He rushed up to the girl and, before she knew what was happening snatched her scarf from her head

"Well, did you succeed?" I asked Kuleh that evening. "No," he said dismally. "Molly is Baram's sauciest girl."
        "Now, now, cheer up buddy. We still have a few more day to go, don't we?"
        "They'll be leaving next Satruday."
        "I'll be dashed," I resolved, "if we fail to hear a song form her befores she leaves."
        Molly had come to our village, Long Matong, during the 1964 harvest season with four other girls from Long Apu; their arrival struct us Long Julan boys wild with excitement. Harvest was always a time for us, teenagers, the have a really unforgettable time together, romping, dancing, singing, bantering, teasing, flirting, too. More than any other thing, we liked harvest season the best.
        The Long Apu girls had been with us for a week now. Each day, wherever we went harvesting, all the other girls Laong, Julie, Irene,-helped to relieve the nooday heat with their delightful flow of melodies. But comely sixteen year-year-old Molly never so much as let us here a note form her. We boys felt glum becouse it was said that Molly was the Baram's nightingale. The other girls agreed, though grudgingly. We longed to hear her sing.
        I woke up early the next morning. It was Thurseday mother had arranged for me to harvest with the Lewans. I was overjoyed because Molly, Dau, Julie would be to there too. Besides the five of us, there were ten other reapers, two old couples, may pal Ban and some other village girls. The more the merrier, I thought.

        Aban took the other twenty to his farm. Among them was my pretty, seventeen-year-old sweetherart, Angela. I had offered excuses to mother, but she had been adamant. She insisted that I went with the Lewans. Anyway, the two farms were only fifty yards form each other.

        At six o'clock, we scrambled into our boats at the Julan bank. Just as I had stepped into the Lewan's twenty-foot long canoe, I saw Angela, hornbill-plumed hat on, racing towards Aban's boat.

        "Hey Angels!" I hailed her above the din.

        "Hi!" she hopped over and handed me a bundle of handrolled tobacco. "See you again in the evening."

        The last to come in was, of course, saucy Miss Molly. She sailed down the notched log ladder, her scarlet scarf flapping in the fresh morning breeze.

        "Come with us!" cried Leo from Aban's boat.

        "Not today!" she shouted back. But Leo was not to be so easily dismissed. He rushed up to the girl and, before she knew what was happening snatched her scarf from her head. The elated lad sprang gleefully into the boat and immediately they poled upriver.

        "Leo! Give me back my scarf!" Molly kept screaming, but in vain.

        "Never, mind." Julie said placatingly. "I've two in my basket."

        Still incensed, Molly boarded the crowded dug-out. Moments later,  we directed our boat upstream.

        For half an hour we rowed and poled over rapids and glassy pools. As usual the banks re-echoed with our shouts and peals of laughter. Soon we were at the Lewans' hut. But as it was too small, we teenagers breakfasted on the clean, pebbled riverside.

        The bright rising sun cheered us as we filed into the field, a rambling expanse of grains that shimmered golden in the sunlight. Reaching the field, we got to work in a straggling row, facing the hill.
        Click, click, went the reapers knives. Trusses of rice ears began accumulating rapidly in the baskets. At intervals farmer Lewan collected the gathered ears into a larger basket.
        "Sit down and smoke," he would say each time he made his round.
        Leaving my basket near Ban, I ambled across to the girls. I found Dau and Molly fanning themselves under a leafy shrub.
        "How about a song?" I gasped, throwing myself between them.
        "You and your song!" I gasped, throwing myself between them.
        "Your and your song!" Molly said slightly annoyed, "Would you like to smoke?" she offered me tobacco.
        I took it and for a while we smoked silently. Looking up, I saw a magpie's nest just above Dau's head. An idea struck me. Extracting the nest form the twings, I covered it with my hand.
        "Guess if there are any egges inside," I urged holding the nest before the girls.
        "What's the bet?" Molly demanded.
        "If you guess correctly, I'll buy you a sarong batik, a wrong guess means that you'll have to sing a song for me."

        She smiled quizzically. "May I feel it?" she asked.

        "Okay. But don't press."

        Here fingers roved over the nest.

        "Time's up! I cried, pulling the nest away.

        She propped her head against my shoulder, chuckled mischievously and whispered, "Empty!"

        I jumped up in surprise. "How did you know?"

        I did not wait for her answer. Dashing back to where I was sitting, I picked up my backet and went back to reapng again.
        "You look crestfallen," remarked Ban. "What's happened?" I told him.

        After a few thoughtful moments he said, "Listen, I have an idea. She won't be able to refuse to sing for us this time."

        "And how are you going to maker her sing?" I enquired dubiously.

        "Simple. W'ell asked everyone to sing, beginning from Kuleh."

        Kuleh, forty-eight, was the last on the right hand side of the line of reapers. Ban stsole across to him. The old man was only too eager to have some fun. "I'm going to sing you "Elun Tudi" Kuleh shouted down the line. "Do you promised to do your turn?"

        "Yeah!" chorused the reapers. To my great joy, I heard Molly's voice above the others.

        Kulehs" song droned on for five minutes. Bext came Mrs. Lesu, then Telon, and so it came down the line.
        It was almost Molly's turn. There were now only Julie and Dau in between, then Molly!
        Julie's sweet voice deluged the farm.
        But while Julie was half way through her song the lunch gong suddenly sounded. My heart sank. "Let's ruch for ti fellows! someone shouted.
        Famished, most of the young reapers rushed down the path leading towards the hut, completely forgetting Julie's mellifluous voice. ban and I were utterly dismayed. Together we shouted, "Wait, let's finish the game!" But we might just as well ahve shouted to the wind. Realising the helplessness of it all, we gloomily followed them.
        "How did she know! She put it there before you showed up."
        She laughed. "I'm for her, you know."
        I patted her, "Anyway you two willing sing after luch."
        "That's what you think," She retorted triumphantly. "It's the custom that what's beendone before lunch can't be continued after."
        "What custome are you talking about?'

        "Kenyah, of course!"

        "You don't belive me? All right, let's ask Kuleh. He's the oldest here."

        "Let's," "I replied.

        As we neared the hut, we saw Kuleh coming from the river, dripping wet. I could hardly wait.

        "Kuleh, can we continue the game after luch?"

        "Continue it? You must be mad. Certainly not. It's the old custom."

        "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Dau laughed teasingly, her black eyes flashing.

        Once more, I felt glum.

        The scene during lunch was one of prevalent gaitey. Rice wine was drunk with uproarius revelry. Then, already feeling the 'kick', we attached our meal of large rice cake and wildboar soup. Half way though, the girls, led by the idomitable Molly, "assaulted" us boys who took our sweet time to finish the meal. Piling their plates with lumps of rice, they punched lump after lump into our months. We lauched a conter-attack. Soon the hut tottered and bulged with the ensuring frantic struggles and resounded with angry yells nad triumphant shouts.
        I made a determined effort to strike back at the girls. Smearing our palms with oily soot, we, despite their fierce struggles, painted their faces black; and with only their lovlely bright eyes, visible they fled from the hut screaming. But not bright eys, visible they fled form the hut screaming. But not without our working clothers, which they dumped into a muddy stream nearby.
        We could not be expected to let them get away with this! In retaliation we ferreted out all their clothes, (despite their flair for hiding things,) and paid them in their own coins.

        "I can't wear a wet shawl," I heard Molly complining as we set out for the padi-field again at two o'clock

        "Ask your friend Leo to give yours back," Kuleh teased.

        "He's not my friend!" Molly laudly retorted, plainly stung.

        "But he took your scraf," I added quickly, enjoying myself immensely, I knew Molly detested Leo.

        "Say that again and I'll land this on your head," she warned, brandishing a stick.

        "Ha! Ha! she seems happy about it," laughed Ban.

        She dashed away to here friend, defeated and enraged.

        The sun beat down on us mercilessly. Still we kept on reaping, relaxing occasionally at the urging of the benevolent Lewan.

        Unable to bear the heat a minute longer, I plodded towards a big tree. From under the shade, I could see the labourers sweltering in Aban's farm. Twenty yards behind them fluttered a scarlet improvised flag. As I watched the flag, an idea struck me. It sent me searching excitedly for Molly. The desire to hear her sing haunted me incessantly. If this last stratagem failed, it would be the last straw for me.

        I found her relaxing alone under a thicket of ricestalk.

        "look over there!" I exclaimed, pointing to the flag.

        "Ah, I've noticed it already. Can't you boys get it?"

        "You don't want our friend Leo to keep it for you?" I teased.
        "You think you're very clever. Well, let me tell you something, you're not. Not unless you get my scarf back. Otherwide you're just a nuisance."

        On hearing this, I felt like kicking her.

        "I'll get it for you, if you'll promise to sing a song for me," I challenged.

        "A song again," she sighed, wiping her rosy cheeks. "Okay."

        "Promise?"

        "Cross my heart," she laughed, her ivery white teeth gleaming.

        I left her immediately. It was now half past three. There was no time to waste. I soon found Ban and explained things to him.

        "This time she must entertain us!" he said enthusiastically.

        We pushed towards the other farm without delay. When within hearing distance form the flag, we dropped on all fours and crawled stealthily. After some tense minutes, the flage presence. We stole nearer. Now it was a mere three yards away.
        "Wait here!" I whispered. "I'll climb. Catch it when I throw it down."

        Ban nodded.

        I held the black pole coutinously, testing its firmness and then started to climb. Scarcely had I reached the middle of the pole, than a girl shouted. "Hey! Someone's stealing the flag!"

        Hearing her shout, I jumped down, but a second too late Leo and four others grabbed me. "Get after Ban!" Leo shoued. But Ban had reached safety.

        A harvest prisoner! I cursed my ill luck. I knew too well what it meant to be caught flag-stealing.

        My captors led me to Abang's shebong. Once inside, they brought two hottles of rice-wine. I gulped in the first few glasses without stopping. That is the way this game is played. My head began reeling at the fourth glass. Seeing me thus, the merciless girls poured the fifth in. Only half of it found my throat. at that moment the world ended for me. I dropped on the floor, dead drunk. The last thing I heard before my long slumber was the contented, triumphant peals of laughter.

        How long I slep, I did not know. I felt some rapping on my besidecheek. I woke up with a start. Angela was kneeling beside me, holding a bowl.

        "You still don't look well," seh ssaid. "Here drink this."

        "What's that?" I asked.

        I drained the whole bowl. "It's earthworm soup," she chuckled.

        She had scarcely stopped speaking when my entire stomach began gurgling. Moments later, out came everything-rice wine and all. Soon, I felt much better.

        "Feeling all right now?" she asked with concern.

        "No." I lied.

        "Nap on, you'll be your own naughty self again soon."

        "Thank you," I muttered and closed my eyes again.

        Gullible girl that she was, Angela did not suspect anything. As soon as she had gone, I peeped through a hole in the barkwall. Angela had rejoined the reapers, who now were a good distance away form the flag.

        Stealthily, I descended the ladder, trudged along the path leading to the flag. This time, I was doubly vigilant with a sharp eye focussed on the reapers. After five tense minutes, I reached the flage pole.

I wound the scarf around my head, reached across the field toward my fellow reapers

        Luck smiled on me this time. I found the pole stuck losely to the ground. Instead of climbing, I struck it down forcefully. Quickly, with trembling hands, I wound the scarf around my head, reached across the field toward my fellow reapers. Hardly had I gone ten yards, when I heard Leo shouting, "The flag's gone! There he is. After him!"
        Instantly all of them were hot on my hells, like a pack of hounds. Their threatening shouts and the compelling urge to hear Molly's song lent wings to my feet. I sprang over logs and streams, tore through dense ricestalks with my pursuers hardly a stone's throw behind. I reached ban, gasping for breath. The other rushed to my aid. Seeing them my pursuers, also afraid of getting caught, beat a hasty retreat.
        "Welcome home! Well done! Bravo!" They all applauded.
        "Am I still nuisance?" I asked Molly, unwinding the scarf.
        She only smiled sheepishly and stared at me.
        "Now let's hear our nightingale!" chorused the exhilarated reapers.
        "Wait, wait!" shouted a voice. It was Lewan struggling up with a huge pot of rice wine.
        "Excellent! cried Kuleh. "Out with it Molly. Sing for our victorius hero."
        Like the old rascal that he was Lewan filled a large mug, placed it in Molly's hand, saying, "Come on, Molly. Make it a jolly time."
        "Remember the promise," I insisted.
        "Give me the scarf firs," she barganined.
        "Not until you have sung a song."
        "Settle it this way," put in Kuleh sagely. "You hold one end, she the other."
        "Well said," chimed the others.
        This time the pretty girl could do nothing but sing. We threw aside harv est baskets and all, wiped our faces and waited eagerly for Molly to start. Even the sun, descending slowly behind the green hills, seemed to be paying attention. The birds seemed to have stopped chirping.

        It seemed an eternity before Molly started entertaining us in the golden glow of the setting sun with the sweetest song I had ever heard or will ever hear. On and on she sang her mellifluous voice echoing in the gentle evening hreeze. Time was forgotten. How long she sang we did not know. The ambient moonlignt caught us by surprise.
        "Weeh, weeh!" Molly crooned, bringing the hauntingly nostagic tune to an end.
        I took the mug in one gulp.
        Suddenly the world come to life again. There was a wild stampede to race home. Owls began hooting, cicadas screeching.
        Cruising down the Julan stream minutes later, I felt ineffably happy. Molly, too, now that the spell had broken, sang unasked; and everyone was mirthful.
        The memory of this unforgettably happy time will forever warm our hearts.