Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

566 DEALINGS WITH OTHER RACES part ii
tion of which was that, " If you do 7iot give me a
substantial present, you shall not pass fartherr The
traveller may give as much as is in his power, but yet
this will never be sufficient. The actions of these
Malays generally show low and sordid sentiments,
whereas the Jakun are naturally proud and generous.'
Udai.—The Udai are said to be of more savage
habits than the (purer-bred) Jakun, prefer following
the chase to the drudgery of agriculture, and are de-
scribed as being without religion,- laws, or any form
of government.^
They have no knowledge of letters, and are
accused by the Jakun of devouring their dead and of
cohabiting with the beasts of the forest, particularly
the siamang. They go nearly naked, never wash
their bodies, wear no covering for the head, and use
the blowpipe, poisoned arrows, and sharpened palmwood
stakes as spears.'*
Orang Laut or Sea- Jakun.
Orang Laut Sletar.—Thomson describes the Orang
Sletar and their kindred tribes as wild, ignorant, and
indolent.^ Such sweeping criticism of unknown tribes,
however, is seldom of any real value, and is not in-
frequently very far from the truth. The following
detailed description of his visit to the locality in which
the Orang Sletar lived is infinitely more valuable in
enabling us to form an idea of the race with which
we are now dealing.
One day, when anchored close to the shore, several
small boats and canoes were seen skirting the man-
1 J. I. A. vol. ii. p. 275. ^ I.e. in the popular sense of the term.
3 Newbold, ii. 381, 382. * Ibid. ^ j_ /_ J^^ vol. i. p. 346*.