| Chapter I: Malacca and its contrasts—Devourers of the soul and devourers of the body—The realization of a poet's dream—Temptations—A call from the forest—Auri sacra fames—Baggage—Farewell to civilization | Page | [5] |
| Chapter II: My escort—By steamer to Telok Anson—The other bank of the Perak—Towards the forest—First news—Blood-letting in the swamp—Robbed and forsaken—Revenge in due time—The Malay's instigation—My little Sam Sam's fidelity—Philosophical reflections under a heavy weight | " | [11] |
| Chapter III: A fearful nocturnal concert—Fire! Fire!—A clearing in the forest—A general flight—Masters of the camp!—Mortal weariness—A morning greeting without any compliments—A first meeting—In the village—Alà against the Orang-putei | " | [22] |
| Chapter IV: New friends—Gold—An English official—The purchase of my future treasure—Administrative simplicity—England teaches!—The "sla pui"—Bitter disappointment—The Sam-Sam—The poison of the Savage and the venom of the Civilized | " | [31] |
| Chapter V: Great Mother Earth—A dangerous meeting—A living statue—Here or there?—An unrelished supper—A dreaded immigration—A glance into the past—A rape which was not a rape—A noble task—Towards the mountain—Tiger-shooting—The Sakais in town—Alloyed sweets—Musical tastes—Hurrah for the free forest! | " | [42] |
| Chapter VI: The great Sorceress—The forest seen from above—A struggle for life—The crimes of plants—Everlasting twilight—Births and deaths—Concerts by forest vocalists—The "durian"—The "ple-lok"—Vastnesses unexplored by science—Treasures intact—Para Rubber—The Samaritans of the jungle—The forest and its history | " | [59] |
| Chapter VII: The snares of civilized life—Faust's invocation—The dangers of the forest—Serpents—A perilous adventure—Carnivorous and herbivorous animals—The "sladan"—The man of the wood | " | [75] |
| Chapter VIII: An official appointment—A tour of inspection—Lost in the forest—I find a philosopher—Lycurgus and his laws—A contented mind is a continual feast—A night among the tigers—On the Berumbum—I sleep with a serpent—The last of many—Safe from trap and arrow—The coronation of King Edward VII | " | [85] |
| Chapter IX: The origin of the Sakais—Hypothesis and legend—Physical character—Thick tresses, gay flowers and troublesome guests—Hereditary antipathy—The five senses reduced to two—Food and drink—Tranquil life—Intolerance of authority—Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—Logical laziness—A Sakai journalist—The story of a mattress | " | [107] |
| Chapter X: The Sakai woman—Conjugal fidelity—A life of labour—Betrothals and nuptials—Love among the Sakais—Divorcement—No kissing—Chastity—Bigamy—Maternity and its excesses—Aged before the time—Fashion and coquetry | " | [125] |
| Chapter XI: A Sakai village—The "elder"—The family—Degrees of relationship—Humorists disoccupied—On the march—Tender hearts—Kindling the fire—A hecatomb of giants—The hut—Household goods and utensils—Work and repose | " | [141] |
| Chapter XII: Intellectual development—Sakais of the plain and Sakais of the hills—Laziness and intelligence—Falsehood and the Evil Spirit—The Sakai language—When the "Orang Putei" gets angry—Counting time—Novel calendars—Moral gifts | " | [152] |
| Chapter XIII: First attempts at industry—The story of a hat—Multiplicity—Primitive arts—Sakai music—Songs—Instruments—Dances—Ball dresses—Serpentine gracefulness—An unpublished Sakai song | " | [172] |
| Chapter XIV: The beliefs and superstitions of the Sakais—Metempsychosis—The Evil Spirit—Superstition among savages and ignorance among civilized people—The two sources of life—The wind—The Alà priest and physician—A scientific vigil—Venerable imposture!-Tenac and Cintok—Therapeutic torture—Contagion—A Sakai's death—The deserted village—Mourning—Births—Fire—Intellectual darkness—The Sakais and Islamism | " | [183] |
| Chapter XV: Sakai arms—Shooting—Serpent catchers—The Sakai and his poisons—Toalang, rengas and sagol—Slà dol, slà plek and slà clob—Akar toka—Ipok—An antidote—The labar, lampat, masè and loo—The legop—The Mai Bretaks—The preparation of legop—Curious and superfluous ingredients—The effects of legop—Strange contradictions—Experiments—Poisons and antidotes—The settler and science | " | [202] |
| Chapter XVI: Past and future geography—Mountains and plateaus—An attempt at a census—Temperature—Maladies and remedies—Alà a quack | " | [221] |
AMONG THE SAKAIS
CHAPTER I.
Malacca and its contrasts—Devourers of the soul and devourers of the body—The realization of a poet's dream—Temptations—A call from the forest—Auri sacra fames—Baggage—Farewell to civilization.
From the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Siam the Malay Peninsula, once known as the Golden Chersonese, jets out into the Indian Ocean like an arm stretched forth to unite once more within its embrace the innumerable isles that belt its coasts and that have probably been severed from the mainland by the combined force of Time and Sea.
In these surrounding islands, some as large as continents, others as narrow as reefs, over which civilization passes in squalls of cupidity, are concealed the strangest contrasts, for whilst around the shore human wolves disguised as civilized men are devouring souls, or (with due observance of the law) are usurping and stealing their neighbour's property and products, (the cleverest and most respected being he who best dissembles his rapacity or who knows how best to substitute unscrupulous shrewdness for industrial activity) not far off towards the centre of these scattered lands other men, in primitive ignorance of the law, are devouring their neighbours' flesh and skin or stealing their live bodies to serve as slaves.
But such curious contrasts are not after all so very striking when one considers that to devour souls and to devour flesh are both natural instincts of Man!
Around the coast of the Peninsula are many flourishing towns where every modern and up-to-date accommodation is to be found. These seaside resorts are thronged with a cosmopolitan population composed of tourists, business men, nabobs and adventurers. There life rolls on in the refined corruption of fashionable society amidst sports and amusements, scandals and intrigues, every race and every tongue contributing its share of good and evil. A motley crowd swarms their streets, presenting to the eye of an onlooker the picturesque spectacle that the contrast of costumes always produces. They are people of different colours, dress and education, attracted thither by the loadstone of wealth. The fortunate, the clever, the unscrupulous have already gained the victory in Life's struggles and now ride about in motor-cars of the newest types; the others look at them, most likely envy them, and work all the harder to get rich themselves. Will they succeed? The way, here is a short one but can only be successfully trodden by those who possess sound energy and blind confidence in their own brains and in their own muscles. It must not be thought, however, that the motor-car is a prerogative, in these parts, of opulent Europeans and Chinese for it is also a powerful auxiliary for those who are striving to make their fortunes through agricultural and mining speculations in the wildest regions of the Peninsula.