178 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 
day for the splitting and twisting the rattan into 
rope, and two days for net-making, the net-making 
to start on the third day at six o’clock in the morn- 
ing until four o’clock in the afternoon and no work 
to be done on the nets until the next morning, when 
they started again at six o’clock and worked until 
four. The nets were to be made ten by eight with 
six-inch mesh, there would be four men to a crew, — 
and three crews would go in for the prizes. Those 
who wanted to enter were to step forward and the 
Tungku would pick them out—no old men or boys. 
They were to start the next morning, the prizes 
were five dollars (Mexican) to each man of the 
crew that made the best and most nets, three dollars 
each to the next crew and two dollars each to the 
last. As soon as the Tungku had picked them out, 
each crew should choose the space they wanted to 
work in and set their poles and stakes for the 
twisting of the rattan and the making of the nets. 
This I told them to do as it saved them a lot of time, 
trouble and confusion, for then each crew would 
know the space it was to work in so as not to inter- 
fere and get in one another’s way. The race was 
not to begin until the next morning at six o’clock, 
when they were to line up at the Tungku’s house 
and at the word “go” start for the jungle and cut 
rattan. 
Believe me, I started something! If there is one 
thing a Malay loves, it is a game or race of any 
kind, pitting themselves against one another; any- 
