SEA TRAGEDY: OF THE JUNGLE FOLK 127 
of my expeditions, for he removed many an obstacle 
—sometimes without my knowledge—and worked 
constantly to keep up the enthusiasm of the men. 
I wanted the council to be a formal affair, and so 
I had Omar sound the call by striking on a hollow 
log. The older men took their places first, squat- 
ting in a semi-circle; then the younger men squatted 
behind them. The women and children loitered on 
the outskirts at a respectful distance. All of them 
were chewing betel-nut. 
From the house, I watched the council assemble, 
but I did not go out until Omar came for me. Then, 
with Omar and Munshee walking beside me, I left 
the house, dressed in native costume—Chinese trou- 
sers, sarong and jacket. The chattering ceased as 
I approached, and all eyes were centered on me. 
Every one was visibly impressed by the fact that I 
was wearing the clothes of a native, and that they 
were of the finest quality, and entitled me to much 
consideration. 
The importance of staging such an expedition— 
all the “magic,” the talk, the council and the cos- 
tume—was not to be underrated. As I have ex- 
plained before, the natives are extremely impres- 
sionable; if they like a man and believe in him, they 
will do anything he asks, and if they do not believe 
in him, they will run wild at the moment when he 
needs them most. The orang-outang hunt was the 
most important and difficult thing of its kind I had 
ever attempted; it required the greatest technical 
