124 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 
natives and I knew that the tale would not suffer 
in the telling. 
Omar was to determine, if possible, the exact 
location of the orang-outangs and to make arrange- 
ments, such as engaging recruits for the hunt, in 
advance of my arrival. I planned to have a gen- 
eral council of all the men who were to take part 
in the work. Such a council would have a double 
advantage: in the first place, it would give me the 
benefit of their experience, and secondly, it would 
make them feel that I depended upon them. 
It took us four days to gather as much rattan 
as we could carry in our. boats; then, with thirty 
men, we started up the river. J found at each vil- 
lage that Omar had done more than justice to the 
crocodile story and that he had taken with him a 
select crew of men. As in Trengganu, the natives 
felt that this was to be the great sporting event 
of the year, and they were anxious to take part. 
Their keen interest in the adventure made it pos- 
sible for us to choose the strongest and best of 
them, together with a few older men, who knew 
the jungle. 
Our boatmen swung on their paddles steadily, 
pushing the boats against the current. Solid banks 
of foliage lined the sides of the stream, and, in 
places, the branches touched overhead, making a 
thick canopy that shaded us. In the sun, the heat 
was blistering. 
‘When we arrived at Omar’s kampong, the entire 
