One is early impressed with the amount of life: the land is overflowing with the human species and the jungles with the lower forms. Even the atmosphere is charged with it; a piece of paper waved through the air gathers the microscopical forms. A lamp is no sooner lighted than a perfect zoo appears. Great beetles three and four inches long go banging around in their crazy fashion, occasionally taking a header down the back of the unwary. The friendly yellow lizards with their queer little squeaks dart about the vails and ceilings catching flies and small bugs. I have counted a dozen of them in my apartments at one time.
Were the insect and reptile life as active as in the temperate regions, the lot of man would indeed be a hard one. The same conditions, however, which tend to keep the human species inactive, affect the pests also. Perhaps the greatest pest of this part of the world is the white ant, a bloated, bleached-out, repulsive little beast. He does not venture out into the light, but woe unto anything organic if it is left in a dark corner for any length of time. He comes from somewhere and immediately sets to work.
The natives of Sumatra are a wilder, freer race than their Javanese relatives, quicker of action, with keener eyes and bolder looks. At only a few points in the Island have they become subject to the Dutch, and nowhere to the extent that one finds in Java. Many of the Sumatranese are still independent. Friction still exists between them and the Dutch, but I was told that a white man could go almost anywhere unmolested.
Much trouble was experienced by the Dutch in the early part of their rule from the Hajjis. These natives, who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca, exerted almost absolute control over the ignorant masses. There were but few of them, and the necessity for keeping them friendly was consequently great—and very expensive. The Dutch hit upon the idea of making many Hajjis.
The Dutch have been very successful in their management of the natives. They do not interfere with the mild form of Mohammedanism practised by the Malays nor do they allow any outside influence to be exerted. No missionaries are permitted to proselyte or teach among the natives, and the few who have found their way into the country are required to confine their efforts to the Chinese or other foreigners.
Almost the first glance shows the status of the sexes. The women are usually seen with large bundles on their heads and in their arms, stepping along briskly, while the men idle about with slouching gait, frequently carrying-nothing but their dignity or a dove cage.
The dress of the men usually consists of a pair of gaudily figured sarong trousers and a jacket, with a large square of sarong cloth twisted into a cap. A sarong is usually worn by the men as a sort of badge
