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

THREE DYAK LEGENDS 291
In the meantime Seragunting, tired with his play, came
back in search of his mother. She was very fond indeed
of him, and he expected her to come to him as soon as
he called out to her. But he was disappointed. No one
answered his call, and when he looked in the room she
was not there. He asked his father where his mother
was, and he told him that she had just gone to the well
to fetch water, and would soon be back.
But hour after hour passed, and she did not return to
the house. So Seragunting began to be anxious, and asked
his father to accompany him to the well to look for her.
At first his father refused to do so, but when he saw his
son crying for his mother, he went with him to the well.
They found the water-vessels there, but saw no signs of
her.
" Your mother is not here, Seragunting,"
said Siu.
" Perhaps she has gone to the garden to get some vege-
tables for our dinner. Let us go back to the house. If
your mother is not back early to-morrow morning, we will
go and look for her." So they both returned to the house,
taking back with them the water-gourds which Siu's wife
had left at the well.
Early the next morning Seragunting and his father
went in search of her. They took with them only a little
food, as they expected to find her not very far off. But
they wandered the whole day, and saw no signs of her.
They spent the night under a large tree in the jungle.
Early the next morning they were surprised to find a
small bundle of food, wrapped up in leaves, near Sera-
gunting. This food was evidently meant for him alone,
as it was not enough for two, but he gave some of it to his
father, who ate sparingly of it, so that his son might not
be hungry. They wandered on for several days, and