“Do you mean to say you don’t know, you stupid? Well, [[65]]koedjang is a kind of turnip abundantly found in lower Dayakland and which takes the place of our potatoes.”
“I know I have often eaten them at Kwala Kapoeas. They are really delicious fried in thin slices. But what did they call the viands?”
“Tambilok and liendoeng, you mean?”
“Yes, what are they?”
“Have you never observed those fat white worms found in the wood which has been lying in the river for a considerable time? Well, that is what the Dayaks call tambilok and of which they make such a nice dish.”
“Oh, Notre Dame de bon secours!” the Walloon shrieked, horrified.
“And the ‘liendoeng,’ ” Johannes continued immediately, “is a kind of water-snake about three feet long and of the diameter of a man’s arm. Its color is red with black stripes down the back. It has a very smooth skin and is not poisonous. It is a special favorite with the Dayaks.”
“And I thought I was eating eels all the while!” La Cueille cried, with disgust on his every feature.
“But never mind,” Johannes added good-naturedly, “I have wrapped a large piece of the boar’s head in a leaf Dayak-fashion, and as soon as you feel hungry again you shall have food more to your mind. But mind you may have to swallow worse things than snakes or worms before you reach home.”
La Cueille sighed but did not answer. He went to rest and was soon lost in a deep slumber.