154 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A TREK ON STILTS IN A SARAWAK JUNGLE 



Like the shepherd of southwestern France who follows his flock 

 over marshy Landes mounted on tall stilts, this tree supports itself 

 in the soft soil of the tropical jungle by growing tiptoe, so to speak, 

 on roots spread wide apart. 



covered by a drop of alcohol, which also 

 sterilizes the wound. 



We all enjoyed a refreshing bath in the 

 mountain stream at the end of our walk ; 

 but soon after our arrival the precipitous 

 sides of Mulu were obscured by black 

 clouds, which began to roll down through 

 the gorge, and before we were half an 

 hour on the return trip the rain came 

 down in torrents. But on a tramp through 

 the jungle one must expect to be soaking 

 wet anyway, and it may as well be with 

 rain as with perspiration. 



On reaching the 

 camp, we found the 

 little stream which we 

 had forded ankle deep 

 in the morning, now 

 risen above our waists 

 and the camp itself 

 in a very damp con- 

 dition. I had brought 

 a heavy tarpaulin to 

 spread over the leaf 

 roof made by the na- 

 tives, but the two 

 roofs together had ut- 

 terly failed to keep 

 out the deluge. 



My boy, Ah Jun, 

 or ''Cookie," as the 

 natives called him, 

 had gathered every- 

 thing in a pile under 

 the best part of the 

 roof and then perched 

 himself on top, where 

 we discovered him 

 squatting under his 

 umbrella — a very un- 

 happy-looking China- 

 man. 



DAYAKS ON THE 

 WARPATH 



On my return to 

 Claudetown, I learned 

 that there had arrived 

 from theTinjar River 

 the Kayan Pengulu, 

 or leading chief of the 

 Tinjar — Tama Aping 

 Bulieng. 



His mission was to 

 report the bad news 

 that eight beastly 

 Dayaks while working jungle products 

 had come across a Punan house during 

 the absence of the men and had killed 24 

 women and children and one old man, 

 taking away with them 16 heads. 



Tama Aping was a most agreeable 

 companion for the few days he remained 

 at the fort — gentle, soft-spoken, and with 

 nothing of the haughty bearing that he 

 assumed for his photograph. Being 

 rather lonesome away from home and 

 lacking, as he pointed out, the white 

 man's resource in books, he spent much 



