Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

522 DEALINGS WITH OTHER RACES part ii
whom may be reckoned the Besisi (the most numerous
of the Coast-Jakun tribes) are, on the other hand, in
the habit of migrating to greater distances, such as,
for instance, to Batu Pahat in Johor and to the Strait
of Dumei (Selat Dumei), off the west coast of Sumatra.
One of the most important causes which contribute
to these periodical migrations is their great love of
fruit, especially that of the durian. The seasons at
which this fruit ripens vary in different parts of the
Peninsula, and the wild jungle-dwellers (when not
forestalled by Malays), pass from one fruit-grove to
another as the trees ripen. But the number of fruit-
groves thus visited by any given tribe is always
limited, and usually consists, I believe, of the very
same series, no attempt being made to poach upon the
preserves of other tribes ; that is to say, the Sakai
would not visit a Semang fruit-grove or vice versa,
so that their wanderings are thus confined within
certain well-defined limits.
It has often been stated by way of demonstrating
the low state of their intellect that the wild tribes of
the Peninsula are unable to count beyond three.
This statement, however, is somewhat misleading, as
although they can only count up to three in many of
their dialects, higher numerals are still preserved in
some localities (f.^. in Johor), and there is besides
sufficient evidence to make it very fairly certain that
the Mon-Anam numerals up to ten (and perhaps
higher) must have formerly been known at least to
some of the tribes in question.'
Many of them can to this day count up to ten in
Malay, their knowledge of Malay numerals being
doubtless due to their practice of bartering jungle
1 Cp. C. U. Blat,'den, /. A\ A. S., S. />., No. 27, p. 40.