394 H - J- T - BIJLMER 



after a long walk — we were offered some sugar-cane, the juice of which did not prove 

 less refreshing than a cool drink in a fine restaurant. 



Between them they also seemed very openhanded. But we were not long in perceiving 

 that this quality did not in the least diminish their commercial spirit. As for their truck 

 they were not at ail easy to deal with. And they could be funny too. To render our menu 

 more agreeable, we practised the oebi-trade. They kept this eatable very high in price; 

 I did the same for my beads, forced to do so by the small provision. Once we could not 

 agrée on the bargain. The aborigine angrily turned his head and what happened next?With 

 a proud gesture he gave his turnips to my companions; each of them got some, but not It 

 The boldness, with which our friends treated us, also appeared from the fact that they 

 received controller JONGEJANS and myself who had entered one of their huts, quite hospi- 

 tally and offered us oebi's, but after a quarter of an hour made it clear to us that we had 

 better break up the party. However, those who will read the following scène, played on the 

 31* of October, hâve no want for nearer proofs of the independent spirit of our hosts. 



Things passed as follows. One morning our Dyak had left our camp to truck a pig. 

 Soon they came back with the animal eut in pièces; they had paid it a mandau, the usual 

 price. Still it would soon appear that the bargain had been struck in a rather peculiar way. 

 The Dyak proved to hâve chosen the pig themselves and hit it on the head, in the real as 

 well as in the figurative sensé of the word. By doing so they had placed the unsuspecting 

 inhabitants face to face with an accomplished fact; thereupon they gave a mandau and judged 

 to hâve sufficiently satisfied honesty. 



Not so the Timorini. We had just taken our modest meal, when with a great noise 

 a number of black fellows turned up. Two of them, our host and the injured proprietor of 

 the pig, came as far as the border of our camp; the others remained on a little hill some 

 ten yards off looking on the negotiations, menacingly keeping the arrows on the bows. With 

 great noise it was made clear to us that the Dyak had behaved badly. Captain VAN OVEREEM 

 and Captain VAN ARKEL stepped to the front and, understanding that a compensation was 

 necessary, offered a chopping-knife. This was accepted ; the negotiators retired, however only 

 to bring the knife in sa.fety and then they took up immediately their noisy démonstrations. 

 We got to understand. that it was not for us thàt they came, but that the Dyak had to pay 

 for it. The culprit kept himself away, but one ot his comrades came forward and offered his 

 own mandau. This also was transported to the hill, but the noise and the cries did not at ail 

 diminish. The fore-men nbw procured burning wood and wished to brand the pig-killer whose 

 extradition they claimed. The case was getting rather embarrassing for us, for the leader 

 wished to prevent ail violence, though it was not easy to find another way out. Still he 

 would make a last effort to calm the crowd. The culprit was called to the front and publicly 

 thrashed by one of our men, at which the performer as well as the sufferer acted very 

 deservingly. Thereafter the victim had to hand over his own criminal mandau. It seemed 

 really that this produced some calm. However, the atmosphère was far from being cleared. 

 The two fore-men, accompanied by some helpers, went to our Dyak-barack. The fact that 

 those four gave themselves wholly in our power, was very reassuring. They soon returned; 

 had the quarrel been made up? Just in front of us they set to running to the border of 

 our bivouac, but there they turned round under a deafening noise and, jumping like devils. 



