theirs.

* * * * *

After this rapid glance into the past it is not difficult to understand
with what inquietude and uneasiness the Sakais saw their little
settlement invaded by those they feared.

The new-comers, though, no longer found such a credulous and frightened
people as they had been accustomed to on other occasions. Their
calumnious stories of the white man (whose vigilant and not very lenient
control troubled them a great deal) made little or no impression. They
knew the white man by now, he had been among them for some time and they
had even come to look upon him as a good protector.

So by mutual agreement we let our unwelcome visitors choose their sites
and erect their huts, allowing them to enjoy the ecstasy of a vigorous
abuse of the humble Sakai village and everything they could find within
reach; then one fine morning, to their infinite wonder, we left them to
their own devices and betook ourselves to the heights from whence flowed
down the little river Bidor. This sudden change of locality did not
cause me any serious sacrifice as the spot where we had been living was
not very healthy owing to the frequently stagnant condition of the
stream and, apart from hygienic motives, I was not altogether sorry at
being thus compelled to seek new quarters as I was anxious to get well
acquainted with the whole district, studying its products and its
fitness for colonization, hoping in the end to succeed in inducing the
Sakais to abandon their nomadic life for one of honest work, in the
field of agriculture. Besides so teaching my good friends the value and
the nobleness of labour I should have a useful occasion myself for
employing latent energy.

We selected a beautiful place in the forest for our new encampment, and
the men set to with a good will to cutting down the splendid timber and
luxuriant climbers within the circle drawn out for the clearing. The
thick interlaced boughs and bushy underwood were alive with reptiles,
and our advent, with the noisy and destructive blows with which we broke
the drowsy stillness of the air, brought an indescribable panic in that
little centre of animal life.

Our huts were quickly raised and we were soon able to resume our
habitual occupations.

* * * * *

Some time passed without our camp being disturbed by any sort of
incident when one day a tiger was seen to stealthily approach our
clearing and snatc