em all.

Siu wandered about the whole morning in the jungle, but, strange to say,
he did not see any bird, nor did he meet with any animal. Worn out with
fatigue, he sat down to rest under a large tree, and, feeling hungry, he
ate some of the food he had brought with him. It was now long past
midday, and he had not succeeded in killing a single bird! Suddenly he
heard, not far off, the sound of birds, and hurrying in that direction,
he came to a wild fig-tree covered with ripe fruit, which a very large
number of birds were busy eating. Never before had he seen such a sight!
On this one tree the whole feathered population of the forest seemed to
have assembled together!

[Illustration: KILLING BIRDS WITH A BLOW-PIPE]

Siu hid himself under the thick leaves of a shrub growing near, and
taking a poisoned dart, he placed it in his blow-pipe and shot it out.
He had aimed at one bird and hit it. But that bird was not the only one
that fell dead at his feet. To his astonishment, he saw that many of the
other birds near it were killed also. Again he shot out a dart, and
again the same thing happened. In a very short time, Siu had killed as
many birds as he could carry.

He tried to return the same way he came, but soon found himself in
difficulties. He wandered about, and walked several miles, but could not
find the jungle path which he had followed early in the day. It was
beginning to grow dusk, and Siu was afraid he would have to spend the
night in the jungle.

Great was his joy, just as he was giving up all hope, to come to a
garden and a path leading from it. Siu followed this path, knowing it
would lead him to some house not far off. He soon came to a well, and
near at hand he saw the lights of a long Dyak house. He stopped to have
a bath, and hid the birds he was carrying, and his blow-pipe and quiver
in the brushwood near the well, hoping to take them with him when he
started to return the next morning.

He walked up to the house, and when he came to the bottom of the ladder
leading up to it he shouted: "Oh, you people in the house, will you
allow a stranger to walk up?" A voice answered, "Yes; come up!"

He walked up into the house. To his surprise he saw no one in the long
public hall in front of the different rooms. That part of a Dyak house,
usually so crowded, was quite empty. All was silent. Even the person who
answered him was not there to receive him.

He saw a dim light further on, and walked towards i