Seventeen years among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo; a ... - Sabrizain.org

280 THREE DYAK LEGENDS
were not all intermingled together as is usually the case,
but each species was apart from the others. He saw a
large flock of wild pigeons on one branch, and next to
them were the parrots, all feeding together, but keeping
distinct from them. Upon the same tree there were
hornbills, woodpeckers, wild pigeons, and all the different
kinds of birds he had ever seen.
Siu hid himself under the thick leaves of a shrub
growing near, very much pleased at his luck, and, taking
a poisoned dart, he placed it in his blow-pipe, and shot
it out. He had aimed at one bird in a particular flock,
and hit it. But that bird was not the only one that fell
dead at his feet. To his astonishment, he saw that many
of the other birds near it were killed also. Again he
shot out a dart, and again the same thing happened. In
a very short time Siu had killed as many birds as he could
carry. As the little basket in which he had brought his
food was too small to hold them all, he set to work and
made a coarse basket with the bark of a pendok tree
growing near. Then he put his load on his back and
started to return home, glad that he had been so
successful.
He tried to return the same way by which he had
come, but as he had not taken the precaution to cut
marks in the trees he passed, he very soon found himself
in difficulties. He wandered about, sometimes passing
by some large tree which he seemed to remember seeing
in the morning. He climbed up a steep hill and went
several miles through a large forest, but did not find the
jungle path which he had followed early in the day.
It was beginning to grow dusk and the sun had nearly
set.
'
I must hurry on," said Siu to himself, " in the hope