Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

taxes, a place for holding funerals or weddings. Or, in an hour ofemergency, the chieftian can easily gather his people here. Thelonghouse is in fact built primarily for the purpose of suchassemblage.The Dyak earns a living practically from the soil. Althoughplanting is a busy life, they do not rush about, and although theyspend not a little time planting once a year, they go about to theirown sweet time, like a lazy caterpillar. This is due, perhaps, to thefact that much time is at their disposal. Secondly, it is due to thewarm climate of the South Seas. This breeds a lethargic gait intheir stride. Apart from agriculture, their other chief occupationsconsist of fishing and hunting. There they come, leisurely, eitherfloating on the leaf of a sampan, or squatting on the river bank,hook and line in hand.Apart from aquatic tribes their menu consists of wild pigs anddeer. But their main dishes display mostly the coarsest ofvegetables. Except for several great festivals during the year whenoxen and pigs are slaughtered alongside venision to be devouredwith gusto, their daily viands comprise only rice, chilli-salt, andall kinds of fruits from their own cultivation or plucked from thewilds. When fruits are in full season they invariably eat of them inlieu of rice. A cornucopia, as far as food is concerned, is thistropical South Seas which being favoured with balmy winds andgentle rains becomes their storehouse. Here they may eat carefreerice.Thus, they have a rule among themselves: At harvest timeoutsiders could also join in the reaping. But you must first speakto the owner who would gladly permit you to gather your fill.In this Southland of perpetual summer, clothing is not a chiefarticle of use. Whether men or women, old or young, they goabout naked except for a rough loin cloth covering. During theJapanese southern invasion they had no more cloth. So theyplucked some fibres from the bark of trees and without a weave orspin made them into natural loin cloths. Ah! These well-favoured94