The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

X WAR 171
pots ; fire must be made only by friction (see PI.
89) ; they must not smoke ; boys may not lie down,
but must sleep sitting. The people who remain
at home are not expected to observe these tabus ;
they may go to the farms, but must keep quiet, and
undertake nothing outside the ordinary routine.
If the object of the attack is a village in their
own river, the expedition paddles steadily day after
day until it reaches the mouth of some small
stream at a distance of some miles from the enemy's
village. Forcing their boats some two or three
miles up this stream they make a camp. Here
two solid platforms are built about twenty feet
apart, and a large beam is laid from one to the
other. The chiefs and principal men take their
seats on the platforms, and then every man of the
party in turn approaches this beam, the fighting
leader, who is usually not one of the chiefs, coming
first. If he is willing to go through with the business,
i.e. to take part in the attack, he slashes a chip
from the beam with his, parang and passes under it.
On the far side of the beam stands a chief holding
a large frond of fern, and, as each man passes under,
he gives him a bit of the leaf, while an assistant cuts
a notch on a tally-stick for each volunteer. If for
any reason any man is reluctant to go farther, he
states his excuse, perhaps a bad dream or illness,
or sore feet, and returns to the boats, amid the
jeers of those who have passed the ordeal, to form
one of a party to be left in charge of the camp and
boats.
Next, all the left-handed men are sorted out to
form a party whose special duty is to ambush the
enemy, if possible, at some favourable spot. These
are known as the hornets [singat). I f any swampy
ground or other obstruction intervenes between
their camp and the enemy's village, a path is
made through or over it to facilitate retreat to the