Evening Star Newspaper, June 12, 1921, Page 57

Part 4—8 Pages G WASHINGTON, D. C., SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 12; GAZINE SECTION . . A Little Task of Holding the Wild Men of Borneo at Bay By Charles Mayer. Hlustrated by Will Crawford. T seemed to me, as I waited In Mohanmmed Munshee's village, that it might be a good plan to establish a reputation among the natives &3 a worker of wonders. Fame a8 s magician is easily ac- quired smong thess people and I¥ of inestimadle value in handling them. For the task that lay before us I needed all their courage and coufi- dence, and I had a feeling that they were accepting me with some doubt. That would never do, for, unless I Fad them under perfect control when the hunt reached its most exciting point, all our efforts might be wasted. They showed proper awe of the ex- press rifle that Ali exhibited so proudly, and they took fitting note of my stores, but still they regarded me simply as a white man who might or might not be able to do the things he said he was going to do. They were respectful and hospitable, but the more I saw of them the more I realized the importance of doing some spectacular thing that would distinguish me in their minds and send tales of my magic traveling through the ‘wilderness of jungle. It is astounding, by the way, how rap- idly news travels in the jungle. Many tin in breaking through virgin cogntry, I have found that the news of my coming had preceded me and tiat the natives knew all about me THE ORANGS SCREAMED AND HUGGED EACH OTHER. THEY SAT ON THE TOPMOST LIMB, and to-make ts, such as en- | gaging recruits for the hunt, ih advance of my arrival I planned to have a gen- eral council of all the men who were to take part in the work. Such a council would have a double advantage; in the first place, it would give me the benefit of their experience, and, secondly, it would make them feel that I depended upon them. It took us four days to gather as much rattan as we could carry in our boats; then, with thirty men, we started up the river. I found at each village that Omar had done more than justice to the crocodile story and that he had taken with him a select crew of men. AS in Trengganu, the natives felt that this was to be the great sporting event of the year, and they were anxious to take part. Their keen interest in the adven- ture made it possible for us to choose the strongest and best of them, together with a few older men who knew the Jungle. Our ‘boatmen swung on their paddles | steadily, pushing the boats against the current. ~Solid banks of foliage lined the sides of the stream, and, in places, the branches touched overhead, making a thick canopy that shaded us. In the sun _the heat was blistering. When we arrived at Omar's kam- pong the entire population was on the banks to welcome us. Omar came for- ward and announced that he had re- cruited seventy men—Mal#ys and Dy- aks—for the hunt and that he would vouch for all of them. That made a crew of a hundred, counting the thirty who came with me, and we examined COMPLETELY TEERIFIED. T constantly to keep up the enthusiasm of the men. y : I wanted the council to be s formal affair, and so I had Omar sound the call by striking on a hollow log. The older men took their places first, squatting in a semi-circle; then the younger men squatted behind them. The women and children loitered on | the outskirts at a respectful distance. All of them were chewing betel-nut. * * k¥ ROM the house, I watched the coun- cil assemble, but I did not go out until Omar came for me. Then, with Omar and Munshee walking beside me. 1 left the house, dressed in native costume—Chinese trousers, sarong and jacket. The chattering ceased as 1 approached, and all eyes were center- ed on me. Every one was visibly im- pressed by the fact that I was wear- ing the clothes of a native, and that they were of the finest quality and en- titled me to much consideration. The importance of staging such an expedition—all the “magic,” the talk, the council and the costume—was not ! to be underrated. As I have explain- and were waiting for me. explanation I could ever get was sim- oly., “Tuan, we heard.” A’ good opportunity to impress the atives presented itself one day when was g to tuke a plunge in the river. Munshee siopped me, say- ing: *“Take care, sir. There are crocodiles in the river” He told me that many natives had Jost their lives recently and that men had had their arms snapped off while they ‘were paddling boats. I took his advice and went to the house where my supplies were stored. Presently I returned with a stick of dynamite and a fuse. Gathering the natives around me, I explained to them that they were to line the banks of the river and prepare to come out in their boats when I gave the signal. They were entirely mystified, for they had never heard of dynamite. * % X % GOING up-stream, 1 prepared the charge and then drifted down, drop- ping it over. Wide-eyed and puszzled, they watched the smoking fuse disap- pear into the water. Then came a muf= fled explosion, which made them jump; the water trembled, shaking the boats and frightening them; fish came to the surface. I signaled and the scramble to gather the fish began. Ali_was standing near me, ready to put the rifle into my hands, and I strained my eyes, looking for crocodiles. Suddenly a° woman pointed to the oppo- site bank and screamed, “Buaia (croco- dile)!” s 1 yelled to Munshee to take Hls men down-stream and keep them quiet and on the alert; then 1 directed my boa above the spot where the woman pointed. 1 dropoed another stick of dynamite oveZoard. A few seconds later the belly of a crocodile appeared on the surface, its feet and tail moved feebly. It was stunned by the explosion —mabok (drunk), as the natives say. 1 took my gun and put two bullets into its body. Before it could sink Ali grabbed its tail; then we made for the thore. The natives gathered about, wildly excited, and Mahommed Munshee as_the proudest man in the village. Jie_had vouched for my abilities and I rad proved my possession of the powers that he claimed for me. It hobat-an (magic). The crocodile measured fifteen feet four inches and was twenty-five years old. The natives could tell its age by counting the pebbles in its pouch. 1 decided to stop at Munshee's a few days longer, to have the men gather 1attan to make the nets, and also to talk with the natives about orang- outangs and plan all the details of the capture. Omar, the other headman, went on up to his village, taking with him as much of our store of provisions s he could carry. 1 was willing enough 1o have him spread the crocodile story among the natives and I knew that ‘the tale would not suffer in the telling. Omar was to.determine, if possible, the exact location of the orang-outangs The onlyi t had ¢ was | one another curiously. 1 was the first white man that most of them had seen. * % ¥ % EAVING instructions that the coun- | cil was to be called for the next morning, I went to the house that Omar had prepared for me. Afi and the Chinese boy accompanied me with my personal 'equipment, and I sat talking with Omar while 1 waited for my bed to be prepared, so that I could get my afternoon nap. The men loi- tered outside the house, apparently waliting for something. 1 knew what they wanted—more magic. At last a deputation came with the request. Would the white man perform magic such as he had performed at the vil- lage of Mahommed Munshee? Crocodiles were less plentiful so far up the river, and I was rather afraid that they might be disappointed i I did not at least equal the former ex- hibition. The story, as 1 have re- marked before. had grown wonder- fully in traveling up-countr. But they were determined to ~sce the “drunken fish.” and I decided that, be- fore beginning work. T should do well to give them some sort of amusement. With the two headmen—they were delizhted to show such familiarity with this new sport—assisting me, T ed before, the natives are extremely impressionable; if they like a man and rui wild at the mo- them most. as the mo: portant and diticall thing of its kind 1 had ever atiempled: it required greatest technical proficiency, because there were numerous chances of fail- ure through little miscalculations. Elephant driving is, after all, largely a matter of simple strategy com- bined with endurance; and capturing leopards is about on a par with set- ting mouse traps when compared with getting full-grown orang-outangs into cages. I squatted before the council and talked long and earncstly about the work that lay before us. 1 told the villagers that 1 had left important business in Singapore, at the request of their headmen, to come and help them; that I hesitaied about making the trip. and had been persuaded only stationed the natives on the banks Lwith their boats and then I went up- stream with the dynamite. There was breathless silence as they saw me strike & match and touch it to the fuse. When the explosion came they gave a shout and darted out in their boats to gather in the fish. After the [exellemenl had subsided and all the ifish had been compared for size and I weight T dropped another stick. The tmen enjoyed the sport immensely. and lwe made-a hilarious afternaon of it. !The most spber person in the village iwas my coolie boy, whe, as he went ! quietly about his iness of arrang- fng my living quarters, muttered, “Semua gila (All crazy).” \ Ali. who had become a good shot, ishowed the villagers my express rifle, 1and demonstrated what an explosive ! bullet could do to the trunks of trees. ‘The men were fascinated by that !rower of destruction. and they passed i their fingers reverently over the bar- |rel and listened to Ali's stories while he .cleaned it. Ali had traveled all over the far east with me and he gave marvelous interpretations of what he |had seeén. He could hold an audjence of natives spellbound for hours and. identally, he was an excellent pub- licity man for me. In his whole- hearted, childish, Malay fashion, he accepted me as the greatest man in the world, and he was never contented unless others did so, t00. He was in great measure responsible for the suc- Jcoss of my expeditions. for he re- moved many an cbstacle—sometimes without my knowledge—and worked ¢ I 1 1 TOOK MY GUN AND PUT TWO BULLE?S INTO THE CROCODILE’S BODY. GRABBED ITS TAIL; THEN WE MADE FOR SHORE, n him, they will do anything | and if they do not believe in; by the promises of Omar and Mahom- med Munshee that every assistance would be given me. I explained that I had the permisgion of the resident general and that\he had offered me men, but that I had refused, because I knew I could depend on the men of this kampong—they knew everything that was to be known about the jun- gle, and the whole world knew that they were brave and cool-headed. I impressed upon them that such work was not to be taken as play, and that it was a dangerous enterprise. The natives nodded sagely, “You must be guided by what I say and do,” I told them. “for I have made plans. If you do as I tell you to do, we shall be successful.” ‘Then I called upon the men who had been sent out to locate the orang- outangs. They had found them about two hours' distance from the village: they described the location and told how it could be reached. A general discussion followed. I gave each man & chance to express his ideas. They’ all wanted to talk—preferably all at the same time—and the council drag- ance of Omar, I kept the debate or- derly and we listened to all sorts of opintons. g For the most part, they felt that it would be necessary to kill the animals. IThn, of course, was the last thing in the world that I wanted. It would mean that the expedition was wasted effort; there are few live orang-outangs in zoological gardens, but many stuffed ones in museums. T did not agree with the idea that we should have to kill the animals, but 1 did not entirely disagree. We compromised by reaching the de- cision that, if they must be killed, I should do the work and no man should try to kill them without my consent. The natives had seen what one bullet from my rifie would do to a tree, and they were convin an orang- outang would stand a poor chance. * % * % TE’E council broke up and work be- gan. I had Omar set some of his men to making strong nets of twisted rattan. He drew plans for the two cages ahd had other men gather the ltmbs of trees for them. The cages were just large enough to hold the animals and small enough to keep them from getting leverage on the bars. After the skeletons of the cages were built chey were bound tightly with rattan ropes so that, even if the bars were broken, the rang-outangs would be in a network. The strength of a full grown orang- outang is enormous. 1 have seen one bend a one-inch steel bar as though it were made of rubber. If he can brace himself properly, with plenty of room to exxert his entire strength, he can bend almost anything; but between bending a bar and breaking a rope by pulling there is a great deal of difference. A rattan repe will hold him, though a simple menagerie cage may not give him any more trouble than a paper hoop. .. The strength of the orang-outang, or “wild man,” as the name means in Malay, is largely in his arms. The arms of a mias—the ed - that » we were after—measure ten feet or more from tip to tip. The mias type, which is next in size to the gorilla, is somewhat larger than the ordinary breed. It is distin- guished by a darker color and by folds of skin at each side of thc face. Its bedy, from shoulders to hips, is about the size of a man’s. It has short, unde- veloped legs, long fingers and thumbs that are mere stubs, An orang-outang never travels on the ground when he can swing from tree jto tree, and, since there are very few open spaces in the jungle, he seldom reaches the ground except when he goes down to get something. He can swing incredible distances, hurtling through the air and catching branches with perfect accuracy. Orang-outangs usually live in colonies numbering from forty to sixty, and the largest and most powerful chief. They make their homes on platforms in the branches of trees and they build the platforms by breaking off limbs and putting them crisscross. In mating season the male and female live to- gether, but the couples separate after the young are born. The mother takes care of them and the father goes off about his business. As they do in the case of most dan- gerous animals, the native collectors hunt orang-outangs by killing the mother and taking the young. The weapon they mest often use, except when they have guns, is the blow-pipe, which, in the hands of an expert, is not to he d d. 1t is a long, slender tubs, measuring from six to cight feet, made from a s joint of a rare bamboo. The tube is allowed to dry and harden and is wrapped tightly with rattan. The darts, which are about the size of a steel knitting needle, are made from the midribs of paln leaves, and at one end there is a small conical butt, which fits tightly into the bore of the pipe. A small nick is made in the shaft of the dart just below the point, and the end is coated with a deadly poison made from the sap of the upas tree and another species of the genus Ipo. When the dart strikes the end breaks off and remains in the wound; the poison acts rapidly, first paralyzing, then kflling the victim. In warfare, also, the na- tives poison kris and spear, and the wound is invariably fatal. * ¥ k * F)GHTING a full-grown orang-ou- tang with weapons so primitive is extremely hazardous work, and the ged on for hours. With the assist-| 1 THE NATIVr.o DANCED AND YELLED. THROUGH THE CLOUDS OF SMOKE I COULD SEE THEIR BLACK BODIES FLASHING, ARMS WAVING, AND LIPS, STAINED CRIMSON WITH BETELNUT, WIDE OPEN. natives avoid it except when a beast becomes a menace to the village. An orang-outang in battle is ferocious. If it is treed and afraid to come down it _goes into a paroxysm of fury. It wi arms, tearing the flesh and inflicting frightful wound: here are two of the animals they and hug each other. An orang- as been struck by an arrow can follow the natives in the trees or on the ground while the poison is taking effect. The only refuge from the frenzied creature is the smoke of a fire, and, when it is sufficiently enraged, even that will not stop it. The best chance lies in keep- ing it 8o harried that it does not know whom to attack; once it decides.on a particular native the native is as good as dead. When the poison begins to work, ‘after an animal has been wounded, the natives end the fight with knives. The possibility -of an orang-outang attack is a danger that all the men must be prepared to face, and the duty of engaging in an orang- outang hunt is no less important than that of making war. It was but nos mal, therefore, that as soon as I had onvinced the villagers of my trust- corthiness I should have their hearty support. After putting the men to work on the nets and cages I selected & crew BEFORE IT COULD SINK. ALI HE Famous Collector of Wild Animals Tells, in This Story, of His Experiences With the Real Wild Men—"Performing Miracles"—Dynamite, the Fish and the Crocodile—Locating the Orang-utans—How the AnimalsLive and How They Are Captured by-the Natives—A Panic in a Jungle. of twenty-five to accompany me while I went out to get the lay of the land. T warned thé men against do- ing anvthing that might frighten the animals unnecessarily, and explained that we should do no hunting for! smaller game until we had attended | to the two big orang-8utangs. With the guides leading, we started into the dense jungle, and after several hours of slow, tortuous traveling we came to the tree where the animals lived. I could see, far up, the platform they had built. Fortunately the orangroutangs were not there, and we were able to inspect the location at our leisure. 1 stationed the men at one side, tel ing them to wait for us, and then Omar and Munshee and I circled the tree. The surrounding jungle was as thick as any I have ever seen; the trees were so close that their branches mingled and they were woven togethef with creepers, vines and rattan. It was not possible to go forward a step without cutting the way. e tree in which the orang- outangs lived was the largest in the vicinity. Nearly an hour passed be- fore I decided upon the course we would pursue. Squatting with Omar and - Munshee, I explained how we ‘would . cut y the trees, so as to leave in isolation the one in which the animals had their platform; then, how we could cut that tree and tumble them into the net. We went back to the place where the men were waiting, and I put them to work at cutting the mass of creep- ers that bound.the trees together. The jungle was so dense that it would have been impossible to fell the trees without ‘cutting the network woven between them; for it would have held the trees upright even though they were cut at the base. Without tear- ing the creepers to the ground, we cut back as far as sixty feet on all sides. I estimated that the trees be- yond would be well out of swinging distance for the orangs. At the point} where I planned to have the big tree drop, I had an additional thirty feet cut. Then, whep the creepers were all simply hanging, we began wérn on the trees. First-rate native jungle men use their parangs with astounding rapid- ity and accuracy. I.doubt if there are any finer .woodsmen in the world. Their greatest fauit it that they like to stop working in order to talk. Omar, Munshee and I, knowing this weakness for coaversation, circled through the jungle constantly, urging our men on. Partly as a result of this watchfulness, perhaps, I have never seen natives do a piece of work more peatly and rapidly. It was vi- tally important, of course, that we finish - before ‘the big " fellows came swinging back home. % s * % % % TB‘E trees were cut so that they re- meained standing. We were try- ing to achieve something like a flimsy structure built-of cards or dominoes, which .one push- will send toppling. At-a signal, every tree in the circle .out. was to fall, those fer, first, and the others in in which the I had map] at the <e t order, uatil the ‘on in junglecraft to cut the 80 that they would bear the weight of animals swinging in branches, and yet be 30 weak that they would all fall—and in the proper directions —when we started them by pulling on the ropes. I allowed myself to be guided entirely by the judgment of the matives; they app: my con- fidence and took cars to see that the work was done accurately. orang-outan; had their platform ‘was l”llt‘:. It was a nice )nbe.l the conversation attracted hundreds of jungle animals, including many of the smaller orang-outangs. We did not molest them. and they grew bold- er, until we had a large, chatterin; sereaming audience watching us wor Long before the two big .brutes came back to their home we were on our way to Omar’'s kampong, with the first stage of the work completed. The jungle as we left it did not ap- pear greatly different from the. way it looked when we arrived. 1 knew that the orang-outangs would realize that some one had been there, and vyet I was fairly certain that the ab- sence of human beings would reas- sure them. And, too, they would have seyeral days to accustom them- selves to: whatever changes they noticed. At the kampong I called the men together again, this time for an in- formal council. I told them that I had considered carefully everything they had said the day before, and that, after inspecting the location, I had come to the conclusion that we could eesily capture the animals. It would be simply a matter of rapid work and of each man's thoroughly understanding his job. Drawing a circle on the ground and planting a stick in tbe middle, I explained what ‘we were to do and how we were to do it. Then I told them how we had cut the' creepers and prepared the trees. the next four 4zys we avoid- jon as much as possible. of men, bearing bundles of Wry grass and bushes, approached within flve hundred feet, dropped their bundles and returned to the village. The grass and bushes were to be used for the fire I planned to build at the base of the tree, once the orang-outangs were isolated there. We took care never to go near when the big fellows were at home, and the other jungle creatures grew less and less perturbed each time we appeared. I remained at the kampong, super- vising the making of the nets and cages. The entire population helped us, and I put some of the people to work at making smaller cages and rigging snares for other animals. Finally, when the nets and cages were ready and the material for the fire gathered and in place, I began drilling the men in their parts. Thirty men were detailed to the work of pulling down_the trees in the circle: ten men to clearing the space where the big tree was to fa men to handling each side of the big net. It was upon the last-named crew that the success of the attack rested, for any mistake or delay in manipulating the net would mean that the animals would escape—even robably th disastrous results. mar and nshee helped me select the men from the numl of those who had previously their courage and resourcefulness in ot Mz ima == t up mear vi and we “ the capture Iinnumerable the pole would fall, and the od Cre: for ssveral days, and I always stood by with my rifle in my hands as if I were ready to put au explosive bul- let into the bundle of grass, if it tried to escape. *Erx® ‘Nrm’ they had played the part so many times that there seemed to be no chance of a blunder, we had a foll rehearsal. As the ole fell, this time, the other men closed in, beating ‘with the clubs, pounding tom-toms and yelling. I wanted them to make just as mnch noise as possible when the orangs ca.ae down; for noise par- alyzes animals with fright and makes them easier to handle. On the eighth night at Omar's vil- lage I called all the men together -|and announced that we would start next morning before daybreak. Onec again I made them promise that they would not kill the beasts without my permission, and I in turn, promised them that T would shoot if there was the least danger. Long before day- break the village was astir. All those Wwho were to take no part in the hunt were ordered to stay behind, and they stood silently watching us while the men shouldered the nets and ropes and filed into jungle blackness. By the time it was light, cach man was at his post, waiting for me to fire my pistol s a signal. We could see the two orang-outangs sleeping on their platform. The men who were to give the trees the final cut and send them toppling over stole forward silently. Ail was beside me, g my rifie; Omar and Munshee were stationed near, one at each side. I waited. scarcely dar- ing to breathe, for them to signal that their men were ready. Ali was intently watching the orangs, to warn me if they stirred Omar moved first: then Munshee. I gave a quick glance around and fired my pistol. Instantly the tumu't started; the men yelled and beat up n tom - toms and trees. The orang- outangs leaped up bewildered and {scrambled ~ about their platform Through the noise T could hear the men at work with their parangs then came the crashing of trees. The jungle seemed to fold up and the big tree stood alome. The orangs screamed and hugged each other. Men rushed forward with the bundie of dry grass and started the fire; others came with wet leaves to make a gmudge. One of the orangs started, as if to come down, and I reached for my rifle; but, when the smoke struck him, he went back to the platform. screaming and tearing the tree. Then, as the smoke became more dense. the two animals climed higher and sat on the topmost limb, arms and legs wraped around each other, com- pletely terrified. The natives danced and yelled. Through the clouds of smoke that drifted over us. I could see their black bodies flashing. arms and lips, stained crimson w nut, wide open. The din wi For several minutes I just stood there unable to move. (Copyright. 1921, by Asia) In his next article Mr. Mayer fwi.ll continue the story of the orang-outangs and tell how they were landed at Antwerp. Lignum Vitae Trees. "THEY are making terpin balls of a “composition,” but the classic balls are still turned from the heart of that wood called lignum vitae, Latin words meaning “stone of life,” and which we render as “livinz stone:” Many persons believe that lignum vitae is not a botanical name but merely a trade name. covering numerous varieties of very hard. com- pact and heavy wood. This is not the fact. The lignum vi perhaps more often called “Guaiacum sanctum” by botanists or studen! that branch of botany called * drology.” The "lignum vitae tree grows in Florida on the Florida keys, in the Bahama Islands and various islands of the West Indies. The supply of this wood is negligible from the Florida keys, the trade being mainly supplied by the Bahamas, though Haiti is a large producer. The tree is a low, gnarled, round-headed growth and it sometimes attains a height of twenty-five or thirty feet, but its short trunk is frequently two and a half or three feet thick. It has a thin bark, rarely more than an eighth of an inch thick and the sur- face is separated into small, thin white scales, very much like tho: covering the bark of the white tree. The leaves are three or four inches long and are composed of thres to five pairs of obliquely oblong se! sile leafilets one inch long and nearl; an inch broad. 5 The old leaves remain on the branches until the appearance of th new growth., which in Florida comes in March or early ApriL Its dark blue blossoms, which are two-thirds of an inch across, remain open dur- ing several weeks. Porto Rico is now making some contribution to the world's stock of lignum vitae. It is the densest wood known, a cubic foot of dry and well seasoned lignum vitae weighing a trifie more than seventy- one pounds. It is very close-grained and varies in color from dark green to yellowish brown. It has been used for sheating ships and is now ex- tensively used in making blocks, pulleys, cogs and other bearings in certain forms of machinery, and_in making mortars and pestles. The heartwood, chopped and heated, yields a medicinal gum called guaiacum, a word of Haitian origin and which gives the tree its name of Guaiacum sanctum or “holy guaiacum.” Why the Shark Follows a Ship A SHARK is very unlovely and a very dangerous creature. He looks almost as bad as he is, anf just & look at him is calculated to give one “the shivers” A sailor is naturally in- clined to be superstitious, as are most men who wrest a living by combat with the tremendous forces of nature. Lonely midnight seas, surging under the blows of howling tempest; weird maritime phenomena, the thin division between life and death. the insignifi- cance of ship and crew in the vast ex- panse of sea and &£ky, all help to pro- mote a superstitious turn of mind. So, when day after day, a wicked fish —fiend of a shark—with its evil eve, follows a ship., sailors can hardly be blamed for seeing_ in that sinister fol- lowing an omen of death. Death is naturally _associated with a shark. anyway. If a sailor should fall over- board he knows that’the shark would et him. ‘O! course, what the shark really fol- lows the ship for is the pleasure of feeding on the garbage the cook throws overboard—or, if he is lucky, & sailor knocked overboard by a slatting sail. But no such prosaic explanation as that will satisty a sailor. No, the shark scents a death on board. It is true that thousands of ships have sailed thousands of miles and many deaths have occurred on board of them and no shark has followed them, Yet sometimes, naturally, when a shark follows a ship a death does oc- cure among the crew. And it takes very littls to keep a superstition alive. Truth crushed to earth will rise again, but its resilience is nothing compared 10 that if superstition.