OUAP. iv.] HrJK MODE OF CLIMBING. 



55 



deal of trouble^ autl, after a little talking togetliGr, they said 

 they would try. They first went to a clump of bainhoo 

 that stood near, and cut down one of the largest stems, 

 rrora this they chopped off a short piece, and splitting? it, 

 made a couple of stout pegs, about a foot long, and sharp 

 at one end. Theo cuttiuj^ a thick pietje of wood for a 

 mallet, they drove one of the pegs into the tree and hung 

 tlieir weight upon it. It held, and tliis seemed to satisfy 

 them, for they innnediately began making a quantity of 

 pegs of the same kind, while I looked on with great 

 interest, wondering how they could possibly ascend such a 

 lofty tree by merely driving pegs in it, the failure of any 

 one of which at a good height would eertaiidy cause their 

 death. When about two dozen pegs wt3re made, one of 

 them began cutting some very long and slender bamboo 

 from another clump, and also prepared some cord frnm the 

 bark of a small tree. They now drove in a peg very iirmly 

 at about three feet from the ground, and bringing one of the 

 long bamboos, stood it upright close to the tree, anti bound 

 it fimdy to the two first pegs, by means of tlie bark cord, 

 and small notches near the head of each peg. One of the 

 Dyaks now stood on the first peg and drove in a third, 

 about level with his face, to which he tied the bamitoo in 

 tlie same way, and then mounted another step, standing on 

 one foot, and holding by the bamboo at the peg imme- 

 diately above him, while he drove in the next one. In 

 tills manner he ascended about twenty feet, when the 

 upright bamboo becomuig thin, another was handed up 

 by his companion, and this was joined on by tying both 

 bamboos to three or four of the pegs. When this was also 

 nearly ended, a third was added, and shortly after, the 

 lowest branches of the tree were reached, along which the 

 young Dyak scrambled, and soon sent the Mias tumbling 

 headlong dowm, I was exceedingly struck by the ingenuity 

 of this mode of climbing, and the admirable manner in 

 winch the pecuUar properties of the bamboo were made 

 available. The ladder itself was p<irfectly safe, since if 

 any one peg w^ere loose or faulty, and gave way, the strain 

 would be thrown on several othei-s above and below it. I 

 now understood tlie use of the line of bandioo pegs stick- 

 ing in trees, which I had often seen, and wondered for 



