Page 23 - Malaysia by John Russel Denyes

small detached groups, seldom attempting to plant
anything, but finding their food from the rivers
and the forests. They are very skillful hunters,
using as weapons the spear and the blow-pipe.
The blow-pipe is a glorified pea-shooter through
which they blow a small poisoned arrow. They
will kill a bird or animal at a distance of seventy-
five yards. Even big game is hunted with the
blow-pipe. These folks are exceedingly shy, and
are rarely seen by white people, or even by the
other natives. Civilization has naturally made
little progress among them, and their social life is
of the most primitive sort.
The Malays The Malay peoples have given
their name to the whole archipelago,
and yet whence they came is a question which has
never been satisfactorily answered. It seems
probable that the Malay comes from continental
Asia, but that he has developed certain differences
of character through different environment and
intermarriage with native peoples. There is a
pretty well authenticated tradition that the Ma-
lays were originally a part of a great Mongolian
or Chinese army that became separated froni the
rest of their people on an expedition against
northeastern India. Not being able to get back
home and not strong enough to settle down in the
country, they followed the line of mountain and
forest to the southeast, plundering and carrying
off women folks, until they reached the lower end
of the peninsula and the middle of Sumatra. From
there they gradually spread over the whole of the
archipelago. It is supposed that they reached
Malaysia somewhere between 1000 and 2000 years
before the Christian era, though some place their
coming at a little before the time of Christ.
"Their character has generally been rated
rather low by occidental observers, but the deceit,
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