Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

first objective of our visit was the chieftain. As we have saidbefore, we 1ooked up to them in all things as learners in order towin them. To dispel their suspicions and misconceptions weadopted their style of living as much as possible. Sleeping, wesprawled with them on the plank-floor. Eating, we used bananaleaves for dishes and the fingers inherited from Mother forchopsticks. But, the bitterest pill of all to swallow was to eatrotting meat with them! After they had slaughtered an ox ortrapped a wild pig, and there were the leftovers at the end of themeal, they would hang these up on a bamboo over the fire-placeto smoke. (After a couple of days, it goes without saying that themeat smells.) When you cooked viands or rice over the same fireplaceyou could see the maggots drop into the pot below. But youneed not feel indisposed. For whence did those worms come butfrom the meat?The following was an episode that happened soon after ourentry to Dyak country. There was a “pilihan” festival on in thevillage. This drew crowds from the surrounding villages. This wasour chance, for the chieftain “rolled out the red carpet” towelcome us.He fed us with the richest of foods, topped with desserts of allkinds of cakes. With five or six village headmen for our company,how glorious was the occasion! But for some reason I had not thefortune of enjoying the feast. Though the floor was spread withmeats and cakes (we were seated on floor-mats), I could not enjoythem one by one. To please our hosts I managed to eat three orfour items by a process of breathlessly gulping down. After wereturned from the feast I got sick for three full days. SubsequentlyI discovered that the fault rather was mine. This experience taughtme to attend all dinners of this nature, hereafter, with a trustingheart.The Dyaks have a very fine custom: they are extremelyhospitable to travellers. Whether stranger or acquaintance, when110