UP A TREE IN THE JUNGLE 203 
Ants and mosquitoes swarmed over us. Trying 
. to find some protection against them, we wrapped 
our hands and faces in sérongs. But we were as 
helpless against insects as against seladangs. 
Morning came and wore away to noon, and still 
the beast stayed by his post. Then the fever began 
to hit me and my head throbbed. I propped my- 
self up against the trunk of the tree, saving all 
my strength until the moment when I should need 
it most. 
Ali’s body was unrecognizable; he had been 
gored repeatedly in the tossing and now he was 
simply a mass of torn, trampled flesh. The beast 
returned to it again and again to sniff and paw, 
and the sight made me weak and ill. 
The ten natives were scattered through the trees 
near me and we talked back and forth. They, of 
course, depended upon me and my “magic” to save 
them, and I, with the fever burning more fiercely 
every minute, realized that something must be done 
immediately. My thirst was becoming unendur- 
able and my strength was leaving me rapidly. I 
called to the men to join me in my tree, and they 
swung from limb to limb until we were together. 
The seladang took up his position beneath us, 
bellowing and pawing. 
I counted the arms in the party; we had, besides 
our parangs, four spears and three krises. With 
the parangs we cut stout branches; then we tore 
our sdrongs into strips and bound the krises to 
