66 A DYAK MEDICINE CHEST. 
Dyak Manang, when undertaking to cure diseases, resembled 
those of the Pawang and Bomor, his Malay confréres. 
At our invitation Dr. Dasu came out of his room readily 
enough, and sat down with us to chat and smoke a cigarette. 
He talked freely and intelligently about such matters of gener- 
al interest as happened to be broached, especially the late 
expedition against the turbulent people of the Ulu Ai, and the 
terrible epidemic of cholera which was just passing away. But 
as soon as we began to give the conversation a professional 
turn, and speak of the practice of medicine by the native doc- 
tors of the Saribas, he put on a look of impenetrable reserve, 
and could hardly be persuaded to speak at all. There is reason 
to believe that this was chiefly owing to the presence of Howell. 
He has succeeded in winning the confidence and affectionate 
regard of Dyaks to an unusual degree, but he is unpopular among 
the Manangs. Histeaching has led people to think for themselves, 
and wherever he goes the business and the gains of the village 
doctor shew a tendency to decrease. Moreover several of the 
fraternity have submitted to his influence, abandoned their 
tricks, and taxen to honest farming. It is known too that some 
of these have surrendered their whole stock of charms to my 
friend, and have also made dangerous revelations, whereby the 
profession has been much discredited. 
So Dr. Dasu was only with great difficulty induced to impart 
to us hisknowledge. He told me after more confidential re- 
lations had grown up between us, that he suspected me of an 
intention, by some means or other, to get possession of his preci- 
ous materia medica,and so deprive him of his means of living. How- 
ever his fears were removed by repeated assurances that it was 
information only that I wanted, and that I was consulting him 
just because I preferred to get it direct from a professor of 
repute, rather than trust to reports received from white men. 
At length we persuaded him to be gently catechised. I got 
some precise answers to my questions respecting certain articles 
of Dyak belief which had been variously defined by different 
investigators,and about which my ideas had been a good deal 
confused. But those matters are not the subject of this note. 
It is the concluding incident of the rather prolonged interview 
that I propose to describe. 
_Jour, Straits Branch 
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