. In 

 exchange for a "ringgit " the Dyaks sold me one of their dogs for the 

 purpose. Since the first of November I had myself prepared a few 

 sumpitan darts, or ladja, dipping their points into some dry upas 

 sap, which I had obtained from the Sakarrang Dyaks and dissolved 

 in tobacco juice. I gave the poor dog that was to be the victim 

 a little rice, and as it was eating I gently blew one of the little 

 darts into its right thigh. The wound was so slight that the dog 

 hardly shook itself, and went on eating its rice ; only the skin 

 had been penetrated and not a drop of blood appeared. After 

 a few seconds, the dart being still in the wound, the creature showed 

 signs of slight uneasiness, such as might be occasioned by the bite 

 of a flea, and after the ladja had been about thirty seconds in the 

 wound, drew it out with its teeth. After about a quarter of an hour, 

 during which time the dog showed no further signs of being affected, 

 it retired to a corner as if to sleep. Half an hour later it was seized 

 with several accesses of vomiting, after which it went out of the 



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