ELEPHANTS 7r 
but convey them through miles of jungle country to 
a port. Months of hard labor were before us, and 
the success of the expedition was by no means as- 
sured, even though we had our elephants safe in 
the stockade. It was to be a great test in managing 
the natives. 
There is only one thing that a Malay values, and 
that is his kris—his knife. To lose this cherished pos- 
session means to lose honor. There is a saying to 
the effect that money will buy everything but a 
lucky kris. Their disregard of money makes all 
dealings with Malays extremely difficult, and their 
dislike for work has completely blocked more than 
one project. Tomy mind, the Malays are the laziest 
people in the world. 
When work is an exciting or amusing game, such 
as the hunt, they will go on for days without signs 
of fatigue. They seem to keep alive by some fanatic 
energy. But when work is just plain labor, they 
will say “Wait,” or “I must think.” Or a Malay 
may say candidly: “Sir, I have just had plenty to 
eat. I am content.” Many times I have had a 
Malay tell me, when I asked him to do some work, 
that he had enough rice and fish for the day and 
that he might die during the night. It is an unan- 
swerable argument. Tomorrow’s food can be found 
when tomorrow comes. 
The Malay’s food is simple and his clothes are 
few. With no more effort than dropping a few 
seeds and covering them with earth, he can grow 
