With the Dyaks of Borneo: A Tale of the Head Hunters

"But supposing they are spies?" demanded another. "We know that those at Sarawak, under the tuan besar (great chief – James Brooke), are about to attack us, and no doubt they will send some here to see what preparations we are making; not that we need trouble ourselves, for they will certainly be beaten. Still, of what use is it to call men who are spies, for will they descend and come to us like children when they know that within a minute they will be kneeling before us with their hands lashed, while one of our number stands above them with his sword and prepares to sever their necks? Call if you wish, but you waste your breath."

"That we will see," was the answer, "but if there be no answer you shall be the first to climb, for I as the leader give you the order. Now, cease chattering while I shout."

Stepping to a large boulder which lay near at hand he leapt upon it, and, placing a hand to his mouth, shouted at the top of his voice, telling those who might be hidden above to come down at once.

"It is useless for you to remain," he said, "for we are ten while you are but two, and also there are hundreds to follow us. Come then quietly, for the end will be the same whatever you do. You are caught, and we claim you as our prisoners."

"Let him claim and shout as much as he likes," said Tyler, with a reckless laugh, as Li Sung whispered the message in his ear, "I don't care to hand myself over; for the idea of cold steel and a severed neck is not enticing. We will just lie perfectly still till we are obliged to make a move, and then let our action be swift. See here, Li. I will raise this big boulder upon the wall just where this bush covers the front. Then, when one of the attackers happens to cross the line it will follow, I will heave it over and step back at once. You can pick one of them off with the sling with the same smartness, and perhaps they will fail to discover our exact position. Look out! That fellow is shouting again."

Once more did the leader of the little band of pirates spring upon the boulder, the better to observe the rock, and shout a message at those who he was sure were in hiding there. Then, hearing no answer, he and his men put their heads together and once more discussed the matter.

"We waste time," at last said their leader. "Finding that the dogs will not come to us, which perhaps is not to be wondered at, seeing that they have nothing to gain, but their heads and their lives to lose, we will go to them, and afterwards reward ourselves at the expense of their convenience and comfort. Come, Penchu, yours is the post in advance. Show us the way."

For a moment it looked as though the dusky Malay who had at first proposed that the rock be searched would decline the honour thus thrust upon him, for he glanced above him, and then doubtfully at the bushes which grew in all directions, wondering which of them hid the enemy. But his comrades were there to aid him, and, besides, there were only two above, and they were undoubtedly half-drowned by their upset in the river. With a scowl at his leader, and a second glance above, he suddenly made up his mind, and drawing a kriss of large size from his belt, gripped it between his teeth and turned to the rock.

"Follow me," he shouted, removing the weapon as he did so, "and this kriss to the man who can be before me in the race to the top. Mind, this weapon, which I had from my father, goes to the man who can reach these dogs and slay them in spite of my efforts. Now, I am about to make the attempt."

He waited a moment to give his comrades time to take up the challenge and to draw their own weapons. Then he sprang at the obstacle before him, and, using both hands and feet, came clambering up at a rapid rate. Beside and behind him rushed his comrades, all eager to be first in the race, for the prospect of winning a kriss had the greatest attraction for them, while there was always the hope that one particular man would have the honour of slaying those who were in hiding.

"Wait for the word," said Tyler, with difficulty restraining his excitement. "The time has not yet come, but will be here very soon. Are you ready? Then watch me, and as I lift the boulder take aim with the sling."

It was hard work to lie there behind that wall and watch with calmness as ten fierce Malay pirates climbed to the assault, and more than once was Tyler tempted to give full play to his impetuosity and spirit, and commence the battle by flinging his boulder down the rock. But as yet the distance was so great that he might well have missed his aim, and for that reason he still remained in a crouching attitude, his hands clasping the boulder, and his eyes fixed upon the figures below.

"Time's up!" he said quietly, when he judged that they were near enough. "Ready? Then fire!"

Putting out all his strength he shouldered the piece of rock and rose from behind the bush. A swift glance told him that three of the enemy were directly beneath him, and in an instant, and without a trace of hesitation, he launched the missile at them, watching as it fell to learn what success he had. Crash! The boulder with ever-increasing pace fell upon a moss-clad spot some twenty feet above the pirates, causing them to raise their eyes in that direction and come to a sudden halt. Then, leaping as if it were alive, it cannoned from the place, and, twirling with frightful rapidity, flew into their midst, sending all three rolling to the bank below, where they lay stunned or killed by the impact. As for Li Sung, stealthily leaning over the barrier he selected the leading man, the one who had been given the post of honour, and, flourishing the sling about his head, suddenly let the stone free. Ah! more sudden than the boulder which had disposed of three of the attackers the sling sent the stone swiftly to the mark, and ere the Malay could cry out in dismay, or lift a hand to ward off the blow, it struck him full upon the forehead, causing him to toss his arm above his head and then roll to the foot of the rock a helpless and lifeless object.

"That will teach them caution," said Tyler, sinking down into his old position and at once beginning to place another boulder upon the edge of the wall, "and I believe that none of them saw where the shots came from. We will play the same game again, though they will certainly discover us next time, for they will keep their eyes turned to the upper part of the rock, and will not do as they did before, and rush headlong and with their gaze bent upon the path immediately at their feet. Ah, they are having a talk, and do not seem to like the affair!"

Peering through one of the embrasures he could obtain an uninterrupted view of the bank of the river and of the surroundings of the rock, and watched eagerly as the surviving natives, filled with alarm at the sudden misfortune which had fallen upon their comrades, turned as if with common consent and went rolling and scrambling down to the ground below, each eager to get to a place of safety. Then they gathered together at the edge of the water, and for a little time it looked as though they would take to their boat and fly to the opposite shore. But their leader restrained them, and at his orders they returned, and began to walk cautiously towards the foot of the rock.

"We were scared by the suddenness of it all," said the man who was in command, a long, lanky Malay of forbidding appearance, who carried a kriss of unusual dimensions. "But we can never think of retiring; for recollect, my brothers, we are in better case than they, for they are but two, and are probably barely able to stand after their upset in the river and their struggle to reach land. Take heart, then, and first, before renewing the attack, let us take a look at our comrades who have fallen. For myself, I scarcely know how it is that they came to their end, for I was climbing with hands and feet, and with my eyes engaged in picking out the best path by which to reach the top. Then there was the thud of the boulder falling, and when I looked, three of our good friends were falling, while Penchu, who led us, had sprung into the air for all the world like a beast which had just been struck with an arrow. Come, let us move forward, for our comrades at Rembas would laugh us to shame were we to return and tell them that we had been driven off by two half-drowned Dyaks."

Flashing his kriss in the sun he led the way to the fallen pirates, and turned each one on his back.

"Dead!" he said as he looked at them. "Comrades, their end was swift and sure, as may ours be when the time comes. Now for Penchu. Ah, see! he was struck by a stone thrown with great force, for his forehead is driven in and the skull cracked. Then all the better for us, I say, for this proves that our birds up there are unarmed."

"Which is just what one could expect, my brother," cried one of the number crowding about him. "Men who are caught in the bore are lucky indeed if they escape with their lives at all, while to do so they would certainly have to discard their weapons. We have them safely, and I propose that we make the attack again."

"For what reason should we run the risk of having our bodies crushed with another boulder?" demanded another swiftly. "They are above us, that we know, though where they are hidden is another matter. Very well, they will have seen long ere this that resistance is useless, and that to prolong the fighting and kill more of our party will only lead to suffering on their part. Let that be pointed out to them, and I warrant that they will come down to us gladly and submit quietly to what is bound to follow even as surely as the night comes after the day."

"A grand suggestion, and one which we will put in practice," exclaimed the leader, snatching at the chance of avoiding further danger. "Stand quiet, all of you, and listen as I shout to them. Above there!"

Once more he placed his hands to his mouth, so as to make the sounds carry farther, and called to those in hiding. But there was no answer, though he repeated the words on four occasions.

"Then I will say what I have to say to the rock, well knowing that they will hear," he cried, seeing that his call had been ignored. "Above there! You who are in hiding on the rock, and who have killed four of my men, I give you warning that we will kill you, as you deserve, if you resist us again. For the loss which you have caused your lives are forfeit, and I call upon you to come down to us and suffer the penalty. Failing that we will drag you down by the neck, and then you shall learn what it is to lose a life with difficulty. Come, we wish you no worse than those others whom we have captured on former occasions. Come down and let the matter be ended."

It was strange to hear his quaint suggestion, and at another time Tyler would have been amused at the naïveness of it. But danger threatened now, and life was at stake. As Li Sung interpreted the message, word for word, a feeling almost of fear assailed our hero, and his heart sank at the prospect of early death. Then, remembering that he and his companion were as yet unseen, and that they might still do as well as formerly, his spirits rose, and he turned to the Chinaman with a smile upon his face.

"We will lie like mice and make no move. At least that is what I say. For you, Li Sung, you may issue from our hiding-place if you wish, and descend. For myself, the idea of being beheaded is sufficient to make me fight like a tiger and until I am killed."

"And for me, too, massa. De Chinee boy been wid de Malays, and he know dat dey not tink de same of life. A man am happy in dis world, but when him dead he happier still, so dey say. And when de time come for choppee de head, dey kneel wid a laugh on dem lips, and dey die easy. Chinamen am de same, but Li velly different. He not likee to lose de life, for he havee little wife and child in Singapore."

"Then we will stay quietly here and await events. Those fellows will scarcely dare to return to Rembas and tell their comrades that they have been defeated by two men alone, and for that reason they will remain till they see that their case is hopeless. That will suit us well, for we can easily beat them off, and if only we can defer the arrival of reinforcements till night has fallen, we shall have a better chance of escape. But what are they doing?"

Thrusting his head as close to the boulders as was possible, he peered through the narrow opening and watched the party of pirates with interest. As for the latter, the fact that their extraordinary demand had met with no reply, and that silence alone had followed, filled them with astonishment; for these Malays, with their comrades of the Dyak race who had thrown in their lot with the men of the sea in place of tilling the soil as did so many of their people, had a peculiar code of their own, and held life in such little esteem that, as in China, it was almost possible to buy a reprieve for one about to die by paying for a substitute. Fate was fate to them, and when all was lost, when sickness came, and when capture seemed imminent, it was a simple and an easy way to step forward to meet the inevitable, and to pass from the world with as little trouble as possible. Then was this not a desperate case? Could those above who were hidden on the rock hope to escape? Absurd! They were cornered, and sooner or later, and in any case within an hour or two, they would be captives, and their fate would be upon them. Then why go to the labour of putting it off? Why not come down and end the matter, so that these men might return to the opposite shore and prepare to meet the foreigners who were about to enter the river? Extraordinary though the idea was, it was in keeping with the upbringing of the Malays and the Dyaks, for they, like the Chinese, thought nothing of death, and met their end for the most part with a smile upon their faces. However, on this occasion the pirates had foes to deal with of a different stamp, and finding that no answer came to their warning, they collected together again to discuss the situation.

"The day advances, and soon the noonday heat will be upon us," said their leader in tones of vexation. "Let us put an end to this matter at once, and then return to Rembas. It is plain to all that the dogs who killed our friend will keep to their lair till we hunt them out, and that being the case, we will rush to the attack again. Keep your eyes open and fixed well above you. Your hands and feet will be sufficient to allow you to choose a good path."

He turned to look each of his men in the face, and then, seeing that none of them held back, he did as his dead comrade had done when leading the first charge, and having placed his kriss between his teeth came at the rock at a fast run, hoping to scale it rapidly.

"Steady!" whispered Tyler, seeing that Li Sung had swung his sling about his shoulder. "Wait till they are upon us as before, and then let them have your stone. In any case we must try to avoid a shot, for the sounds would at once attract others from over the water."

"Makee noise not matter," exclaimed Li Sung with a shake of his head. "De men of Rembas know dat dere am fighting, and dey sending oders to see. Velly soon Li and Massa havee de bullets about dem."

As he spoke he pointed eagerly over the top of the wall to the river beyond, and a glance in that direction caused Tyler to give vent to an exclamation of dismay.

"Three more sampans," he cried in accents of alarm. "And all filled with men. That will add thirty at least to the attacking force, and will increase our difficulties immensely."

For the instant the same feeling of consternation as had assailed him before came suddenly upon him; and then, as he took in the situation, and realized the strength of the position which he and the Chinaman held, his face brightened, and he turned to look at the seven remaining men below with spirits as high as ever they were before.

"Of course we are cornered," he said to himself, "and we are in a desperately tight place. But others have managed to do well under similar circumstances, and we shall do the same. After all, I think that we have much to be thankful for, for we might well have been drowned in the river, and then again, what luck to have struck upon such a spot as this! Why, fifty shall not turn us out, for after our escape from the bore I do not mean to be easily beaten. Ah, here comes the leader! and, foolishly for himself, he has chosen a line which I can reach. In a minute he will be hurled to the bottom of the rock."

With courage renewed by his reflections, Tyler stared at the pirates, and watched as they slowly clambered up the steep face of the rock. Unlike the occasion which had preceded this attack, he was as cool and as collected as if he were on the Dido eating his dinner amongst his messmates, and at once checked the Chinaman's eagerness to deliver a shot.

"Wait," said Tyler shortly. "When the boulder goes you can fire, but till then remain behind the wall."

Panting with their exertions, and led by the man who had first rushed to the assault, the seven pirates came clambering up the rock, their eyes searching every likely spot above, while they wondered which of them would be the one to sight the fugitives. Then, as they neared the summit without a sign of their presence having been come upon, and without a stone or boulder having been thrown, they began to doubt that they were still there, and halted to stare at one another questioningly.

"Are the birds flown then?" demanded their leader, sitting down to rest. "Fools that we were, not to have set a watch upon the back of this rock, for while we have talked they have slipped away."

"Not so," shouted one of his men. "I myself strolled in that direction, and I tell you that no living man could descend the rock on the farther side unless possessed of a long rope. They are here, above us, and we shall come upon them crouching in the bushes and whining for their lives."

"Then forward!" cried the leader. "Let us make an end of them, but remember, they are not to die here. For the trouble which they have given us in thus climbing, for the loss of our friends, we must demand of them a price, and they shall pay it. Before they take their last breath they shall be sad at the thought that they did not fall in with our wishes when first we called to them. But let us not delay. Follow me!"

This time with kriss in hand he came clambering up the steep slope, with eyes watching eagerly for some movement to tell him of the presence of the fugitives. But there was not so much as the tremble of a leaf, while not & sound broke the silence. A minute passed, and just as the Malay was about to call for a second halt, convinced that the birds were flown, a figure suddenly erected itself before him, and, half-hidden by an enormous bush, reared a boulder on high. Ah! The Chinaman took aim at his man with the utmost calmness, and then, ere the poor wretch could spring aside, or could shout in his terror, the mass of stone caught him on the breast and bore him backwards. A second and he was rolling and pitching on his way to the bottom, and even while his comrades were wondering how it had all happened, and were marvelling at the sight of the Chinaman, the unfortunate leader came with a thud on the bank of the river, and, rolling forward for all the world like a rabbit which had just been shot, came to a halt with face buried in the mud and limbs which were strangely contorted.

Once more it looked as though the attackers would lose heart and fly for their lives. But, emboldened by the thought that they had at length located the enemy, they suddenly plucked up their courage and, urged on by one of their number possessed of more spirit than his comrades, they came panting and struggling up the steep slope, determined to reach the lair of the Chinaman and wreak their vengeance upon him.

"A Chinaman!" shouted the one in advance. "We will swing him to the highest branch by means of his tail of hair, and we will spend the day and amuse ourselves by emptying our guns at his body. Fear him not, for he has boulders alone to hit us with, and those we can avoid by spreading out. Scatter at once, and be sure that none of you advance directly beneath the spot."

Acting upon this advice, and warned by the fate which had so suddenly and unexpectedly overtaken their leader, the surviving Malays at once separated till wide intervals lay between them, and then advanced upon the wall behind which Tyler and Li Sung were crouching, at a pace which promised to bring them to close quarters before many seconds had passed.

"One little moment," gasped Li Sung, peering at them over the barrier. "China boy soon stop de little game. He pick out de man who am in front, and he send him to join him brother. Watch de sling, massa."

With deft hand and unerring eye, which showed that he had spent many an hour in practising the use of his weapon, Li Sung stood erect and leant over the wall. Round swung the sling till it churned the air into a high-pitched whistle. Then, as the finger loosed one of the strings, the band fell limply upon his wrist and hand, while the stone which had lain in the pouch flew down the side of the rock as if it had been fired from a gun, and, as in the former case, struck full upon the forehead of the Malay who had taken it upon himself to lead his comrades. Like an ox felled with the stroke of a pole-axe he collapsed upon the moss-grown path, and then, with nothing there to retain its position, the limp and lifeless body slid downwards, toppled over, and, gathering way as it went, rolled over and over till its further progress was arrested by the bank beneath.

"That should stop them," exclaimed Tyler as he watched the body fall, "and it was a capital shot, Li Sung. I watched him, and feel sure that the stone must have battered a hole in his skull. But wait. Will they go after all, or are they determined to come closer to us?"