“I dare say; but to violate the commandments of the Koran would certainly have excited suspicion, and we were not quite far enough from Kwala Kapoeas,” Johannes said solemnly. “But,” he continued, “now that we are unobserved, I won’t grudge you a hearty pull, provided you leave the bottle in my hands. You have certainly deserved a drink to-day.”
And suiting the action to the word, he produced a square bottle from beneath the seat on which he was lying, poured out a glassful of its contents and passed it to the Walloon, who took it readily and emptied it at one draught, smacking his lips.
“By Jove! that is fine toeak; I never tasted anything like it before,” he sighed, regaining his breath. [[76]]
“It is doubly distilled,” Johannes answered.
“Do let me have another thimble full,” the Walloon begged.
“Patience, dear boy. The others must also have their turn. See how the Dayaks look; ah, they are such tipplers.”
“From what do they distill this toeak?” asked Wienersdorf.
“Toeak is made from rice,” Johannes explained, “and especially from the Ketan rice, a species which contains much gluten and becomes thick in boiling. They manufacture it in the following manner: They first make a leaven called ragi, consisting of powdered carrots, pepper, grated pisang nuts and sugar. The Ketan rice is then carefully added to this leaven in a large earthenware vessel and the whole mixture is exposed to the heat of the sun for three days. They then pour water on it, in the proportion of one gantang of water to each gantang of rice. They now let it ferment in the heat of the sun for two days and then filter the liquor through canvas. This liquor is the toeak.”
“But how is it possible for it to become as strong as that we just now tasted?” Wienersdorf asked. “According to your explanation the process is a brewing and not a distillation.”
“Listen; in order to make the toeak stronger, the Dayaks boil it in a pan covered with leaves, among which a hollow bamboo has been put in a horizontal position. The steam now travels through this tube and is condensed, when the liquor is collected again in the earthen bowl. Hence it becomes distilled. The Dayaks call it arak; and one of these bottles of arak was given to me by Ali Bahar.”