Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrait391903roya).pdf/86

 Dyak Manang, when undertaking to cure diseases, resembled those of the Pawang and Bomor, his Malay confréres.

At our invitation Dr. Dasu came out of his room readily enough, and sat down with us to chat and smoke a cigarette. He talked freely and intelligently about such matters of gener- al interest as happened to be broached, especially the late expedition against the turbulent people of the Ulu Ai, and the terrible epidemic of cholera which was just passing away. But as soon as we began to give the conversation a professional turn, and speak of the practice of medicine by the native doc. tors of the Saribas, he put on a look of impenetrable reserve, and could hardly be persuaded to speak at all. There is reason to believe that this was chiefly owing to the presence of Howell. He has succeeded in winning the confidence and affectionate regard of Dyaks to an unusual degree, but he is unpopular among the Manangs. His teaching has led people to think for themselves, and wherever he goes the business and the gains of the village doctor shew a tendency to decrease. Moreover several of the fraternity have submitted to his influence, abandoned their tricks, and taken to honest farming. It is known too that some of these have surrendered their whole stock of charms to my friend, and have also made dangerous revelations, whereby the profession has been much discredited.

So Dr. Dasu was only with great difficulty induced to impart to us his knowledge. He told me after more confidential re- lations had grown up between us, that he suspected me of an intention, by some means or other, to get possession of his preci- ous materia medica, and so deprive him of his means of living. How- ever his fears were removed by repeated assurances that it was information only that I wanted, and that I was consulting him just because I preferred to get it direct from a professor of repute, rather than trust to reports received from white men. At length we persuaded him to be gently catechised. I got some precise answers to my questions respecting certain articles of Dyak belief which had been variously defined by different investigators, and about which my ideas had been a good deal confused. But those matters are not the subject of this note. It is the concluding incident of the rather prolonged interview that I propose to describe.