“But,” asked Wienersdorf, “is it safe to pass the night here?”
“We are perfectly safe,” answered Dalim, “no Dayak will venture here and the Colonel is not likely to seek us here. He is busy following Baba Poetjieng’s canoe and may be glad to find himself at the mouth of the Lesser Dayak by to-morrow night. As I said before it is impossible for them to guess that we are here, since nobody knows of this passage.”
“You said no Dayak would venture here. Why is that?”
“In 1859 Pembekel Soelil was killed here by the bursting of a cannon while defending his benting against the Dutch. To save his body from the hands of the Dutchmen, his people buried him in soengei Dahasan near the spot we have just passed. Since that time this soengei is guarded by a pampahilep and woe to him who enters the forbidden territory.”
“Pray, what is a pampahilep?”
“A horrible forest ghost who kills every one within his reach. But this pampahilep is a female and whenever she gets hold of a man she compels him to marry her, only to strangle him afterward.”
“Brr! Quelle Canaille!” the Walloon muttered.
“But you are not afraid?” Schlickeisen asked the Dayak. [[43]]
“Ah!” said he, “I invented the story myself, in order to secure a secret way for smuggling salt, powder and lead. Now everybody keeps my female pampahilep at a respectful distance.”
“Do Dayaks believe everything so implicitly?”