/. /a. tli? ®JywJlngrr#/ PRINCETON, N. J. Division.. L ?.. S . . .6.46 Section.. ...... EL79 ADVENTURES AMONG THE DXAKS OF BORNEO. ' *<- rfr ✓* LONDON : ■AYILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET, COVBNT GARDEN. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/adventuresamongdOOboyl Gasin^'s Feast on the Batang Lupar ADVENTURES AMONG THE DYAKS OF BORNEO. SAK ARRAN GIRL IN GALA COSTUME. JAN 17 1913 FREDERICK BOYLE, F.R.G.S. LONDON : HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1 S65. The right of Translation is reserved. TO WALTER WATSON, Esq., RESIDENT OF SERIBAS, AND TO THE OFFICERS OF THE SARAWAK GOVERNMENT, THIS ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE, WHICH OWED MUCH OF ITS PLEASURE TO THEIR KINDNESS AND HOSPITALITY, IS MOST GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY BY ARTHUR AND FREDERICK BOYLE. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Departure from England — Overland Route — Singapore — The Rainbow — Coast of Borneo — Kuching — Government House — Little Bungalow — Capture of the Old Fort by Chinese — Present Fort — Court House — Strange Custom — Singular Law- case — Church and Mission — Chinese Quarter — Appearance of the Malays — Costume — Amok Madness — Kling Campong — Malay Campong — Houses — Animals — Government — Inha- bitants of Sarawak — Languages pp. 1 — 28 CHAPTER II. Unfortunate Accident — Action with Chinese Insurgents — Belida Fort — Malay Cats — Rapids — River Scenery — Grogo — Sow Dyaks — Their Appearance — Costume — Houses — Deer-stalking — Walk to Nawang — Dyak Path — Fire Ant — ■ Return to Buso pp. 29 — 44 CHAPTER III. Climate of Sarawak — Merriment of the Malay Character — Swimming — Proboscis Monkeys — Buso — Boatmen’s Joke — Lumbong Angin — Bidi — Hospitality of Mr. Bentley— Unhealthiness of Bidi — Poisoning with “ Tuba ” — Caves of Bidi — Edible Birds’ Nests — Night at the Caves — Butterflies — Snakes — Flowers — Blue Orchid — Dyak Bridge — Krokong — Tabooed House — “ Parang Ilang” — Dyak Climbing — Modes X CONTENTS. of Striking Fire — Antimony Mines — Gold Washing — Chinese Marriages — Arrival of H.M.S. Rifleman — Departure for Kennowit pp. 45 — 72 CHAPTER IY. The Jolly Bachelor — Accident — People of Kennowit — Tatooing — Enlargement of the Ear — Rejang River — Deputation of Women — Invitation to a Kennowit Festivity — Narrow Escape — Dance of Warriors — “ J oke” — “ Mias” Dance — Deer Dance — Pantomimic Dance — Head-Hunting Dance — Female Per- formance pp. 73 — 87 CHAPTER Y. The Venus — Colony of Sakarran Dyaks — War-Boat of the Ken- nowits — Fine Race of People — Valuable Jars — Comparison of Kennowits and Dyaks — Dyak Ear-rings — An Albino — Dyak Anxiety for Heads — Pakatans — Intended Removal of Kenno- wit — Bruni Currency — Attack on the Kyan Ambassadors — Scenery on the Egan — Bintulu — European Civilization in the East — Malay Love-Story — Dyak Hunting — Curious Law- case — Rich Costumes — “ Kris ” — Executions — “ Parang Latok ” — Sabres — Dout’s Prowess .... pp. 88 — 119 CHAPTER VI. A Hot Pull — Malay Modes of Fishing — Muka Trade — Town — Siege by Rajah Brooke — Officers lost by the Rajah — Diseases of the Country — Muka Fort — Boa Constrictor — Black Monkeys — Milanowe — Boat Race — Saw Fish — Hospitality of Mr. Miller — A Close Shave — Floating Island — Water Snakes — Departure of the Rajah — Santubong — Cocoa-nut Beetles — Turtles — A Narrow Escape — Leeches — Chinese Riots — A Sunday Walk through the Jungle — Sandflies — Ascent of the Mountain — Ants — Building a House pp. 120—157 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER VII. Chinese Suicide — Stoicism — Purchase of a “ Mias” — Description — Great Fright — “ Wa-wa ” Ape — Musang — Palandok — Feathered Rat — Singular Horns — Piracy of Sea Dyaks — Present Tranquillity — Burial Ground — Malay Origin — Accident — Arab Reis — His Y essel — Sebooyoh — Sakarran — Seribas Dyaks — Sakarran Fort — Mr. Brereton’s Eath — Yisit to the Undups — A Watery Mission House — Sabooyong. pp. 158—191 CHAPTER VIII. Snapdragon — Description of the House — Tuah Bully — His Son — Medicine Man — Gasing’s Speech — Illuminated Forest — Wood Devils — Dyak Looms — Charms — Life of an Undup Dyak — Agriculture — Amusements — Religion — Treatment of Women — Duties of the Tuah — Preserved Head of a Mias — Kyan War and Character — Dyak Dogs — Blackened Teeth — Rhinoceros Hornbill — Food — Charms of Speed — of Bravery — Dyak Happiness pp. 192 — 236 CHAPTER IX. Attack of Fever — Invitation to a Feast — Gasing’s Gala Cos- tume — Too Affectionate Friend — Dyak Beverage — Propi- tiation — Dance — Procession of Women — Singular Dances — Mischievous Girls — Strict Decorum — Pigeons — The Sumpitan — IJpas Poison pp. 237 — 253 CHAPTER X. Miserable Morning — The Brok — Paham — Gasing’s House — Renunciation of our Project of reaching Pontianak Overland — Dyak Meal — Gasing’s Valour — Pig Hunt — Voyage to Linga — Penang-chewing — Strange Mode of Skinning — “ Bore” — Banting Mission — Fruits — “ Mias” — Scarlet Monkeys — Tailed Men — Dyak Intellect — Treatment of Sick — Linga Fort — Alligators — Return to Kuching . . pp. 254 — 283 Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. Bornean Slavery — Lanun Pirates — S’ Ali— Tenacity of Life among Orientals — Exploit of Paham — Flower-snake — Government of Seribas — Defeat of Mr. Brereton at Sakarran — Removal of the Malay Datus — First Invasion of Seribas by the Tuan Mudali — Second Invasion — Repulse at Sadok — Murder of Fox and Steele — Support of the Rebels by the Governor of Labuan — General Outbreak on the Seribas — Successful Operations of Mr. Watson — Third Invasion by the Tuan Mudah — Evacuation of Sepuk — Retirement of Seribas Rebels to Sadok — Second Siege of Muka — Third Attack on Sadok — Surrender of the Seribas Rebels — Storming of Sadok — Pacification of the Rivers — Our Departure from Sarawak. pp. 284—324 CHAPTER I. Departure from England — Overland Route — Singapore — The Rainbow — Coast of Borneo — Kuching — Government House — Little Bungalow — Capture of the Old Fort by Chinese — Present Fort — Court House — Strange Custom — Singular Law- case — Church and Mission — Chinese Quarter — Appearance of the Malays — Costume — Amok Madness — Kling Campong — Malay Campong — Houses — Animals — Government — Inha- bitants of Sarawak — Languages. N the first of February, 1S63, my brother and myself commenced our voyage to Sarawak. At that date we quitted England, and in the beginning of April we embarked from Suez for the far East. journey by the Overland Route. The good ship in which we took our passage contained the usual assortment of Anglo-Indian characters. We found therein the old gentleman high up in the Civil Service, who guarded his pretty daughter like an Argus, making up in ferocity for his very ordinary vision; the nervous lady, suffering from cockroaches in the imagination ; the amiable general, and his aid-de-camp haughtily affable ; a crowd ©f ensigns escaped from depot; Manchester clerks going out Surely no one can wish to hear anything of our B 2 SINGAPORE. to China; such were our fellow-passengers. If ever an age existed in which halls, and newspapers, and serious flirtation enlivened the tedium of the Indian voyage, that happy time has passed. Eating, drinking, smoking, and mild gambling are the sole amusements at present to be anticipated, and these pastimes are not so novel as to deserve description. After a month’s voyage, broken only by the delay of twenty-four hours at Pointe de Galle, where we purchased rubies aud sapphires of coloured glass, and mistook the ipecacuanha bushes in the Cinnamon Gardens for groves of precious spices, we arrived in Singapore. An accident which had lately happened to Rajah Brooke’s mail steamer, the Rainbow detained us here for nearly two months. Decidedly Singapore is the least sociable colony of England. No public amusement whatever exists there, and the English inhabitants rarely meet except in their warehouses or on horseback. Each family gives one dinner party in six months and a hall once a year ; the military band plays three times a week upon the Esplanade ; races occur once in the twelve months. The environs of the town are dangerously infested with tigers, and a mountain five miles distant is alive with them. Under these circumstances the community is naturally addicted to gin and grum- bling, but nevertheless a traveller is sure to be hospitably received among them. Assisted by kind friends, we entertained ourselves in the “City of the Tiger” as well as was humanly BORNEO. 3 possible until the Rainbow came out of dock and was ready for her return voyage. This pretty little steamer, which gained so much glory by carry- ing the Bishop of Labuan and his “ Terry ” in the action with the Illanun pirates in May, 186.2, is about 100 tons in burden, and carries two twelve- pound guns. She is at present the only steamer bearing Bajah Brooke’s flag, but a companion vessel is building in Singapore, and will shortly be launched. Besides the Rainbow, the Sarawak Government possesses two small gunboats, the Venus and the Jolly Bachelor, of which I shall have much to say hereafter. These are employed in protecting the coast, and in carrying despatches to the out-stations, while the Rainbow plies continually between Singa- pore and Kuching, bearing mails, passengers, and merchandise. As soon as the repairs were completed we em- barked, and on the third morning after leaving Singapore, Borneo was sighted. Although this island cannot boast the delicate beauty which her innumerable palm groves give to the coast of Ceylon, yet our first view of it was very striking. A chain of lofty mountains far inland hung like blue clouds along the horizon ; as we approached the shore, a broad sandy beach was discerned dividing the blue waves from the dark forest ; and along the coast were scattered vast masses of rock still encircled by the fleecy mists of dawn. These lofty islets were mostly uninhabited, but the rich b 2 4 KUCHING. vegetation of the Tropics had clothed them from base to summit with a mass of soft foliage, and no spot in the world could present a picture more sunny and brilliant than one of these green hills surrounded by its circle of white surf. Our course was steered towards a high wooded peak called Santubong, under which lies the mouth of the river Sarawak. The little Malay village nestling among rocks and palm-groves under the mountain was once a famous rendezvous of piratical squadrons, Illanuns, Sulus, and Seribas, hut the bravest of them dare not now approach within a hundred miles of the spot. After passing this village v r e steamed up the river between hanks rich in the luxuriant beauty of tropical vegetation. A hundred yards on either side extended a thick belt of mangrove, tenanted in that early morning time by many a rustling school of monkeys ; beyond this the jungle rose like a wall, and stretched, unbroken except by river or ravine, as far as the unknown mountains which loomed on the horizon. The chief town of Sarawak is called by the natives “Kuching,” which signifies “the cat;” why they should give it this name I know not ; by Europeans it is frequently called Sarawak, hut as the country and the river have also that name, I will use the native appellation. The town lies about eighteen miles from the sea by the Santubong route, and twenty-five by the other channel of Maritabas. As far as Tanali Putih, where the Borneo Company GOVERNMENT HOUSE. 5 have a factory, there are few signs of habitation along the river, but when that spot is passed, houses begin to appear on the banks, boats become thicker on the water, until, on rounding the last reach, Government House appears on the one hand, the Chinese quarter and the fort upon the other, the Rainbow backs to her wharf, and at length the long, long voyage is fairly concluded. If, without mentioning its breadth, I were to state that Kuching extends three-quarters of a mile along either bank of the river, I should give ideas of a magnificence to which the capital, prosperous though it be, has not yet attained ; for, though such is indeed its length, the houses are rarely more than two or three deep, and, except in the Chinese quarter, are placed in any straggling position which the individual builder may fancy. As no census has ever been taken, it is only by a rough estimate, obtained from the returns of the hearth-tax, that Kuching is said to have eighteen thousand in- habitants. Government House is situated nearly in the centre of the town, standing upon a small eminence over- looking the river. The building is in no way remarkable for the beauty of its architecture; in- deed its high-pitched shingle roof and blue-painted walls of log are thought by some to present rather the opposite appearance. It is, however, cool, and airy, and comfortable, with ample room for all the Kajah’s purposes. The ground-floor contains a 6 LITTLE BUNGALOW. dining-room alone, with the necessary offices ; upon the upper floor is the drawing-room, which no one ever enters except to muster for dinner. The broad verandah which encircles this floor is the usual idling place through the heat of the day. Here lie the latest English papers, reviews, and books, while the amateur in weapons can amuse himself with the examination of numerous “parangs,” and swords, and shields, and war cloaks, hung upon the wall. Below Government House, and standing some twenty yards from it, is a pretty little bungalow,* of which the ground-floor resembles a huge bird- cage, being entirely surrounded with lattice- work. It is set apart for the Rajah’s visitors, and we were conducted thither on landing. From the verandah of this bungalow a delightful view is obtained. Between the trunks of the areca and cocoa-nut palms upon its bank appears the broad river and the pic- turesque houses of the Malay “ campong” lining the further shore. Occasionally, a group of natives in their brilliant costume may be seen lounging on the wharf, or crossing in the ferry-boat to Government House ; on the edge of the swift stream stands the pretty white fort bordered by a grove of cocoa-nut trees glittering in the fierce sun. * A “ bungalow ” in the East is understood to signify a building raised from the ground upon posts, or of which the ground floor is not inhabited. A “ house ” has a first floor and a dining-room on the rez-de-chaussee. CAPTURE OF THE OLD FORT. 7 Below the fort, the red-tiled roofs of the Chinese quarter rise over a thicket of slender masts, and, on the hill above, the houses of the Bishop and the Doctor display their painted gables among the encircling trees. The vast blue ridge of Matang is conspicuous among the distant mountains tower- ing over the upper waters of the river, behind which, each evening, the sun sinks abruptly in golden splendour. Truly, to lounge in that verandah and watch the sunset upon Matang, was worth much travel. The residence which the Rajah first built was burnt by the Chinese when they came down from the gold washings at Bow to seize the government ; in the conflagration the valuable library which Sir James Brooke and his friends had collected perished completely, and this loss has not yet been repaired. The building stood upon an eminence divided from that on which the present Govern- ment House stands, by a small stream which, at high tide, becomes a river. Through this the Rajah dived when his residence was attacked, and on gaining the other hank, seized his own steward by the throat and was about to thrust him through with a sword, when his voice was fortunately recognised. On the same night, so memorable in the history of Sarawak, the old fort upon the other side of the river was captured by the insurgents after a despe- rate resistance. It is now occupied by the trea- 8 MANIAC HERO. surer, but the marks of Chinese axes upon the door of the closet in which Sir James Brooke’s plate was formerly stored are still distinctly visible, and a new panel in the log wall is pointed out to the visitor as the spot where a round shot from the steamer Sir James Brooke passed, when, in their turn, the Chinese garrison was attacked. When the assault was made the building contained only the former treasurer, Mr. Crymble, and a few Malay soldiers, who had charge of two prisoners and a madman. Considering the weakness of the garrison, it was decided to arm these three suspicious charac- ters, and let them do what they could. All behaved admirably, but the madman was the hero of the scene. His ecstasy of delight at the noise, and the blood, and the confusion, showed itself in the wildest acts of bravery. "When the position was evidently no longer tenable, most of the garrison being killed or disabled, the captain and another sane individual named Dout — at present a police- man in the Rajah’s service — jumped from an em- brasure, and cut their way through the Chinese. No remonstrances of theirs, however, produced any effect upon the madman. He was determined to hold the post as long as it would hold him, and he was last seen at the head of the stairs firing with undiminished energy among the insurgents, as they crowded into the fort. Possibly in the world’s history, there have been more maniacs of this class than is generally suspected. THE PRESENT FORT. 9 At present the verandah in which this poor fellow perished so bravely is tenanted by two “ wa-wa” monkeys, the gentlest, tamest, and prettiest imaginable. The moat still exists round the house, which is now occupied by Mr. Houghton, the Treasurer, and his little monkeys are conti- nually climbing and chattering among the crimson shoe-blossoms which line its banks. Clusters of a delicate white flower cover the stagnant water, and pink lotuses bloom along the edge, while a flock of brilliant Moscovy ducks quack and splutter among the plants, or take healthful exercise by waddling into the treasurer’s doorway. The present fort is a log building, and stands upon the river’s edge opposite to Government House. It is surrounded by a deep but narrow moat, and though incapable of resistance for a moment against a European force, is, I should think, sufficiently defensible against any native attack ; the more so as the whole country is in a state of profound tranquillity and contentment, so that one is at a loss to see from whence the assailants are to come. The building is occupied by the Tuan Resident, or, in Malay pronunciation, “ Roseden,” Mr. Crookshank, the third officer of the Government. Behind the fort stands the Court House, a large shedlike . structure, furnished with a table, half a dozen arm-chairs, forms around the walls, and, in the centre, two benches for the policemen, plaintiff, 10 STRANGE CUSTOM. and defendant. Here, in open court, all cases which the native chiefs find themselves unahle to decide are tried by the Rajah or the Tuan Resi- dent, assisted by the three Malay Datus, who give their opinion on the merits of the case and cite the customs of their ancestors. Connexion with the reigning family is the only patent of nobility recognised in Borneo. The sons, brothers, and uncles of the Sultan of Bruni, are termed Datus or Pangerans, and this title is here- ditary. The heir-apparent to the throne has the honorary title of Rajah Mudah, or young Rajah. In Sarawak, the three Datus who reside there are styled, respectively, Datu Patiinngi, Datu Bandar, and Datu Tumangong. The old pirate who for- merly bore the latter title, — which strictly signifies, I believe, counsellor or vizier, — is now deceased, and his son, a young man of very different cha- racter, reigns in his stead. In connexion with the old man’s death, we heard a story which illustrates a very singular social custom of the Malays. Although family ties are much regarded among them, propriety exacts that a death in their house- holds should always be announced with an air of the greatest exhilaration, and when the young Tumangong visited Government House to inform the Rajah of his father’s decease, he entered the breakfast-room with the broadest possible grin upon the lower part of his face, while his eyes were choked with tears of real sorrow. The old Datu, pirate, SINGULAR LAW-CASE. 11 robber, and murderer though he was, possessed qualities which made him a favourite among the European residents, and among his own de- pendents. Strange causes occasionally come into the Court House of this semi-civilized community ; one, which most men would probably feel some hesi- tation in deciding, came under our own notice. One evening, when the tide was at its highest, a Chinaman descended the river to the town, and moored his “sampan,” or boat, to a tree by the water’s edge in the middle of the bazaar. At a later hour of the night another Chinaman arrived in a boat laden with merchandise, which he anchored in the stream immediately below the boat of Ho. 1 ; for as the latter came at high tide, and No. 2 at low tide, there was a steep bank of mud between the two boats. Very shortly afterwards the scaven- gers came in the dawn to clean the streets ; they found that boat No. 1 interfered with their duties in some manner, and incontinently cast off its moorings. In accordance with the law of gravity, boat No. 1 slipped rapidly down the mud, and, striking boat No. 2 amidships, sank her, merchan- dise and all. Who, then, ought to pay for the damaged cargo? Viewing the case according to common sense, it appeared that, since both China- men were in their right in mooring their boats where they did, no one was much to blame for an unfortunate accident. If a fault existed it seemed 12 THE CHURCH AT KUCHING. to lie with, the scavengers, who should have been more careful in casting off boat No. 1. This, how- ever, was not the opinion of the court, which settles all cases in accordance with native customs so far as is possible, and the owner of boat No. 1 was con- demned to pay all losses, inasmuch as his boat absolutely did the mischief. On the left of the court-house runs the only high- road in the Sarawak territory ; it continues about two miles into the country, terminating abruptly in the primeval jungle. It leads nowhere, and is merely used by the Europeans for horse exercise. An enormous wild boar haunts this road, and nightly crosses the bishop’s path on his constitutional ride. The church at Kuching was apparently built in a prophetic spirit, for it is a world too wide for its present congregation ; but if the kind persons who subscribed to raise it could be transported from England, on a quiet Sunday afternoon, to see the result of their generosity, I think they would feel little inclined for regret. The pretty interior is the very ideal of a Metropolitan Mission Church ; though why it should have been constructed accord- ing to the Gothic style of architecture passes com- prehension. The congregation is at present so small that the heat is not very inconvenient, in spite of the little arched windows and single door ; but it seems almost incredible that we English should transport the architecture of the chilly North to a land where the thermometer stands at 94° in the THE ENGLISH MISSION. 13 shade. The arrangement of dwelling-houses in the far East is cool, graceful, and comfortable : a wide verandah surrounds the floor principally inhabited, and the overhanging eaves throw a shadow upon the whole interior ; each apartment is provided with as many doors as can he devised, all of which open on to the verandah, and ensure a continual draught of cool air. Contrast this system, suggested by com- mon sense and the exigencies of the climate, with the small windows and narrow portals of the Gothic church, and no residence in the tropics will be requisite to enable everyone to decide which is the more suitable. We were told that before the Mission was esta- blished in Sarawak, the Malays were very loose in their observance of Mahomedan rites, and drank wine or broke any other of the prophet’s laws as readily as a “fellah” on the Nile; but the ccming of the missionaries seemed to rouse their pride, and I can .answer for it that they now preserve the commandments of their religion under the greatest temptation. Under any circumstances, however, the English Mission must have benefited them, for surely the creed of Mahomet is better than none at all. But besides this advantage, which is perhaps open to theological objection, the clergy in Sarawak are performing a task of the very highest im- portance in educating native children, and in familiarizing distant Dyak tribes with the conve- niences of Christian conduct and civilisation. 14 THE CHINESE QUARTER. But truth compels me to state that throughout our travels we searched in vain for a single adult convert — Chinese, Malay, or Dyak. Just before our departure there was great triumph in Kuching over the conversion of the Orang Kay a of Lundu, a most powerful Dyak chieftain. If the worthy chief really knew what he was professing, such signal success is most gratifying; but our experience of the Dyak nature and intelligence would induce us to receive the report with the utmost caution. I say it without irreverence, but there is something almost ludicrous in the notion of a barbarous Dyak warrior comprehending or admiring the mysterious doctrines of the Christian faith. It is also much to be lamented that throughout the farther East a very strong disinclination seems to exist against taking as servants boys educated in the Mission school. Upon the left of the court-house lies the Chinese quarter, parallel to the river ; in it are situated the principal shops and warehouses of the town. The houses, though very various in size, style, and decoration, present a tolerably level frontage to the muddy street, shadowed by cocoa-nut trees, which lies upon the river bank. All along the face of the bazaar is a colonnade about five feet wide, shaded from the glare upon the water by draperies hung from pillar to pillar. The shop is unprotected by glass or any other partition, and the stock-in- trade has a great tendency to overflow its proper THE FISH-MARKET. 15 limits, and in sacks, baskets, and trays, to block the passage so as scarcely to leave room for purchasers to pass along the colonnade. In this quarter is to be obtained almost every requisite of Eastern life — 'that is, if the customer’s desires be not too expansive. Native dresses, cotton, silk, and gold-embroidered ; Manchester prints, cut- lery, fruit, edible birds’-nests, turtle-eggs, eatables of every sort ; “ krises,” spears, sword-blades, wonder- ful old Dutch guns, of no use to anyone but the vendor ; tarbooshes, Persian turbans, Kling caps of silk quilting, of fabulous value ; mats, beds, arrack, gin, shot, gunpowder, paroquets, macaws, skins, poultry, and tobacco ; all are piled up in the same shop, one above another, without order or conve- nience ; while day and night large Chinese dogs, long-haired, mangy, covered with all uncleanness, loaf, and snarl, and snap about the purchasers’ heels, or lie asleep in the pathway, stretched out at full length. Passing thus through the Chinese quarter, or “Campong,” jostled by perspiring coolies, politely made way for by neat-limbed Malays, stared at by wild Dyaks from the interior, after a walk of one hundred and fifty yards along the colonnade, the traveller reaches the fish-market, which is a new and thriving institution. It is, however, so thoroughly a tropical Billingsgate, in which barbarous fish are sold in an unknown language for an inconvenient coinage, as to be scarcely worth description. A 1 6 APPEARANCE OP TIIE MALAYS. little further on are the offices of the Borneo Com- pany, which may be called the limits of the town proper in this direction. These buildings are most useful and admirable, and the agents are very hos- pitable ; but warehouses have much the same cha- racter wherever they may be met with, and Mexican dollars exhibit no marked peculiarities even when transported to Sarawak. I will not, therefore, de- scribe any of these matters, but return through the bazaar to the Malay “ Campong.” The bulk of the Kuching population is Malay. The Chinese residents are probably about 1000 in number, and the Hindoos about 500. NoDyaks in- habit the town, nor are they to be met with for some fifteen or twenty miles round. As a people the Malays of Sarawak are the ugliest I ever saw. Their skin is of a dirty 3 mllow colour, and their features very Tartar-like in character ; the nose is flat, eyes small and protruding, mouth coarse and shapeless. Their stature is very low, averaging five feet two or three inches; but they are powerfully built and much stronger than might be anticipated from their height. The women of the upper classes are very pretty, — or at least such is the opinion of English ladies who have visited them in their harems, — but among the ordinary population, it is rarely a female is seen even moderately good- looking. Possibly in consequence of this fact, they are not concealed with the jealousy usual in a Mahomedan community, nor do they wear veils of COSTUME. 17 any kind when abroad ; it is true, we never, to our knowledge, met any females of the higher families in the street. But the delicacy of limb, and the glorious hair usually found among eastern races, exists in per- fection with the Malays. Although their move- ments are never cramped and confined as among the Chinese, I have seen many full-grown women whose feet were not the length of my hand ; but the habit of walking barefoot destroys something of the graceful shape which nature moulded. Long and heavy black hair adorns the head of a Malay woman to a surprising age, and, with her small and regular teeth, -would go far towards redeeming the plainness of her other features, were not the latter filed, and stained, and corroded with the juice of the Penang nut which she is constantly chewing. The costume of the male sex is very simple but pretty, from its neatness of colour. It consists of a tight jacket of silk or cotton of a brilliant pattern, trousers usually white, a handkerchief for the head, and a “ sarong” round the waist. This latter article is the distinctive feature of the Malay attire ; it is made of silk or cotton, the pattern is always a tartan, and in shape it exactly resembles a wide sack with the bottom cut open. It is twisted around the body and looped up in graceful folds ; the tying of his head handkerchief and the draping of his sarong are the great points of a c IS A STRANGE MADNESS. Malay "swell.” But the costume of the “ pan- gerans” or nobles, though the same in design, is much more brilliant and costly. When the head-hand- kerchief is not replaced by a Persian turban, it is adorned with a heavy fringe of gold lace ; the jacket, trousers, and sarong, are stiff with gold embroidery, and over the latter is worn a " kain bandara” of cloth-of-gold. The hilt of the “ kris” ornamented with jewels, or richly mounted in the precious metal, sticks out in front like the sword of an Albanian soldier, giving to their walk somewhat of the haughty swagger in which those warriors delight. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Malay nature is the strange madness called “ amok,” to which all individuals of this race are liable. Any strong passion may rouse the latent phrensy, and anger, revenge, or the discovery of a calumnious accusation, are frequent sources of deadly mischief. The gambling table sends out its homicides with regularity, hut in nine cases out of ten, “ la donna” will he discovered in the dressing room when the tragedy is over. The madman does not necessarily avenge himself upon his injurer; if that person should happen to be near when the fit comes on, he will he destroyed in the blind tempest of passion, but the "amok” does not seem to seek out his enemy in particular. He snatches up the first weapon that meets his eye, and dashes to the THE “AMOK.” 19 nearest frequented spot, where he cuts and thrusts at every living thing until shot down like a mad animal. Nevertheless courage, and the instinctive ascend- ancy of the white race, will produce their effect upon the most bloodthirsty “ amok.” A story is told in Singapore — for which I do not in the least vouch — of a certain doctor who, driving in his gig, encountered one of these maniacs flourishing a bloody parang. The doctor stopped, jumped out, and advanced to meet the man, armed only with his whip. The “ amok” hesitated and dropped his weapon ; his pursuers came up, put him into the gig, and carried him in triumph to jail. Supposing that this story be true I should recommend no one to make it a precedent. The more reasonable method of dealing with these terrible madmen seems to be that pursued in Sarawak, where they are instantly shot down. That their condition is voluntary to a certain ex- tent, has been accepted as a principle both of Eng- lish and native law, and by either the criminal is condemned to death. How far the Malay is to be pitied rather than blamed in regard to this phrensy, is a question on which exists the greatest possible difference of opinion, but when the sluggish China- man claims to be inoculated with it, there can be no doubt that he is a vile impostor. I have in my possession a Bugis knife with which a Celestial c 2 20 KLING CAMPONG. lover took upon himself to run “ amok” through the bazaar of Kuching, after stabbing to death his mistress and her slave. He was treated without ceremony as a commonplace murderer. The innumerable anecdotes of “ amoks” current throughout the Malay countries, are never desti- tute of a lively interest. While we were detained at Singapore, news came from Sumatra of the death of a young Rajah and six of his pangerans, killed by an uncle who had failed in some court intrigue. Another instance occurred some years ago, of a sailor who ran “ amok” in a vessel in the harbour, and forced all the crew to jump overboard for their lives. He was shot by a boat’s crew sent from an English man-of-war at anchor off the town. It must be admitted that the possibility of encounter- ing a murderous maniac at any moment imparts to the bazaars of Sarawak an element of excitement of which they are naturally destitute. On the right of the Court House at Kuching, lies the small campong of the Klings. These people, of Hindoo birth, are common in Penang and Singapore, and throughout the Straits set- tlements ; in colour they are very black, but their features are regular and delicate. Another Hindoo race has many representatives in Sarawak. These latter have a soft brown skin, tall figures, and handsome faces. Both races possess great aptitude for trade, and several of those resident MALAY AND DYAK HOUSES. 21 in Kuching have considerable wealth. Their houses resemble those of the Malays. After passing the Kling quarter, the Malay campong is reached, extending for a great dis- tance along either bank of the river. The houses are raised on piles varying in height from three to six feet. The walls are of wood, or more fre- quently of ataps, a species of thatch made from the leaves of the nipa palm. This tree supplies half the necessaries of life to the natives of the far East. It grows in large fields upon the water’s edge, and thrusts out its leaves or branches twenty feet in length, like a huge fern from the root. These leaves when young are an excellent vegetable, and when old are woven into thatch ; dried, they make cigarettes, matting, and hats ; from the root, sugar or salt is extracted, according to the pro- cess, — for the Malays use their magnificent sugar- canes solely as a sweetmeat ; in addition to the other uses of this noble palm, I have seen a native boat’s crew hoist nipa leaves as sails, and make capital way with them in a fresh breeze. Malay and Dyak houses are built upon piles for many reasons ; of which, perhaps, the principal is that such was the custom of their ancestors. This first cause, all-sufficient among Oriental peoples, has its full weight in Sarawak. But independently of this, the architecture has advantages which are in- disputable. In a country where the use of the bow 22 PORTERAGE. is unknown, it is difficult to fire a house, built of thatch though it he, which is raised twenty or thirty feet from the ground ; and only among tribes liable to sudden invasion is this height ever attained. The elevation of the flooring also protects the in- mates from inundation, and from the attacks of reptiles, both very common plagues in Borneo. The empty space under the building is also con- venient for the disposal of rubbish, and thereby the natural indolence of the people is fostered; in a very old house, such as is frequently met with among the Dyaks, the piles are nearly buried beneath accumulations of earth, and the backs of the pigs rootling among the debris almost brush the flooring. Of course the Malays, as strict Mussul- mans, never allow these animals to approach their dwellings, and I speak of the Dyaks only in this respect. A footpath alone winds among the palm trees, and stranded boats, and straggling houses, which line the river hank in the native quarter. All porterage is done by “coolies,” for no beasts of burden whatever exist in Sarawak. There are eight horses in the town, belonging to the European residents ; an agent of the Borneo Company has also imported a pony to Muka, an extensive town upon the coast. This pony was the first specimen of the equine species that had been seen in those parts, and for some weeks numbers of natives came each morning to see if his horns had not sprouted ANIMALS. 23 in the night. None of the larger carnivora are found along the seaboard of Borneo, but among the mountains of the interior exists a large panther, pieces of whose shin are the invariable ornament of the “ parang ilang,” the Dyak weapon. The Kyans, the most savage and powerful of the aboriginal races, among whom alone this panther is found, make war-cloaks of the skin. Numbers of wild cats, musangs, and tiger cats, inhabit the jungles, but they are too small to be dangerous to human beings. Bears of the small honey species are very com- mon, and a young one, the drollest little pet possible, can be bought for twenty cents. When full-grown, however, these animals are dangerous playthings ; they are irritable, and take great delight in a kind of rough sport by no means agreeable to their masters. Buffaloes and wild cattle are found in the plains of the far interior ; but they are nowhere common. There are also faint rumours, generally disbelieved, of elephants in the jungles of the South East. The province of Sarawak was granted absolutely to Sir James Brooke by the Sultan of Bruni ; but the Bajah has now settled his own authority upon a constitutional basis. The Council, which decides all points of internal administration, consists of seven members, four of whom must be natives. The three English members are — The Bajah, The Tuan Mudah, and the Besident of Kuching. The title of the lieir-apparent, who holds the second 24 GOVERNMENT. place in the Council, was formerly “Rajah Mudah,” or “ young Rajah,” hut since the retirement of Captain Brooke, who held that position, this dignity has been disused. Mr. Charles Johnson-Brooke retains the title of Tuan Mudah,” or “young Lord,” which he bore when his brother, Capt. Brooke, was the Rajah Mudah. The usual residence of the Tuan Mudah is at Sakarran, from whence he controls the warlike Sea Dyaks, who regard him with the greatest reverence and affection. Capt. Brooke, and Mr. C. Johnson-Brooke are the nephews of the Rajah, whose name they have assumed. A third brother, Mr. Stuart Johnson, is the Assistant-Resident of Seribas, and enjoys the title of “ Tuan Bonsu.” Bonsu is the Malay equivalent for the French “ cadet,” and is applied to Mr. Stuart Johnson as the youngest of the brothers. The spiritual world of Sarawak is regulated by Dr. MacDougal, the Bishop of Labuan. As the sovereignty of Sir James Brooke had not been recognised at the time of our visit,* no Bishop could be directly nominated to that country ; but this difficulty was bridged over by the appointment of a Bishop to Labuan, f who, it was understood, need not reside strictly within his diocese. * The recognition has at length taken place since our return, and an English consul has been appointed to reside in Kuching. f Whatever may be the spiritual needs of Sarawak, the natives of the small island which forms Dr. Mac Dougal’s INHABITANTS. 25 In order that the following pages may he under- stood without difficulty, I will briefly describe the different races of Sarawak with whom the traveller comes in contact. As seems to he the case in every country where they are encountered, the Malays of Borneo are immigrants. They inhabit the towns and villages upon the sea- coast, obtaining a careless subsistence by fishing and trading in a small way. Their religion, as I have before remarked, is Mahomed- anism of a strict form. The number of their Hadjis or Mecca pilgrims increases yearly with the increasing security, and the arrogance which these devotees assume on returning from the sacred journey may at some time cause the Sarawak government considerable difficulty. Among these Mussulmans polygamy is of course permitted, but it is rarely practised ; this moderation, however, may ostensible see, certainly are in more urgent need of religious instruction than the manly Dyaks. These savages of Labuan have a fearful custom of digging up the English dead after interment. Ladies have been known to prefer casting the corpses of their children into the sea, rather than risk the carelessness of the watch at the burial-ground. The object of this horrible desecration is still utterly unknown, in spite ot vigilance and research. The natives will put themselves to the greatest toil and danger to disiuter the body, and to restore it to its grave after some hours’ interval. No alteration what- ever can be discovered in the appearance of the corpse after its re-interment, except sometimes a slight derangement of the grave-clothes. In conversation with the natives they deny the hideous charge with indignation, but the cases have been too frequent to admit of doubt. 26 THE DYAKS. be attributed not so mucli to any instinctive morality as to the poverty of the population. The first use which a nobleman or merchant makes of his earnings in the wealth now beginning to enter the country, is to purchase as many wives as he can afford to maintain. The Malay character is repre- sented in Europe as treacherous and bloodthirsty, but the opinion of the residents in Singapore, and of other disinterested witnesses, seems to be that they possess these evil qualities in a less degree than most Asiatic nations. The various tribes of Dyaks, who are far the most numerous of the five aboriginal races of Borneo, are divided into two classes, differing from each other in habits and character alone. The Land, or, as they are sometimes called, the Hill Dyaks inhabit the interior of Sarawak proper ; the Sea Dyaks occupy the coast and the banks of the larger rivers. The former are poor, laborious, and, though not absolutely cowardly, much more inclined towards peace than Avar. Until recent years, the latter spent their whole time in forays by land or sea, collecting plunder and human heads. Their agri- cultural labour was performed by slaves, who, how- ever, were treated with great kindness. The existence of a people absolutely devoid of any faith in an overruling Providence has been fre- quently denied, but I believe that the Dyaks, who are far from being low-placed in the scale of humanity, have really no belief in this sublime and LANGUAGE. 27 consoling doctrine. The reader will find more upon this matter hereafter. The language of the Bornean Malays is the pleasant but imperfect idiom of their continental kindred. But the Sarawak dialect is very different in pronunciation from that soft accent of Singapore, which has been called the “Italian of the East.” There is a harshness about the former very un- pleasant to the refined ears of Singapore. Like the English, the Malay shows a singular aptitude to adopt words from any language to express the neces- sities of those who speak it. Arabic, Hindoo, Persian, even Chinese and English, are all laid under contri- bution to enlarge the Malay vocabulary, and probably one-half of its words are derived, with scarcely an alteration, from a foreign source. It may also be said of this language, to a greater extent than of our own, that it has no grammar or accuracy what- ever. I speak of the dialect current in ordinary life; the “pangeran Malay,” which is used — by those who understand it — upon great and solemn occasions, possesses grammar and complication enough, but is not more accurate, either in gender, case, or number of nouns, or mood, or tense, or person of verbs, than is the conversational idiom in more general use. The language of the Dyaks is considered by those who understand it to be distinct from the Malay. Nevertheless a strong resemblance appears to exist between the two ; as strong, perhaps, as 28 ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES. between the broadest Yorkshire and sharp Cockney. Every Malay can converse with a Dyak, and even we ourselves were sometimes comprehended. How- ever this be, certainly two, if not three distinct aboriginal* languages exist in Sarawak besides the Dyak, viz., Kennowit, which is allied with the Kyan, Milanowe, and perhaps Pakatan. The only officer of Rajah Brooke’s government who under- stands the Kennowit language is now, I believe, engaged in compiling a vocabulary of it, which will be very valuable. The Milanowe language is almost extinct, and this race has adopted the tongue of the Malays, with their costume and mode of life. * I use the word “ aboriginal,” here and elsewhere, in refe- rence to the inhabitants of the country other than Malays, Chinese, Tambies, Javanese, and the hundred tribes and races which, though numerous in Borneo, can be identified as immi- grants from a foreign land. Perhaps the true aboriginal inha- bitants of Borneo are the semi-human Pakatans, who, however, are said to bear a great resemblance to the Kyans, though more finely formed and fairer in complexion. 29 CHAPTER II. Unfortunate Accident — Action with Chinese Insurgents — Belida Fort — Malay Cats — Rapids — River Scenery — Grogo — Sow Dyaks — Their Appearance — Costume — Houses — Deer-stalk- ing — Walk to Nawang — Dyak Path — Fire Ant — Return to Buso. O UR two months’ detention in Singapore was the more unfortunate in that it caused us to miss the best season for travel in Borneo, and the rainy monsoon was at hand when we reached our des- tination. Already the Dyaks were preparing their land for the rice crop, and our chance of sport grew daily less. Under these circumstances we lost no time in seeking a boat and crew to take us up the river. The agent of the Borneo company, with his usual kindness, relieved us of our difficulties by the loan of a large “sampan” with its complement of men, and after three days’ stay in Kuching, we started one morning in great excitement and pitch darkness for the deer grounds of Grogo, in the territory of the Sow Dyaks, who inhabit the right branch of the Sarawak river. About eleven o’clock in the forenoon we reached the fort of Belida, for- merly an important out-station, but now abandoned to the care of an old man and a little dog. The 30 ACTION WITH CHINESE INSURGENTS. Baj all’s frontier lias extended so far beyond its original limits tbat his early forts have become useless, and they are mostly dismantled. At a little distance below Belida an angle of the river was pointed out to us as Tanab Leda, where a brilliant engagement took place between the loyal Malays and the Chinese, during the insurrection of the latter. As I have no wish to write a history of that war, I will only briefly describe the action. After burning Kuching the Chinese retired up the river to this place, and there raised a stockade which they fortified with the cannon captured in the town, and with numerous jingals. Their artil- lery was trained on the river, and it appeared certain that any hostile craft approaching must be blown to pieces. The Datu Bandar* and his Malays, coming round the point in pursuit, suddenly beheld the stockade crowded with enemies. They drew their sampans together out of range, and held a short council. The opinions were mostly in favour of prudence, but a Seribas man, who happened to be present, finally succeeded in imparting so much of the war- like spirit of his tribe, that it was determined to attack the position. To avoid the storm of balls, the sampans sepa- rated as much as the width of the river would permit. When all was complete, the Malays raised * One of the three hereditary nobles of Sarawak. — (See Chapter 1.) BELIDA FORT. 31 their yell of assault, and dashed through the water. All the guns were fired rightly enough, but so sud- den was the attack, that the bullets passed idly over- head, and ricochetted into the jungle. With their usual stupidity and self-confidence, the Chinese had made no preparations whatever for the event of an enemy’s landing. In a moment the stockade was carried, and the Malays were in their very midst. It is difficult to conceive a being upon two legs more clumsy than a Chinaman. His great strength seems to avail him little in a fight, and his fat, awkward limbs are at the mercy of any active an- tagonist who can keep out of his grasp. With terrible loss, the insurgents fled up the hill of Peninjow, and there raised another stockade. Hext day a party of Malays and Dyaks attacked the new position, hut were repulsed with loss. Nevertheless, the Chinamen could not well take up a permanent abode on the top of Peninjow, and they were finally compelled to retreat through the jungle towards Sambas. In this march their suf- ferings were fearful. Every Dyak house on the route has its hunch of Chinese heads taken at this time, and, if the Tuan Mudah had not recalled his war- riors, not a soul of the rebels would have reached the Dutch settlements. When the Sarawak Dyaks ceased the pursuit, they were already several days’ march over the Sambas frontier. Belida Fort is a very extraordinary building. As far as we could ascertain, it is constructed upon the 32 MALAY CATS. same principle as Professor Anderson’s inexhaustible bottle, for the stranger wanders from room to room, round and round the building, but never finds his point of departure. Each chamber leads into every other, and no one can find the right door. The old man in charge had a lost sort of air, and no persua- sion could induce his little dog to quit the verandah. Evidently it had done so in its younger days, and had suffered an agony of starvation in consequence, from which it had not yet recovered. There was also a cat residing in this enchanted building. The expression of reckless bewilderment about this ani- mal’s eyes was very distressing; she was of the Malay species, and had a knot in her tail, as have all the cats of the far East. Why this singular deformity should be thus perpetuated is a very in- teresting question. It cannot be a natural forma- tion, because no two specimens have it in the same form or degree. In some it is a mere bunch in the midst of the tail ; in others the tail ends abruptly in a twisted knot ; in others there is, strictly speak- ing, no tail at all, but a round mass of clotted hair ; in others the tail strikes off at a right angle in the middle. This latter deformity is more frequently seen in kittens half-English and half-Malay. We passed the night at Belida Fort, and occu- pied the hours of darkness in hunting for our bed- rooms, with the assistance of the old man and his little dog. As to the cat, she skirmished around, and appeared at unexpected moments. With the ASCENT OF THE RIVER. 33 first light we reimbarked, and endeavoured to get some sleep. The river was low, and rapids numerous. The ascent of the latter was very exciting. The water foamed and roared, the boatmen shouted and laughed, the steersman screamed, the sampan rocked and dipped, the water dashed, in, and we yelled. But if an accident had happened I suppose things would have been much more exciting ; for at the bottom of each rapid lay a long still pool, and huge green alligators were paddling about therein waiting for their prey. We were told, also, that there was an abundance of sharks in the river, although at that distance from the sea it was perfectly fresh. They have been found in the Bejang hundreds of miles above high water-mark. Soon after sunrise, the branch of the river we ascended became so narrow that the vast jungle trees nearly met overhead, and we sailed under a triumphal arch of verdure. But between the thick-growing trunks and tangled branches, flashes of light sparkled along the water and lit up the varied foliage of the banks. Nearly every tree was loaded with orchids, and great frills of fern spread out around each branch. Although the best season for flowers was already passed, there were still a few trees and lianas in bloom, among which a tall shrub, hung with festoons of pale purple blossom, was con- spicuous. But the general colour of the foliage was D 34 THE SOW DYAKS. dull and sombre, though we occasionally met with a tree of very gay appearance, boasting leaves of light and brilliant green, and branches of vermilion. At Grogo, u T here we were to remain, the river had dwindled down to a small stream, about thirty feet wide. We were assured, however, that a dis- tinct species of alligator is found here only three feet long. Whether this be strictly true, or whether the specimens captured are merely young ones of the ordinary species, we leave to others to decide, as our endeavours to secure one were fruitless. In the tree to which we moored our boat lived two tiny striped squirrels, not larger than a common mouse, who watched our proceedings all day with the greatest curiosity. The Sow Dyaks, who inhabit Grogo, are a land tribe, by no means resembling the bold warriors who occupy the Seribas and Sakarran rivers. In height few among the Sows are over five feet three, but they are powerfully built, and their muscles are like iron. There is, however, a miserable down-trod- den look about them which some generations of just government will scarcely destroy. They are very poor and very dirty; the chowat — sole article of male apparel — is seldom of richer materials than the inner bark of a tree, and the tumble-down houses, the listless faces of the men, and, more than all, the dreary expression of the young girls, tell of centuries of oppression. The costume of the men consists merely of the COSTUME. 35 “chowat,” a piece of cloth or bark about five feet long, twisted round the waist and between the legs, the ends banging down before and behind. A wretched handkerchief wrapped round the bead, a “parang latok”* by the side, a quaint knife with a short blade and a long curved handle, two boxes of bamboo containing “penang,” flint and steel, and other small conveniences, slung to the “ chowat,” — such is the equipment of a Land Dyak, and if to the above be added a spear and a few brass rings, the picture of a Sow in full dress will be complete. The women wear a “ beclang,” or short petticoat, of thick woollen material, falling from the waist to the knees. Their bodies are ornamented and de- fended by an immense number of brass rings from below the breasts to the upper part of the petticoat, which is retained in its place by them. When the Dyak lover attempts to pass a tender arm round his sweetheart’s waist, instead of the soft flesh, he finds himself clasping a cuirass of solid metal. Nor is this all : for fashion ordains that the Dyak heiress shall invest her available means in the purchase of long gauntlets of twisted brass wire reaching from the knuckles to the elbows ; and if in her turn she encircle her lover’s neck with a responsive arm, the wretched man finds himself clasped by a horrible fetter, which draws a little bit of his flesh between * The “ parang latok ” may be called the national weapon of the Sarawak Malays and of the Land Dyaks. It is fully described hereafter. D 2 36 THE SOW VILLAGES. each of its links, and pinches him fearfully. For these reasons, caresses are not common among Dyak lovers ; after all, perhaps they are only a habit. But apart from their inconvenience, these brazen ornaments are decidedly tasteful and pretty. The ordinary colour of a Dyak girl, when she does not stain her body with turmeric, is a dull brownish yellow, and the sparkling brass rings are a great relief to this complexion. They are not removed at night, nor, in fact, during the woman’s lifetime, unless she outgrow them. The Sow villages are not built on the same fixed system as those of the sea tribes. A few families live under the same roof, with partitions of boards and thatch between the chambers ; but of such buildings there are many in the village, whereas among the sea Dyaks the whole clan, however numerous, lives in one house, in which each family possesses a chamber. A building of this class among the Banting tribe was found on measurement to be over 1000 feet long. The piles upon which the houses are built at Grogo are not more than seven or eight feet high ; but the village stands upon a hill, and is in little danger from inundations. Its population might be about three, or perhaps four hundred, which is considerable among the Land Dyaks. But there is an air of misery about the place and its inhabitants ; their “ pangaran,” or head-house, was tumbling to pieces at the time of our visit, and we could not find THE ORANG KATA. 37 an enemy’s skull in the village. Evidently wlien men cease to remember tlieir own courage, or to regard the trophies of their fathers’ prowess, they must consider their condition hopeless. The apartment of the “ Orang Kaya,” or “ head chief,” was little superior to others of the clan. A rough ladder, being merely the trunk of a young tree notched along its sides, rested against the edge of the broad verandah in front of the hut. Through a low door we passed into the house, which was crammed with old women and dirty children stark naked. On each side the entrance was a tall wooden framework much like the wooden plate- racks which still remain in a few old-fashioned kitchens. On the lowest range of the rack was a large flat stone, on which, in spite of the terrible heat, a lively fire was burning ; on the range above was wood, and rice, and utensils ; on the top was piled up a heap of the nondescript necessaries of savage life. This was the only article of furniture proper in the apartment. The walls were covered with plates and dishes of a gaudy colouring, each suspended in a little ratan basket ; this display of crockery is invariable in a Dyak house. The manufacture is English or Dutch. The height of the chamber was about seven feet. Erom the rafters overhead were hung weapons, brass girdles, old “ bedangs,” strings of charms — boars’ tusks and alligators’ teeth — mats, mosquito 38 A GUIDE. curtains horribly dirty, half-woven chowats, in short, all the property of the family not at that moment upon their wretched persons. The floor was composed of loose sticks and bamboos placed at intervals of an inch over the beams of the house. Part of it was covered with mats of ratan. The apartment was about eighteen feet by fifteen, and eight or ten people slept therein all night, and ounged all day. No such luxury as a chimney was known, although the fires burnt night and day, but at the further end of the chamber a rude window was cut out of the sloping roof, and when this was carefully propped open with a stick, it per- mitted a little fresh air to penetrate. This window was the more necessary, as, when it was closed, the family were instantly enveloped in pitchy darkness. The Orang Kaya was absent visiting a neigh- bouring village, but we had no difficulty in jiro- curing a guide to the deer-grounds of the vicinity. As soon as our wishes were translated into the Dyak idiom, a stout little fellow sprang up from the floor on which he was squatted, hastily refilled his mouth with penang, selected a spear, and ex- pressed himself ready to conduct us whithersoever we would. The sun was already near its setting when we set out, pursued by a chorus of advice from all the old women of the clan. After a quarter of an hour’s walk through the NIGHT CAMP. 39 jungle, we reached the foot of a hill. Suddenly our guide threw himself on the ground and whis- pered, “ Rusa Tuan !” two words which comprised all his knowledge of the Malay language. After an attentive examination of the jungle upon the hillside, Arthur made out the head of a doe some three hundred yards off. How the Dyak, without the aid of a glass, could detect this speck above the brushwood, we could not at all understand, but we had many subsequent opportunities of mar- velling at the power of sight possessed by these savages. The buck was not visible, and the doe’s head was rather a small target in the vague light of sun- set ; but as our guide assured us we could approach no nearer, and the game seemed already restless, Arthur took aim, fired and missed. We walked some distance further along the hilltops, but re- turned to our boat at dusk, without finding more game. This, our first night camp, was picturesque enough. We built a huge fire of logs, which threw a red gleam upon the river, and lighted up the very tops of the great jungle trees. Our Malay boatmen crouched up close to the blaze, and spent the evening in singing monotonous songs in a nasal falsetto. Naked Dyaks from the village above came down to stare at us, and stalked about in- distinctly in the hazy background. Even our Chinese cook, in spite of his ghastly complexion 40 A JUNGLE PATH. and shapeless features, looked appropriate as he superintended the big pots slung over the fire. We started at sunrise next morning, to reach Nawang, a famous deer-ground lying about six miles from Grogo. To walk six miles across country in England is a very small feat, but Borneo is still innocent of road commissioners and model fences. One mile there is not to be traversed with- out a certain amount of fatigue, and a six-mile walk is rather a serious undertaking. A jungle path among the Dyaks is constructed in this wise. When all parties are finally satisfied that the road in question is absolutely necessary, the males of the clan fell trees along the whole route to he traversed, and the logs, when shorn of their branches, are disposed end to end. They then are, or ought to be, raised from the ground upon tressles or stumps, hut this supererogatory labour is frequently omitted. The series of logs is carried as the crow flies, over river, abyss, and morass, up hill and through valley, till it reaches the village or rice-ground which neces- sitated the communication. On the whole, there- fore, a stroll through the jungle over a Dyak road presents such difficulties, not to say dangers, as effectually deter most Europeans from attempting it whenever it can be avoided. Nevertheless, there was no way to Nawang ex- cept over the “ batangs,” as these logs are called, and of this we had been warned in Kuching. Accordingly we put a bold face upon the unknown A DESERTED HOUSE. 41 dangers we were about to encounter, and started at sunrise accompanied by two guides. There were several streams and ravines on the way which caused us to feel very curious about the head, and it will readily be believed that to walk over the rocky bed of a dry river upon a round log forty feet long, and unprovided with any possible balance or support, was not altogether the kind of exercise to be preferred by any one not a professional dancer on the tight rope. However, with many a slip and tumble, we at length arrived at our desti- nation, our clothes dripping with perspiration, and tired in mind and body. We subsequently became more accustomed to these “ batang” paths, but no Englishman can ever overcome his natural feeling of giddiness so far as to encounter them when any other means of reaching his destination presents itself. At Nawang we inhabited a deserted house in the centre of an old rice clearing. It was a mere shell. The roof had tumbled in, and the walls had tumbled out. The floor had fallen through, and the hearth was full of thick growing shrubs. Everything had gone to ruin, for the Dyaks allow their paddy fields to lie fallow for a long time, and this one had not been used for four or five years. Selecting that portion of the building which still retained some fragments of its flooring of sticks, we spread our rugs and went to sleep immediately. But the floor, as I have said, was composed of 42 HOME. C( rough sticks laid without fastening over the beams. Each stick was provided with a number of sharp ends and broken twigs, which pierced our wearied flesh. After short slumbers, we arose to survey the sky through the vast rents of the roof ; to enjoy the scenery through the utter absence of walls ; and to contemplate the ground beneath us through the gaping interstices of the flooring. The day passed on ; it grew hotter and hotter as the hours dragged by, till, when Nature could bear no more, the air began to cool and cool, until the sun touched the tree-tops upon the opposite hill, and the faint belling of the deer reached us from the other side of the clearing. Then we strapped on our belts, looked to our rifles, and sallied out, accompanied by our Malays and Dyaks. Over the clearing we advanced in single file, over hills and through pathless jungle till dusk came on, but not a deer did we see, though they could be heard plainly enough. At length we gave the word “ home,” and, after a merry supper, went to bed on the floor. The same night our Dyaks started in pitch dark- ness to return to Grogo, for no offers of money would persuade them to stay longer from home at the time of the rice-sowing. I presume they reached the village in safety, as we never heard the contrary, but by what instinct they crossed the ravines and marshes at night, without accident, passes compre- hension. Like all Dyaks, they were good-tem- THE STJMMUT API. 43 pered, willing fellows, but their curiosity was in- satiable, and their wild eyes were never removed from our movements. Two more of our boatmen arrived the same even- ing, bringing books, which enabled us to pass the long hours of dull heat in greater comfort. When evening came again, we decided to walk in different directions in search of game. As soon as we had crossed the clearing, I per- ceived a fine buck on the side of a hill at a distance of about 400 yards. To reach him it was necessary to pass a belt of jungle which lay directly between us. When we had penetrated about half-way through the tangled brushwood I struck a fern with my head. The next moment a pain shot across my cheek as if a red-hot iron were thrust through it. I screamed with the sudden agony; and when the Malay, who was behind, saw the cause, he seemed half-inclined to run away. In striking the fern I had shaken down a “ sumut api,”* or fire-ant, the most terrible torment of the jungle. With the presence of mind, which this sagacious insect never loses, he bit my cheek instantly. After this adven- ture, it was of little use to look for my deer, which is still, I hope, happily browsing upon the brushwood at Nawang. * The “ sumut api ” is a small red ant, fortunately rather uncommon. Its bite is fearful, though not venomous, and the pain soon passes. An army of natives would not hesitate to run from these little torments. 44 A PLAGUE OF JUNGLE TRAVELLING. Arthur had no better sport ; but he was not attacked by a “sunrat api.” On his way home, he shot in his exasperation a gigantic moor-hen, three or four times as large as the English species, though resembling it in other respects. Hunting without Dyaks in Borneo is much like shooting without dogs in England, and we prepared to return to Grogo. I had wounded my heel with a bamboo-spike — one of the plagues of jungle travel — and our progress was slow in consequence. We did not fall more than ten times each, and reached our destination in comparative comfort. Towards afternoon we reimbarked in our sampan, after distributing our present of beads and tobacco, and sketching a few of the natives. 45 CHAPTER III. Climate of Sarawak — Merriment of the Malay Character — Swimming — Proboscis Monkeys — Buso — Boatmen’s Joke — Luinbong Angin — Bidi — Hospitality of Mr. Bentley — Unheal thiness of Bidi — Poisoning with ;< Tuba” — Caves of Bidi — Edible Birds’ Nests — Night at the Caves — Butterflies — Snakes — Flowers — Blue Orchid — Dyak Bridge — Krokong — Tabooed House — “ Parang Ilang ” — Dyak Climbing — Modes of Striking Fire — Antimony Mines — Gold Washing — Chinese Marriages — Arrival of H.M.S. Rifleman — Departure for Kennowit. HP HOUGH the climate of Borneo has the tropical division of dry and rainy seasons, yet neither of these is usually so severe nor so long-continued as to cause inconvenience to the inhabitants. In the dry season there is a sufficient fall of rain ; and the heat does not vary to any considerable extent. In the rainy months two or three showers only — very heavy indeed while they last, hut of short duration — are on an average to be expected in the twenty-four hours. What we call a “ wet day,” is almost un- known in this fortunate climate. But for some time previous to our arrival in Sarawak no rain had fallen. Though this did not cause inconvenience to the people, as their rice was not yet sown, yet the river had sunk so low in con- 46 MERRIMENT OF THE MALATS. sequence of tlie drought, tliat on our return we found it necessary to lift the sampan continually over shallows and dry rocks. But the delight of our boatmen at this extra labour was intense ; every moment one or two of them leapt overboard, and often the whole crew was splashing, and laughing, and yelling in the water. The practical joke of snatching the punt-pole out of the holder’s hands at the moment of the greatest strain, thereby causing him to fall headlong into the river, was received with the broadest glee on both sides. Then the sampan was pushed on with all haste, and when the victim of the joke appeared above the water, shaking back his snaky black locks, he found a long swim necessary to regain his place. Then ensued a merry race between the boat and the man, in which the latter always had the best of it, for at the end of each pool was a shallow, and we were all over- board again. The Malays seldom swim upon the chest as we do ; and I never once saw a native upon his back in the water. Their usual manner is that which we call “ hand over hand,” or porpoise-swimming, and their speed is most surprising. It is a pity that this mode is not more cultivated in England. Its rapidity is three or four times that of the ordinary chest or side or back swimming, and, though awkward at first, is found after a while to be quite easy, and much more graceful than the ordinary style. PROBOSCIS MONKEY. 47 As we descended the river it gradually became deeper, and we were able to keep our places in tbe sampan. There was little shooting ; I obtained a few birds, and Arthur shot a couple of proboscis monkeys. These were the first, and, indeed, the last of that species we saw, for they are by no means common. When the two killed were brought on board, they certainly seemed to be most extra- ordinary animals. The nose of the female projects from the face at a very acute angle, while that of the male hangs down over the chin. The fur is very pretty : of a sandy red colour on the back and sides, softening into white along the belly. The female we ob- tained was quite young ; she was about ten inches long, and stood the same height upon her slender legs ; her tail was about a foot long. The male was nearly double these proportions, but neither of them were more than half-grown. If anyone should deem that an excuse is necessary for shooting these animals I may here observe that my brother and myself have killed monkeys in many parts of the world, but we never yet had an opportunity of witnessing the affecting sight which some describe — the tears, and moans, and touching gestures. We never heard a monkey make any sound whatever when wounded, and as to the ges- tures and grimaces, they always appeared to us expressive of simple rage and malevolence — feel- ings quite natural upon the monkey’s part, but not 48 BUSO. particularly touching. Nevertheless, the experience of many travellers and others is opposed to ours, and I only make this observation to justify our own deeds. When we had quitted the Gfrogo branch, and were embarked on the main stream, our progress was more rapid. Towards sundown we reached Buso, one of the stations of the Borneo Company, where we remained for the night under the hos- pitable care of the tall Chinaman in charge of the post. In the evening, arrived Mr. Helms, the manager of the company, on a visit to the antimony mines of Bidi. Next morning Arthur and he walked over to the mines, a distance of about nine miles ; the road, however, was tolerably good, as the Chinese gold- diggers at Bow were in the habit of using it. For my own part, I decided to accompany our baggage, which was sent round in a light sampan. My foot was too much inflamed to allow me to walk. I settled myself to read under a mat, after warning the boatmen to look out for game. They soon struck up a nasal song, interrupted by many a shrewd criticism and practical joke. The Malays are a very merry people, and in Sarawak they never hesitate to “chaff” their masters a little, as I found out. The man in the bows, who is an important character in the boat, suddenly called out to me, “ Moniet, Tuan!” I jumped up, rifle in hand, MALAY SERVANTS. 49 hoping to secure another proboscis monkey, when, looking in the direction indicated by a dozen fingers gravely outstretched, I perceived two Dyaks standing on a bamboo bridge some sixty or eighty feet above our heads. Determined to turn the laugh against my droll servants, I took a steady aim at the figures, which indeed resembled monkeys quite sufficiently to deceive a short-sighted man. My crew got into a great fright, and shouted to me, and to the Dyaks, and to each other, but when I put down my rifle they laughed harder than ever. In Sarawak the Malay servants are allowed con- siderable freedom by their masters, who never fear that it will be taken advantage of. In Singapore and the Straits Settlements, where the natives are kept at a much greater distance, the insubordina- tion of the servants is a household misery, but in Sarawak such incidents are very rare. About two miles above Buso we again quitted the main stream to enter the rocky branch leading to Bidi. A mile above the junction of the two streams, we passed the mouth of a large cavern, from which issued an icy wind. From this peculiarity, which is always noticeable, the cavern derives its name of “ Lubong Angin,” or Hole of the Wind. We had not the means of exploring its recesses, but the boatmen assured me that it extended a vast distance into the hill. In answer to my call for a volunteer or guide to accompany me as far as the faint light would allow, I was met E 50 ARRIVAL AT BIDI. with a hesitation which would evidently have turned to a downright refusal had the point been pressed. The steersman, Hassein, who acted as my interpreter in a vague sort of way, assured me that the interior was crammed with devils and dragons. If so, these must be the spirits that “ reside in thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice,” for the strong current of air from the cavern seemed to be con- siderably below the freezing point. I found that, in case of an accident happening to me in a solitary exploration, I should probably he left to starve inside the cave, and, disliking this prospect, I relinquished the idea. We arrived off the wharf at Bidi about three o’clock in the afternoon. Some carpenters, busy at a new house upon the river bank, destined for the Company’s Agent, assured me that the bungalow where Mr. Helms and my brother were awaiting me was at a distance of two hours’ walk over the miners’ tramway. I did not know at that time how vague and indefinite were the ideas of Malays and Dyaks about distance, and I grasped my spear with immense determination, anticipating a trying walk in the sun. After wandering for a mile and a-half, however, the road I followed widened into a charm- ing little valley, in the centre of which was the house of the Borneo Company’s Agent, and Arthur was sitting with him in the verandah. I wish I could describe the beauty of that road from the wharf to the mines at Bidi. The tram- ROAD TO THE MINES. .51 way, so ugly and commonplace in the colourless fields of England, is there carried through the thickest jungle, which rises like a wall on either hand. Bright flowers, rich tints, all shapes oi vegetation form a long vista of dreamy beauty. Vast trees, the like of which were never dreamed ot in temperate zones, throw a world of green shadow around their trunks; thousands of brilliant butterflies flutter to and fro in the silent heat ; all is grand, and lovely, and noiseless. No note of bird or rustle of wing breaks the silence. The burst of childish laughter, which is so much in the beauty of our English sum- mer scenes, is never heard in this verdant desert. The crash of some giant branch yielding to the weight of centuries resounds distantly through the forest, re-echoes widely for the moment, then all is once more hot, and dreamy, and silent. We were received by the Agent of the Borneo Company stationed at the mines in a manner that did equal credit to his heart and his larder, but we found him in a very bad state of health, and at that moment, in addition to his own sufferings, he had on his hands the assistant sent up from Kuching to relieve him. This latter gentleman was struck down with fever as soon as he arrived, and the day after we reached the mines he was sent back to recruit at Santubong, the sanitarium of Sarawak. Mr. Bentley also was more or less ill all the time of our visit, but strangers were not common with him, and the excitement kept him up. e 2 52 BIDI. Though Bidi is horribly unhealthy, it hides its terrors under a lovely aspect, and its scenery was the prettiest we saw in Sarawak. The mines are situated in a small clearing of some fifty acres, surrounded on every side by precipitous mountains covered with verdure. In the midst of the valley are two houses occupied by the Company’s agents, and at a little distance are the huts of the Chinese miners, scarcely distinguishable from the grey rocks and boulders with which the ground is covered. Over the mountains around the valley appear the tops of a loftier chain, and a vast grey summit breaks their line of deep blue. This is a mountain fired by the Dyaks some months ago, and still covered with charred jungle. If the pretty little stream which traverses the valley were not poisoned about every week by Chinese or Dyaks, it would yield a good supply of fish. The native mode of poisoning a river is curious and effective. If the water selected be of any considerable width and volume, a number of sampans are moored across it and filled with “tuba,” a narcotic root ; water is then poured upon the tuba, which is beaten and pounded with stones. When the water is sufficiently impregnated, the sampan is rocked to and fro till the poisonous liquid is tilted overboard, and the process is re- commenced. The smaller kinds of fish are soon overpowered, and after awhile the larger species come to the surface. Young sharks and alligators A NIGHT EXPEDITION. 53 dart uncomfortably about, pursued by the spears of the natives. Should they escape these attacks, how- ever, they soon recover from the effects of the tuba. This root also is used as a protection against sharks in the open sea. The swimmer ties a quantity ot fibres round his feet, and no fish will approach him when so defended. My heel was still too painful to enable me to enter the jungle, but Arthur wandered about and shot various birds and beasts. The only remarkable specimen among the latter was a large squirrel peculiar to Bidi ; it had a brown-grey body and a scarlet stripe from nose to tail. Mr. Bentley talked much of the mountain caves near Bidi, from which the Dyaks obtain edible birds’ nests of inferior quality. They are situated about two miles from the mines, and Arthur and he visited them while I was laid up. My brother was so struck there with the numerous “slots” of animals which he could not identify, that on his return he persuaded me to accompany him thither upon a night expedition. Accordingly we started with our Malays on the following afternoon, carrying with us all necessaries for a night’s bivouac in the jungle. The route led us by “ batang” paths such as I have described before, as far as the banks of a stream up which it was necessary to wade for a mile and a half. This was the only practicable way to our destination, and we had provided dry clothes 54 MOUNTAIN CAVES. accordingly. On reaching the caves we found them to be vast halls excavated by the hand of Nature under an overhanging cliff about 150 feet high. We walked along the foot of this precipice, which was covered with ferns and shrubs, for a distance of half a mile, without finding it diminish materially in height. The caverns are generally of no great depth or altitude, hut of vast length, and finely hung with stalactites. At intervals huge natural pillars support the roof, or, placed closer together, seem to divide the hall into various chambers. In several of them was a smaller passage directly entering the mountain. We followed one of these, pointed out to us as the most practicable, over mud and rocks for a quarter of a mile, but we did not emerge on the top of the cliff as we had been led to expect. On the contrary, the passage ter- minated abruptly in a labyrinth of mud and stones and water, but it is probable we mistook the entrance. On a rocky slab at the mouth of this cavern was a strange little clay figure hearing some resemblance to a human being. It was possibly an idol, but if so, that was the only specimen of such a thing we saw in the country with one exception. In these interior passages are discovered the edible birds’ nests. The labour and the danger ot procuring them are great, and, when obtained, the plunder is not very valuable. The foundation of isinglass is the same as in the more esteemed AN UNPLEASANT IDEA. 55 species, but tlie nests of Bidi are yellow and dirty. The bird itself we did not see, as it is migratory, but we understood that it closely resembles the more delicate species. We were also told that the supply of nests is almost exhausted, and the Dyaks scarcely now consider it worth their while to search for them. On our arrival at the caves, we immediately lighted a great fire in one of the interior caverns, about fifty yards from its mouth. We then sent away the Malays, spread our rugs, and prepared for a night watch in one of the largest halls, the floor of which was kneaded with the slots of undis- tinguishable animals. Our Malays had carried off the lantern, and there was no moon, but from the position we occupied, any considerable object pass- ing through the clearing could be seen with tolerable distinctness. Suddenly, however, a new and horrible thought dashed through my brain. “ By Jove ! If we fire a rifle inside here, we shall be crushed by the fall of these huge stalactites !” The idea was unpleasant but incontrovertible, so we carried our rugs into the open air outside, thrust our spears into the ground, laid guns and knives handy, drank a glass of brandy, rolled our- selves up, leant our backs against the spears, and watched in silence. Suddenly, a buck belled within fifty yards of us, and another answered from a little distance. We were instantly on the alert, but unless he strolled into the glade, he was safe enough. The 56 THE WILD BUCK’S BELL. night was pitcliy dark, and the deer was down by the stream ; before we could have penetrated a yard of the jungle between us, he would have been far away, and we should have been lost in the woods. For nearly an hour this indefatigable buck kept us excited, sometimes nearer, sometimes more dis- tant, but sending forth his clear bell-like challenge each instant, and waiting for the musical answer from the other bank. Perhaps few people in Eng- land know the melody of a wild buck’s bell in a quiet night ; it can be compared to nothing ex- cept a long low stroke upon an exquisitely toned gong. After watching for about two hours, during which he never wandered ten yards from the stream, we decided that the conduct of this deer was, to say the least of it, inconsiderate, and un- worthy of further attention. It was growing cold, too, and the night was much darker than we could reasonably have anticipated. Accordingly we resolved to return to our bonfire inside the cavern, and with a laugh at the drollery of the situation, commenced to unroll our warm rugs, and to grope for our belongings. But Fate had decided that we should arouse the echoes of Bidi that night. Just as we plucked up our spears, a sound of dull grunting, mingled with the faint crackling of sticks, reached our ears. “ Pigs, by Jove !” we whispered, and were prepared in a moment. AN UNEXPECTED DIFFICULTY. 57 Tlie noise came nearer, and presently little treble squeaks mingled with the first bass voice. “ A sow and litter,” muttered Arthur ; “ look out !” And we did look out, but nothing could we possibly see. There was a vast pillar of white stone about twenty feet from where we lay, which separated two cham- bers of the cavern. Its light colour caused it to stand out faintly in the dense darkness. Suddenly Arthur threw up his rifle and fired in that direction. On the instant, a great scuffle ensued with much squeaking and grunting, crackle of underwood, and rustle of leaves. I drew my bow — that is, my trigger — at a venture, somewhere in the direction of the sound, and when the thundering echo from the cliff had died away, there was a deep silence. We felt tolerably confident that nothing was hit, though Arthur had fancied he saw something black cross the white patch. No animal was likely to approach for hours after the hideous clamour our shots had raised, so we decided to turn in at once. Besides, we were sleepy. Under these circumstances it became necessary to strike a light. Matches there were none, of course, but our despair may be conceived when we found our tinder-cord to be damp with dew. Won- derful were the schemes chemical, mechanical, and philosophic, which we devised to obtain a spark. We blew ourselves up with gunpowder, drenched our clothes with brandy, and burnt our hands ; certainly, after the experience of that night, every 58 A COMFORTABLE NIGHT. lucifer match we strike should he accompanied by a thanksgiving. At length, when we were at the end alike of our wits and our gunpowder, some dry leaves took fire and grew into a flame. We lighted a candle, we lighted two, for fear one should go out, and entered the cavern. Our great fire was extinguished from want of air, — after splitting a rock from top to bottom with its heat, — so we spread our rugs in the outer hall, lighted a pipe, and turned in. When the candle had burnt out commenced a series of strange and unaccountable noises, only to he conceived by one who has slept in a haunted house. Such rustling, and squealing, and scuffling are rarely heard in canny lodgings. Nevertheless, we passed the night very comfortably. No doubt there were legions of snakes and scorpions — huge tiger-cats — bloodthirsty vampires — centipedes venomous as upas — gambolling all around, maybe crawling over us, but we did not see an} r , so we cannot say. The only point we could vouch for was the noise, which was extraordinary and rather startling, hut we awoke in the morning not a whit the worse for our adventure. When the Malays returned in the dawn, they regarded our appearance with considerable interest. We reached Bidi by breakfast-time, greatly to the delight of our kind host. He was much altered since the previous day by a sharp recurrence of fever, which rendered him quite unable to perform THE SNAKES OF BIDI. 59 his duties. The time until his recovery was occu- pied by us in wandering about the little valley, of which the principal productions are antimony, snakes, and butterflies. A brisk exporting trade in scorpions would contribute much to the comfort of the inhabitants, and Bidi would willingly supply the world with centipedes and sand-flies. But its but- terflies are the glory of the place. The species are innumerable, and, excepting some of the commonest sorts, one rarely meets with two of the same kind in a walk. This astonishing profusion is the more re- markable, as the country in general is singularly des- titute of them, and they are not plentiful even in Kuching. In size and colour many of the species are superb, and their eccentricities of shape are very puzzling to one investigating the use or object of such variety. In the beauty and abundance of its snakes Bidi also bears the palm. It is no unusual thing in walking from Mr. Bentley’s bungalow to the mines, a distance of 150 yards, to see three or four glide across the tramway. Many of the species are very graceful and brilliant, but most of them arevenomous. The efficacy of spirits, however, when taken in time and in a sufficient quantity to avert evil consequences from the bite of a snake, has been repeatedly proved in Sarawak. Even the deadly poison of the “ upas,” with which the Kyans and Kennowits tip the arrows of their “ sumpits,”* yields readily to this * The “ sumpit ” or “ sufopitan ” is the native name of the 60 A “ BATANG ” PATH. simple remedy. But it is extraordinary that, in spite of the abundance of serpents in Borneo, no white has hitherto been bitten by them. E or its flowers Bidi is deservedly famous ; from thence have been obtained some of our finest orchids and delitra. The celebrated blue orchid was dis- covered accidentally by Mr. Bentley upon the bough of a tree which he had passed a hundred times. As he described it to us, the blossoms hung in an azure garland from the branch, more gracefully than art could design. The specimen then discovered is, I believe, the only one at present known, and both Malays and Dyaks are quite ignorant of such a flower, though they begin to be aware of the present mania for orchids in England, and to dis- tinguish the rarer species. Three days after our visit to the caves, Mr. Bentley w r as sufficiently recovered to guide us to a village of Land Dyaks, called Krokong, situated about four hours’ walk from Bidi. The “batang” path thither was very dilapidated, over a rugged coun- try intersected by numerous ravines. About half a mile from our destination the road reached the river bank, and was carried across the stream in a very in- genious manner. A bridge of bamboos was thrown from one side to the other, and hung about sixty feet above the water. A single bamboo, eight or blowpipe carried by the tribes of the interior. It is also used sometimes by the Sea Dyaks, and I shall have occasion to describe it in speaking of these peo'ple. A BRIDGE OF BAMBOOS. 61 nine indies in diameter, affords quite sufficient sup- port to a Dyak, whatever may be the depth of the abyss beneath. A slight hand-rail is placed on either side to assist the balance, hut, in case of the traveller slipping, he carries bridge, hand-rail, and all together down on to the rocks beneath — a cata- strophe which occasionally happens to the best of these structures. To suspend the bridge, a tree is selected on either hank whose branches conveniently overhang the water ; long bamboos and ratans are attached to the boughs, sustaining the structure as well as is possible ; but towards the middle it becomes very insecure. In this case the bridge was about eighty yards long, but the half of it was supported upon tressels on either bank. The part actually suspended may have been sixty or eighty feet long. Certainly, when we had crossed in safety, and could survey its arrangement from the opposite hank, it appeared a very strange and in- genious piece of architecture ; hut in passing over, the bamboos shook and swayed in a manner far too alarming for us to give any thought to the pic- turesque. This was the same bridge upon which the Dyaks stood whom our boatmen pointed out to me as monkeys, in ascending the river. Shortly after crossing the bridge, we came to a spot where the track to the paddy fields of the vil- lage in use this season* diverged from the main * The Dyaks allow their rice grounds to lie fallow for several years, during which time they become covered with impene- 62 KROKONG. road. Here were erected twelve large posts with their tops sliced off diagonally, as we were told by the Malays, to keep the devils from destroying the newly- sown rice. The Europeans of Sarawak were not aware of any such custom. It is exceedingly difficult to judge of distance in traversing the batang paths. Although we were about four hours walking as rapidly as was possible, perhaps the actual distance from the mines to Krokong would not be more than four or five miles. Practice does not at first give the European greater confidence in crossing the ravines ; we were more subject to giddiness and inconvenience on this march than upon our first experiment from Grogo to Nawang. It is true the road was more dangerous and in worse repair. On arriving at Krokong, we found it to he a long straggling village, in which most of the inhabitants lived in one house about eighty yards in length. It was not built, however, with the regularity and neatness characteristic of Sea-Dyak architecture, and the different parts of the building were upon un- equal levels. There were also several detached habitations. We did not observe much worthy of remark among the people ; they seemed to be a shade more comfortable than the inhabitants of Grogo. Half way down the hill upon which the village trable jungle, which has to be cleared away by burning as the turn of the field comes round. a “pangaran” house. 63 stood, was a “pangaran” house in decaying con- dition. In it were hung nine human heads, among which we noticed an immense specimen belonging formerly, as we were told, to a Dyak from Serike. If the remainder of this man’s body was in due proportion to his skull, he must have been con- siderabty over six feet — a gigantic stature, indeed, among this stunted people. The manner of this poor fellow’s death was sufficiently obvious : a sword cut had sliced off the entire side of his skull. Two other heads belonged to Chinese rebels, killed by the “ Orang Kaya” himself. The “pangaran” house had formerly been circular, or perhaps octagonal in shape, neatly constructed, and adorned with rude pictures and rather indecorous carvings ; hut half ot it was now on the ground, and the floor had rotted away. In former times all the bachelors of a Dyak clan were compelled to sleep in these houses, and were thus kept out of mischief ; another advantage was, that in case of a sudden attack the natural defenders of the village were enabled to meet the enemy in a body and were not liable to be cut off in detail. Here, also, councils were held and head- trophies were hung. In these peaceful times, however, the young men have protested vigorously against the restriction upon their liberty, and the “pangaran” houses are everywhere falling to decay. The Sow Dyaks who inhabit Krokung have a custom of tabooing their houses to the male sex 64 THE “ PARANG ILANG.” during tlie confinement of tlieir women, and for seven days afterwards. In ignorance of this super- stition, we brought unheard-of calamities upon a household in the village. The presence of a crowd before one of the doors excited our curiosity, and we forced our way in, hoping to see something of interest. No one attempted to lay hands on us, and we were unable to comprehend the loudest shouting; the gods were opposed to this family’s welfare, and sent us to ensure their ruin. Should their paddy fields thrive, however, and their chil- dren grow up healthily, this accidental intrusion of ours may strike hard upon the superstition. We slept upon a board in the Orang Kaya’s apartment, and many times during the night we sincerely wished that the use of the plane had been introduced among the Dyaks. Next morning after a long swim in the river, we started for Bidi by boat, accompanied by the Orang Kaya. The latter was a tall old man with quiet, steady eyes, and cheek bones of incredible dimensions. His son, a hand- some boy of ten or twelve, also joined our party. He was suffering from two severe cuts on the shin caused by the “ parang ilang,” in the use of which weapon the Land Dyaks are not expert. The “ parang ilang,” though much used by the Sea Dyaks, is the national weapon of the Kyans, a powerful inland tribe who are the principal iron workers of the island. The blade is convex upon one side, concave on the other, and there is also a pecu- THE PARANG ILANG. 65 liar twist in its back. In cutting, the concave side should be next the object aimed at, as, in the reverse case, the weapon is apt to fly back upon the striker, as happened to this boy. In consequence of this peculiarity, two modes of cutting only are possible with the parang, one downwards from right to left, the other upwards from left to right. But to accommodate left-handed warriors, some parangs are forged on exactly the opposite prin- ciple, and can only be used in the left hand. The hilt is always of bone, deeply carved, and orna- mented with dyed human hair. The sheath is wooden, adorned towards the upper part with knobs and carvings of bone or metal ; halfway down its side is set a piece of panther skin, and knots and scalps of human hair dyed scarlet. Attached to one side of the sheath is a small knife with a long straight handle, and a native always endeavours to remove this before selling his weapon. The “parang ilang” is a terrible weapon in practised hands, and some of Sir James Brooke’s officers carry it in pre- ference to a sword ; wielded by u novice, however, it is almost as dangerous to himself as to the enemy. The finest parangs — or those esteemed so — are found in the graves of Kyan warriors, which are consequently rifled by Dyaks and Malays on every possible occasion. I have one, purchased at Kennowit, which, I was told, had been obtained from a sepulchre three hundred years old, a rather improbable assertion, though I believe F 06 A DANGEROUS LADDER. the weapon was really found in a Kyan grave, for it was strangely stained and rusted when I bought it. In front of Mr. Bentley’s bungalow at Bidi was a gigantic tree belonging to the species called by the natives “ Tapong.” What the exact height of this one might be I cannot say, but many of them rise 130 to 150 feet without a branch. At the top of the one of which I speak, a bees’ nest was ascertained to exist, and this the Dyaks instantly determined to rifle. To discover it at all at such a height showed a marvellous power of vision, but to reach it by any means at their dis- posal seemed to require the aid of witches or “ antus” or some other of the powers of darkness. Without calling upon any of these, however, the Dyaks composedly began their preparations. They first planted a strong pole about two feet from the trunk. A hole was then bored in the wood and a stout stick thrust in, and fastened at the other end to the pole. Thus the rung of a ladder was created, of which the tree was one side or sup- port, and the pole the other. The process was repeated until they had reached the top of the pole, when they attached another to it, end to end, gained the height of the second by more rungs, and so continued their work till the dangerous ladder attained the height of the bees’ nest, which was certainly ninety or one hundred feet from the ground. Up this structure they then carefully STRIKING FIRE. 67 climbed, without any apparent giddiness or timidity ; it shook and swayed with their weight, the ratans which held it together crackled, and the poles creaked, but the adventurous Dyaks seemed not a bit nervous. In taking the nest one of them was badly stung, but all descended without accident. Another interesting phenomenon these natives showed us which, though no doubt easily explained upon scientific principles, appeared very remark- able. As we sat in the verandah my cheroot went out, and I asked one of the Dyaks squatted at our side to give me a light. He took from his siri* box of bamboo, a piece of pitcher, and a little tinder ; put the latter upon the pitcher and held it under his thumb, struck sharply against the bamboo, and instantly offered me the tinder alight. Several times subsequently we watched them obtain ftre by this means, but failed to make out a reasonable theory for the result. Among some of the Dyak tribes there is a manner of striking fire much more extraordinary. The instrument used is a slender cube of lead which fits tightly in a case of bamboo. The top of the cube is hollowed into a cup, and when fire is required this cup is filled with tinder, the leaden * Siri is a species of pepper. A piece of the nut borne by the Areca palm — called “penang ” by the Malays and Dyaks — is wrapped up in the broad leaf of the “ siri,” with a little tobacco, gambier, and lime ; and the whole is put into the mouth. From the importance of “penang” and “siri” in the preparation, it is called by one or other name indifferently. F 2 GS DISCOVERY OF ANTIMONY. piston is held upright in the left hand, the bamboo case is thrust sharply down over it, as quickly withdrawn, and the tinder is found to be alight. The natives say that no metal but lead will produce the effect. I must observe that we never saw this singular method in use, though the officers of the Rajah seemed acquainted with it. The mode of obtaining fire by means of two sticks, generally in use among barbarians, is also practised in Borneo. The result is not attained, however, by rubbing them together, as is generally believed in England, — an exercise of which a man would probably get very tired before he obtained a spark, — but a rude cross is notched in any piece of light dry stick, and the point of another piece of some harder species is spun round therein as rapidly as it can be rolled between the hands. Neverthe- less it requires some practice to obtain a light by this means, as most travellers can attest by aching experience. Two days after our return from Krokong, we took to our boat again, bearing with us a recol- lection of kindness and hospitality from the officers of the Borneo Company which was confirmed by all our after experience. Just as we started from the wharf we were gratified to hear that a new and apparently extensive vein of antimony had been discovered upon the other side the river. The mine at Bidi was almost exhausted when we saw it, and before our arrival Mr. Bentley had been “prospecting” for GOLD-WASHIXGS. 69 a fresli locle. All operations of any extent, and more especially mining, suffer in this country from the difficulty of obtaining labour. Malays will not work upon land, proudly calling themselves “ orang laiit,” men of the sea; Dyaks never dream of en- gaging themselves for any duties whatever except hunting, and the Chinese, though most admirable workmen, are exposed at Bidi to much temptation by the proximity of the Bow gold- washings, which frequently entice them to break their engagements and speculate in digging. That the extensive works of the Borneo Company should be carried on with the success they now attain requires unceasing care and watchfulness on the part of all the agents, but it is hoped and expected in Sarawak that the recent British recognition, and the establishment of a consulate at Kuching, will cause a great immi- gration of Chinese coolies, and that, possibly, Sir James Brooke may eventually obtain that convict labour which he has repeatedly solicited from Singa- pore and elsewhere. As we dropped down the river we stayed a few moments at Bow to purchase a paddle, and while we waited, two women came down from the houses to fetch water. As is usual in Chinese households they combined one business with another, bringing with them, in addition to their water-vessels, rude cradles for gold-washing. When the jars were filled, they scraped up a mass of mud from the bottom of the river, and commenced twirling their cradles 70 GOLD-DIGGING. in tlie usual manner. The labour of one was quite fruitless, but the other had better fortune. The latter was a fine, handsome woman, a half-bred Malay and Chinese ; she displayed a magnificent row of jetty teeth when we asked to see her cradle, and waded to us instantly. At the bottom was a little heap of gold dust, as much as would cover a threepenny bit. Our boatmen told us that such success was exceptional, though even a greater quantity is occa- sionally obtained from one washing. The annual amount of bullion obtained at Bow is quite uncertain. AVe heard numerous accounts of Chinese diggers who have remitted fortunes to their friends in the “ Flowery Land,” and such an event may possibly have occurred in one or two ex- ceptional instances, but the insurmountable objec- tion remains, that the Malays do not think the profit of washing worth its labour and discomfort. Gold-digging, whether at Bow or Ballarat, is the natural occupation of the gambler, and when a Malay gets cleaned out at the tables, he frequently endeavours to recruit in this manner ; but the average profits of gold- washing will scarcely reach the eighteen cents which form the usual daily wage in Sarawak. Nevertheless, as every flood brings with it a supply of the precious metal, it must evi- dently exist in greater quantity in the high grounds through which the head-waters of the river Sarawak make their way, and in future years Christendom may rush to the streams and mountains of Borneo THE CHINESE AT BOW. 71 is it lately did to tliose of California, Australia, and Vancouver’s Island. But the manners and customs of the floating Chinese population at Bow are more interesting than their labours. Marriage is regarded by them ■with a cynical indifference beyond the dreams ol Lycurgus himself, and, whether it he that Pope was right about the female heart, or whether the wives are in too great dread of their husbands to rebel, certain it is that not one of the victims was ever heard to lament her fate. The women are all Malay or Dyak, or half-breed, and as they were originally sold to their first husband, it may be that they think less of being resold by the purchaser. But if jealousy is thus systematically discouraged in a Chinese household, the wife’s position is in other respects most comfortable. The duty ol the husband is not confined among them to his outdoor occupations, but it is his pride and pleasure to remove all labour from his wife’s province — to sweep the hut, light the fire, and thresh the paddy. The duty of a Chinaman’s wife is to sit still and look pretty. Such is a theory of woman’s rights and duties worked out by the experience of four thousand years’ civilization. Though women are not badly treated either by Malays or Dyaks, still their occupations with them are much more arduous — in their own eyes — than simply sitting still and looking nice, and marriage with a Chinaman is joy- fully accepted in spite of its peculiar characteristics. THE RAJAH S INVITATION. 72 We picked up our luggage left at Buso, aud about nine o’clock at night reached Government- house, at Kuching, where we found a numerous party assembled. H.M.S.S. Rifleman had arrived from Singapore to convey Sir James Brooke the first stage of his journey to England. Awaiting our arrival was a most kind note from the Rajah, written in case he should have sailed before our return, inviting us to accompany some of his officers on an expedition to Ivennowit to witness the ceremonies of peace ratified between his government and the Kyan nation, a war with whom had just been vic- toriously concluded. In four days more we started in the Jolly Bachelor gun-boat, while the Tuan Mudah, Mr. J. B. Cruick- shank, Resident of Kennowit, and Mr. Stuart John- son, sub-Resident of Seribas, preceded us in the Venus. CHAPTEE IY. The Jolly Bachelor — Accident— People of Kennowit — Tatooing — Enlargement of the Ear — Rejang River — Deputation of Women — Invitation to aKennowitFestivity — Narrow Escape — Dance of Warriors — “Joke” — “ Mias” Dance — Deer Dance — Pantomimic Dance — Head-Hunting Dance — Female Per- formance. rpHE Jolly Bachelor is the smaller of Sir James Brooke’s gun-boats, and is commanded by Capt. Micbeson. Her burthen is about forty tons, and her origin is lost in the distance of an antique age. Sarawak deprived of the Jolly would be like America without the memory of Washington — her history would die with its founder. In former times the Jolly was celebrated for the incredible number of scorpions and centipedes* which infested her timbers ; since her last resurrection these plagues have disappeared, and the Jolly has no longer a claim to personal glory, save in the events which she has seen and participated. * It has been frequently proved in the far East that the most venomous reptiles lose all power of injury after a few days at sea. The sailors of the Jolly , well aware of this, were not in the least alarmed at the swarms of scorpions issuing from the hold, and the malignant reptiles themselves knew their own impotence, and did not attempt to use their fearful powers of mischief. 74 ACCIDENT. She is not a fast boat, nor can she be called com- fortable ; the voyager is never quite satisfied, as be reflects upon her bard service and astounding longe- vity, that she may not come to a sudden end like the “ deacon’s chaise,” and cast him forth upon the deep. Nor has she that steadiness and sobriety of movement which should accompany virtuous old age, but certainly she has some of its other com- forts — love, and honour, and troops of friends. No one has been to Sarawak but knows the Jolly , and can remember many a pleasant hour passed in her low cabin, as she lay becalmed in some silent creek or river, where the thick jungle was all around, the water rotting among the mangroves beneath, and the deep blue sky overhead. But running up the N.W. coast at the change of the monsoons was not quite so pleasant as the dreamy river travel. The weather was very bad, as was to be expected at the season, and we had several accidents. One night, as we dashed up the Bejang river in a terrible squall of wind and rain, I stood in the companion looking for a break in the shroud- like sky. Suddenly I heard a wild cry overhead, and at the same moment a dark mass shot down before my face, and dashed with fearful violence against the side. We hastened to raise the horrid- looking heap from the sloppy deck, and found it to be the body of an unfortunate sailor who had fallen from aloft. His thigh was broken, and his head badly cut and bruised. In the morning we dis- THE KENNOWITS. r K / 0 covered that his skull had drilled a round hole in the bottom of the sampan which was hauled up alongside. Had it not been for this, however, the poor fellow must have gone overboard, and the tide was running out very fast. Even if he had escaped the sharks, the chances were much against his making shore in such a night and such a sea. When daylight came, we endeavoured to set the broken thigh ; but the anatomical difficulties which we found seemed insurmountable, and we satisfied ourselves with binding it up in bamboo splints, and putting the man ashore at a village where he said he had friends. A few days after this event — passed in an equal proportion of sharp squalls and merry calms, blazing da} r s and soft starlit nights, when we used to sit out on deck singing nigger songs, and trying to talk sentiment* about the Southern Cross, which glim- mered down on the horizon — we reached Kennowit. This town, situated about 1 50 miles up the Bejang river, is inhabited principally by a tribe of the same name, formerly very powerful in this part of the island, but now rapidly diminishing in numbers and importance. The Kennowits, indeed, complain that they are in danger of extinction from the I)yak clans surrounding them, and that the latter leave them no ground on which to plant their rice. They have never been well-disposed towards the Bajah’s government, and engaged heartily in the conspiracy of 1859 against it, signalising themselves therein 76 THE KENNOWITS. by the murder of their Residents, Messrs. Fox and Steele, as these gentlemen were strolling unarmed outside the fort. In appearance the Kennowits contrast badly even with the Land Dyaks, and are far inferior to the sea tribes. I have already observed that they belong to one of the five aboriginal races, but in language and characteristics they are so closely allied to the Kyans as almost to be merged in that powerful tribe. The Kennowits have the Tartar cast of face and figure which characterises more or less every race in the island, and is especially noticeable among the Malays. Their colour is yellow, their eyeballs small and prominent, the ridge of the nose between the eyes is almost imperceptible, the mouth is large and shapeless, the cheek-bones project enormously, the nostrils are wide and flat, and the expression gene- rally sullen and malignant. The above description may be held to refer also to the Kyans, with whom the Kennowits are closely connected ; but the Dyaks, though perhaps of the same original stock, are much more agreeable in feature and expression. But it is principally in point of language that the five races show such marked dissimilarity. The Kennowits, and their kindred the Kyans, tatoo the chest in pale blue lines with an occasional streak of scarlet. Many of the arabesques are very intricate and beautiful, but I never saw them attempt to delineate the figure of any animal. THE REJANG RIVER. 77 Sometimes they give themselves heard and whis- kers in blue tracery ; naturally their faces are quite smooth, as is the case with all the natives of the far East.* Both Malays and Dyaks consider tatoo- ing to he a sign of cowardice, for, say they, a brave man requires no adventitious aid to make him terrible, and in fact the Kennowits are not highly esteemed for courage. Another of their customs is the enlargement of the lobe of the ear to an enormous size : I have seen cases where an orange could be passed through the orifice with the greatest ease. The costume of the men is precisely the same as that I have described as prevailing among the Land Dyaks, and their habits are similar. The women wear the bedang or short petticoat, but when work- ing in the sun they put on a quilted jacket, open down the front. On great occasions, such as a de- putation to their Resident, they come out in full Malay costume. The Bejang river upon which the town of Ken- no wit stands, is the largest stream in the island ; it is more than half a mile wide opposite thetown, which is situated about three hundred miles from the sea. * Hair upon the face is not unknown either among Malays or Dyaks, though it is rare. I remember a chief of the Undups, and a handsome young fellow from the Upper Sakarran, both of whom had whiskers ; and Subu, the executioner of Kuchins, has a goodly white beard. The Malays sometimes manage to grow half-a dozen long wiry hairs upon the upper lip, of which they are very proud. 78 DEPUTATION OF WOMEN. The fort stands on a hill overlooking the water, and, like all the other out-stations of Sarawak, is a w r ooden building of two stories. The lower part has no windows, and the only entrance is by a ladder to the first floor. It is well provided with cannon, and there is a plentiful supply of firearms upon the racks ; mostly, however, smooth bores and very ancient. The morning after our arrival, as I looked through the lattice-work under the eaves of the fort, I beheld a most astonishing phenomenon. Immediately be- low me was a round circle of straw nearly five feet in diameter — beyond that another, and a dozen more beyond that, in due diminution of persjDective. The objects were in motion winding along the path in a horribly business-like manner. I re- mained speechless for a while, but when the first had passed on some little distance, beneath the extraordinary straw covering I perceived the body and long black hair of a woman. Another and another was disclosed, and the mystery was solved ; the wives of the Kennowits were coming to pay their respects to Mr. Cruickshank, their Eesident, on his safe return. The wonderful structures which so overwhelmed me when seen from above, were neither more nor less than their hats, and indeed they could not well have been more, though easily less. Most of the women were of astonishing age and amusing ugliness. One little girl, however, who THEIR DRESS AND APPEARANCE. 79 was certainly not more than four feet high, though full-grown and married, seemed rather good-looking. These charming beings squatted down in a semi- circle in Mr. Cruickshank’s bedroom, and instantly began to express their sentiments with a freedom and decision which told well for their household independence. They showed, or at least professed, their contempt for the presents offered them with- out the slightest hesitation. The deputation was dressed in long Malay jackets of blue cotton, very tight, very shiny, and provided with a considerable number of gold or gilt buttons. For this festive occasion only they wore Malay sarongs about their waists, falling down to the ankles ; their whole appearance indeed far more resembled that of Malays than of Dyaks. The worthy ladies were treated with scant cere- mony according to European ideas. Mr. Cruick- shank went in and out of the room all the time, had a game at play with his big monkey, and finally left the women entirely alone while he went on board the Venus, which was lying in the middle of the river. But the deputation thought nothing of it apparently ; they squatted on their haunches in perfect contentment whether their Besident was present or not, and harangued us with great cheer- fulness when he had finally disappeared. We could not understand a word they said, nor for that matter could anybody else except Mr. Cruicksliank, who has necessarily studied their language. 80 NARROW ESCAPE. In the afternoon our party was invited by a famous Kennowit warrior named Joke — a faithful friend to the Raj all’s government — to be present at a great festivity to be held at the house of the Orang Kaya, in honour of the Tuan Mudah’s arrival. After dinner accordingly we embarked upon the moonlit river in a sampan or native boat. But the sampan was very small, and our party rather large, from which two causes it resulted that, long before we reached our destination, everyone became un- easy. We first put all the heavy men in the middle, then we divided them : then we devised another mode of balancing the craft, in the midst of which she began to sink and we made a desperate rush for the bank, to which we were fortunately close. The sampan went down just as the last of us jumped out. I may mention, in passing, that the Rejang is celebrated, even among the rivers of Borneo, for the peculiar malevolence of its sharks and alligators. When we landed the moon had disappeared be- hind a bank of clouds, and the darkness was almost visible. The houses were at some distance from the spot where we were ; there was no path, or in their excitement our guides had missed it, and we were obliged to make our way through the un- derwood as best we could. For my own part I will here make a confession. The reason that I reached the Orang Kaya’s house in such coolness and comfort was that I performed the journey upon THE 0RAXG KAYA S HOUSE. 81 the hack of a stalwart little Malay fortman, who whispered the proposition into my ear as we landed. I took care, however, to preserve my dignity by alighting just before reaching the door. We found the Oraug Ivaya’s house to be raised quite twenty feet from the ground, though it was not the tallest in the town. To gain this elevation the visitor is obliged to climb up a notched log provided with a slight handrail to assist the balance. When we had mounted, we found ourselves in a sort of verandah, upon which opened the door of a large irregular chamber crammed with natives. The ceremony of hand-shaking is thought much of by them, and every warrior was anxious to go through it with us. When they were all satisfied, we were conducted to one end of the apartment, and there sat down with our backs to the wall. In case of accidents, our party was very strong, con- sisting of six Europeans well armed, and twelve Malays in the Kajah’s uniform, tight blue jacket, red sash, and white trousers. And this enumeration does not include ’Din, the Tuan Mudah’s pretty little Malay boy, whom I saw in a prominent position, girt with a sabre so long that he must have drawn it over his shoulder after the manner of the crusaders. After waiting some time in considerable im- patience, a board was laid down in front of us, upon which dancing was to take place. The next mo- ment a warrior leapt upon it with that correct spring we have seen so often on a more luxurious G 82 DANCE OF WARRIORS. stage. The music opened up, the performer began to dance, and the scene became striking enough. The immense apartment was full of queer comers and recesses, so crammed with spectators as barely to leave a space clear for the dancing. Such light as there was came from a number of tall bronze braziers, of design and workmanship by no means contemptible, which were filled with some odori- ferous wood. Being principally disposed near our- selves, and emitting a dense smoke and a dazzling red flame, they enabled us only to catch an occa- sional glimpse of a multitude of dun figures squatted on the ground, whose bright eyes gleamed with excitement in the obscurity. Round the semi- circular space behind us and on our flanks were ranged cloths and sarongs of brilliant colour, while on the board in the centre danced the warrior in naked dignity. On our right were the Malays, whose savage features and tasteful costumes seemed to make the background still more striking and barbarous. So far as we could ascertain, there was no par- ticular significance in the first dance. It was very slow and solemn, with much swaying from side to side, and stooping, and turning about, all, however, in excellent time to the music. After a while another warrior joined the first, and both crouched down on their haunches in the usual Dyak fighting position, and went through figures apparently as much de rigueur as those of a European quadrille. JOKE. 83 Both were completely armed with sword and shield, and the strength and agility displayed were rather striking, but otherwise the performance appeared to “ drag.” When these two had perspired till they seemed likely to melt away entirely, our friend Joke, who had been looking on with manifest impatience, suddenly sprang up and took his place on the board. Joke was a little man, — probably not over five feet two inches in height, — but with a breadth of shoulder and depth of chest which would not have disgraced a life-guardsman. There was not an ounce of flesh to spare on his yellow-brown body, which glistened with health and condition, and his broad chest was covered all over with graceful blue arabesques. The huge lobes of his ears hung on his shoulders, and through each two broad brass rings were passed, three inches in diameter and half an inch thick. He prepared for his part by putting on a war-cloak of wild bull’s hide, adorned with feathers of the rhinoceros hornbill, and trimmed with red cloth and panther-skin. More feathers of the same bird fluttered about his war cap of monkey-fur and fell into his little prominent eyes, which glistened with gin and excitement. He was about to show us a dance, designed to represent the principal events in the life of an orang-outang or mias, and it must be evident to all thinking individuals that sword, and shield, and g 2 84 MIAS DANCE. war cap are essentially requisite for the correct delineation of that animal’s habits. The contortions through which Joke put his person and his features are beyond description ; suffice it to say that, by the aid of much nature and a little art, he managed to give himself something of the personal appearance of an orang-outang. But if his imitation of the animal’s postures and general habits were at all true to nature, I can only say that in Europe we have much to learn on this subject. The performance was brought to rather an abrupt conclusion, and the mias was left in a peculiarly uncomfortable posture, with its cap over its eyes. Then Joke volunteered to give us a deer-dance in like manner. This also was entirely opposed to the ideas usually current as to this animal’s habits, and might have led an inexperienced traveller to con- clude that a deer in Borneo was engaged through its whole existence in beating time to music on its hind legs, with a drawn sword in its fore-paw. Joke deserted his deer in a very sudden manner, just as the animal was apparently about to volunteer a song. A glass of neat gin restored him to his pristine vigour, and, in company with another chief, he gave us one of the traditional dances of the Kennowits. Arranged in all the bravery which delights the military mind in most quarters of the globe, these two chiefs made a great fight in the heroic style, — musical time, stamping of feet, and turning of backs. The slow activity, if I may so express PANTOMIMIC DANCE. 85 myself, which they showed in leaping from side to side in the constrained position in which Pyaks fight, seemed very remarkable. After a while Joke, who always contrived to he the hero of the scene, finding himself evenly matched, commenced, in pantomime, to make spikes under cover of his shield, which was adorned with figures in blue and red paint, and with streaming locks of human hair. The spikes consisted of bamboo stakes, sharpened and thrown about the ground ; a most dangerous weapon against a bare-footed enemy, for the green bamboo is as hard as a steel blade, as I know by painful experience. In the end Joke was successful, and his foe, lame and helpless, was dispatched after a courageous pas seul upon one leg. Then ensued a wild fandango of triumph round the body, while the drums and gongs composing our orchestra beat like mad things. Presently, amid the yells of the audience, Joke tore off his enemy’s head — that is, his cap — and danced about with it. On more attentive examination, the miserable man recognised the features of his brother, and howled. After simulating grief and horror, much as it is done at the Italian Opera, he adopted a bold resolution, seized his brother’s shoulders, spat furiously into the cap, and thrust it upon the dead man’s head. Upon which the brother leapt to his feet, and the two executed a “ pas de con- gratulation.” This was the hit of the evening, and the yells were awful. 86 HEAD -HUNTING DANCE. After resting awhile, and drinking much more raw spirit than was good for him, our indefatigable friend leapt again upon the stage, like a giant renovated with gin. This time he gave us a piece of pantomime representing a Kennowit jungle campaign. It was admirable both in design and execution, comprising the various incidents of an unsuccessful expedition in search of heads, such as ten years ago occupied half the existence of these fellows ; — the other halt being passed in successful excursions. It behoved the performer to do his best, for the audience were critical upon the representation of events which, passing away from the domain of the “ chic ” and the romantic, came within the experience of every one of them, and Joke, who was a brave and renowned warrior, simply drew upon his memory for the “ points ” of the performance. He began with a spirited strut along his board, representing a proud departure from home with his companions. Then he crept stealthily along in an enemy’s country. The surprise followed, a geDeral fight, and the death of all his comrades. Then he wandered about, lost in a hostile jungle, afraid to light a fire, and starving. Finally, with a last faint stamp in time to the music, he lay down to die, but rousing himself for a final effort, crawled home and celebrated his escape with a lively jig. The whole pantomime was exceedingly clever, and required scarcely a word of explanation. Joke is FEMALE PERFORMANCE. 87 celebrated for this dance, and for the one with his brother which I have described, and when taken to Kuching by Mr. Cruicksliank, he is much supplicated for a performance, but it is generally to no purpose. The dancing, with the intervals between, had now lasted about three hours, and the atmosphere of the hut was curious. Also every one of the warriors was drunk, or in a fair way to become so, and the dignity of the Government officers began to warn them to move. Three aged and hideous hags, arrayed in long blue coats of silk with Malay “ sarongs,” and gold ornaments, attempted to get up a female exhibition, accompanied by much waving of arms and shaking of stomachs, but some- how they could not at all agree about the right mode of commencing, and we would not wait for the end of the very voluble argument in which they instantly engaged. So about midnight we sallied out from the smoky gin-sodden atmosphere of the hut, and returned in safety on board the Venus. As we sat on deck smoking a last cheroot and watching the ripple of the moonlight on the swift river, the yells of the Kennowits came faintly to our ears, shoving that the excitement of the festival had by no means abated after our departure. 88 CHAPTER V. The Venus — Colony of Sakarran Dvaks — War-Boat of the Ken- nowits — Fine Race of People — Valuable Jars — Comparison of Kennowits and Dyaks — Dyak Ear-rings — An Albino — Dyak Anxiety for Heads — Pakatans — Intended Removal of Kenno- wit — Bruni Currency — Attack on the Kyan Ambassadors — Scenery on the Egan — Bintulu — European Civilization in the East — Malay Love-Story — Dyak Hunting — Curious Law- case — Rich Costumes — “ Kris ” — Executions — “ Parang Latok ” — Sabres — Dout’s Prowess. rplIE Venus is a much larger vessel than the -Jolly Bachelor, and her accommodation is very com- fortable. This, indeed, seemed to he the opinion of the cockroaches, which were numerous on board of her as are the sands on the shore. I cannot con- scientiously support the assertion of a recent traveller, who avers that he has seen specimens of this useful insect as large as mice, but certainly I have seen them over two inches and a half long. They have a horrible weakness for gnawing the toe-nails of a sleeper, and sailors in the Eastern seas are fre- quently lamed for weeks by the injuries received in a single night. We managed to keep a great part of them at a distance by carefully tucking in the edges of our mosquito curtains ; but at night the cabin was walled, and floored, and ceilinged with WAR-BOAT OF THE KENNOWITS. 89 them. Subsequently, a standing reward of ten cents per thousand, offered by the Tuan Mudali for all those legitimately slaughtered on board, some- what reduced their numbers. The day after the festivities described in the preceding chapter, the Tuan Mudah, Arthur, and myself went up a branch of the Rejang to Mangis Malita, a settlement of Sakarran Dyaks, who have lately emigrated to these parts in considerable num- bers. The particular colony we were about to visit was governed by an old chief named Apilagi, a tried and staunch friend of the Rajah. We ascended the river in a war-boat of the Iven- nowits, and no mode of travel that I ever saw can compare with this in picturesque effect. Our boat was seventy feet long, raised in the bows and stern, where it was decorated with carvings of rather in- delicate design and very rudimentary execution. A long “kajong,” or mat, covered it from stem to stern, and protected our forty-two paddlers from the blaze of the sun. The Tuan Mudah, Arthur, and myself sat in the middle — it might almost be called amidships — and the many-coloured jackets, sarongs, and handkerchiefs of the boatmen formed a gaudy avenue before us and behind. The brillianc}^ of this fringe, however, was frequently toned down by a bare back of glossy brown or yellow. As we passed along we picked up a number of native chiefs in gala cos- tume, who took up their position between the lines of rowers, thereby breaking our vista ; but we w r ere 90 FINE RACE OF PEOPLE. well compensated for this loss by the beauty of their gold-embroidered garments and the pic- turesque ugliness of their dingy faces. No matter what may be the number of its popu- lation, a Sea Dyak settlement is always called a “house;” but to avoid misunderstanding, I will continue to use the word “ village,” with the expla- nation that there is never more than one building therein, in which every family of the clan has an apartment. On arrival at the village of Mangis Malipa, we were enthusiastically welcomed by the populace. I feel that in describing these people I shall be charged with the use of wild superlatives, but if they be not really quite such fine fellows as they appeared to us, it may be remembered that we saw them in comparison with the miserable savages we had lately visited, to whom at least they were a delightful con- trast. In physical characteristics they were cer- tainly the finest type we had an opportunity of en- countering, and I regret that we were unable to stay for a time among them, more closely to observe their habits and peculiarities. The men were re- markably fine-looking fellows, tall, bright, and stal- wart, and most of the younger women were good- looking. Some of them were really pretty in feature, and their beautiful figures were but little concealed by their costume, which was simply a short petti- coat. Apilagi’s daughter, Tipong by name, was an exceedingly fine girl, and her brothers were the LOVE AND JEALOUSY. 91 tallest men of the tribe. Males and females had alike a frank and fearless expression which was very engaging. If they could be prevailed upon to drop the custom of pulling out the eyebrows and blacken- ing the teeth, they would be the most delightful savages possible ; and after all, their teeth, while young, are so perfect and regular, that the eye soon becomes accustomed to this jetty colour, which is universally fashionable both among Malays and Dyaks. There was a girl here whose expression of exqui- site melancholy was charming ; it was a tender pen- siveness, evidently the natural cast of her features, and not caused by any heartbreaking circumstances. Joined to her pretty face and upright supple figure, I have no doubt it had played wild work among these honest Dyaks. We fell in love with her in- stantly, but she laughed at us in the cruellest manner. The Dyaks, perhaps from the greater simplicity of their lives and their stationary habits, do not suffer the paroxysms of love and jealousy to which Malays are subject, and the horrible custom of run- ning “ amok,” though not absolutely unknown, is exceedingly rare among them. Chastity and private morality have always stood higher among the land tribes than among those who inhabit the coast ; but even with the latter, infidelity to marriage is an almost unheard-of crime. This may be in conse- quence of the extreme liberty allowed to the un- married girls, who make choice of a husband at 92 PARENTAL PRIDE. leisure, and meantime are subject to no restraint or supervision whatever. The Malays, on the contrary, few who know them will deny to be the most im- moral and licentious people in the world — at least of those who claim any degree of civilization — but they frequently show an amount of self-abnegation in their love affairs which is not usual among the simpler race. It is true that, since human nature is much the same in Borneo as in England, the Malay lover, when jealous, usually prefers to murder his mistress rather than to set her free ; but the Dyak passions are cooller, and their domestic affec- tion far greater, and therefore the occasion to act in a violent manner less frequently arises. In the fort at Ivennowit hangs a kris with which a Malay of that town stabbed to death the wife and a slave of the Orang Kaya in a fury of jealousy. There is a custom among all the Dyak tribes which strongly illustrates their parental pride and affection. As soon as a man has a son born to him he drops his own name, and ever after retains that of his eldest living boy with the prefix “ api” — father. Thus when the old chief of Mangis Malipa in his younger days had begotten a boy who was named “ Lagi,” he disused his former appellation and became “Apilagi.” The same custom some- times obtains in the case of a daughter, but more rarely. As we returned to our boat, after taking a few portraits, and chatting for a couple of hours with VALUABLE JARS. 93 these pleasant fellows, we passed a liut on the land- ing-stage in which was preserved a considerable quantity of the valuable jars which principally con- stitute Dyak wealth. On examination they ap- peared to be of common earthenware, exceedingly like brown bathing jars, but differing in size, and in having a few rude figures of various animals upon them. The natives recognise various classes and distinctions among these vessels, of which the most valuable is called the “ Gusih” kind, and will fetch from 1500 to 3000 dollars. In ap- pearance a jar of this sort is worthless enough; it stands about two feet high, and has rude lug handles about the mouth. On its sides a few figures of deer are roughly scratched. The second kind is not nearly so costly as the Gusih, and is called, I think, the “ dragon but even for a jar of this second-rate description, which was a portion of the Tuan Mudah’s spoil in the Kyan war, he received 400 dollars — nearly 100/. The Dyaks attribute magical, or at least medicinal powers, to water contained in these vessels, and the tribe for- tunate enough to possess one draws a handsome revenue yearly by the sale of water poured from it to the neighbouring villages. Though the Dutch have several times attempted to pass off European imitations of them, the fraud has always been detected by the natives. Whether at any time a manufactory of earthenware existed upon the island in which these jars were made, or whether they 94 DYAKS AND KENNOWITS. were imported at some very distant date, is unknown, but tlieir great antiquity is indisputable. The day after this visit to Mangis Malipa, our Dyak friends returned the call on board the Venus, and shortly after their arrival, the Kennowits appeared, thereby enabling us to make a direct comparison between the two races, which was by no means to the advantage of the latter. We sat on the quarter-deck during their stay, with the Ken- nowits squatted on our right, and the Dyaks on our left. We were deluged with them ; they crowded round in front and behind ; some sprawled about on the guns or lay balanced along the bulwarks, and numbers of the inferior warriors hung on to the rigging or wandered inquisitively about the vessel. The Dyaks came accompanied by most of their women and children, the Kennowits were all males. The former were smiling, frank, and happy-looking, arrayed in all the bravery of orange and crimson cliowats, with bright-coloured sarongs swung loosely over their broad shoulders ; innumerable brass rings glittered on their arms, and heavy “ chatelaines ” tinkled pendent from their ears. The Kennowits were hideous, sullen, and dirty, seeming as if they well deserved the fate of extermination which, it is said, approaches them. They complained that the Dyaks drove them from their paddy grounds and fruit plantations, and that they were not allowed to harvest their rice in peace ; but the accused only laughed, and evidently re- DYAK EAR-RINGS. 95 gretted, in a good-humoured sort of way, that they were not permitted to take their enemy’s heads also, as in the wild days gone by. Speaking above of Dyak ear-rings, I have called them “ chatelaines.” Eeally I don’t know what better name I could find. Here is a description of the miscellaneous objects hanging from the ears of Meringai, Apilagi’s second son. Imprimis, a large brass ring, from which depended, by long chains of brass, two boars’ tusks, one alligator’s tooth, the upper part of a rhinoceros hornbill’s beak scraped pink and yellow, three smaller brass rings, and two little bells. One of the modes of ornamenting the ear in use among the Dyaks is pretty enough, though perhaps barbarous. A hole is bored at the very top of the ear, and through it is passed a small ring about a quarter of an inch in diameter ; at a distance of the third part of an inch, another ring, a little larger, is suspended ; a still larger one at the same distance from the second ; and so on till the lobe of the ear is reached, through which is passed a ring nearly two inches in diameter. The effect is rather elegant, but the organ becomes horribly deformed and shapeless. Sometimes two holes only are pierced, one at the top and one at the lobe of the ear, by means of which a brass plate is held along the outside, to which the rings are attached. The Dyaks brought down with them an Albino, a monstrosity which is not very rare in their country. He was a miserable looking wretch ; his 96 AN ALBINO. skin, of an unhealthy white, was almost concealed with great blotches of sun-freckle ; his hair was of no known colour ; his eyes were of a pale grey, but he was quite unable to raise them from the ground in consequence of the sun-glare from the river ; he told us, in fact, that he never could look up for more than a glance when the sun was above the horizon. However, he was unmistakeably a white man, and the Dyaks rejoiced in him accord- ingly. These manly, frank-hearted fellows from Mangis Malipa contented themselves with harmless chaff about the absurdity of white men in the Tropics, but sometimes these Albinos have been the cause of disagreeable scenes. We were told that the parents of this specimen were both of the national colour, but that all his brothers and sisters were Albinos, and also that several of his ancestors had shown the same peculiarity. The Kennowit women whom we had seen at the Fort came to call on the Tuan Mudah. The ceremony was precisely similar ; one old lady squatted on the floor and talked, the rest squatted on the floor and held their tongues. They were overflowing with complaints against the Dyaks, but the younger women seemed much more interested in a silent but attentive examination of our appear- ance and habits than in listening to the patriotic wailings of their voluble old spokeswoman. Every day single Dyaks came down to see us, and there were always a few roaming harmlessly PAKATANS. 97 about the vessel. Their smiling request was ever the same, “Please, Tuan, may I go and take a head?” The tribe from whom the head was to be taken varied according to the family or personal feuds of the petitioner, but one fellow very anxious indeed to perform some ceremony or propitiation for which, as he asserted, a head was absolutely necessary, when permission to seek one among the Kyans was refused, appealed to the Tuan Mudah’s knowledge of anthro- pology, and begged to be at least allowed to kill a Pakatan. “ For,” said he, “ they are only wild beasts.” It is needless to say that his request, though put in this innocent form, was sternly refused. These Pakatans are a remarkable race, of whom little is at present known. They are found only in the densest jungle, and are said to have no habita- tions save hollow trees and natural caverns. They wander continually about the forests, and by their skill in woodcraft easily avoid contact. Should any man, however, wander into a district for which they have a momentary preference, he is instantly attacked with the deadly “ sumpitan ” or blowpipe. And yet one of this race, who was taken prisoner some time ago, appeared, in the opinion of Euro- peans who saw him, to be handsome and intelligent in expression beyond the other races of the island. It seemed difficult, however, to detect any syllabifi- cation in his utterance, though there is little doubt that the Pakatans are possessed of a language H 98 THE BAZAAR OF KENNOWIT. of some rude description. This prisoner was much fairer even than the Milanowes, the lightest of the Bornean tribes, and his body was tatooed in blue ara- besques, like those of the Kyans and the Kennowits. It seems opposed to all former experience that the most barbarous race of a country should be that most favoured by nature. The Bazaar of Kennowit extends for some dis- tance along the river bank, and is occupied princi- pally by Malays intermixed with a few Chinamen. The houses are built upon piles about fifteen feet high, with a broad verandah in front, and a narrower one behind. All goods are scrupulously stored within the dwellings, for the Kyans and the Dyaks from the upper parts of the river consider themselves at liberty to take for their own use any article exposed on the verandah or hanging to the outer wall. As individuals, or occasionally small parties, of these people sometimes descend to the town, some care is necessary in arranging goods, but the visitors are scrupulously honest, and were never known to ap- propriate anything from the interior of the dwelling. Serious disputes have sometimes arisen from this awkward habit, but the strangers have justice on their side, for, as they say, “You accept our custom when you visit us, and make free use of everything placed outside our houses, and we will do the same by }"ou when we come to your towns.” All the buildings of Kennowit are very dilapi- dated ; for the trading population do not care to INTENDED REMOVAL OE KENNOWIT. 99 spend time or money in repairs, when they have long been expecting the order to abandon their settlement and to remove to a new situation some distance down the river. The logs and clapboards of bilian* for the new fort are all prepared and lie along the hank ready for transportation, and some days before we left, a “pachara” or council was held by the Tuan Mudah at the Court House, to explain the advantages of the measure to the population, and to hear any suggestion which the chiefs might offer. The Court House at Kennowit is similar in miniature to the one I have described at Kuching. When the natives were assembled, we all went down to it, and sat cross-legged upon the ground, while the Tuan Mudah addressed the audience. There was not much speaking; everyone was delighted that the long desired change had come at last, and no one seemed to object to the arrangements. One or two old gentlemen in gorgeous garments and Persian turbans, embroidered with gold thread, put in a few remarks, hut they were purely of a personal and complimentary nature. The Malays are always polite, but that is a general characteristic of Maho- * Bilian is the native name for iron-wood. In many parts of Borneo this is an exceedingly common tree in the jungle, where it is easily distinguished by its dark-coloured bark and pale green foliage. The timber is wonderfully hard if attacked unskilfully, but the Malay and Chinese carpenters split it easily. A house built of this wood will last for centuries, aud a family whose house is raised on bilian piles will carefully dig them up on removal to be again used. H 2 100 BRUNI CURRENCY. medan peoples. They gradually lose the virtue from contact with Europeans, principally perhaps because they find the practice all on one side ; but from the studied kindness and consideration with which all natives are treated by the Sarawak officers, we may hope that in their country Oriental courtesy may permanently abide. The standard currency of Borneo is brass guns. This is not a figure of speech, nor do I mean small pistols or blunderbusses, but real cannon, five to ten feet long, and heavy in proportion. The metal is estimated at so much a picul, and articles are bought and sold, and change given, by means of this awkward coinage. The picul contains one hundred catties* each of which weighs 14- English pounds ; con- sequently the picul is 33 4-lbs. There is one great advantage about this currency — it is not easily stolen. Outside the fort at Kennowit lie guns representing many hundred dollars, and there they have reposed for years in perfect safety. The iron coinage of Lycurgus was not a fiftieth part so cumbersome. The guns are mostly manufactured at Bruni, and many of them are very graceful in form and richly ornamented about the trunnions with arabesques. Regarded as instruments of war they have considerable value, throwing a solid shot to a great distance with surprising accuracy ; but they * Tea purchased iu small quantities is frequently enclosed in boxes containing one catty. I offer a diffident suggestion that this may possibly be the derivation of our familiar “ tea-caddy. ASSASSINATION OF FOX AND STEELE. 101 are soon heated, and for that reason become useless in rapid firing. Opposite the bazaar is a little circular gambling house, from which a great uproar was issuing when- ever we passed it. Chinese and Malays were its principal frequenters, and we once saw a Celestial speculator emerge in a wild state of cursing and distraction. These establishments are the cause of many men becoming “ amok,” and are not permitted in Kuching. The natives of the Rejang, however, are hardly yet so firmly settled under the Government as to justify an unpopular innovation. The fort of which Fox and Steele had the com- mand is now partly pulled down, and the remainder occupied by a Malay family. The poor fellows were slain within a few yards of each other ; one was run through with a spear as he strolled unsuspiciously round the moat after breakfast ; the other was cut down on the bridge a few moments afterwards in returning from the Bazaar. When the town was again subdued some of the murderers were captured, but two of them escaped to the country of the Kyans, who declined to surrender them. The war just concluded when we reached Sarawak had been principally occasioned by this refusal, but after the invasion of their territory, the Kyans consented to give up the single survivor, and he was “ krised ” at Kuching some months after our return. The chiefs of the nation were to have come down to ratify peace with solemn ceremonies, and the object of 102 ATTACK ON THE KYAN AMBASSADORS. Tuan Mudah’s voyage was to be present on the occasion, but the warriors did not appear, and in their place a rumour gained ground that a Kyan herald had been murdered in coming from them. The fact afterwards turned out to be that some of the lawless natives of the Rejang lay in w T ait for the party of chiefs as it descended the river, and took ten heads from them, losing, however, thirteen of their own in the engagement. The remainder ot the Kyan deputation, suspecting treachery, returned home. Whatever might be the cause, it was evident that the chiefs were not at the rendezvous, and we could not hear that they were on the way, so, when we had gone through all the sights of Ivennowit, from the ruins of the old fort to Mr. Cruickshank’s wonderful “ brok ”* Boy, we prepared to return. But the Tuan Mudali had letters to send to Bintulu, and he invited us to cruise in the Jolly as far as that place. We were delighted with the opportunity, and on the fifth of September began to descend the river in company with the Venus, firing great guns as we went. This de- monstration was intended to freshen the memory ot the Kennowits that the Rajah’s gunboats were in- controvertible truths, a fact they were something apt to forget. * “ Brok ” is the native term for “ ape.” I shall have a future opportunity of describing the monkeys we met with in Borneo. SCENERY ON THE EGAN. 103 We parted company with the Venus at the point where the Rejang and the Egan unite their waters. Our companions followed the course of the former towards Kuching, and we entered the stream of the latter, which flows into the sea some thirty miles nearer our destination. The Egan intersects a vast marshy plain covered with impenetrable jungle, and very sparsely inhabited. Two days we followed its course. Sometimes a solid wall of vegetation arose on either bank; sometimes, for miles on miles, extended the broad fringe of mangroves, whose light green foliage vainly strove to hide the foul slime from which they sprang. No song of bird or cry of beast broke the sultry silence. A heavy fruit fell from some giant branch into the water with re- sounding splash, or some laggard monkey rustled faintly among the leaves in escaping after his com- panions. The splended blue king-fisher sat half asleep upon his bough, or suddenly swooped down on rainbow wing. The snow-white plumage of the solemn paddy-bird glimmered for a moment under the slimy bushes. Without a breath of wind our little craft swung slowly down the tide, and we lay under the awning in panting yet not unpleasant prostration. Hour after hour passed by without a sound reaching our ears, save the shrill voices of the sailors and the wash of the water. Is there a land in the temperate zone which can show, through all its length and breadth, the living beauty that exists in one acre of tropical jungle? Our 104 MUKA. seas, mountains, and skies are not so blue, our woods have not such a green, our trees are mere shrubs, our vegetation has no variety. But when night comes on, and the silver moon- light spreads over the landscape, illumining the great masses of vegetation and rippling over the blackened water ; — when the bell of the wild deer comes in music from the glades, and a thousand vague but pleasant sounds arise from jungle and river ;■ — when the frogs boom in low thunder from the morass, and swarms of fireflies flash among the trees in a sheet of living flame ; — then, indeed, the European must confess the poverty of his own scenery, and ask in wonder why such a land as this is peopled with such a race. When we reached the open sea we were attacked by the squalls and head winds consequent on the change in the monsoons. After two days buffet- ing we made Muka, a town of the Milanowes, where is a strong fort and an important station of the Borneo Company. The Jolly hove to off the bar to deliver letters, and a boat called the Anak War, or Young Snake, put off from the town to receive them. Muka is celebrated for its swift sampans, and the Anak War has a reputation even at Muka, but although we were prepared to see great speed, she fairly astonished us with her rapidity in the heavy sea in which we rode. Three days more of bad weather took us to Bintulu, the farthest station of the Sarawak govern- 105 WRECK OF THE “ BADGER.” ment. We cast anchor outside the bar, for Captain Micheson, of the Jolly Bachelor , had already lost a gunboat on the sands there, and was determined to remain for the future on the safe side. In fact, when we had crossed the bar in the gig, although the sea was quite calm outside, we found the surf so tremendous, that we preferred to land some dis- tance from the fort and proceed on foot along the beach. All along this coast the surf is very heavy, and the fort of Muka is absolutely closed for a con- siderable portion of the year. With a melancholy interest we surveyed the timbers of the gunboat Badger , lost on a calm day here by Captain Miche- son some time ago, and whose skeleton ribs still projected above the sand. We met Captain Eodway, the Eesident, on the beach, and accompanied him home. The unfor- tunate man was in an advanced stage of misery and destitution ; all his stores had been given out, the half-monthly issue of rice to his fortmen was over- due, and they, like himself, were already on short rations. A pleasant welcome was all he could offer, but we were able in some measure to relieve his personal distress by ordering our own provisions and liquor from the gunboat. The fort stands about fifty yards from the sea, and, barring that it is quite indefensible, is an agree- able habitation enough. The gates open on -a court- yard, with the apartments of the resident on the left and the fortmen’s quarters on the right. A gallery 106 BINTULU. over the entrance connects the two parts, and so far the plan of the building is admirable for its purpose. On the other hand, however, we were told on good authority that if one of the large guns on the first floor were fired, it must inevitably burst from its seizings, and crash through into the abode of dark- ness beneath. Like all other fortified buildings in this country the lower story has no windows, and is disused except as a bathing-room. Bintulu is situated at the mouth of a river of the same name, and the growth of trade is rapidly in- creasing its importance and population. Nothing in Sarawak is more gratifying than the remarkable extension of the Malay settlements — at present they can scarcely be called towns — in every district. I have already remarked that the houses at Ken- nowit are falling into decay, merely because for many months the inhabitants have been constantly expecting the removal of their Besident and prin- cipal families to a more favourable situation some distance down the river, and there is no doubt the town erected there will be upon a much hand- somer scale than the old settlement. At Bintulu large residences are building for the native chiefs and rich traders ; and though it may be true that with greater wealth they all seem inclined to in- dulge in great extravagance — especially in the matter of wives — still, through all human history, the civilization of the many has entailed the luxury of the few, and a nation so widely spread and for- CIVILIZATION IN THE EAST. 107 merly so powerful as the Malay, seems worthy of a more exalted position in the world than it can boast at present. That a people like this, who already suffer many of the inconveniences and all the vices of civilized life, should rise to the enjoyment of its advantages likewise all humanity must desire ; but what com- fort or reward can our boasted refinement offer to the Dyak that we should urge him to embrace it ? The noble savage has no place in my creed — I have seen so many — but let Europe look around these seas, and observe the results of her ameliorating influence. The Javanese have been civilized, and are discontented Helots ; the Dyaks and Malays of Banjermasin, Sambas, and Pontianak have been driven wild with civilization ; in the South Seas the natives are dying in heaps from the introduction of our beneficent institutions ; the Malaj^s of Singa- pore are gradually driven out by swarms of China- men, attracted by the genius of dollars and civili- zation; we introduce it to Japan in gunboats, and disseminate it by bombardment ; in the Manillas the Spaniards urge on the cause by slow extermi- nation. We know the world was encircled by water, that Liverpool might send her vessels to every coast and distribute Manchester cotton to all the nations, but mingled with his cheap prints and his Sheffield cutlery, the British trader carries mate- rials of very different nature. War and drunkenness, and depopulation, and all uncleanness, accompany 108 PROBABLE FATE OF THE DYAKS. him, and spread far and wide over the land. It may be that the evil and the good are not inse- parable, that the simple ones of the earth may be taught the refinements of Europe, and yet be in- jured in no way; but search modern history, and in the North and South and East and West the story is ever the same — we come, we civilize, and we corrupt or exterminate. What can we offer the Dyaks in exchange for their simple happiness? In their own glorious climate a little labour suffices to produce much bread ; their clothing is neither purple nor fine linen, but it suits their need ; no wild beasts infest their lands that they should seek fire-arms; and their wars are destructive enough without the in- c5 troduction of gunpowder. If they could but be persuaded that their every want is satisfied — that they are far more comfortable than the restless trader who sells to them ! But they will not be- lieve ; and if the Garden of Eden were again to be lost, Eve would be tempted by a yard of grey shirt- ing or Turkey red, and Adam corrupted by a wretched German blunderbuss. Talking is of no avail. Dollars weigh heavier than words, whether silver or golden ; and I suppose when their turn comes the Dyaks will be extermi- nated, as many a good, brave, simple race has been before, and will be, till the Millennium dawns upon the East, and the Englishman and the Chinese divide the lands and the dollars between them. MALAY LOVE-STORY. 109 When we visited Bintulu, one of the fortmen was in confinement for an affair which showed the strong affection of which Malays are sometimes capable. He had fallen in love with a slave girl, and she strongly reciprocated his attachment, hut the unsympathizing authorities did not view the matter with a favour- able eye ; somehow they never do when the story is at all romantic. The connexion had already sub- sisted some months between the pair, when they conceived an idea that some design was on foot to separate them, and, in the absence of her lover, the woman, overpowered by her misery, stabbed herself a dozen times in the most devoted but irrational manner. The lover returned in time to see his mistress expire, which worked him into the state to which Malays are liable, called “ amok,” or, in English corruption, “ amuck.” Instead, however, of following the usual custom, and avenging his mis- fortunes upon all sorts of people who had nothing whatever to do with them, he preferred to cut himself deliberately to pieces, and, considering that Bintulu is a very peaceable district, where opportunities for practice were necessarily few, his decision was by no means desjncable. Without entering into the catalogue of horrid wounds described to us, of which he bore evident traces months afterwards, it will be sufficient to say that sixteen wounds were found on his limbs and body, most of them dangerous. So full of life, however, are these Malays, owing no doubt to their simple diet and obedience to the Pro- 110 DYAK HUNTING. phet’s command of total abstinence from spirituous liquids, that he finally recovered, and was prepared to take passage to Kuching with us in the Jolly, there to he dismissed the service, and to suffer what other punishments I cannot say. I never heard his ultimate fate. There is a broad beach here, which sometimes affords capital hunting. The usual mode is to send as many Eyaks as can be collected into the jungle with their dogs, to drive the game on to the sands where the sportsman is awaiting it with his rifle. Rather poor sort of sport some may think who have read descriptions of hand-to-hand struggles with lions, and buffaloes, and boa-constrictors in South Africa; but a tropical jungle is a very different hunting-ground from the broad grassy plains of the Cape or the open forests of the Himalaya. The woods in the higher districts of Borneo are pleasant walking enough, owing to the absence of under- growth, but in the low-lying plains five miles a day is about as much as a European can make under ordinary circumstances. Every hundred yards or so a thicket is reached which is absolutely impassable, and it becomes necessary to make a detour. Bamboos, lianas, gigantic ferns, sharp pal- mettos, all manner of thorny shrubs, seize the traveller in their grasp and drive him to distrac- tion. Perspiration drips from his clothing, ants and stinging insects settle upon his face, myriads of leeches swarm up his trousers, he trips over an un- DYAK DOG-CALL. Ill seen trailing plant and crashes headlong into the coils of some hideous serpent, or anon his course is barred by a black steaming pool, with an alligator lying motionless in the centre, watching him out of its green and death-like eye. No man who has wandered twenty yards in a tropical jungle ever dreamed of attempting the feat again, unless under force of absolute necessity. How then do the Dyaks manage, is a question which naturally arises, and which, I am sorry to say, I cannot answer. A dim suspicion has often crossed my mind, when hunting in this manner, that the gay deceivers ad- vance about ten yards and then squat down in a dry place, in perfect confidence that no one will follow them, while their dogs search the jungle and drive out the game. Whether this idea he correct or not, the Dyaks are generally accredited with some half-miraculous power for forcing their way through the most impenetrable wilderness. But it was now the paddy season, and natives were not to he tempted from home. By means ot immense exertions, however, we obtained one man, two hoys, and three dogs, with which we beat the jungle for three hours, and started nothing hut birds. The Dyak dog-call is curious. The act of whistling is unknown to them, and as no instru- ment has as yet been discovered answering that purpose, they cover the mouth with the fingers, and emit a peculiar mournful cry, which, though very low, can he heard for a considerable distance, 112 CURIOUS LAW CASE. and sounds like tlie wail of some melancholy wood- nymph. I should not have mentioned this unsuccessful expedition hut that we were accompanied by a wealthy Mikodah, or merchant-captain, who brought with him all his slaves and servants, to the number of forty-three, each of whom was armed with a spear. Our own party turned out eight or ten more, and when all the weapons were thrust point up- wards into the sand at luncheon time they looked like a steel-tipped wood, and we sat down com- fortably under their shadow. Next day arrived a German vessel, which cruises about the coast and trades with the out-stations, and the Resident's anxiety about his supplies was happily at an end. As we sat over our letters and newspapers, discussing Lee’s retreat from Wash- ington, detailed in the mail just arrived, a case was brought before Capt. Rodway which shows the dif- ficulties of a semi-barbarous people when brought in contact with the fixed principles of European justice. It appeared that our friend the Nikodah Dru- man, “of the spears,” had made an advance to another chief of some brass guns, which, as I have observed, are the money of this country. The agreement was that he should receive their value in gutta-percha, to be paid by instalments, extending over three years, of which two had now elapsed. Gutta-percha, however, has been rising steadily in NICODAH DRUMAN. 113 price ever since the transaction, and since a brass gun of so many pounds’ weight represents an abso- lute sum in dollars, it followed that, according to the present price of the gun, the debt had long been discharged, and the borrower refused to pay any more instalments. The case had puzzled all the native chiefs, so they brought it before their Resident, who of course gave judgment for the Nicodah. It is difficult for those educated in the midst of a sound system for such matters to con- ceive how these simple fellows are perplexed by the variation of prices, and the confusion of the brass- gun currency, caused by the introduction of dollars. They always seem anxious to act rightly, and are acute enough in criminal cases, but become puzzled by the contradictory aspect which can be put on a civil transaction like that described by a clever casuist. Both chiefs were arrayed in many colours. Nicodah Druman spread himself out like a peacock in an arm-chair, as soon as I expressed a wish to take his portrait. He was about five feet three inches in height, and his features were very broad, very smooth, very yellow, and very good-natured. On his big head was gracefully folded a Javanese hand- kerchief, with an edging of gold-lace an inch broad ; his jacket, of thin black cloth, was closed to the throat with gold buttons ; wide trousers of crimson satin, with a pattern of leaves and flowers, almost concealed his bare feet ; a sarong of madder-colour, handsomely embroidered with silver, was wrapped i 114 THE KRIS AND PARANG. round his waist, and over that was another of thick silk woven in bars of purple, and green, and crimson, and yellow. * The defendant wore a “pangeran” jacket of blue silk, with a high collar, which, like the cuffs, front, and seams, was stiff with gold work ; his head was adorned with a laced handkerchief like the Nicodah’s, and his silken trousers were profusely embroidered in gold. He wore only one sarong, but that was of crimson silk, and each square of its tartan was ornamented with a design in gold thread. On the whole, I should think the clothes on either of the two, if fairly valued, would be found of as much value as the gutta-percha in question. Neither of them was armed ; but a Malay seldom goes any distance from home without his kris or parang. The graceful shape of the kris is too well known in England to need particular description ; it exactly resembles the flaming sword seen waving at the gates of Eden in the illustrations of an old Bible. These weapons will bring a great price, and the more valuable specimens are difficult to obtain. As an instrument of war, the kris is now little used, and, in fact, occupies among the Malays much the same position that a court sword does with us. The best kinds are manufactured in Bruni, hut the Soolu pirates also make them of a large size, and very beautiful. A Bruni blade, entirely without orna- ment, will cost from 10 to 100 dollars; a Soolu, from 16 to 100 dollars. The hilt of a small kris is PECULIAR MODE OF EXECUTION. 115 of polished wood or ivory set at right angles to the blade, and, among the wealthier classes, is richly adorned with gold and jewels. The natives profess to distinguish a weapon which has been stained- with blood from one hitherto unused, and place much greater value on the former ; but this, of course, is partly imagination and partly humbug. The older the kris the higher they esteem it, and some were offered to us worn to a thin riband by corrosion of the lime juice, which is used to pre- serve the metal from rust. This acid it is which gives the blade the dull, rough surface, and sharp but saw-like edge generally seen among them ; when new they are smooth and bright, but the centre is damascened, or inlaid with silver. The kris is common to all nations of Malay extraction, except the New Zealanders, and throughout the Archipelago takes the place of our gallows. Their mode of execution by its means is curious and characteristic. The criminal is led unbound to the place of exe- cution, and takes his seat quietly in an arm-chair ; usually chewing penang to the last moment. The kris used on such occasions is about eighteen inches long, and quite straight. Grasping this instrument, the executioner steps up gently behind the prisoner, and thrusts it in to the hilt between the left shoulder and the neck. The heart is pierced instantaneously, the criminal leaps up from his chair, and falls dead. There is a story told, but I know not with how i 2 11 6 MALAY TREACHERY. muck truth, of the son of an executioner, very well known in the far East, who not long ago was called upon to perform his father’s duties. Not being used to the work, he made his thrust over the right shoulder, and, consequently, missed the heart. Without any confusion at the horrible result, he dragged out his kris, and saying, coolly, “ Ah ! that was wrong, I know ! ” struck again in the proper spot, and this time with success. The Malays have a reputation for treachery and cruel practices, which they do not seem to deserve. Torture is never permitted, and they retaliate the charge of treachery on their accusers. Human life is not highly esteemed among them, it is true, hut the same may be said of all races inhabiting a tropical climate, and “krising” is considered a mer- ciful death. An independent chieftain, well known in Singapore, is said to have crucified some rebels who fell into his hands while we were in Sarawak. His “ pangerans ” remonstrated strongly with him, urging that torture was repugnant to human nature and opposed to the customs of their ancestors. “ Very true,” replied the Tumangong, “hut it is the English practice ; they persuaded me to read their sacred books, and in them I found an account of it.” If the story be not true it is droll, but whether these unfortunates were crucified or not, I can aver positively that the Tumangong is a very handsome, courteous gentleman, who gives his friends a very good dinner, and sits with them while THE “PARANG LAT0K.” 117 they drink capital wine from liis cellars. It is possible that in the sanctity of the domestic circle he does not obey the Prophet’s commandment quite so strictly as in company. The “ parang latok ” is a weapon peculiar to the Malays, who use it with great skill ; but its singular shape, incomprehensible at first sight, and at all times objectionable, has effectually barred its popu- larity among foreign nations. The blade is about two feet long and a couple of inches broad at the point, from which it narrows down to the junction of the hilt, where it becomes square, and half an inch thick. The hilt is bent at an obtuse angle to the blade, which makes the instrument exceedingly awkward to handle ; and, in fact, when used for chopping wood or any peaceful purpose, the grasp is taken at the bend and not at the hilt. In war, however, the full length of the parang is used, and it must be evident, on reflection, that its cut will be very severe, since, in consequence of its peculiar bend, the edge is involuntarily drawn through the wound from hilt to point, thereby enlarging and deepening the gash. Like the kris, the “parang latok ” is falling into disuse for warlike service, for sword-blades can be imported so cheaply from Europe, and are found so convenient, that they are generally preferred. A Malay, however, is as much embarrassed by the roomy hilt, which we consider most serviceable, as an Englishman is with the tiny, cramped grasp in which the native delights. 118 DOUT. Tlie race is naturally small-handed, but their sword- hilts seem too little for the fingers of a child. It is found, however, that this is not the case ; and I have met with several Indian officers who considered the native system to be the most effective. The hilt is made of brass, with a short, thick cross- guard, from which depends a graceful sword-knot of crimson silk, with a silver mounting. The sheath is of wood, formed in two pieces, wonderfully fitted together, and decorated with silver. English or German steel is not esteemed so highly by them as that of their own production, and not, I think, without some reason. The metal of which valuable weapons are made is said to be manufactured from files, which are imported in large quantities. It is certainly tougher than our ordinary sword metal, and sometimes more highly tempered. In several instances, our hunting knives, which professed to be the finest steel possible, broke and gapped, when the native parangs were not in the least injured. In executing a criminal with the “ parang latok,” the condemned man is made to kneel down on the ground, and the headsman, standing at his side and a little behind him, generally succeeds in striking off the head at one blow. I have in my possession a very heavy parang, with which, at an emergency, Dout, a policeman at Kuching, who has distin- guished himself on more than one occasion, struck off the heads of two criminals with two successive AN EXPERT EXECUTIONER. 119 blows, standing between them as they knelt on the ground. Upon another occasion, when the howling of the large Chinese dogs in the Bazaar disturbed the proceedings in the Court House, Dout dashed into the road, armed with the same weapon, and with one blow cut in two the first of the noisy animals that was so unfortunate as to encounter him. 120 CHAPTER VI. A Hot Pull — Malay Modes of Fishing — Muka Trade — Town — Siege by Rajah Brooke — Officers Lost by theRajah — Diseasesof the Country — Muka Fort — Boa Constrictor — Black Monkeys — Milanowe — Boat Race — Saw Fish — Hospitality of Mr. Miller — A Close Shave — Floating Island — Water Snakes — Departure of the Rajah — Santubong — Cocoa-nut Beetles — Turtles — A Narrow Escape — Leeches — Chinese Riots — A Sunday Walk through the Jungle — Sandflies — Ascent of the Mountain — Ants — Building a House. APT AIN ROD WAY had charge of Bintulu fort in the absence of Mr. Paul, the usual Resi- dent. I am afraid that the inhabitants of the building will have reason to remember our visit for many a month. We incautiously skinned a “ musang,” or wild-cat, in the court-yard, and the smell of musk was stifling as long as we remained Captain Rodway’s guests. On the fourteenth of September we re-embarked for Muka, and two days afterwards cast anchor off the bar. Captain Micheson, Arthur, and myself embarked in the gig with half-a-dozen sailors, and put off for shore. At first we allowed the men to row, but on finding that our rate of progression bore a very indifferent ratio to the number engaged at the oar, we reflected that the heat MALAY MODES OF FISHIXG. 121 could not be perceptibly greater to the rowers than to the rowed, and tliat if we three took the oars with the best of our lazy Malays to balance the work, we should advance at a much more satisfac- tory pace, and take healthful exercise in addition. Accordingly we sent the sailors aft, and took their places. A warmer or a faster pull than was ours over those three miles we never expect, or indeed desire, but we held on bravely to the end, and were received with considerable admiration by the agent of the Borneo Company, who met us at the landing wharf, attended by a numerous body of awe-struck spectators. Great should be the wisdom and severe the dignity of the Englishman after an amusement such as this, or he w T ill surely be regarded by these lazy Orientals as an irresponsible maniac. No equi- valent for “ supererogation” exists in the pleasant Malay language, or, if there be such a word, it is an empty sound. In entering the river mouth, we passed a large assembly of the youthful population of Muka, catching fish with great enthusiasm. They had bivouacked upon the sand, and around their tents and huts were piled up all sorts of extraordinary monsters ready for sale or salting. All possible colours of scale and skin were displayed among the captures. One of the most remarkable species had a slender body and a long nose, glowing with the tints of an illuminated carbuncle; another kind, which seemed to be used as bait, was flat and fleshy when 122 MUKA. first captured, but disappeared in a thick black liquid after a few moments. On examining the pool thus created, we discovered a shapeless mass about a quarter of the monster’s original size, which ap- peared to be all that remained of him. Then there were skates, blue, crimson, and spotted, great eels, young sharks, flat bony fish like bream, and others all over spines and prickles. On that tongue of sand was a year’s enjoyment for an ichthyologist. Besides the net and hook, which appear common to all the world, the Malays have a method of taking fish which I never saw practised among another people. By driving stakes into the sand they con- struct a series of traps, each opening into the next, until the chain stretches out to sea fifty yards. The fish wander from one to another till they reach the last, which is constructed like a square eel-trap and answers the same purpose ; the prey gets in with the greatest ease, but has not sense to find its way out again. In a river, or upon a beach sufficiently shallow to allow the erection of the stakes at some distance from the shore, a considerable quantity may be captured every day; but under ordinary circumstances the fish are small, and not very nu- merous. The cage, however, requires little atten- tion when once constructed, and consequently every bay and river contains its long array of bamboo stakes. Muka is the most important of the Borneo Com- pany’s trade stations. The sago trees are floated TRADE OF THE TOWN. 123 clown the river to this place, and the pith is there extracted. The path from the wharf to the agent’s house is whitened over with flour, and the air is redolent of sago. During the drying process, this pith, hereafter to be so sanitary and insipid, gives forth an odour not easily equalled for strength and ill savour; hut we were given to understand that, even in this stage, the esculent distributes health to all within smelling distance. Here is also the principal seat of the Dyak trade in gutta-percha and ratans. The latter is used for ship cordage all through these seas, and excellently does it answer that purpose ; the former is chiefly ex- ported to Europe, but the supply is already falling off. Stimulatedby the sudden value placed upon their gum, the Dyaks are cutting down the trees Avlierever en- countered, and by that means extracting the sap in a mass. A full-grown tree is now rare in the jungle, and expostulation with the Dyaks is quite useless. The gutta-percha tree requires so many years’ growth before it can be safely and profitably tapped, that no plantations have as yet been formed to secure a supply when the wild trees shall have disappeared, and in a very few years Europe will be deprived of the large supply of this useful material now ob- tained from Borneo. The gutta, when brought to Muka, is usually twisted into fantastic shapes, and in every cargo one mass is found presenting a rude resemblance to an alligator. Several of these were preserved at Mr. Miller’s house, and had been doubt- 154 THE SIEGE OF MUKA. less intended as a sort of charm or propitiation to the spirits of the jungle. I shall have a future op- portunity of speaking of the Dyak belief in “ antus” or wood-devils. Many other trees, yielding valuable gum, are found in the forests of Sarawak. The generic Malay name “ damar” has been applied by the English exclusively to one species, the most common and most productive. The lofty tree from which our “ damar” exudes has thin light foliage, and great masses of dry gum usually pave the ground at its foot. Muka still hears evident traces of its siege in 1860. This was the most serious operation in which Sir James Brooke has hitherto been called upon to engage, and its issue, successful in despite of the governor of Labuan, has had a great share in inspiring the respect and deference which is now shown to him by all the native powers in these seas. With full permission from the Sultan of Bruni, to whom these territories at that time belonged, Sir James laid siege to the town in reprisal for many acts of hostility and aggression. Headed by Shereef Musahore,* who had attempted to organize a rebel- lion in Sarawak to co-operate with that raging at * The Shereefs are Arab descendants of the Prophet, and, consequently, they wear green robes and turbans. There are a considerable number of them in Borneo, and they are con- tinually exciting the religious enthusiasm of the people, and causing disorder. The Hajis (or Mecca pilgrims) and the Shereefs are the curse of the country. PROSPERITY OF MUKA AND BINTULU. 125 the time in Sambas and Bangermasin, the people of Muka prepared for a stout defence. They raised the fort now occupied by the resident officer of the Rajah, erected numerous stockades and batteries, and planted huge stakes and tree-trunks across the river to prevent approach by water. The stakes are mostly still erect, but sufficient gaps have been made to allow the free passage of trading vessels. The Rajah attacked the town with the Venus, Jolly Bachelor, and Badger gunboats, while a land force co-operated. In the midst of the operations the governor of Labuan sent to command the immediate discontinuance of hostilities, backing his order by the despatch of a war steamer. Sir James Brooke instantly complained to the English government; Mr. Edwards, the governor of Labuan, suddenly resigned his post, and in the following year Muka and Bintulu were triumphantly added to the Sara- wak territory. A yearly payment of 6000 dollars secured the Rajah from the interference of the Sultan of Bruni, and the two towns immediately entered upon a career of prosperity which threatens shortly to rival the commercial supremacy of the capital. Captain Micheson, at that time in command of the Badger, subsequently lost at Bintulu, received a bullet in the cheek while bombarding the fort, being the only white man injured during the ope- rations. Fortune has favoured the Rajah’s officers in most of their undertakings, and war has been very 126 DISEASES OF THE COUNTRY. merciful to them. In all their dangerous expedi- tions against the natives, Mr. Stuart and Mr. Lee alone have fallen, and the death of the former was occasioned by imprudent disobedience to the Rajah’s orders. Messrs. Fox and Steele were treacherously murdered ; two children of Mr. Middleton’s lost their lives in the surprise of Kuching by the Chinese ; a gentleman on a visit from Singapore perished on the same occasion ; these are the only English who as yet have died by the hand of an enemy. Disease has been more fatal ; during our stay the poor fellow who commanded the police died of fever, regretted by all for his temperance, — that rare virtue in the tropics — and his faithful discharge of duty ; since our departure, Lee, the sergeant of Kuching fort, has been reported dead. Mr. Brereton, the first Resident of Sakarran, was cut off by jungle fever, and a few others have been lost at various times, but on the whole Sir James Brooke may be pronounced singularly fortunate in the longevity of his officers. The peculiar diseases to which an Englishman is liable in this country are not numerous. First, and most disagreeable of all, comes ague, the inevitable concomitant of tropical life. It usually spares the European for the first months of his residence, but when it has once seized upon his body, it returns again and again at irregular, intervals. Should the sufferer get safely over the first few attacks this fever is rarely fatal, but the ELEPHANTIASIS. 127 constitution may be so shattered by its recurrence as finally to succumb to a trifling ailment. The earliest symptoms are pains in the back, disinclina- tion to move, and intense headache; it yields readily to quinine, but with each attack the dose must be augmented, and the remedy is finally almost power- less. Sarawak is not more liable to this plague than other tropical countries, but the two following diseases are peculiar to Borneo and the Straits Settlements. A form of elephantiasis which is common among the natives frequently attacks the European resident also. Its first stage is painful, but, when the limb has ceased swelling, the pain passes away unless brought on by violent exertion. The ankle is the only part affected, nor does that joint swell so much as to cripple the leg or prevent easy motion. Both ankles are seldom attacked at the same time, but the disease leaps from one to the other in a capricious manner, which is very perplexing, — the one diminishing and the other increasing in size simultaneously. No effectual remedy has hitherto been discovered for “ untut,” but a complete change of air will always give relief. Eew of the officers have escaped its visitations, which are rather dis- agreeable than dangerous. The natives apply the term “corrip ” to all affec- tions of the skin, two kinds of which are especially prevalent. One Dyak at least in every three exhibits the ordinary form of corrip, which is un- 128 CORRIP. sightly enough, hut not at all detrimental to general health. The body is covered over with white spots and patches, which itch terribly ; immediate and unreasonable scratching then becomes necessary to comfort, which causes the diseased skin to roughen and hang in tatters from the limbs. “ Corrip ” is said not to be hereditary, and I have seen a child of a few months old whose body was affected while his mother was quite free. Under ordinary circum- stances it does not appear to be infectious, but the Englishmen who have suffered are of opinion that it sometimes becomes so. Natives are so accustomed to its presence that all disgust has died out, and the European soon loses his first feeling of horror. As in “ untut ” so in “ corrip,” medicine has hitherto proved useless, but just before our departure a Malay sprang into notoriety by professing to cure it without difficulty, and reports of great success reached us, which we will hope were veracious. The other form of “corrip ” is horribly disgusting, and I will only say of it, that the whole body of the sufferer breaks out in pustules; it is rare among natives, and in one instance only has a European been infected. No recognised medicine will remove this disease, but the charlatan mentioned above claimed power over all forms of “ corrip.” The impression prevalent in England that Sarawak is an unhealthy country will be seen from this account to be without foundation. Fever is inseparable from tropical life, and the native suffers MFKA FORT. 129 from it in almost an equal degree witli the European; the other diseases to which the latter is liable are in no way dangerous, and change of air alone is needed to remove the worst of them. Owing to the resignation of Mr. Hay, whose post had not yet been filled, Muka fort was untenanted during our visit ; it is the largest of the out-station buildings, and seems admirably adapted both for comfort and defence, though originally constructed by Malay rebels. Erom its lofty upper floor we could see the distant sago plantations bounding the green jungle like a dense dark wall, and far beyond appeared the blue summits of mysterious hills, un- trodden by European feet, and unnamed by civilised man. On the other side, the river winded between banks studded with penang and cocoa palms, and picturesque huts glimmered through the graceful foliage; beyond these again a verdant swamp of mangroves lay quivering in the fierce heat as far as the sparkling ocean, where our little gunboat sat in hazy solitude. While we wandered about the building the fort- men discovered a boa constrictor roaming about the lower story. After a short scrimmage he was de- stroyed and spread out on the grass for our inspec- tion ; on measurement we found his length to be 11^ feet. A small boa is frequently turned loose in a house to exterminate rats and other vermin, and very well does he perform this duty, but he usually K 130 BLACK MONKEYS. wanders off before attaining any considerable size, and another is obtained to supply the vacancy. In the bungalow we occupied at Kuching lived one of these reptiles, who put my brother and myself into a terrible fright one morning, as I will faithfully describe hereafter. In the absence of any available boa, a mu sang — a sort of wild cat — is sometimes kept for the same purpose. Towards sunset a commotion was visible among the mangroves opposite the fort, caused, we were told, by a school of black monkeys who made their appearance every evening at the same place. Ac- companied by Mr. Miller we procured a sampan, and paddled across the river. The crashing twigs and waving branches readily guided us to the game, and our boat was permitted to approach without difficulty. The monkeys seemed to be of a large size, very black and very shaggy. At the first fire two big fellows, who were apparently disputing the possession of a very apathetic -looking individual whom we presumed to be a female, fell to the ground with a crash. It now appeared, however, that the swamp was so deep and miry as to be impenetrable, a fact with which the boatmen were perfectly well acquainted before we started, so with much regret for the useless destruction of these unfortunate lovers, we continued our voyage towards the town. Captain Micheson was anxious to show us the remains of a strong rebel battery some distance up the river, but darkness came on before we had fairly THE MILANOWE TRIBE. 131 passed through the town, and we returned without seeing it. Muka is inhabited by the Milanowe tribe, who have renounced most of the manners and customs of their Dyak ancestors, and adopted the costume and habits of Malay civilisation. In appearance they offer to the European eye no marked superiority over the other Sea Dyak tribes, but by all classes of natives they are honoured as the fairest and most beautiful of the Bornean races. Their houses at Muka are built on very lofty piles, close to the water’s edge, on a branch of the main river, and the narrow stream is completely overshadowed by these aerial habitations. The river is the highway of the town, and we were much struck with its busy appearance. The water was thronged with sampans and floating timber; stalwart natives were paddling skilfully through the crush and welcomed us in passing with a cheerful cry ; women were washing on the bank ; children played and shouted in the houses overhead. The tall banana thrust out its broad satin leaves against the rainbow sky, and here and there a golden ray from the setting sun found a slender opening between the crowded roofs, and fell across the blackened water. As we returned in the dusk the rhythm of many paddles in the distance proclaimed the approach of some pangeran from a visit up the river. His sampan soon overhauled us, and he courteously inquired who we were. On being informed that we k 2 132 A RACE. were strangers from England, lie asked after the health of our Queen, and inquired in what relation we stood to her. Actuated by a proper sense of what was due to ourselves, we assured him with considerable solemnity that our connexion with our Sovereign was most intimate, both by birth and merit, and at once projiosed to handicap the two sampans for a race. The pangeran had from twelve to fifteen paddles, and we not more than eight or ten, and therefore we insisted that law should be allowed. This being arranged, the word was given, and off we set. I trust the boatmen enjoyed the sport as much as we did, who merely hacked the general honour with loud applause and much encouragement, but I am not sure. The pace they put on was perfectly amazing, and we succeeded in holding our own in spite of the pangeran’s superiority in numbers; but I fancy the screams of our crew, and the extraordinary noises devised by ourselves to animate their strength, led the enemy to believe that we should become dangerous if defeated. That night we converted Mr. Miller’s dining- room into a gigantic spider’s web. He had no spare bed, so we suspended our mosquito curtains over sofas and arm-chairs in a manner of which each of us was justly proud. Every one of our curtains had four strings, and each string was attached to a different article of furniture ; but Arthur boasted a patent sort of net which required two additional THE PANGERANS OF MUKA. 133 cords to make it secure, and botli must necessarily be fastened as nearly perpendicularly as possible. From the picture-nails, from the lamps, from the table-legs, from every projection to which a string could be attached, our web depended, and we shud- dered to think of the result to the household arrangements of our unconscious host if any of us should take to somnambulism in the dark. We did not visit any of the pangerans of Muka during the two days we stayed there, for the cus- tom is rather discouraged among them unless notice be sent. The fact is, most of these stupid fellows have taken more wives than they can keep in order, and are horribly and reasonably jealous. One wealthy old chief has built a large wooden house with a tall steeple like an English church, in which he keeps fifteen wedded consorts. No wonder he disapproved of morning callers of the male sex. The web was not erected again, for the following evening we re-embarked in our gig to return to the Jolly. After steering for several bright and particular stars, believing them attached to her masthead, we arrived safely on board, and at once got under weigh for Kuching. The coast all along this part of the island is very flat and wooded to the water’s edge, but the lofty mountains of the interior are always visible. In the neighbourhood of Muka the saw-fish abounds, and occasionally it attacks the natives when bathing, or even in boats. 134 SLAUGHTER OF SAW-FISH. In the fort was preserved the proboscis of one which terribly mangled a fisherman some months ago. As in the case of alligators, the people never interfere with the monsters until some one is killed or mutilated, and then, upon a good old principle which all the world practises and no one approves, the whole male population rushes forth and slaugh- ters a few with astonishing fury ; it then subsides again into its normal state of merciful indifference. And indeed this conduct is reasonable enough ; if a certain amount of time and labour be not sacrificed every year to the duty of keeping these pests within bounds — an idea utterly opposed to the principles of Oriental indolence — it seems more sensible to con- fine the vengeance to the guilty parties, and still permit the innocent to enjoy their hideous exist- ence. During these periodical fits of fury, the slaughter is never intermitted till the man-eater has been identified by certain mystic peculiarities, and cut to pieces with much solemnity. The weather was rough and squally all the voyage, and one windy, drizzling morning our little Jolly narrowly escaped an ignominious catastrophe. Just after dawn Captain Micheson and ourselves made our first appearance, to find the wind blowing smartly, the sky flat and sodden, and the sea yellow as jaundiced mud. As we stepped on the sloppy deck, a loud shout rose from the misty forward watch, and without further warning came the ominous sounds, “ crash, scrunch” — accompanied A FLOATING ISLAND. 135 by staggering, shouting, and confusion. We rushed forward and found a huge tapong tree, quite eighteen feet in diameter and eighty feet long, banging and jarring against our side. Fortunately, we struck it at a very obtuse angle and were not injured, but had it been floating across our course we must in- fallibly have gone to the bottom. The same day we saw a floating island; this phenomenon is not uncommon in tropical latitudes, and its principle of locomotion is found to be simple enough when properly investigated. Some giant tree upon a river bank is carried away by a sudden inundation and floats upright out to sea, supported by the mass of earth in the clasp of its wide-spread roots. When the soil melts away, the tree is subverted with a crash, the island disappears, and a naked log drifts to aDd fro upon the waves. After a succession of squalls came an equally obnoxious calm, which held us motionless off the mouth of the Maritabas channel. As we wandered idly about our tiny quarter-deck, a sailor called out that a snake was swimming up to attack us. On examination we found a considerable number playing round the vessel or floating past us curled up in sleep. They were of the most brilliant and varied colours ; one in especial displayed scales of amber, with scarlet spots along his sides. Our guns were at once ordered up, and we shot two beauties, but the gig had been hauled up on deck during the bad weather, and could not be lowered without half 136 AN ANNIVERSARY. an hour’s labour. The sailors assured us that all these reptiles were much more dangerous than the land species ; hut we had so frequently found the natives in error about such matters as to place little reliance on their assertions. The largest of the snakes we saw on this occasion could not be more than six feet in length, but many of the water species are undoubtedly much larger. On arrival at Kuching, we found H.M.S. Rifle- man still at anchor in the river, and further up lay H.M.S. Pantaloon. The Rifleman was waiting to convey the Rajah to Singapore, the first stage of his voyage to England ; the Pantaloon had come in for want of something better to do. As the date of our return was quite unknown, the little bungalow in which we formerly resided had been given up to the use of Capt. Reid, of the Rifleman , and his officers. Accordingly we removed our impedimenta to another bungalow, which Sir James assigned to us, formerly occupied by Capt. Rod way, whom we had found at Bintulu. It was designed to celebrate the twenty- second anniversary of the Rajah’s accession to the Raj of Sarawak by great and unexampled festivi- ties, and the invitations were issued to every white man in the country. . Already the preparations were going on bravely. Between Government-house and the little bunga- low, an extensive building of “ataps” had been hastily erected, calculated to accommodate a nu- merous supper party, and when the auspicious FESTIVITIES. 137 moment arrived on tlie evening of September 24, the interior decorations were of that class which may justly be characterized as dazzling. Flags, and flowers, and palm-leaves, and golden inscriptions, and Chinese lanterns, were displayed in wondrous profusion, with a result as of a hermit’s verdant cell adorned “with ten thousand additional lamps.” Except a few missionaries and out-station residents who could not leave their posts, all the rank and beauty of Sarawak assembled. Ladies were present to the number of eight, and the name of the gentle- men was legion. Under these favourable circum- stances, the festive dance was sustained with the greatest perspiration ; from the Eajah downwards, we waltzed, and polked, and quadrilled in our very best manner. But one gentleman, who whirled round and about in the black-tailed coat of Europe, was the delight of all beholders and the glory of the. scene. Our band of two fiddlers came from the Rifleman, and propounded most excellent music. The performers, however, seemed quite unable to play in time, unless their legs were permitted to go through a sort of endless hornpipe upon the brick floor — a proceeding which had a highly indecorous appearance till its necessity was explained. At half-past eleven we adjourned to supper under the palm branches and Chinese lanterns and inscrip- tions. Then the bishop arose to propose Sir James Brooke’s health and prosperity, and Sir James re- sponded. I am not about to give an analysis of his 138 THE RAJAH OF SARAWAK. speech ; eloquence is not a very uncommon gift, and words are nothing; hut let Englishmen look to- wards these islands, and see how glorious his deeds have been. From a population decimated by con- tinual and merciless war, his subjects have become peaceful, orderly, and industrious ; the savage Lanun pirates have been confined to their own seas ; trade has settled in every river ; law is justly administered to every class. The name of the Rajah of Sarawak is respected far beyond his little kingdom, and independent sovereigns appeal to his judgment and arbitration. The supper passed off in a manner worthy of the occasion — with drawbacks of course ; the rockets resolutely refused to go off, as was audibly announced by Capt. Reid’s coxswain ; and the Tuan Resident’s bear spilt all the punch, which had been brewed with the strictest care in a bathing jar about four feet in height and three in diameter. When the three powers existing in Sarawak — the State, the Church, and the Borneo Company — had delivered a speech apiece, dancing recommenced, and, after the departure of the ladies, was continued in the shape of hornpipes until an uncertain hour of the morning. Next day the Malay chiefs were assembled in the Court House, and we accompanied the Rajah thither. The building was crammed with ugly little yellow fellows arrayed in their gayest jackets, gold- worked sarongs, and embroidered trousers. THE MOUNTAIN OF SANTUBONG. 139 Tlie speech delivered by the Rajah was heard with the greatest attention, and it was interesting to observe how readily, and with what a flow of sensible words, the native chiefs responded to his address. Two days afterwards the Bijleman received her passenger and steamed down the river, en- veloped in the smoke of her salute. Sir James Brooke, however, had made a promise to his subjects to return within two years. A few days after his departure my brother and I determined to reside for a short time at the mouth of the river. The mountain of Santubong, on which we took up our abode, stands at the entrance of the Western channel to Sarawak, and has been selected as a sanatorium, being, in fact, the only high ground at present accessible to ladies and invalids. Mr. Crookshank, the Resident of Kuching, has * built a house at its foot, and the Bishop of Labuan formerly possessed a sort of rustic abode hard by, but the latter was completely overthrown by a hurricane, and at the time of our visit lay a shape- less heap upon the beach. The mountain culminates in a sharp peak wooded to the summit, and it towers over any vessel entering the river, a very pyramid of brilliant green chequered with “ scars ” of red-grey rock. At its foot, half hidden by cocoa- nut groves, lies a straggling village, inhabited by fishermen and very small traders. Mr. Crookshank kindly gave us permission to take up our quarters at his house, and we found our way 140 A TRIAL CRUISE. thither immediately on arrival. As soon as we were comfortably settled we made inquiries for a boat and crew to visit some of the neighbouring islands, and Ali Kasut, our guide, interpreter, and friend, soon procured us a large sampan suitable for the purpose. We had brought our crew with us from Sarawak, and one morning we hoisted sail for a trial cruise as far as Satang, which lies about twelve miles from the mainland. Our little craft was perfectly new, and went through the water admirably ; the morning was delicious, the sea was smooth, and the heat not too oppressive. Arthur and I lay under the “ Kajang ” or matted roof in the centre, our boatmen droned out nasal songs in the bows, and the trusty Ali squatted behind, steering our course with unerring paddle. After two hours’ run, during which the increasing heat compelled us successively to remove the greater part of our apparel, we reached the island, a woody hill surrounded by a belt of cocoa-nuts planted by the Tuan Mudah. The trees were thriving admirably, and did not show the ragged aspect which the crown of this palm usually presents. The cocoa-nut tree indeed, when healthy, is very graceful, though it cannot be compared in beauty with some others of its tribe, but whenever cattle are kept in its neigh- bourhood, a large beetle makes its appearance in great multitudes, which instantly attack the leaves. This peculiar companionship of cattle and beetles is not peculiar to Sarawak ; a valuable TURTLES. 141 plantation in tlie island of Labuan was nearly ruined by the ravages of the insect, introduced by a few cattle turned out to graze among the trees. Satang is also a favourite resort of turtles. They come up from the sea about midnight in great num- bers, dig a deep hole in the loose sand with their broad fin-like feet, and deposit therein a quantity of round soft eggs, over which they carelessly throw the earth again. The whole operation, digging, laying, and refilling, generally occupies the maternal turtles all the night, and in the grey dawn they may be seen scrambling over the beach at a pace which must be termed rapid when their huge bulk and shapeless paws are considered. As soon as they have all disappeared in the sea, the keepers, who have been watching their movements with the greatest caution, reopen the nests and place the eggs in pits prepared for the purpose, where they remain cold and unhatclied till despatched to the mainland for sale. At the time of our visit there were several thousands stored in the cellars, and every morning more holes were rifled, and the stock increased. These turtles, however, are not the delicate species which we value in England ; fat they do not possess, neither calipash nor calipee, and their flesh is like very tough beef. The eggs, in fact, are their only valuable property, and a little of habit is required to relish even these. In appearance they are round and white, with a thin soft skin very like kid leather in consistency ; the 142 THE TUAN MUDAH. yolk has a peculiar sand-like flavour, which is found exceedingly pleasant after a time, though at first rather disagreeable. The eggs are usually eaten with curry, and most Europeans become very fond of them. The keepers at Satang, who occupied a droll little cottage heaped up with cocoa-nuts inside, outside, and around, seemed to be overwhelmed with business. A native vessel was lying off the island to he laden with a cargo of fruit for Bintulu ; the turtles increased in number every day, and constant watching was indispensable ; already the beach was honeycombed with their holes, and in- laid with the print of their scrambling fins. Ten thousand cocoa-nuts remained to be gathered, as we were told, and, with each day, the weather became wetter and wetter, and more and more windy. Of this fact, indeed, we were shortly to have a proof. The Tuan Mudali had formerly a great quantity of wild goats on this island, but their ravages on the young trees were so constant, that necessity compelled their extermination. His keepers now possess two tame deer as pets, one of which has an amusing peculiarity ; he will not bear a woman on the island. Should one appear, he attacks her with astonishing fury, and drives her into the sea with her dress in tatters from the goring of his sharp horns. The natives say he cannot be deceived by a man dressed in woman’s clothes, or a woman in A SQUALL. 143 sarong and jacket, but distinguishes the sex at a glance. After breakfasting on the island, we prepared to return, but the sky looked so black to the eastward as to make us hesitate. Trusting, however, to the wisdom of Ali Kasut, which decided that we could easily run across before the squall broke, we em- barked in the sampan, and hoisted sail. When about half way to shore the squall came down, just at the moment when we were unshipping the mast as a measure of precaution. Instantly the wind twisted it from our hands and carried it overboard, whither one of our servants very nar- rowly escaped accompanying it. The ratans which fastened our “ kajangs” were unfortunately loose, and the mats were whisked through the air into Ali’s face as he sat behind steering our course. In this extremity, rifles and books and flasks were slipped under the mattresses spread over the boards of the boat, to keep dry in the deluge of rain which now began to pour down. The waves rose in a moment, a mist surrounded us so dense that we could not see a boat’s length ahead; the crew squatted in the bows, silent, drenched, and helpless, while the trusty Ali, assisted by Arthur’s servant, still kept the head of our sampan to the waves, and we were never quite pooped. One “ kajang” I had caught as it flew past, which we set upright in the bows, and the boat drove before the wind at a terrible pace. Hocks were known to exist along 144 BIRDS IN THE FOREST. the shore, and as we swept closer in, this new source of alarm was added. Everyone shouted at once, but nobody could hear a sound save the howl of the squall and the bursting of the waves ; we had all stripped for a swim, but in the dense mist and spray, there were no means of judging the direction of the land. Each one kept his mouth open like a maniac and was evidently giving vent to valuable advice, could it only have been heard and followed, but suddenly, to the amazement of all, landmarks were recognised in the obscurity, and behold ! we were driving before the wind up our own river. Under the lee of a huge rock Ali beached the sampan, and once more we stepped on land, having returned considerably quicker than we went. The experienced Ali himself admitted to us that he had not anticipated the superintendence of our affairs again, and regarded our return as a striking instance of the power of fate. The next evening we found our way to the ex- tensive sawmills of the Borneo Company, on the bank of a small stream about a mile from the house. Our game-bag was full of sandpipers when we left the beach to turn up a narrow path into the jungle. Birds are rare in tropical forests, but to our astonishment we found the trees here alive with doves and pigeons of varied plumage. We subsequently ascertained that every evening a flock of these birds makes its appearance, but seldom in such numbers as on this occasion. The pigeons GLORY OF A TROPIC FOREST. 145 were twice the size of the ordinary European species, and some of the doves were coloured like a rainbow — pink heads, blue breasts, and wings of black and yellow. But the kind most numerously represented was that small pinkish-bluish bird which every "Nile traveller has grown so sick of, and which I have found in every part of tropical Asia and Africa that I have visited. But how can I describe the varied beauty of the jungle through which we passed? All tints, all forms, all grace of vegetation lay carelessly around, twisted into an inextricable mass, through which a path was cut with our swords. The very scarcity of flowers was in keeping with the scene, and such rare blossom as ventured here and there to show itself in this green twilight of giant trees, was pale and tender in hue. And over all was a great silence. For, when the report of our guns had frightened the pigeons far away, not a sound could he heard save the insect-buzz more stilly than silence itself, or at long intervals the hoarse and distant cry of a jungle crow perched upon some leafless trunk. Lizards darted along the boughs in a flash of emerald light, the grass waved gently over the gliding track of the serpent, and anon, far up in the scarce-seen sky, a huge ostricli-hird sailed past with booming croak. No word of mine can give a conception of the glory of a tropic forest, nor the effect it must produce on the mind ; it is the union of living beauty with the silence of death. L 146 A PLAGUE OE LEECHES. Also it has its little annoyances. Around San- tubong the country is celebrated for the amazing quantity of leeches which lie on the damp ground in wait to fasten on the legs of an unwary traveller. Our trousers were tied round the ankles, and we were barefoot — by far the coolest and most com- fortable mode of walking, when the feet have be- come hardened, and the distance is not great — but the cunning pertinacity of the monsters succeeded in overcoming all difficulties, and Avhen we reached the mills Arthur found two of them clinging to his flesh, and I one. The beaten paths were tolerably safe, but a short excursion to the right or left always necessitated a blood-letting. To catch two leeches, however, on one’s legs after a stroll through thick jungle is nothing ; I once found six- teen on undressing for a bath in the millpond, and had reason to think myself fortunate in escaping so easily, for I had not fastened my trousers at the feet. Forty is not an uncommon number, and a stout gentleman of Kuching once discovered seventy sucking at his limbs — or so it is said. No pain or uneasiness whatever is felt by the sufferer at the time, nor indeed subsequently, so far as our expe- rience goes, but many of the punctures bleed for hours afterwards, and the loss of strength must be very great. After a long walk also, the leeches found on the legs only give a rough average of the numbers which have actually fastened on the flesh, for, as they become satisfied, they drop off, and CHINESE IMMIGRANTS. 147 bleeding wounds are always discovered, tbe slimy originators of wliicli have disappeared. We found Mr. Stevens, the superintendent of the sawmills, embarrassed by the difficulty usually attendant on Eastern enterprise — want of labour. His Chinese lumberers had been seized with a strange disease, of which the majority had died, and the Malays would not work with any regularity. They do not show so much disinclination towards felling timber as to most other forms of industry ; but uninterrupted labour is repugnant to their ideas of freedom, and they do not seem to comprehend the pleasure of “keeping at it.” We accompanied Mr. Stevens to the village in an endeavour to engage workmen, hut with little success. Chinamen are the only labourers to be depended on, and the recent recognition of Sarawak by the English Government will, it is hoped, induce a considerable increase of immigration from China and Singapore, enabling both the public works and the operations of the Borneo Company to be conducted on a larger scale, and with greater regularity. That there is some danger to be apprehended, how- ever, from this commercial advantage the state of Singapore is a striking proof. That town has been inundated with Chinese to such an extent that the immigrants four times outnumber the native popu- lation, and these Celestials are a difficult and unruly people to govern. Constant vigilance is required on the part of the authorities, and several times l 2 148 FACTION FIGHTS OF THE CELESTIALS. already the riots have reached the point of rebellion. Sarawak has already suffered from one insurrection of these grotesque ruffians, and the battles of the factions in the streets of Kuching were, until recently, a nightly scandal. Whithersoever China- men wander, they carry with them their absurd local jealousies, and the same factions which fight in the bazaars of Sarawak and Singapore are pos- sibly contending at the same moment in the slums of San Francisco and the back alleys of Melbourne. In most countries it has been hitherto found im- possible to check these ridiculous encounters ; but Rajah Brooke has discovered that they can be entirely suppressed by a very simple method. All who can be captured by the police while engaged in these demonstrations are severely flogged, and the dread of this simple punishment has made Sarawak that happy land in which exists a considerable population of Chinamen, and yet can boast its streets tranquil by night and day. But a few years ago the scene which could be witnessed almost nightly in Kuching was disgracefully brutal. Two or three hundred powerful coolies would be engaged on either side, and the custom of storing firewood outside the house doors supplied the combatants with ready weapons. Though absolute loss of life was rare, terrible injuries and mutilations were certain to result to numbers. On the following Sunday we breakfasted with Mr. Stevens, and subsequently took a walk with MONKEY-CUPS. 149 him through a part of the forest where the age of the trees and the dry character of the situation had checked that growth of underwood which usually renders the jungle as impenetrable as a wall. Pro- vided with our guns and bowie-knives — the former to secure a strange eagle with a white head and reddish plumage which had distantly haunted us for days, and the latter to dig up unknown plants — we entered the jungle clothing the mountain-side, and our walk was delightful. In that high ground the leeches troubled us not, nor the ants, and we were left to ramble in comfortable security. What struck us most in the prodigal array of nature’s beauties before our eyes were the nepenthes, or monkey-cups, for which Santubong is unrivalled. To botanists so unscientific as ourselves these plants appeared to divide themselves into two very distinct classes : those which flowered on the ground, or on a tree-trunk, in a thick and level mass, like covered cups placed close to one another on a table, and those which flowered singly, hanging from the ex- tremities of their own leaves. The former of these were the larger, but much the less striking in shape and colour. Nearly all, in fact, were of a uniform green. The latter class were more brilliant in their tints — purple and yellow predominating — but, on the whole, it must be admitted that these flowers, if flowers they are, are more curious than beautiful. Besides these two classes, there were others which displayed no leaves at all, but seemed 150 ANIMAL LIFE. to spring spontaneously from the hough or trunk to which they clung. Some of the green cups might have held three quarters of a pint — a few perhaps more — hut the liquid was so foul with dead insects, and all manner of vegetable filth, that the monkeys must have a very depraved taste if they preferred it to the fresh water never at a great distance in these forests. The largest of the coloured ones could not have contained more than half a pint. The orchids were numerous as usual, but very few were in flower. In one spot we found in pro- fusion a plant of that class bearing a little lemon- coloured blossom, very tender and delicate, which we had not encountered before ; the specimens we secured of it were not recognised at Kuching ; but we left the plants with others at Singapore on our return. The ferns were an important feature of the scene ; they mostly had broad straight leaves, and they formed green collars round the trees, or stood out four or five feet from the trunk in a grand rosette. But the animal life we met with was very rare and insignificant. A small squirrel or two — a snake of dull and shadowy colour, which instantly disappeared under a decajfing log — a few large but ugly lizards, very different from the gay little fel- lows who dart to and fro on the sunny boughs in the young jungle — a lovely blue kingfisher, dashing across a black and rotting pool in which no fish LUXURIANT UNDERGROWTH. 151 could surely live — a few strange and unprepossess- ing insects — that was all. But occasionally we crossed a belt of damper ground, in which the undergrowth obtained a stronger support. There the great trees were stifled by the clasp of tall lianas, and the lithe ratan twined from trunk to trunk in its upward struggle. With many a needless bend and twist it pushed up towards the tiny blue patch that glimmered through the eternal leaves, and when the topmost twig was gained, it seized it in its thorny hands, and waved a slender head above the forest giants.* Beds of moss, the haunt of venomous little snakes and of great wood centipedes,! covered the ground, and through them rose the stems of reed canes, green, and yellow, and spotted, and vermilion. Bamboos studded the rivulet banks, and brilliant dragon-flies flitted over the water. Every tree was covered with parasites — every shrub stretched out a thorn to detain the passer-by. JSTor were the insect plagues, whose annoyances * The ratan. expends an immense amount of unnecessary energy in climbing to the tree-tops. If the branch it wishes to overtower be a hundred feet from the ground, the ratan will grow at least two hundred feet in the endeavour ; and when cut down and stretched out, will be found that length. + The wood centipedes, though cold, and slimy, and unpleasant looking, are not at all venomous. The species whose bite is so much dreaded generally prefer the neighbourhood of human habitations, and the place of all others they mostly fancy is the owner’s bed, if he possess such a thing. 152 INSECT PLAGUES. balance tlie too great beauty of tropical vegetation, wanting in these lovely scenes. The red tree ant, though not so numerous here as in the older and more open forests, were much more troublesome ; for in these dense masses of foliage it was impossible to avoid contact with the branches along which regiments of these insects were hurrying, and the touch of a bough caused half a dozen to drop upon the traveller’s clothes. With the malignant intelligence of their race, they lost no time in running over the linen until they reached the wrists or neck, into which they thrust their heads and bent themselves double to get a greater purchase. Mosquitoes were not so annoying, for they are not fond of forest life, but Santubong has too broad a beach to escape that greatest pest of all — the sand- fly. These tiny little wretches, so small in size as to be scarcely visible, and so venomous in character as to make their bite felt over the whole body, were in myriads. It is a slight and transient comfort to reflect that a cool and deliberate revenge can always be secured on these horrid insects ; for they are so voracious that no suddeu movement on the victim’s part affects their horrible operations, and the avenging finger may be slowly placed on their wicked little backs, and their villanous lives be crushed out of them before they will condescend to accept a warning. In a short visit we paid to Kuching while our head quarters remained at Santubong, our ANTS. 153 boatman took a short cut through a bed of nipa palms, along a channel in which the air was literally alive with mosquitoes and sandflies, and our white trousers were blackened with them. In our two visits to Santubong we passed nearly a month, shooting and cruising about among the islands. Being Englishmen, an evident necessity existed for us to climb the mountain, and this national duty we determined to perform in comfort and at leisure. Accordingly one afternoon we com- menced the ascent, carrying with us all necessaries for a night camp. Santubong would be a glorious residence for any one desirous of studying the in- numerable species of ants which infest the country, and in walking up the mountain-side we met with several kinds which we had not hitherto noticed. The most remarkable of these was a huge fellow as large as a fair-sized wasp, who fortunately seemed of an unsocial disposition and inclined to undertake his expeditions in solitude. His vast jaws were qualified to give no trifling pain to anyone inter- fering in his affairs. Another species built great earthen habitations about the roots and trunks of the taller trees; many of these structures were three feet high and five or six square. Numerous cells about nine inches or a foot long, in form like an in- verted dome, were suspended from the main building, and in this manner, no doubt, was the whole nest originally constructed. The inhabitants were little red-brown fellows, but very few were to be seen in 154 FLYING ANTS. the neighbourhood of their abode. Another larger kind hung .great globular nests from the boughs, and this was the most pugnacious and troublesome of all. But the earth, and the trees, and, in the evening, the air itself, was alive with ants. The flying species, however, are quite harmless, though a great plague. They are, I believe, merely the female sex of the terrestrial kinds, temporarily pro- vided with four broad wings to enable them to plant new colonies at a distance from the original settle- ment. These wings seem to be a perpetual em- barrassment to them, of which they are anxious to be ridden ; if any light article be left upon the table in such a manner that they can creep under it during the night, such as a pocket-book or cigar- case, dozens of wings will be found in the morning strewed about its neighbourhood. Having thus lost their encumbrance, the ants proceed to lay their eggs in some suitable spot, and found a new nest. The numbers in which they sometimes appear would seem almost incredible. The air is thick with them, lamps and candles are extinguished in a moment unless properly protected, and the best and only way for the traveller to avoid the swarms is to turn into his mosquito curtains at any hour and sleep till the morning cold has caused them to disappear. In the jungle at the foot of the mountain numerous species of nepenthe or monkey cup flourish. They were all more curious than beautiful, though some showed quite a brilliant colouring. A NIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN. 1 55 We had scarcely credited the story told us in Kuching that we should find them capable of con- taining a quart of water, hut we saw many that would hold considerably more than a pint. Orchids of course were innumerable ; every tree and fallen log was fringed with them, but very few were in bloom, and those were mostly insignificant in size and colour. Having ascended half the distance, we set our followers to build a house, which was erected and thatched with nipa leaves in about an hour. The flooring was rough, consisting in fact of long branches stripped of then' leaves and twigs, and placed over a hollow in the ground ; but we stretched ourselves very comfortably on this rude couch. Had we strewed dry leaves over the sticks, the awkward presence of some stray scorpion or centipede was almost a certainty ; green leaves would have entailed ants and ticks, and other horrors. Therefore we lay on the rafters and were content. I spoilt a capital bowie knife in assisting to cut down trees for the walls, while the Malays’ parangs were quite uninjured ; we constantly found, indeed, that for such work native steel is superior to European. We passed the night in a severe struggle with a family of large red ants, which seemed to fancy our quarters. Setting out fresh in the morning, we reached the summit without fatigue, and quite pre- pared to do justice to the landscape. But the view 156 SCORPIONS AND CENTIPEDES. before our eyes was merely singular, and truth forbids me to call it beautiful. Beneath us lay a vast plain of dull green, bounded by a steely ocean, and intersected in every direction by the meandering channels of broad rivers. There * was nothing beautiful about it, — neither variety of tint nor picturesque elevation. Had not the trees above our heads framed the scene with a border of fluttering leaves, we could have believed that a map lay before us similar to those of wax in which the hills stand out in green relief and the rivers are coloured of a dead grey. Several ladies and nearly all the gentle- men of Sarawak had climbed this mountain, and, I suppose, had seen the extraordinary picture de- scribed, for we found numerous names cut on a fallen trunk overgrown with orchids and little withered monkey cups ; considering ourselves bound by a Bule-Britannia sort of law to do likewise, we scored our initials on a conspicuous tree. After breakfast we commenced the descent, which was diversified by several snake hunts c’onducted with great vigour on both sides, though they never lasted more than one miuute, in consequence of the instant disappearance of the game. Santubonff is not so celebrated for its snakes as Bidi, but in the matter of scorpions and centipedes it is perhaps unrivalled. Whenever I awoke in the morning, lying on my civilised mattress, stretched upon my orthodox bedstead, I always found two or three centipedes clinging to the mosquito curtains. RETURN TO KUCHING. 157 Our servants assured us that these were of a harm- less species, and probably so they were, but regarded as bedfellows they seemed disagreeable. Two of the venomous kind, however, were cut to pieces as they strolled about our verandah in broad daylight, and upon another occasion I found myself handling an orchid, in the centre of which two little mottled scorpions were happily reposing. "When we had visited all the neighbourhood of Santubong in our sampan, — and been caught in a squall nearly every cruise, — we returned to Kuching to make preparations for a journey among the Sea Dyaks. 15S CHAPTER VII. Chinese Suicide — Stoicism — Purchase of a “ Mias” — Description — Great Fright — “ Wa-wa ” Ape — Musang — Palandok — Feathered Rat — Singular Horns — Piracy of Sea Dyaks — Present Tranquillity — Burial Ground — Malay Origin — Accident — Arab Reis — His Vessel — Sebooyoh — Sakarran — Seribas Dyaks — Sakarran Fort — Mr. Brereton’s Bath — Visit to the Undups — A Watery Mission House — Sabooyong. D URING the first night after our return to Kuching, the report of a gun fired in the bazaar excited some curiosity and alarm. In the morning Hr. Houghton, the medical officer of the Government, called upon us, and in answer to our inquiries, explained that a Chinese coolie, finding his money and his credit with the opium shops alike at an end, had loaded an old ,gun with some fragments of a broken bottle, and fired both barrels into his body. Finding, considerably to his asto- nishment no doubt, that life still remained, he stabbed himself repeatedly with a knife, severing the femoral artery, and inflicting numerous other wounds. He would finally have succeeded in destroying himself had not the neighbours, roused by the report of the gun in the stillness of night, interfered to prevent him. The doctor had called CHINESE STOICISM. 159 on his way to the hospital, and I accepted an invi- tation to accompany him thither. On reaching the building, we found our patient lying quietly on his back, coolly regarding the scene. He was a tall fellow, possessing the vast chest and powerful limbs usual among Chinese labourers, and he seemed to care nothing for the pain of his hurts. Hr. Houghton, anxious to ascer- tain the course of the broken glass, tapped his chest around the wound, tenderly indeed, but in a manner which must have caused exquisite suffering. He seemed perfectly indifferent, and I could not detect a wink or movement betraying pain. When the probe was introduced into the little purple hole in his brawny chest, he lay quietly, fixing his eyes upon my face, and himself unrolled the bandages around his right hand, the fingers of which were attached to the palm by skin alone. The poor fellow subsequently recovered, and, as a British subject, was sent off to Singapore. The Malays themselves seem singularly unconscious of pain, but they cannot equal the Chinese in this sublimity of stoicism. In the afternoon a fortman came down to us from Sergeant Lee, inquiring whether we wished to purchase a young female mias (orang outan), which had just arrived from the interior. Thinking ourselves fortunate in the opportunity, we at once sent orders to him to secure her, and next day we paid a visit to the fort to examine our purchase. We 160 A NIGHT ALARM. found her chained to a large box in the court- yard, in company with a fine hear, several turkeys, and a small alligator, which hissed and snapped at every intruder in a peculiarly malignant manner. Our mias was asleep in her box, and did not seem willing to turn out, so we left word that she should he taken down to the bungalow in the course of the afternoon, and, being in a hurry, went away with- out seeing her. When we reached home to dress for dinner, she had not yet arrived; but on our return from Government House we found a large chest lying in the verandah, and our servants assured us that she had arrived shortly after our departure, and was safely asleep therein. As soon as we had gone to bed they retired to their homes, for we slept alone in the bungalow. In the middle of the night I woke up, and lay for some time thinking of unconnected trifles, until my ears became gradually aroused to the fact that a succession of extraordinary noises was going on outside the house : shuffle — shuffle — bang — whir-r-r. So many unaccountable sounds, however, are always heard at night in the tropics that I paid no particular attention at first beyond drowsily wondering whether a family of wild-cats was visiting us from the jungle. Sud- denly an idea flashed through my brain — “ It’s the mias, by Jove ! and she’s loose.” The most horrible tale I ever read — Edgar Poe’s “ Murders in the Kue Morgue,” the perusal of which nearly caused me to be “ploughed” for matri- A NIGHT ALARM. 161 culation at Oxford, years ago — ruslied into my mind. I followed tlie horrid story step by step, and with a result easily foreseen — I put myself into a thorough fright. The uncertainty in which I was as to the form and size of the animal conduced to my greater terror. We had not seen our purchase as yet, and knew nothing of its strength or ferocity. The night was as black as a night should be under such awful circumstances. I opened my curtains and looked out. A faint streak of light appeared between the folding doors opening from my room into the verandah, and I knew the wood had shrunk from the bolt and would not hold. “By heavens, the doors are opening !” It was no trick of imagination — the light streak widened slowly — slowly. I do not wish the worst enemy I shall ever have such moments as mine were then. The wall behind my bed was covered with swords and knives. I slipped out an arm to reach a weapon. Something hairy swept the back of my hand, and for a moment I felt sick with terror. Then I remembered the long scalps hanging from my parang ilang, and put out my arm again, keeping my eyes fixed upon the fissure between the doors. Nothing but swords — -swords — when I would have given worlds to clutch the handle of the smallest bowie-knife. At length my fingers encountered the rough buckhorn, and I disengaged it from the wall with a “clang.” The same moment the crevice of light began to close, and I recovered M 162 INEXPLICABLE SOUNDS. my presence of mind, groped my way to tlie doors, and propped a chair against them to give warning, by its fall, of any new incursion. I then found my way into Arthur’s room, which lay behind, and roused him from tranquil slumbers by the awful intelligence that the mias was playing old goose- berry in the verandah, if she had not already pene- trated into the house. At first he seemed inclined to laugh heartily ; but alarm is very infectious, and in a few minutes he was as much disp'osed to regard the matter seriously as myself. The noise was still to be heard, and seemed rather on the increase. We decided that further suspense was unbearable, and groped for our revolvers to attack the monster on her own domains. Accordingly, we threw the doors boldly open, and stepped out into the verandah. But the darkness was impenetrable, and, after a vain search, we returned. My room it was impos- sible to secure, in consequence of the lintels and framework being so much shrunken with heat, so we both turned in upon Arthur’s mattress and dozed in a broken unquiet manner till morning. With the first light we awoke, and went outside. The chest lay where it had been placed the previous evening, and sitting upright therein, with her droll head poking over the side, was our mias, firmly fastened round the neck with a stout rope ! Under these circumstances the sounds heard were alto- gether inexplicable ; but we subsequently ascer- tained that a former resident, finding his house THE BOA. 1C3 infested with rats, had obtained a musang to exter- minate them. When this duty was performed the musang disappeared ; but he would probably return to his old home on occasion, and thus we accounted for the noise. During his absence, however, a small boa took up his residence in the bungalow, and was living there during our occupancy. As we lay awake in the quietude of night his move- ments were distinctly to be heard overhead. The first warning of his approach was conveyed by the creak and rustle of the matting with which our rooms were ceilinged. This continued for two or three minutes ; then a sharp thump was heard, a faint squeak, and all was over. Our imagination could easily conceive the details of the picture : the innocent rats playing about the floor — the long supple crawl of the snake through the dark- ness — his down-pressed head and purple-darting tongue — his gathering coil when within reach — the sudden unwinding, as his tail beat the mat in a deadly spring — and then the sickly moistening of the prey as he stretched himself silently to gorge. But our mias, our dear old Lucrezia, well deserves a particular description. She was horribly ugly — so incredibly and delightfully hideous as to possess a charm far superior to mere beauty. She was the strongest, the gentlest, the most unamusing pet that ever man possessed. She did nothing, abso- lutely nothing ; so indolent and indifferent was she that to look at her called up an intense excitement m 2 164 THE MIAS. in the bystander. When she made a movement, the droll deliberation of her proceedings choked us with laughter, and no human being could observe her in quiet moments without a severe side-ache. When we approached her with a piece of sugar-cane, she pouted her lips as if to kiss us, and when the cane was in her grasp, she laid herself on her back, and held it with all four hands at once, tearing off the rind with her teeth. I think she considered us good fellows, and liked us very well, but she was fond of being scratched, and doted on sugar-cane. Borneo is the true home of the Mias, or as we call him, Orang Outang, “ Man of the Woods.” Two species exist, alike, I believe, in all points except size. Both kinds are common at Banting, but rare in other parts of the country; they are drawn thither no doubt by the extraordinary quantity of fruit trees. The animal is quite harm- less, though stories are told by the Dyaks of youths and girls carried olf into the jungle and re- tained by them in captivity ; they say, indeed, that a monstrous progeny is borne by these prisoners, but as no specimens have ever been produced, we may be allowed to disbelieve the facts until authen- ticated. Lucrezia belonged to the smaller species, and was considered to be about two years old, and not quite half-grown. She was rather more than two feet high, her head was large and stomach immense; her arms reached very nearly to the ground, and her l'egs were ridiculously short and LUCREZIA. 165 slender. Her skin was bluisli-black, sparsely covered by shaggy hair of a red colour, and five inches long. Her face was very smooth and soft, her nose short and nostrils wide, and her eyes little and deep set. In the struggle of her capture she had lost the sight of one of them, which added the only point wanting to her complete ugliness. She always preserved her upright attitude, and her movements were rare and very slow, showing none of the activity of the monkey. Her food was boiled rice, and she was fond of meat when cooked, especially chicken ; in confinement very little fruit can be given to the mias with safety, though such is his sole food in a natural state. Heglect of this precaution caused the death of Lucrezia during our absence at Sakarran, when she was kept at the fort. We never regretted the loss of a pet so much as that of our dear old mias. She was so strong, and 3 r et so gentle, such a perpetual source of amusement, she caused so little trouble, and was so scrupulously cleanly. She regarded everything with an air of intelligence which made it impossible to avoid respecting her, but in my secret soul I am convinced she was perfectly stupid and understood nothing at all. We had intended to make arrangements with the captain of some swift merchant vessel to carry her to England in a loose box properly warmed, and for her sake I meditated the long voyage round the Cape, but alas ! she died, and we have not even her skin as a memorial. 166 THE WA-WA. For a time we kept another ape as a pet, who was not at all funny. This was a young “ Wa-wa,” the most beautiful of the Bornean monkeys. In the early morning these little apes may be heard in great numbers among the woods round Kuching, uttering a quaint cry which exactly resembles the sound of water poured from a bottle. They are very gentle, easily tamed, and affectionate, but they are always delicate, and in confinement are never known to give vent to their peculiar call. Their fur of dark grey colour is very long and soft, their faces jet black, and they have large bright eyes. The size of the “ wa-wa ” is never considerable ; the largest we saw was about a foot high when sitting down, but their arms are of a length very disproportioned to their bodies. Our little fellow soon died, though we turned him loose in a last endeavour to preserve his life. Lucrezia and the “ wa-wa ” were the only monkeys ever kept by us as pets, but we attempted upon one occasion to tame a musang, which we obtained on the Bejang. Our efforts were utterly ineffectual, and the animal seemed to become fiercer every day. He was very graceful and pretty, having soft fur very like that of a tabby cat, but greyer, and with beautiful white and black bars about the neck. His eyes were singular in shape and position, showing no iris except the thinnest possible streak, which never enlarged, and they were set very pro- minently in his head. One of his feet had been THE PALANDOK. 167 wounded by a bullet, and, finding that the poor brute was occupying bis leisure moments in gnawing it off, we destroyed liim. Another animal also we attempted to tame with- out success. This was a palandok deer, which had been driven into the river at Bidi and preserved alive. The female was killed, and we carried her body to Kuching, and sent it to the Bajah’s cook, who served it up for breakfast the next morning in delicious style. The male being quite uninjured we endeavoured to retain, but he hurt himself so seri- ously in frantic attempts to escape, that we were finally obliged to kill him. The palandok is the smallest of the antelopes ; it is about the size of a hare, which animal it resembles in colour and some other respects. Its eyes are singularly large and beautiful, more so, I think, than those of the gazelle. Its ears are long and broad, with black tips, and its tiny hoofs are the prettiest imaginable. All attempts, however, to make a pet of the palandok have, I believe, hitherto failed, and in the few instances in which some slight progress seemed to be made, the animal has died in a very few weeks. The experi- ment of shutting a pair in an inclosed paddock has been tried, but the longest period of their existence, even in such comparative freedom, was three months, and it appears cruel to make further efforts. The most extraordinary animal we saw in Sara- wak had been caught a few months before our arrival, in the little bungalow below Government 16S THE FEATHERED RAT. House, and had been rudely stuffed by a native artist. It resembled a rather diminutive rat in every respect, except the tail ; this appendage was so like a feather, that the closest examination only confirms the justice of its Malay title, “ feathered rat.” The natives had some knowledge of the animal, hut they asserted that it was exceedingly rare, and only two have been seen since the Kajah’s arrival. One of them has already been offered to the examination of English Zoologists, and by this time the other is in their hands. The tail is long and curls like a plume over the hack ; the vertebrae take the appearance of the solid substance running up the middle of a feather; and light plumes branch off on either side. It is a most singular animal, and the peculiarity of its caudal appendage well deserves a minute scrutiny. According to the testimony of several Eastern sportsmen, we ourselves obtained a pair of horns belonging to some species of antelope at present unrecognised. Unfortunately, the animal was taken in a Dyak trap,* and though the horns and a great * The Dyaks’ traps are very successful, but dangerous to all travellers. A young tree is bent by main force into a bow, and the arrow is represented by a stout spear placed horizontally about three feet from the ground. When the catch — which is in the track — is touched, the spear is thrust forward with immense force, and any passing object is instantly and hope- lessly transfixed, unless it be so low as to allow the passage of the spear over its head. The pig-spears, which are set nearer the ground, transfix a man’s legs ; the deer-spears thrust him SAK ARRAN. 1C9 part of the skin were brought to us — the latter has been lost since our arrival in England — the body of the animal had already been cut up. The Dyaks presented the horns to us as those of a “ kijong,” and in the momentary glance we gave them, we did not notice their great dissimilarity. Subsequently, we observed points of radical difference, but the opportunity of examining the bones was then lost. In the first place, the forehead measures nearly twice that of a full-grown kijong in width; secondly, the horns are quite straight from root to point ; thirdly, though the skin and hair cover half the length of the horns, as in the kijong, there is no protruding rim where the junction of horn and skin takes place, neither is there any sign of a brow antler, which is invariable in the other animal. The large portion of skin which was preserved for us seemed to resemble that of the kijong in every respect ; nevertheless we regret its loss. We had determined that our next expedition should be in the direction of Sakarran, where the Tuan Mudah, who, in the Rajah’s absence, had charge of the country, was at present staying. Sakarran, which is his own proper residence, is through about the thighs or waist. But accidents are not so common from this source as might be expected. Certain signs and marks in the brushwood, on either side the spear, nearly always warn the sharpsighted Dyak of his danger ; and he enters the bush, and so gets round the spear, or searches for the catch, over which he carefully strides. Carelessness, how- ever, will sometimes cause most horrible accidents. 170 HEAD-HUNTING. perhaps the most important of the out-stations, both from the numbers of the population, and from their warlike character. The great tribes of Sak- arran and Seribas have never been more than nomi- nally* subject to the Malays of Kuching or Bruni, and Sir James Brooke is the first master whom they have really obeyed. Every year a cloud of murderous pirates issued from their rivers and swept the adjacent coasts. No man was safe by reason of his poverty or insignificance, for human heads were the booty sought by these rovers, and not wealth alone. Villages were attacked in the dead of night, and every adult cut off; the women and grown girls were frequently slaughtered with the men, and children alone were preserved to be the slaves of the conqueror. Never was warfare so terrible as this ; head-hunting, a fashion of com- paratively modern growth, became a mania which spread like a horrible disease over the whole land. No longer were the trophies regarded as p roofs of individual valour ; they became the indiscriminate property of the clan, and were valued for their number alone. Murder lurked in the jungle and on the river ; the aged of the people were no longer safe among their own kindred, and corpses were secretly disinterred to increase the grisly store. Superstition soon added its ready impulse to the o-eneral movement. The aged warrior could not o * Nevertheless, they paid a certain irregular tribute. Vide the account of Seribas — infra, Chapter XI. EXTINCTION OF THE PRACTICE. 171 rest in his grave till his relatives had taken a head in his name ; the maiden disdained the weak- hearted suitor whose hand was not yet stained with some cowardly murder. Bitterly did the Malay pangerans of Kuching regret the folly which had disseminated this phrensy. They themselves had fostered the bloodthirsty superstition in furtherance of their political ends ; hut it had grown beyond their control, and the country was one red field of battle and murder. Pretexts for war were neither sought nor expected ; the possession of a human head, no matter how ob- tained, was the sole happiness coveted throughout the land. Such was the state of this territory when the Sultan of Bruni, in utter despair, ceded it to Sir James Brooke. The object attempted in this book is to describe faithfully its state at the present time. We found peace everywhere, and everywhere pro- sperity. The instincts which have grown with the growth of the present generation cannot be de- stroyed in a day, but the Government is very strong, and determined to repress all outrages. Nearly all the more powerful native chiefs, men who, in their younger days, were infected with the mania, are now entirely disposed to support the Bajah in his endeavours, and their influence over their warriors is very great. The Government, in its gradual steps towards the extinction of the practice, has striven with success to recall the feeling of personal 172 TERMINATION OF FORMER FEUDS. glory which originally led to the preservation of an enemy’s head, and to make the Dyak perceive that the skull of some poor wanderer pierced from be- hind a tree by the deadly arrow of the sumpit, is a mark of the murderer’s infamy as lasting as the honour of the trophy when captured in fair and open fight. And indeed the heads thus loyally collected by the Sea Dyaks should be sufficient to preserve their reputation. They are an enterprising and fearless race, and the prosecution of their hereditary feuds would at all times have ensured a yearly increase gained in equal combat. The powerful tribe of the Kyans in the interior, the Undups in their midst, and the warlike people of Banting on the Batang Lupah, had ever been the foes of the Sakarran and Seribas, who were continually engaged in attack upon these enemies, or in the repulse of their incur- sions. All these feuds are now terminated, and it is surprising to observe with how much indifference men will meet, who, fifteen years ago, were engaged in a life and death struggle which had lasted for generations. The Undups, who were driven from the country with terrible slaughter, have returned, and are dwelling securely in the midst of their former enemies, and the warriors of the tribes will carelessly recount their victories surrounded by the vanquished party. We embarked for Sakarran in our little sampan, and towards evening reached the village of Moritabas, THE MALAY LANGUAGE. 173 at the mouth of the Eastern channel of the Sarawak river. A squall was brewing seawards, so we de- termined to attempt no further progress that night, and accordingly put to shore. In rambling along the beach after snipe, we came upon a Malay burial- ground, the first we had met with, but it much resembled the Mahomedan graveyards of Cairo and Constantinople. Some of the turbaned monuments were handsomely carved, and the deep inscriptions upon them were gilt. The mark of Arab parentage is set upon most Malay customs ; many of their words and nearly all their letters are taken from that country, and continual communication is kept up with it by the crowd of Hadjis who yearly undergo all sorts of perils and hardships in the performance of the sacred journey. The Malay language has, like the English, a great readiness to adopt useful words from any foreign source, and probably one half of its expressions are corrupted from the Arabic and Hindustani. Even from the English tongue they have borrowed a few words, some of them of a class quite social, which is more extraordinary. The Malay language is exces- sively simple; it has no regular moods, or tenses, or persons of the verb, no gender, nor, strictly speaking, case or number of the noun, and nearly all parts of speech, especially verbs, adjectives, and nouns, may be converted from one class to another by means of an arrangement of prefixes and adjuncts. In sound the language is soft and pleasing. 174 ORIGIN OF THE RACE. Dialects are as numerous as the offshoots of the nation, which, in prehistoric times, has over- run and colonized the wdiole South-East of Asia, and the Archipelago of the Southern Seas. All the various dialects, however, are, I believe, easily traceable to one stock, though the origin of the race and its earliest seat are matters of the greatest uncertainty. The features and form both of Malays and Dyaks are so intensely Tartar- like in their character as at once to induce the sup- position that both nations belong to that great family, and Gibbon informs us that Zenghis Khan’s fleets circumnavigated Borneo, and conquered the peninsula and islands. On the return of the general commanding this expedition, however, the great Khan caused him to be put to death for failing to bring to his master the head of the Bornean sovereign — a neglect of duty which is easily credible if the country was as thickly covered with jungle at that time as it is at the present day. But the difficulties which must be encountered in supporting this theory are considered by most of those learned in the matter to be insurmountable. That the Malays have been a wandering and un- settled race from the commencement their own favourite appellation for themselves will sufficiently prove ; they rarely use the term “ Orang Malayu,” but prefer to be called “Orang Laiit,” “ Men of the Sea.” It would seem natural, therefore, to seek FATAL ACCIDENT. 175 tlieir original liome in some maritime country, and not, according to tlie notion just now prevalent, in a confined district of tlie peninsula far inland. Leaving tliis difficult but interesting question to those so much better qualified to decide upon it than mere travellers like ourselves, I will proceed to my own proper duties of describing our experiences among this people, whether Tartar or autochthon. "We were awakened about midnight by a sudden uproar in the village. Thinking it might be caused by some one running “amok,” we seized our revolvers and hurried up from the sampan in which we were sleeping, for a man when amok is shot down like a mad dog at the first opportunity, and humanity is best served in so doing. When we reached the houses, however, it appeared that an old man, wandering on his verandah in the dark, had fallen over the edge, a height of about ten feet. His family pressed us hard to do something for him, but all the doctors in Europe could not have saved his life ; the poor fellow’s back was broken, and he was dying in a state of insensibility. We told them to rub him with “ Kayuh putili” oil, but it was merely to occupy their attention, and to avoid further entreaty. The scene was striking in the heated room — the old man snoring heavily before the fire, and the red light playing on the excited features of the neighbours crowding around. The weather still seemed threatening when we arose in the morning, but we had just determined 176 ROMANTIC STORY. to risk a passage in hugging the shore, when an Arab commanding a small vessel laden with cocoa- nuts, which, like ourselves, had taken refuge in the river the previous night, offered for a few dollars to take us as far as the mouth of the Batang Lupar. We agreed to his terms, and, after breakfast, em- barked, leaving the sampan to follow as soon as possible. We ascertained that this was the craft we had seen at Satang loading with cocoa-nuts and turtle eggs, and the Beis informed us that he was nearly blown on to the rocks in the squall that followed our departure from the island. He was an ex- ceedingly handsome fellow, tall and upright, with a very fair complexion apd a jetty beard. Ali Kasut told us his father was a rich sliereef,* of Baugermasin, whence this young man had fled for the murder of a Dutchman, the seducer of his sister, who w T as beautiful as a Houri. The story was romantic, but not altogether improbable, for the Shereefs are proud of their sacred ancestry and bitterly detest the European. The Beis complained much of the poll-tax which Sir James Brooke has introduced, and indeed, the measure seemed generally unpopular, though apparently unavoidable. All the ports of Sarawak are absolutely free, and there are neither import nor export duties. * The Shereefs are the Arab descendants of the Prophet. There are a considerable number in Borneo, and they are at the bottom of every disturbance and difficulty. ORIGINAL VESSEL. 177 The vessel in which we found ourselves certainly merits a description, for, in her way, she was as original as anything we saw in the country. Her length was about thirty feet, and she was decked all over with strong “ataps”* in a liog-hacked manner ; that is, the ataps met down the centre at a considerable angle. By this arrangement, when the craft was on her beam-ends — the position she usually preferred in sailing — one side of the deck became horizontal. I hope this description is in- telligible. If the reader will fancy himself afloat on the roof of a house he will perceive my meaning. She boasted no bulwarks, but at intervals a rib was prolonged about a foot above the deck, and to each of these posts a number of miscel- laneous articles were attached and hung over the side. Above and below she was crammed with cocoa-nuts and cockroaches. No cabin did she pos- sess ; but a little hole, unconscious of ventilation, was reserved for the captain among the cargo. This healthful apartment was fitted up with feather-beds (!) and the mode of entry was upon hands and knees. When inside, the explorer was greeted by such swarms of unknown animals that he instantly pro- ceeded to crawl out again, having satisfied himself that by no arrangement of the limbs and body * An “ atap ” is a piece of thatch twisted up from the leaves of the nipa palm. It is about two feet long and a foot wide, and is used for the walls and roof of houses, and, as in this instance, for the decking of vessels. N 178 SEBUYOU. known in Europe could a human being take the form requisite for lying down in that hole. Two days we passed on the deck of this wonder- ful craft, protected from the fierce sun by kajangs, and on the evening of the second we reached the ruined village of Sebuyou, at the mouth of the Batang Lupar. Sebuyou had been formerly a thriving settlement, inhabited principally by emi- grants from the Rejang and Sakarran rivers, but since peace lias been restored to those districts the people of the town have gradually returned to their original homes, and we found their deserted houses falling to picturesque decay. We had some difficulty in discovering a hut still inhabited ; but at length our servants found an old fisherman, who, with his sons, still clings to the old home. We passed the night in his house, and lounged about waiting for the arrival of our sampan all the next morning. I entered into conversation with the old man upon the subject of matrimony, as he mended his boat upon the river bank. He told me that he had already been twice a widower, and that his second choice was not found on trial to be a success. It is noticeable, perhaps, that a man who has twice entered into the holy bonds rarely considers his second venture equal to his first. I asked the old fellow if he felt inclined to try his fortune a third time. He said yes, he would like to risk it, but had no money. COST OF A WIFE. 179 “ How much should you require?” I asked. “ Why you see, Tuan, I am old now, and I want a young wife ; no girl would marry a grey-headed fellow like me, unless I could give a great deal of money for her.” “ Get an old one then !” “ Ah ! old women are no good” (sic). “ How much would the sort of girl you wish for cost?” “ Hot under $100, perhaps $200.” “ Why a houri ought not to cost £50. Ho you require beauty as well as youth ?” “ I want a w r ife very badly. Has Tuan a wife ?” Ho, Tuan hadn’t a wife. “ Ah ! I dare say Tuan would pay §1000 or §2000 for a wife in his country.” I observed that, in the long-run, matrimony generally cost a good deal more than that, and he sighed — “ Ah ! perhaps it does,” and turned to his nets again, thinking, no doubt, of the silken sarongs and “ kain bandaras” he had given to the first young wife, who was so charming. In the afternoon our sampan arrived, and we pushed on to Linga, a town half-way between Sakarran and the sea. About ten o’clock in the night we reached the fort, and found the Venus lying at anchor in mid-stream ; the depth of water above would not allow her to proceed with safety, and the Tuan Mudah had prosecuted his further n 2 180 THE DYAKS OF SAKARRAN. voyage in a native boat. After a merry evening with Captain Lucas on board the gunboat, we con- tinued our journey at dawn, and arrived off Sakarran Fort about three o’clock on the following morning. In running up the river under as much sail as our slender mast would carry, we found some difficulty in overtaking a little Dyak sampan, going before the wind under very primitive rig. Her crew, composed of one man and one small boy, had fixed four large leaves of the nipa palm crosswise in their boat, two in the bows, and two astern, which held the breeze capitally and answered all possible purposes. Three o’clock in the morning is an untimeous hour to disturb any decently-conducted household, so we dozed quietly on the mattresses in our sampan until daylight. On inquiry we found that the Tuan Mudah was suffering from fever and ague — the curse of the tropics — but was somewhat cheered by the presence of his brother, Mr. Stuart John- son, the assistant Resident of Seribas, the neigh- bouring district. The Dyaks of Sakarran and Seribas are the most celebrated of all the tribes. They have ever main- tained the closest alliance between themselves and an inveterate hostility to all the world besides. No means exist of calculating their numbers with any certainty. If the returns of the hearth-tax which the Government attempts to levy, were pro- perly rendered, an average sufficiently correct might THE SERIBAS DYAKS. 181 be deduced ; but the honesty of a people does not necessarily follow from their want of civilization — not at least in such a matter as taxation. It is believed that the Treasury is defrauded of one-third of its revenue by false returns of population ; but greater strictness has lately been introduced, and when the reforms are completed, an estimate of the Dyak population may be anticipated which shall be sufficiently accurate. The highest calcula- tion we heard of the fighting force which could be raised on an emergency by the allied tribes was 50,000 warriors, the lowest 30,000. But the Tuan Mudali is inclined to believe that both these esti- mates are below the mark, and no one is so well qualified to give an opinion as he. The Seribas has much the smaller population of the two, but hers are the bravest and most enter- prising warriors of the island. They have mostly adopted the Malayan costume, retaining, however, the armlets and earrings of the D} r ak. On depar- ture for a campaign, the young men always remove their ornaments and resume the simple chowat of their ancestors. The tribe is very wealthy; gold and silver necklaces are common with men and women, and the daughters of the chiefs wear golden waistbelts. In former days, when a family felt an inclination for new ornaments, the men would paddle cheerily dowm the river, and fine every Malay and Chinaman in the Campong of Seribas, return- ing quietly with their booty. Every house is full of 182 THEIR GOVERNMENT. slaves, who are always kindly treated ; having been captured as mere children, they have grown to look on the abode of their masters as their only home, and their parents are forgotten or remembered with contempt. As is the case with all people accus- tomed to command a subject population and ignorant of toil, the Seribas Dyaks have a proud manliness of carriage which is pleasant to observe, and their features have improved with their improved con- dition. They are, I think, the tallest and hand- somest of the tribes. I would not have the reader infer from this that they are at all beautiful accor- ding to the European meaning; there are plenty of pretty girls among them, but the general charac- teristics are Tartarlike in the extreme. The ex- pression it is which pleases, so frank, and happy, and fearless. Their government was that of an independent aristocracy from the earliest times of their history till the coming of the Bajali. The viceroy of the Sultan of Bruni, resident at Kuching, claimed a nominal authority and jurisdiction over them, and the three Malay Datus of the Seribas district were supposed to keep them in control, and to check their piratical excursions. The Datus, however, preferred the easier and more profitable course of openly supporting these forays and countenancing them by their presence. In return, they were allowed a certain jiortion of the booty. But, in peace and war, the Dyaks scouted the MODE OF SUMMONING TO WAR. 183 idea of Malay sovereignty. Their own chiefs were their only masters, and it was even an exceptional case when one of these was raised to an acknow- ledged supremacy over the others. The Orang Kaja Pamantuah, who for so many years exercised an almost despotic authority, could lay no claim to his power except that of personal merit and the consent of his former equals ; and the death of this chief at an advanced age was instantly followed by the disruption of his dominions. His youngest son, Si Hadji, succeeded to the larger share, his eldest son, Nannang, to another portion, and the second son, Si Logo, to another, while each more powerful chieftain resumed his original independence. The Hyaks inhabiting the banks of the Sakarran river, who compose the bulk of this great con- federacy, do not require so close a description as those of Seribas, whom they resemble in every respect, but in a minor degree. They are brave and warlike, though not so much so as them allies ; they are wealthy and possess numerous slaves, but at various times they have owned a more complete sovereignty on the part of the Pangerans of Sarawak than the Seribas have ever admitted. The mode of summoning the Hyaks to war is the despatch of a spear, which is forwarded from house to house with great rapidity. The message is greeted with joyful shouts and instantly answered. When the Tuan Mudah thus called upon the tribes in his district at the news of the Chinese insur- 184 TOWN OF SAKARRAN. rection, 8000 warriors responded to the first sum- mons, and were assembled around his fort in forty- eight hours. The town of Sakarran is situated at the junction of that river with the Batang Lupar. The country immediately around is flat, hut here and there a solitary hill arises from the midst of the plain, and lofty mountains encircle it at a distance. The fort is a large and handsome building, surrounded by a formidable chevaux-de-frise, composed of ironwood stakes. At high tide the building is partially insulated by a broad moat, over which a drawbridge is thrown ; but the Tuan Mudah has planted its banks and the neighbouring ground with flowers and shrubs, which remove the air of barrenness usual among’ the out-stations of Sarawak. The interior is pleasantly furnished and boasts a good library ; the fortmen are numerous, and their quar- ters large and airy, and the number of guns and rifles stored in the armoury would equip a consi- derable force. The bath-house is situated on the other side the moat about twenty yards from the main building. In order that the reader may form an idea of the lawlessness formerly prevalent in these districts, and of the difficulties which the government has overcome, I will mention a fact narrated to me by the Tuan Mudah himself. Whenever Mr. Brereton, the first Resident of the station, wished to indulge in the innocent refreshment of the bath, he was MALAY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. 185 compelled to march across the drawbridge, preceded and followed by two fortmen with loaded rifles, to deter any assassin who might be lurking in the neighbourhood for an opportunity to take his life. Under these circumstances we may be led to believe that Mr. Brereton did not venture upon the luxury more times in the day than was absolutely neces- saiy. At present, I believe that a white man might travel from one end of the kingdom to the other in perfect safety, except, perhaps, among the wild Ivy an s of the interior or the migratory Pakatans. And this tranquillity has been obtained, not by the terror of sanguinary reprisals, or the slaughter of savage war, but by vigilance, kindness, and, above all, firmness. But what result could be expected from the Malay system of government other than that which fol- lowed ? Every clan was opposed to another. The Sea Dyaks were introduced to coerce the hill tribes, and the Kyans were tempted to invade the borders of the Sakarran. Head-hunting was en- couraged to embitter their feuds ; for the paltry plunder of their villages, the poor Land Dyaks, the only sure source of Malay revenue, were almost ex- terminated, the young of both sexes w r ere carried into slavery, and Sir James Brooke found a popu- lation of two hundred males on the left branch of Sarawak river who were utterly destitute of women. These had every one been carried off in a foray some years before. Ho wonder the chiefs of the ' Sakarran 186 SABOOYONG. and Seribas are rich and powerful ; tbej seized all the wealth of the country, and their lands were cultivated by captives taken from the people of the Hills. The government of the Malay Pangerans was reckless and oppressive almost beyond belief, and had not Sir James Brooke arrived, all the peaceful and industrious population must in a few years have perished from sheer misery. After two days with the Tuan Mudah, our pre- parations were completed for a lengthened residence among the D} r aks. With some hesitation we se- lected a house of the Undups called Sabooyong, over which a Tuan named Bully presided, as the scene of our experiences. Among the Sea Dyaks, the chief of several clans is alone entitled to the dignity of an Orang Kaya, and the head of a subordinate house is termed Tuah, or old man, a title which he shares with the seniors of his own people. Sabooyong is celebrated for the excellence of its deer-grounds, a fact which decided our choice. We made large investments in glass beads and coarse Javanese tobacco, the presents most acceptable to the aborigines — tobacco for the men, and beads for the women ; though the parts are frequently interchanged, and the men demand beads, while the women beg tobacco. The latter is not often used for smoking, though occasionally they make cigarettes like the Malays, but more usually it is wrapped in the siri leaf with penang, lime, and gambier, for chewing. THE BALOO MISSION-HOUSE. 187 Accompanied by Mr. Stuart Johnson and a dis- tinguished Malay sportsman named Abong Ain — followed by our boatmen, servants, and a number of Seribas fortmen in attendance on their Resident, we took to the water in three sampans. About a mile below the fort we quitted the main stream of the Batang Lupar, and turned up the Undup, one of its tributaries. Much rain had fallen the pre- vious day and during the night, and a flood was the consequence ; with some difficulty we made our way as far as the Baloo Mission, when we left the boats to force a passage as soon as the water should subside, and prepared to perform the re- mainder of our journey on foot. In the first place, however, it was obviously advisable to breakfast, and accordingly we waded up to our waists in water, along a broad canal to the padre’s* front door. I wonder whether this navigable condition is normal in the avenue of the Baloo mission-house. We find all who have so far penetrated differ in opinion as to the deirth of water alone ; some say they swam all the way, others, as in our case, found only about one hundred yards of the route quite out of their depth. We did not think it delicate to put the question directly, but a great deal of lively curiosity is abroad upon this subject in Sarawak, and it ought to be cleared up. Inasmuch, however, as the padre expressed no surprise, though much con- * Missionaries in Borneo are always called “ Padres j” a reminiscence of the Portuguese conquests in the East. 188 BREAKFAST WITH THE PADRE. sideration, when he saw ns arrive in such dripping condition, the probability is that he was accustomed to the situation. Before we reached the house, some of the fortmen of Seribas who had outstripped us, came hack with a boat, in which we paddled to the Mission. We found it situated on the hank of a deep but narrow pond, whose blackened water did not seem likely to conduce to the health of the neighbourhood. Upon the opposite bank was a village of the Baloo Dyaks which we had not time to visit. The missionary assured us that he found no difficulty in persuading native parents to send their children to his school, and numbers of little naked urchins were playing about the house. The padre’s servant was a China- man, educated to Christianity from childhood ; and we were assured that his piety was sincere, and honesty incorruptible ; a trait in a domestic which is valued throughout the East in proportion to its rarity ; more especially, it is said, in boys educated by the mission schools. As we sat at breakfast, a crowd of Dyaks came down to bathe at the pool, and both sexes conducted that operation with a decency which might advan- tageously be introduced at English watering places. When the meal was over, our host wished us good speed, and we swam cheerily across the pond. Not the least singular features of travel in wild countries are the accidents which throw the wan- derer into a momentary familiarity with persons A “ batang” path. 189 whom he will most likely never again encounter. We met Mr. C., the Padre of Baloo, in the centre of the jungle — we introduced ourselves — in twenty minutes we became friends — and in an hour and a half we left him in the forest, never, in all human probability, to behold his face again. But whether we again encounter these sudden friends of ours or not, they will never drop from our memory. Officers of the church, the government, and the Borneo Company, friends of months, or friends of an hour, be assured that your kindly hospitality and ready consideration will never be effaced from our minds so long as memory endures. Our further road, after leaving Baloo, was over a “ batang” path. It was not very well kept, but we had met with worse in our jungle experiences. Unfortunately, however, before we had traversed half the distance, the rain came down as from a sluice, wetting us through in a second, and render- ing the “ batangs” as slippery as ice. Mr. Stuart Johnson had appointed an old Seribas chief, who had been a great warrior in former days, to take care of us, and he performed the duty in a most en- gaging manner. This old chief had a most absurd affection for white men, and treated them with the greatest consideration. Nevertheless, he could not save us from some startling tumbles. The fact is, a man should be a scientific performer on the tight- rope to enable him to travel these roads in any comfort. 190 ARRIVAL AT OUR DESTINATION. I think that was the longest march we ever en- countered. At our request, Mr. Johnson did not await our slower progress, and he soon forged ahead. We passed through a small Dyak house, and the inhabitants, with their usual good-will, begged us to stay the night with them, but we held on doggedly in the manner of Excelsior, and after five hours’ march arrived at our destination in the dusk. Soaked is not the word to express our con- dition ; we were diluted with water, and utterly tired out. We found Mr. Johnson sitting before the fire in the verandah, drinking gin and water, while his tobacco smoked by itself upon the hearth. Above him was a great bunch of smoke-dried heads, and a number of picturesque savages were crowded smilingly around, listening to the news, and de- lighted with the prospect of white visitors. We soon threw off our dripping clothes, and appareled our- selves in damp sarongs borrowed from Mr. Johnson’s fortmen. Then we sat down in the midst to assist in the discussion — of gin and water, — and to wait impatiently for dinner. I have no doubt we passed numberless objects of beauty and interest in our walk through the jungle, which would be well worthy of description ; but the fact is I did not see them. A vague recollec- tion remains of climbing hills, from which we looked over the level green plain of Sakarran, of crossing rivers and ravines upon a slender log, of thorny VAGUE RECOLLECTIONS. 191 ratans which intercepted our progress, and of belts of “ campong,” in which the walking was easy from the absence of all undergrowth; but my remini- scences are faint and shapeless, and the abiding impression in my mind is as of a deluge and a stumble. 192 CHAPTER VIII. Snapdragon — Description of the House — Tuah Bully — His Son — Medicine Man — Gasing’s Speech — Illuminated Forest — Wood Devils — Dyak Looms — Charms — Life of an Undup Dyak — Agriculture — Amusements — Religion — Treatment of Women — Duties of the Tuah — Preserved Head of a Mias — Kyan War and Character — Dyak Dogs — Blackened Teeth — Rhinoceros Hornbill — Food — Charms of Speed — of Bravery — Dyak Happiness. N the night of our arrival the darkness was too far advanced, and we were too tired to make any observation of our surroundings. The Eyaks were much too polite to interrupt us during dinner, which we took in the Tuali’s chamber, but they assembled round the fire in the verandah outside, and awaited our return with impatience. As soon as we had taken our dignified station in the centre of the circle we were overwhelmed with questions concerning the prospects of the country, a matter in which the Sea Eyaks take the greatest interest. The Malays, on the contrary, seem for the most part indifferent about general affairs, and this is a point on which the Eyaks dilate much. They say, “ These Malays are stupid fellows with all their knowledge ; when the day’s work is done each goes DTAK CHIEFS. 193 to his mistress and sleeps the whole night through, instead of sitting with the old men and discussing the affairs of the country till dawn. White men are brave and wise, but Malays are stupid dogs, who think of nothing but women and dollars.” Possibly, when these simple Dyaks have an acquaint- ance with the lower classes of white men, should such a day ever come, they may find that the diffe- rence between the Malay and the European is principally one of degree in most respects. Mr. Johnson was asked every intention of the government, and when this subject was exhausted, strange inquiries were put about Europe and English habits. The chiefs frequently visit the va- rious forts, where they are always courteously received, and, by the aid of a good memory, they generally retain a store of curious facts to be dis- cussed with the “ tuah$” over the midnight fire. I have rarely seen an exhibition more quietly funny than a Dyak chief at the dinner-table. He comes in with the dessert like other good children, for his performance with a knife and fork would be too striking altogether. He enters the room with a smiling but composed bow, and shakes hands with everyone present. Assuming an easy ah, he takes his place in an arm-chair, — an object he never saw before in his life, — stretches his legs under the mahogany, and accepts a cigar and a glass of gin and water with well-bred composure. Provided the cheroot and the liquor be renewed about every five o 194 INDEPENDENCE OF THE DY.4K. minutes, lie is as happy as is perhaps humanly pos- sible. True, he probably does not speak a hundred words all the evening, and understands nothing whatever of our conversation ; but what of that ? All amusement is comparative, and the chief enjoys himself immensely. On going home he will retail to his people an account of the ways and habits of the “ Tuan putih” as graphically as any other special correspondent; and then the Dyak always speaks the truth so far as his knowledge permits. But the sight is more than droll; it is suggestive. The air of a gentleman may be amusing in a naked savage, but its presence causes us to ask whether this barbarian, unilluminated by a scintilla of religion, and devoid of the rudiments of refinement and civilization, is not, after all, a nobler being than the labouring man of Europe ? The Dyak seems to feel confidence in the independence of his manhood, and perhaps it is because our poorer population has so little independent manhood to boast, that it is rude, brutal, and ungainly. The quietly watchful eyes which the Dyak chief turns upon every speaker, though the language employed be quite unknown to him, is so shrewdly intelligent, that one longs to dive into his mind and ascertain what his inmost thoughts can be. Neither Arthur nor I understood the language of our hosts, and our part in the conversation was accordingly passive. We distributed tobacco and SNAPDRAGON. 195 gin with botli hands, and the general impression seemed to be that we were good fellows, who were not, perhaps, to be held responsible for the deficiencies of their education. So we sat and smoked and chatted with Mr. Johnson, who translated to us the more notable drolleries. Before turning into our mos- quito curtains, which were slung in the verandah by the central fireplace, we organized a grand snap- dragon in one of the handsome bronze dishes which the Dyaks obtain from Bruni. It was about two feet in diameter and stood on a heavy pedestal, gracefully designed. The men and boys we made to stand at a distance, and women alone were permitted to approach the dish. We substituted two or three handfuls of cents for raisins, set the gin alight, and removed to a safe distance. In half a second the dish was overturned, and the blazing' gin ran over the mats and the women’s bare knees. Everyone was burnt just sufficiently to make the laughter rather hysterical, but none were seriously hurt, and the success of the sport was incredible. After this we went to bed, leaving the old chiefs to discuss politics over the fire. With the morning light we were enabled to remark our surroundings. The house of Sabooyong was situated upon a low hill ; upon one side was a mass of thick jungle, upon the other the growth was younger. The framework of the house was of stout logs of bilian or some very hard wood, and both walls and roof were thatched with o 2 19G THE HOUSE OF SABOOYONG. “ataps.” The piles on which the building stood had formerly been of considerable height, but generations of occupants had cast their refuse through the flooring, and the posts were now buried in earth nearly half their length ; eight feet, however, still remained above the ground. Twenty- three families inhabited the building ; it was in good preservation, and a capital specimen of Dyak architecture. I will endeavour to describe the three portions into which it was divided. There were two entrances, one at each end of the house, and neither of them was provided with a door; the visitor climbed in by means of a notched log, and when standing in the doorway, a vista stretched before him through, the house to the opposite entrance ; upon one hand were the doors of the sleeping apartments, on the other lay the two verandahs. The inner of these, about fifteen or twenty feet broad, was covered in by the roof and ceilinged with mats ; in fact this part of the building is called a verandah, merely for want of a name better expressing its peculiar features. It extended the whole length of the house, inter- rupted alone by the posts supporting the roof. In it were five rude fireplaces, composed of a few large flat stones, and over each was hung a bunch of blackened human heads. It was the usual lounging place of the tribe, and each family laid claim to as much of the space as lay opposite to its own chamber. The central hearth in front of the Tuah’s THE OUTER VERANDAH. 197 apartment was the place of council and free to all the inhabitants ; it was frequented more especially by the old men and tried warriors. Along the further side the sloping roof descended to within three feet of the floor, and outside this lay the outer verandah, exposed to the scorching heat of the sun. This portion of the building was used merely for the disposal of rubbish, and as a drying place for rice or such purposes. It was about twenty feet broad, floored with rough beams, over which sticks and branches were loosely strewn. A slight and rotten railing encircled the outer edge, but this could not for a moment have sustained the weight of a child incautiously wandering, and it is strange that accidents from this cause are not more frequent. In such a case, the little fellow would be precipitated to the ground below, a fall which would inevitably break his neck, for the height on this side was very considerable. At one end of the outer verandah arose the skeleton framework of the pangaran house, in which the head-trophies belonging to the clan were formerly stored, councils were held, and the young men as yet unmarried were compelled to sleep. Everywhere, however, this custom is now falling into disuse. The original intent of the institution appears obvious. First, the bachelors were kept out of mischief, though this argument had perhaps little weight among the Sea Dyaks. Next, the proper defenders of the clan were always to be found in a body when 198 THE HEAD TUAH. required, and thereby were not liable to be cut off singly. The women were unable to interfere in the warriors’ councils ; and lastly, an esprit de corps was created among the youths by the solemn posi- tion they held as guarding the trophies of ancestral valour. Under the peaceful government which the tribes now enjoy most of these precautions have become no longer necessary, and the bachelors doubtless soon expressed themselves opposed to a useless restraint upon their liberty. Along the edge of the outer verandah waved a fringe of graceful foliage. The floating fronds of the penang palm, most exquisite in beauty, the silvery-green leaves of the banana, the dark verdure of the “ lanset,” rose above the shrubs and twisted lianas, which formed an impenetrable network of vegetation covering the hill-side. The whole building was about seventy yards in length. The head Tuah of the house called himself Bully ; one is at liberty to spell arbitrarily a name that never was written. He was a fine-looking fellow, not handsome, but boasting a face on which manliness and honesty seemed imprinted. In height he was probably not more than five feet six inches, but his vast chest and powerful limbs caused him to appear taller. In fancy I can still see the good old chief sitting by the fire dressed in a pair of Malay trousers, and regarding us with an air of quiet goodwill very pleasant to see. His family consisted of a wife, perhaps twenty-five years old. THE TUAH S FAMILY. 199 but showing the remains* of considerable beauty ; one grown son, a charming little daughter of about eight years, and a baby still in arms. Besides these, he possessed two female slaves of incredible ugliness ; one of them had lost the sight of an eye, and as she squatted in front and stared us out of coun- tenance, we felt inclined to regret that she had not lost both. The other was fat and flabby beyond conception. Had we not been told that these women were slaves it would have been impossible for us to discover their condition among the tribe, by any difference of habit or treatment, and in fact, though we knew there were others of the same class in the house, we were never able to identify them. Both with Malays and Dyaks slavery is so mild as to be rather preferable to freedom in a state of poverty. Bully’s son was “ the glass of fashion ” to all the house. TVe felt some curiosity as to the age of this youth, and asked his father, who informed us that his son was twenty-nine years old. Thinking this extraordinary, we inquired his own age, when he assured us, in all good faith, that he himself was thirty-two. His puzzled expression, when I pointed out that, under these circumstances, he * Dyak beauty, at best a mere matter of grace ancl expres- sion, soon passes. At two-and-twenty it has already begun to fade, and the subsequent decay is rapid. In compensation, however, it is quite a usual thing to see a grandmother of very advanced years suckling a baby. 200 A BARBARIC DANDY". must have been married and a father at the early age of three years, was very droll, and the difficulty caused him to instantly summon an extemporaneous council of oldsters to inquire into the question. The young man did not dress in Malay trousers like his father, probably because one pair of such articles alone existed in the house ; but his chowat was parti-coloured, and his ornaments numerous. He was about five feet four inches in height, very fair-complexioned, and his face, though Tartar- like in character, had a pleasant expression. From the elbow to the knuckles both his arms were covered with rings of brass, and above the joint were two broad armlets of snowy shell, which con- trasted admirably with his yellow-brown skin. But the marvel and the glory of his array hung behind. To the end of his chowat was attached a long network of agate beads and bugles which jingled musically whenever he moved. Bound his neck were strings of bright beads, and his knees were encircled by brazen wire. A profusion of dyed scalps fluttered from the parang by his side, and in walking before us through the sunny glades of the jungle, his brazen gauntlets flashing in the light, and his beads of agate tinkling behind, he presented the very ideal of a barbaric dandy. Bully’s apartment resembled the one I have already described at Grogo in its appointments ; the plates in the little ratan baskets on the wall were more numerous, and, if possible, more gaudy in THE MANANG S DAUGHTERS. 201 colour ; tlie ornaments hanging from the rafters were of greater value, and the weapons more service- able, hut the general characteristics of the scene were the same. Unlike those of other families, the Tuah’s apartment had no square hole in the side Avail, through which neighbours could converse and occasionally peep, hut Bully we understood to he a most moral man, and the wives of the Sea Dyaks are always virtuous. Next door to the Tuah lived the “ manang ” or medicine man of the house. He was a slow- moving, sloAv-speaking old fellow, boasting two tolerably good-looking daughters, who showed a natural aptitude for flirtation interesting in a psy- chological point of Hew. These girls, named re- spectively Sayu and Grilumbai, were a great resource to us as a means of passing the long sultry hours during which it was impossible to wander abroad. Communication of ideas, however, was conducted with difficulty ; we expressed our sentiments to one of our servants in Malay, Avhich I believe he only half understood, and this interpreter translated our remarks into a Dyak idiom which I am tolerably confident the girls did not understand at all. How- ever all parties were amused et cela occupe. In the afternoon following our arrival, the indefatigable Abong Ain got up a deer-snaring party, and Ave sallied out with rifles and nets to heat a tract of old jungle at a little distance. On our way we passed over the ground cleared by the 202 GASING. clan for last season’s harvest. No deer were found, but our stroll through the open forest was very pleasant owing to the complete absence of under- wood. In the evening the rain fell in torrents, and shooting was out of the question. Early the next morning, Mr. Stuart Johnson was compelled to leave us in order to bear his part in a great “ Pachara ” to be held at Sakarran Fort on the following day. Any meeting of the natives at which talking is the prominent feature is called a “pachara,” as, for instance, a lawsuit when brought before the English Resident. In this case, the assembly rather took the form of a grand council in which the general course of events might be discussed. A more substantial object, however, was the distribution of booty taken in the late campaign against the Kyans. When this had been amicably arranged, an exceed- ingly powerful chief of the Sakarran, named Gasing, who was subsequently our very kind host and friend, arose to speak. Gasing is, and ever has been, a staunch supporter of Rajah Brooke and the peace of the rivers. He lias, notwithstanding, shown great bravery and resolution upon several occasions, and his reputation as a fighting chief stands high ; perhaps it is because he has discovered the vanity of war that he is so much inclined to peace. However this may be, Gasing made a speech at the “ pachara,” which was received with enthusiasm by the listening warriors. He said, INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEA DYAKS. 203 “I am an old man, and I have seen tlie changes that have befallen these rivers. So long, therefore, as the Rajah, and the Tuan Mudah, and their officers, shall rule over this country, I know that they will govern it wisely and well, and so long will I and my people live in peace and loyalty. But if the white men leave us, no Malay shall command the Dyaks of Sakarran. I will assemble my warriors as in the former days ; we will restore the old alliances, and our hills shall be defended against all comers.” There is probably no chief left in Borneo so powerful as Gasing, and no doubt he expressed the sentiments of nearly all the audience. I quote this speech to show the proud feeling of independence which animates the Sea D} r aks. If such an event as the retirement of the Rajah should ever take place, and Gasing’s words were carried out, as they probably would be, our poor friends at Sabooyong would fare ill. From time immemorial a bitter feud has existed between the Dyaks of the TJndup and the great confederacy of Seribas and Sakarran. The latter found a small but warlike tribe planted in their very midst, always ready to make an incursion, which, if not very destructive, was at least harassing and ignominious. Had the Undups stood alone, they must soon have been exterminated, but an alliance was maintained by them with the Bantings of Linga as strict as that of Seribas and Sakarran. By this means an 204 THE “ GREAT BALLA.” opportune diversion could be always relied on in a case of serious danger. The great tribes, however, were completely masters of the water, and that to such an extent, as we were assured, that many of the Undups on their reinstatement by the Rajah in their own lands, were quite unskilled in the use of the paddle, an exercise in which the natives of the Archipelago seem to be proficient from their very birth. They conducted the jungle warfare with better success, but their lives were consumed in a long struggle with the power of the confederates. Every } T ear the contest grew more bitter, till at length the tribes of Seribas and Sakarran organised an attack upon the Undups, which is still remem- bered as the “ great Balia.” Assisted by numerous Malays they utterly uprooted their enemy; many of the Undups were killed, some fled to Banting, but the greater part escaped into the Dutch terri- tory. The survivors were recalled by the Rajah when these feuds were appeased, but most of their houses were burnt, the penang palms cut down, and it is only recently that they have again begun to live in comfort. As soon as night set in we made our way to a shed which Abong Ain had caused to be built by the side of a salt spring to which the deer were accustomed nightly to resort. Before their usual time arrived, however, rain began to fall with increased violence, and Bully’s son, accompanied by some other Dyaks, came to guide us back, as in CONTEMPT FOR THE SUPERNATURAL. 205 their opinion little sport was to be expected that night. As we returned through the jungle, the earth seemed literally ablaze with phosphoric light ; the rotten vegetation gleamed brightly, strange insects moved along leaving a trail of white fire, and when one was crushed beneath the foot a flash ensued ; the whole scene was incredibly striking. Groping along this strange forest, the conversation naturally turned upon “ antus ” or devils. All our companions except one Malay boatman expressed the greatest contempt for them, and for supernatural beings generally. Few of them, however, would probably have liked to return alone. In our rambles round the house we came upon two very remarkable objects lying in a secluded glade of the jungle. These were a male and female alligator, shaped of mud and bristling with sharp wooden spines, intended, as we supposed, to represent scales. They were the size of life, and their resting-place was encircled by a rough palisade on which were hung hats and baskets. Without wishing in any way to impugn the piety of the Dyaks, I may observe that all these offerings were quite worn out, and of no further use to the owner. On inquiry, we were told, with much laughter, that the figures were expected to roam about at night and devour the antus, malignantly destroying the produce of the paddy fields. With the exception of a very doubtful figure in a cavern at Bidi, these alii- 206 DISCUSSION WITH TWO GIRLS. gators were the only evidence we could gain of any religious feeling whatever among the Dyaks. In the morning Ali Kasut despatched some of our crew to Sabooyong with hooks and provisions, but he failed to send us our sketching materials. We passed the heat of the day in chat with Sayu and Gilumbai, who afforded us continual amuse- ment by their extraordinary observations upon things in general. A discussion arose between us as to the beauty and convenience of brown skins and black teeth. Sayu supported her opinion of the superiority of both by that mode of reasoning called the “ argumentum ad liominem.” She in- sisted that the teeth of white men in general, and myself in particular, were like those of a pig, and that our faces resembled the inside of a cocoa-nut. This was disconcerting, it must he admitted, but we trusted that her reference was to colour alone in both instances. When not engaged in the paddy fields these girls occupied their time in working at the loom. We found it difficult to ascertain the mechanical prin- ciple of the machine used, for they only laughed when we asked questions, and either could not or would not understand ; while the men assured us seriously that, in accordance with one of the funda- mental laws of nature, it was impossible for a being of the male sex to comprehend matters so essenti- ally feminine. The fabrics which the girls produced, and of which they seemed very proud, were quaint MEDICINE CHARMS. 207 and formal in pattern. The thread, which was dull in colour, was not of Dyak manufacture, but pur- chased from Chinese pedlars ; and I suspect that the looms themselves were obtained from the Malays. The sarongs woven by the natives are considered even by Europeans to be far superior to the foreign goods imported. Cheapness is a great temptation, however, and the Dutch cottons from 50 cents, to $1 in price, naturally command a greater sale than the native manufactures at $2 to $5. The latter, however, will last both in colour and durability three or four times as long as the former. W e persuaded the medicine man, father of Sayu and her sister, to show us the charms with which he professed to cure disease and ensure prosperity to the household. With some hesitation the old man produced a wooden jar, which we had pre- viously noticed for the peculiarity of its rude handles, but which we had believed to contain mere rubbish. On closer examination this opinion was fully confirmed, for the store of useless trumpery therein was not redeemed by the presence of a single article which by possibility could work either good or ill to any living thing. It seemed incre- dible that human beings, in possession of all their senses, though ignorant of book-learning, should believe, or allow others to persuade them, that any virtue or remedial power could exist in such ridiculous trash. Some teeth of alligators and honey bears, several boars’ tusks, — and, among them, the finest 20S MEDICAL PRACTICE. I ever saw, over eiglit inches in length and an inch square at the base — chips of deerhorn, tangles of coloured thread, claws of some animal which we could not identify, and a few odds and ends of European articles picked up in visiting the resi- dencies — such are the charms to which these simple fellows trust for protection in health and recovery in sickness. For the credit, however, of universal common sense, it should be admitted that, although no expressions of absolute disbelief were made to us, neither the “ manang” himself nor the natives around seemed to repose positive faith in the effi- cacy of their medicines, and all were anxious for the less mysterious remedies of European science. Nearly everyone claimed sympathy and relief for some vague but terrible malady, and we ourselves felt much tempted to practise our inexperienced theories upon a man who was suffering from a dis- gusting attack of “corrip.” The poor fellow’s body presented an appearance as if mouldy, and from head to foot his skin hung in rags. He felt no pain ; and, in fact, this disease is far more disagree- able to observe than to experience. Perhaps it was as well that we withstood the desire to doctor the old man, for corrip in all its forms has hitherto defied the treatment of English science. But the cases in which medicine could really be beneficial were not numerous, and such as we found were all apparently of fever. One little girl, about six years of age, was worn to a skeleton by the LIFE OF THE UNDUP DTAKS. 209 attacks of this plague, and the expression of her pretty quivering features was most touching. The stock of quinine which we had brought was small, and we were in doubt whether it should be given in large quantities to a sufferer so young and so wasted by disease ; but the look of patient hope- lessness in the child’s eyes made us long to relieve her agony, and we used the tonic largety. Before our departure from the house this boldness was rewarded by a cessation of the attacks to which she had been continually subject, and we gave her mother all the quinine remaining, with an injunc- tion to use it when the fits returned again, a con- tingency which we were grieved to think was almost certain. The monotonous life of an Undup Dyak passes somewhat in this wise day by day. He leaves his bed of mats and bark with the first light of morning, and lounges out into the verandah, chewing the ine- vitable penang, while the females of his household put away the mosquito curtains, light the fire, and boil the rice for breakfast. When the males have finished their meal, they leave the apartment to the women, for Dyak etiquette never allows the latter to eat at the same time as the men. The rice for dinner is then boiled in bamboos and packed in baskets, the children are looked after, the mats are taken from the floor, and crumbs and dust shaken through to the ground beneath, and then the women come forth ready for the labour of the fields. p 210 ECONOMY OF A DYAK FARM. A Dyak farm is not laid out in such a manner as to afford any new or valuable hints to the English agriculturist. The prolific vitality of tropical soil enables the aborigines to obtain a sufficiency of sustenance by a system of cultivation which may be called trivial. Towards the end of each dry season the clan selects a piece of jungle, usually the side of a hill or a small valley, and sets it on fire in several places. When the conflagration has burnt out — a termination which does not ensue until some wide stream or ravine crosses the course of the wind, — the charred brushwood is partially cleared away, and the larger trees and branches are dragged together to make a rude fence around the spot. Holes are then made in the ground, and without further preparation the seed rice is deposited therein. Having so far fulfilled the duty of providing for their future wants, the clan chews penang in happy insouciance until the grain begins to sprout. Then commences the hard work in keeping the earth clear of weeds, for the same fertility which . enables this unscientific farmer to calculate with certainty on a fine harvest of rice, ensures also an interminable growth of weeds in equal luxuriance. Women and men labour with persevering industry ; but, in hopes of profit, a family will frequently sow more ground than it has hands to manage, and the members are overworked in their endeavour to keep the whole in order. As soon as the harvest is secured, the surplus is sold to Chinese or Malay AMUSEMENTS. 211 pedlars, who travel from house to house for the purpose of buying. With the usual improvidence of savage life, however, a clan is very frequently tempted by the impulse of present gain to dispose even of that portion which should be retained for home consumption, and in a few weeks starvation compels the repurchase of their own rice. Although the Dyaks are nearly always obliged to run into debt for this supply, and although the interest de- manded is incredibly exorbitant, yet complaints are seldom heard of any difficulty in the recovery of the amount, for these savages are honest as the day. The Dyaks, at least on the Undup, do not appear to care much for athletic games or for amusements of any kind. We never saw them indulge in any warlike exercises* or dances, except at the great feasts held in honour of a marriage, or a death, or in recurring commemorationf of the latter event. Upon such occasions they have sports, and, as we were told, sometimes engage in such amusements as climbing a greasy pole or running with their feet tied together. Of cock-fighting they are fond, * Though of so warlike a disposition, the Dyaks never prac- tise the handling of the weapons in time of peace, nor are the youths trained in any way to war. They consider such exer- cises unlucky. + It has been argued that such commemoration of an ances- tor’s death must show a belief in the immortality of the soul. Possibly it did so in its origin, but at present these feasts of the dead are only excuses for getting guests together and en- tertaining them. P 2 212 MARRIAGES. but not to the absurd and ruinous extent formerly affected by the Malay pangarans of Sarawak, and of Bruni to the present day. We did not see more than a few of these birds in Dyak hands, but since they are usually kept, when not in training or exercise, closely wrapped in linen bands and hung on a nail in a dry place, they might easily escape our notice. Not having the fear of police magis- trates and Humane Society prosecutions before our eyes, we assisted at one or two brief combats, evidently mere trial matches to assist the calcula- tions of the “ bookmakers” by testing each bird’s pluck and skill. When this object was attained by a few minutes’ struggle, held with much secresy in the verandah by the grey light of early morning, the cocks were picked up before any injury was inflicted and carefully swathed in their bandages, from the midst of which they soothed their ruffled feelings with an occasional crow of defiance. Most of the Dyak tribes have no marriage ceremony at all, unless the simultaneous drunk- enness of every male in the house may so be called. Among some Hill peoples rice and honey are eaten by the bride and bridegroom ; more frequently they exchange bracelets ; but the most common ceremony is the shaking of a fowl seven times over their heads. But whatever be the brief and allegorical rites performed, they only serve as a pretext for getting drunk. On the occasion of a marriage between folks in the middle rank of life the feast is BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 213 not usually prolonged more than twenty-four hours, but when the bride or bridegroom belong to wealthy or influential families the festivities last for several days, and sometimes for a whole w T eek, at no in- considerable expenditure of money, provisions, health, and liquor. A majority of the Dyak people bury their dead, but not a few practise incremation ; in either case the ceremonies are trivial and the feast or wake elaborate. The dead are, I believe, buried at full length, and their weapons, ornaments, and miscel- laneous property are interred with them. In con- sequence of this custom probably few Dyak burial- places have escaped rifling by the sacrilegious Malays or Chinese, who appropriate the buried pro- perty, and are inclined to fancy they have performed a good work. These thefts are facilitated by the superstition of the Dyaks, which induces them to avoid the neighbourhood of their graveyards, except when they go in a crowd to place offerings of food upon the tombs of their deceased relatives ; and even this custom is not universal. In regard to their religion much cannot he said, for none exists. Some of them recognise an equi- valent for the “ Allah” of the Mussulmans in the word “ Tufa” or “ Tupa,” hut when we inquired who this being was, what his character, whether good or evil, how far he felt an interest in human affairs, or like questions, the answer was an in- different expression of ignorance. Nor was it that 214 RELIGION. they failed to comprehend our interpreters ; all the Dyaks are alike careless in regard to religion, to the Deity, and to Immortality ; they believe that certain warriors of their own or another tribe have become “ antus” or wood-devils after death, but whether this fate overtook them for good or evil actions, whether it is to be considered as a reward or a punishment, they neither know nor care. “ Tufa” is a mere name with them, and few there are who even recognise its sound. In fact, when the inquirer has attacked the question on every side, he finds that the existence of “ antus” is the only point on which he can rest, and he shapes his interrogations accordingly. But the subject of “ antus” is almost as slippery as that of “ Tufa.” Antus frighten men wandering in the forest, very likely eat them, but deponent has never heard of such a case ; — an antu cannot be killed.* The Dyak knows not how he exists — what shape lie is — personally is not a bit afraid of such things — never was — always laughed at people who talked of antus — never saw one, and doesn’t believe they exist ; — such are his answers when pressed with questions. And yet the virtues which we are accustomed to call savage — perhaps because they are rarely * This opinion does not seem universal, for Bully’s wife pointed out to us a skull hanging in that house as that of an antu. Perhaps in the bustle of framing an excuse she forgot her orthodoxy. MISSIONARY LABOUR. 215 practised in a refined community — these people possess in abundance. They are manly, hospitable, honest, kindly, and humane to a degree which well might shame ourselves. Surely the method of our missionaries is in fault, or their success would be greater among a population such as this. To restore the primitive system of gospel propagation, to bap- tize a whole tribe after a few hours’ teaching, to inculcate the mysteries of our faith after a thousand converts had made an open and simultaneous pro- fession of Christianity, such is surely the true course to pursue. By this system the heathen world was first converted ; why has it become obsolete now ? But with doctrine and dogma in hand, the mis- sionary of the present day goes out on his work of elaborate conversion, determined to persuade a shrewd but ignorant savage of the force and value of a hundred inexplicable mysteries. "When he has explained his duties and his object, he finds that the best men among the heathen stand aloof from him, unable to comprehend and too honest to simu- late, while a few cunning hypocrites contemned by their fellows, and perhaps suspected by the mis- sionary himself, affect a year or two of idle study, adopt the Christian faith, and, after baptism, openly throw themselves on the Mission for support. In nine cases out of ten, suspected and avoided by English lay residents, despised and hated by all classes of natives, a continual trouble to the mis- sionary and his family, what wonder if such men 216 UNDUP FEMALES. become a scandal to the faith instead of a support to it, and that their latter end is worse than their beginning ? But if a whole tribe were assembled together, baptized first and taught afterwards, if no covert bribery* were offered to encourage cen version, if the heathen were not shocked by premature and spasmodic attacks upon their ancestral prejudices ; in short, if the missionaries would but come back to that system of propagation employed by the Apostles themselves, most laymen of experience are assured that their success would be as real and solid as it is now slight and unsubstantial. Let the missionaries point out one tropical race practising and understanding the injunctions and tenets of our European faith as taught by them at present, and enjoying the sympathy and respect of the white men, other than missionaries, who dwell among them, and incredulity will be silenced. Among the Undups the females are well treated. The share of work assigned to them in the farm is not unreasonable, and their influence is considerable in the family. With their return to the house in the evening, their domestic duties recommence, and these are the most severe portion of their labour. The men sit down by the fires in the * The reader will not suspect me of accusing the missionaries of wanton bribery to attract converts. I refer to those advan- tages which the native Christians inevitably acquire under the present system. DUTIES OF THE ORANG KATA. 217 verandah, chewing betel and gossiping over the little events of the day, while their unfortunate wives, fatigued with long hours passed in the sun and dripping with perspiration, winnow the rice for supper and for the meals of the following day. This is done by pounding the grain in large troughs, by means of long and heavy poles which are held perpendicularly. The women help each other in this arduous toil, and three of them are usually employed for half an hour at each trough. When the husk is thus separated, the grain is cleverly winnowed in large, shovel-shaped trays, and then boiled without delay. The spectacle of women and children panting and overcome by the fatigue of this terrible labour caused us at first to feel quite indignant, but as the sufferers did not seem in the least to pity themselves, or to under- stand the insinuations we made tending towards a domestic revolution, we soon became accustomed to the sight, and accepted it as right and proper under the regime of savage life. As soon as their supper is over, the women clear away the bronze dishes, feed the children, and are at length at liberty to squat in the dusky verandah and munch penang in peace. The duties of the Orang Kay a are light enough : to settle all disputes among the families under his control, to entertain strangers, to command the fighting force in time of war, and to watch the general interests, — such are the claims upon his time 218 THE EVENING TALK. and intellect. Bully seemed to think that these duties were best performed by sitting still and staring at us in a good-natured manner ; and I dare say he was quite right. There are several precedents in Europe for this line of conduct. The dignity of Orang Kaya, or Tuah, Or any title under which the government of a clan may he conducted, is hereditary, and Bully’s son admitted to us, with modest pride, that he anticipated the succession to Sabooyong at his father’s death, and intended to bear sway upon the same conservative system which we saw triumphantly successful in the parent’s case. It will be easily credited, how- ever, that the law of primogeniture is not very strictly observed among a people so warlike and restless as the Sea Dyaks. The succession is fre- quently diverted by reason of the youth or inca- pacity of the rightful heir, but it is usually preserved in the family of the late chief. When the evening meal is concluded and the household cares dismissed, all the clan assemble to gossip in the inner verandah. The old men sit round the large fire in the midst, the head chief takes up a dignified position, the younger warriors sit cross-legged in the dusky background, and all prepare for the talk they so dearly love. The Tuahs relate wild stories of their youthful wars, and point upwards to the blackened heads among which the smoke is curling. They speak of the Rajah’s accession, and how he was harassed by the SLEEP IN THE TROPICS. 219 Sea Dyaks ; how the chiefs of Seribas erected a stage on which to dry his head, and swore they would never make peace with Sarawak till that trophy was hung in their pangaran-liouse. Then they talk of the safety of the rivers under this government, of the increase of trade, and the general content. The younger men sit by in admiring silence, half envying the warlike deeds of their fathers, half agreeing in their content with the present security. But they, too, have their boast when they tell of the exploits of the Tuan Mudah, and the foreign wars in which they have followed that leader “ baniak brani.” And so the time wears on ; one by one the speakers doze off upon the mats, until the fire burns low and the cold strikes their naked limbs ; then they wake up, throw more wood upon the embers, and recommence the talk. It will be seen that these ignorant fellows have not that reverence for early hours which has, we know, principally caused the eminence of every truly great man. Possibly the source of Dyak barbarism is to be found in this reckless indifference to domestic morality. Por ourselves, we preserved those proprieties which have made our country what she is, and always turned into our mosquito curtains at eleven o’clock. But sleep in the tropics is disturbed, — at least it is so ’with us, — and a bed composed of ratan matting spread over loose sticks does not tend to tranquillize the rest of a civilized 220 EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS. being. But, at whatever hour we woke up, a few dusky figures were always interposed between us and the blaze, and their muttering voices faintly reached our ears. Half a dozen brawny fellows lay slumbering around whose faces looked fierce enough by the changing firelight, when the cheerful eyes were closed in sleep, and the kindly expression was gone from the mouth ; but when one of them drowsily arose, brazen gauntlets jingling, and long earrings tinkling in the silence, his savage finery looked indescribably picturesque. The snowy armlets of shell, the glittering bracelets, the graceful “ribu” leaves in his hair, the earrings, the crimson chowat, the glossy yellow skin, pre- sented a strangely striking picture as the warrior couched down under the hideous smoke-dried heads hanging from the roof — black, grinning, with half- open eyelids and jiarted jaws. While we sat up, our part in these evening enter- tainments was principally convivial. Recalling our schoolboy science, we manufactured various fireworks for the general instruction, and for our particular amusement the Malays sang nasal ditties to the accompaniment of a fine set of Bruni gongs which Bully possessed. Certainly the performers required no pressing to exhibit their talents ; a Malay is as vain as a French coryphee. In vain, however, we endeavoured to persuade the Dyaks to sing or play. They admitted a knowledge of music, both vocal and instrumental, but we never could GHASTLY TROPHIES. 9 01 pressed, as has been that of Seribas and Sakarran. Nevertheless an institution of such antiquity, so blended with the interests and feel- ings of a warlike people, cannot easily be uprooted. An extraordinary story illustrating the tenacity of life so noticeable among the natives of the farther East, is told by the gentlemen who were on board the Venus at the engagement 1 have referred to. After the action the vessel lay to, and the wounded of both parties were attended by the Bishop. Ac- commodation was scanty, and many were stretched out on deck, among them an old pirate whose injuries were pronounced mortal. As evening came on, the deck was washed and the wounded were carried below. The old pirate, however, ap- peared to be quite dead, and his body, with others, was launched overboard from the bows just as darkness set it. Conceive the horror and amaze- ment of Captain Lucas on the ensuing morning, when, on ascending the companion at dawn, he found this identical old Lanun stretched at full length on the quarter-deck. How he had climbed on board again was never explained, for he had certainly been dead some hours when discovered. While I remained in the capital waiting for Arthur, my spangled servant, Paham, succeeded in creating a very considerable sensation. He went out one evening along the Church Road, and after passing the house of Mr. Houghton, the Treasurer, sent a boy to that gentleman’s body-servant with a u 290 PAHAM S EXPLOIT. challenge to him to bring his sabre and fight it out. As Mr. Houghton’s boy had the slightest possible acquaintance with my spangled Paliam, he naturally felt astonishment at the invitation, but though such combats of “ outre-vaillance” have now become very rare in Kuching, and the boy knew the offence could not be overlooked by the law, his honour was touched on a point very tender with the Malay — indeed with most Englishmen also — so he cheerily fastened on his sabre and sallied out. He looked up and down the road, but Paliam was not to be seen ; then he walked round the house, but my servant could not be found ; then he marched all the length of the road as far as the thick block of jungle haunted by the ghosts of the Lanun warriors, and by pigs of abnormal magnitude which constantly cross the ride of cer- tain residents in Kuching, but neither here was Paliam to be found, and the boy at length realized that he was chaffed. Perhaps after all he did not really feel so much disappointment and indignation as he thought proper to assume. About ten days after our arrival in Kuching, my brother interrupted our after-dinner sitting by his unexpected appearance. He had been most for- tunate in his voyage from the mouth of the Pa tang Lupar to Maritabas, running in a few hours the distance which had occupied us in the Arab’s vessel for nearly two days. He brought with him a number of trophies and curiosities ; among them some serpent skins of great beauty. One of these THE FLOWER-SNAKE. 291 reptiles, a “flower-snake,” lie had endeavoured to preserve alive, but it was found too troublesome. This species is a favourite with the natives, and very easily tamed. Its back is as green as the scales of the emerald lizard which infests the forest trees, and a bright yellow stripe marks either side. Unlike those of most reptiles, the scales of the flower-snake preserve much of their brilliancy after the skin is removed, and Arthur’s specimen resem- bled a gay riband. Even among those of Sarawak the path from Sakatran to Seribas has a terrible notoriety. The distance between the two forts is some twelve miles, but a portion of the route can be traversed by water ; — indeed upon such a day as Mr. Stuart Johnson and my brother selected for their journey the whole distance was almost navigable. If the “ batangs,” be uncomfortable when the tropical sun is pouring his fierce rays on the traveller’s head, still more are they objectionable when a thunder- storm has made their, surface as slippery as glass, and reduced the miserable wanderer to the consis- tency of blotting-paper. Nevertheless the two Englishmen, accompanied by a numerous troop of fortmen and servants, faced the difficulties and dangers of the route with much fortitude and vituperation. When* Sir James Brooke first acquired the king- * For the following historical sketch of Seribas I am indebted to Walter Watson, Esq., the first European who ever ruled this u 2 592 GOVERNMENT OF SERIBAS. dom of Sarawak, tlie Dyaks inhabiting the Seribas and Batang Lupar rivers, who had long been the terror of neighbouring coasts, were governed by a prudent old chief entitled the Orang Kaya Paman- tuah. In time of war the control of this chieftain was paramount over his own people, and in peace his influence and authority were very rarely disputed. But the nominal command of the Seribas forces, whether for a foray on land or sea, was always given to the three Malay chieftains who were pro- fessedly answerable to Sarawak for the good be- haviour of the Dyak population. These nobles lived each in his own town upon a different branch of the Seribas river ; — the Rembas stream was under the Datu Bandar ; — the Paku under the Datu Lax- amana; — and the main river under the Datu Pat- tinggi. These hereditary nobles received the Dyak revenue and administered the domestic government each in his own district.* They invariably accom- panied the Dyaks in their boats,! and their as- sistance was invaluable to the piratical warriors piratical population, and who still retains the post of Resident among them under Sir James Brooke. * All the Sea Tribes, and the Seribas among their number, were under the nominal control of the Malay Governors, equally wdth the Hill people ; being, however, a much stronger race in numbers, and led by such men as the Pamantuali, they were very apt to bully their masters. Still they always paid them a certain revenue, though, on occasion, they retook the money by a general fine on the Malay population. t The war-boats of the Seribas contain from thirty to sixty men. Those of the Sakarran and Rejang are still larger. POWERFUL CHIEFS. 293 from their knowledge of fire-arms and ability to procure ammunition ; in the distribution of the plunder the Malays claimed and received the larger share of captives and valuables, while the Dyaks secured all the heads. It will easily be believed that the Datus regarded with profound disgust any attempt to destroy a system so admirably adapted to their interests ; they yielded to their allies that part of the booty which they had no desire to retain, and took out their own share in solid valuables. Therefore, although the Orang Kaya Pamantuah, who was a wise and sagacious ruler, succeeded to a great extent in pre- serving peace with Sarawak during his life, his death was no sooner announced than the Malay Datus commenced an agitation among the Seribas Dyaks. At this time the most powerful chiefs of the Sa- karran and Batang Lupar rivers were the Orang Kayas Gasing, and Rentab. The former (who is still alive, and who entertained us most hospitably, as I have already related), though a brave and renowned warrior, was too intelligent not to appre- ciate the advantages of peaceful intercourse with Sarawak, but Rentab was a bitter enemy to the Rajah. This chief appears to have possessed great aptitude for the Dyak system of warfare, which usually consists of a dash, a surprise, and a bloody victory, or, if the resistance be too strenuous, a hasty but organised retreat to some stockade 294 DEFEAT OF MR. BRERETON. previously erected for the purpose. During the many years that Rentab combated Sir James Brooke’s power, he repulsed several large expedi- tions sent against him, while his aggressive move- ments were frequently successful. The disturbances were commenced by this chief in an attack upon Sakarran, then under the government of Mr. Brereton. That gentleman, after repulsing the attack on the fort, unfortunately pursued Bentab’s force upon the river, and in the engagement Mr. Lee, who acted under his orders, lost his life. The boat in which Mr. Brereton himself fought was swamped in the rout, but his crew preserved his life by diving with him and carrying him under the water. Shortly after this success, Rentab retired to the top of Sadok, the highest mountain of the district, where he re- pulsed a large expedition sent against him in re- taliation. Leaving, for the moment, this Sakarran chief in undisturbed possession of his stronghold, the Rajah turned his attention to the Seribas river, which was now in a dangerous state of disturbance. Reeling convinced that the Malay Datus were the prime cause of this agitation, the suppression of which was the most important part of their duty to him, the Rajali determined on the bold step of transplanting them with all the inhabitants of their towns to a site within more convenient reach of his authority. They were accordingly removed to the SI HADGI. 295 mouth of the main river, where they built the present town of Seribas. After this proof of the boldness and determina- tion of the government, the country was quiet for some months. At the end of that time, however, indubitable intelligence was brought to Sarawak that Si Haclgi, one of the younger sons* of the Orang Kaya Pamantuali, who had inherited a con- siderable portion of his father’s influence, was openly preparing a large Dyak force with the pur- pose of going to sea on a piratical foray. This proceeding, which was notoriously encouraged by the Malay Datus, rendered the construction of a fort in some commanding position in the midst of the Dyak territory an act of public necessity, and with that object, Mr. Charles Johnson, the Tuan Mudah, who at Mr. Brereton’s death from fever had succeeded him in the government of the Sakarran district, entered the Seribas river with a powerful Sakarran force, supported by some heavy boats from Sarawak. The enemy’s plans were completely overthrown by this timely invasion, and a temporary fort was raised about seventy miles up the main river, in a position commanding a great stretch of water. This erection was placed under the govern- * I have already remarked that primogeniture is by no means a law of Dyak inheritance. It will be seen that at Si Hadji’s death his eldest brother succeeded him, having been overlooked at first in consideration of the superior merit shown by the younger brother. 296 UNSUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON RENTAB. ment of Mr. Watson, assisted by Mr. J. B. Cruick- shank, the present able Resident of Kennowit. Immediately after the departure of the Tuan Mudah and his forces, Si Hadji descended the river to attack the newly raised fort, but his meditated surprise was anticipated, and after the loss of a few warriors killed and wounded, he retired. A large force was collected from all parts of Rajah Brooke’s dominions, each contingent led by its respective governing officer, and the Rajah Mudah assumed the supreme command. After various desultory engagements between portions of the contending forces, Si Hadji made a stand, and was killed at the first discharge. After his death his disorganized warriors were disheartened, and for the first time in history the upper watershed of the Seribas river was overrun by an enemy. After this success, Rentab was attacked for the second time in his stronghold on the top of Sadok, and the assaulting force had every hope of victory, assisted as they were by the novel terror of a small mortar brought up for this purpose. But the shells failed to penetrate the well-constructed roof ot Rentab’s stockade, and a gun captured by him on the Sakarran, in his engagement with Mr. Brereton, was so placed as effectually to sweep the narrow ridge by which an assaulting force must mount. From dawn to sunset the attack was maintained, and during that time the fire was very hot. Finding success unattainable, except at an immense sacrifice NANNANG. 297 of life, and doubtful even on those terms, the Sarawak force withdrew, and for some time longer Rentab was left in undisturbed possession of his independence. The victories, however, upon the Seribas were productive of valuable results. The greater part of the population inhabiting the upper waters of that river, including Nannang, the eldest son of the Orang Kaya Pamantuah, tendered their submission to the Rajah, and were favourably heard. Tor many months after the death of Si Hadgi, his brother Nannang, who, though far inferior in courage and sagacity, had succeeded to much of his influence and authority, maintained a show of peace upon the banks of the Seribas streams. The fines exacted from his portion of the rebellious popula- tions were raised without difficulty, and divided, as is customary, among the chiefs who had retained their allegiance to the Rajah. The Dyaks began to frequent the head-quarters of then* district, and commenced a system of orderly trade with the Chinese and other merchants, who, in consideration of immense profits, were enterprising enough to resort thither at the imminent risk of their lives. Nannang, also, and his people, took an apparently cheerful share in the task of providing wood and materials for the construction of a new and more extensive fort to be raised in a more central posi- tion. Meanwhile, however, Si Loyo, the son of the old Pamantuah next in age to Nannang, who 298 PLOT AGAINST THE RAJAh’s GOVERNMENT. governed a considerable district on the upper waters of the Seribas, still remained among the hills, scarcely concealing his hostility under a transparent pretence of personally collecting the fines due from his re- bellious subjects. At this time, Serib* Musahore, of Serikei, in the Eejang country, was organizing an extensive con- spiracy to overthrow the Eajah’s government, and the Dyak chiefs of Seribas had arranged to bear an important part in the execution of the project. The mode of attaining their object, approved by Musa- hore and his fellows, was the simultaneous murder of every government officer in each district through- out the territory, and the success which attended a premature outbreak at Kennowit, where Messrs. Fox and Steele, the Eesident and Assistant-Eesident of the Eejang, were assassinated before the slightest rumour of impending disturbances had reached their ears, shows that if the secret had been com- municated to few T er heads, and the people of Ken- nowit had been less impatient, the success of the plot would scarcely have been doubtful. When this cowardly murder had given the government a first warning of the imminent danger in which it stood, convincing proof of the complicity * Serib or Shereef is the title assumed by the Arab descend- ants of the Prophet, of whom there are great numbers in Borneo. — In fact, most of those who can claim any Arab blood at all assert their relationship to Mahomet, wear the turban of sacred green, and demand the reverence of all true believers, which is readily granted to them. mr. Edward’s support oe the rebels. 299 of the Dyak chiefs of Seribas was soon obtained. When Serib Musahore (who, it must be allowed, was never actually convicted of planning the Ken- nowit murders, though his guilt can scarcely be considered doubtful) was driven from his towns of Serikei and Igan, and retired hastily to fortify him- self among his adherents at Mukah, Loyo became his open and avowed ally, assisting him with pro- visions, and spreading through the length and breadth of the Sea Dyak territory every report their joint ingenuity could devise calculated to exalt their own power and success, and to shake the con- fidence of the Rajah’s party in his will and ability to support them. Meanwhile the Rajah Mudah lost no time in call- ing out the population still loyal, and siege was laid to Mukah with the full knowledge and consent of the Sultan of Bruni, to whom that territory be- longed. After a month of severe fighting, and the endurance of much fatigue and exposure, Captain Brooke, the Rajah Mudah, obtained possession of the place, but while the loyal party were congratu- lating themselves on this happy result of their labours and danger, the Hon. Mr. Edwards, H.M. Governor of Labuan, and acting as Consul-general, thought proper, for reasons of his own, to pounce down upon Mukah in a man-of-war, to support with his influence, and, if necessary, with the artil- lery of his vessel, the actual murderers of British subjects who were accompanying the forces of Serib 300 EXAGGERATED REPORT. Musahore. Capt. Brooke, having neither the wish nor the power to resist Mr. Edwards’* menaces, unreasonable and irritating as they were, was com- pelled to retire with his forces, and it will readily he believed that the numerous Seribas Dyaks who had fought by the side of Serib Musahore at Mukah did not fail on their return home to recount with exultation how the representative of the Queen of England had placed a squadron at the service of the Serib and his band of assassins. Moreover, drawing a little on their imaginations, they asserted that with this timely assistance the rebels had utterly defeated the Sarawak forces, and that the heads of Mr. Charles Johnson, the Tuan Mudah, Mr. Watson, their Resident, and Mr. J. B. Cruick- shank, assistant to the latter, had been sent to Rentab, at Sadok, to be placed in security. The effect of such a report, with many a detail and fanciful illustration added by each narrator, disseminated among an excitable people only half subdued and longing to resume their piratical habits, may be easily imagined. Nannang openly joined his brother, and carried with him to the enemy all the population whom he had brought over to the Rajah the previous year, and some additional numbers. With this following he built a fort at the junction of the Sepuk branch with the main * For his conduct upon this occasion Mr. Edwards was censured by the English Government, and superseded in his Governorship of Labuan. MR. WATSON S OPERATIONS. 301 Seribas stream about a day and a half’s journey above the Government fort. When Mr. Watson returned to his post at the sudden termination of the Mukah campaign, he found that an assembly of chief men had been convened at the house of one of the Malay Datus, at which the question was openly moved whether the Malays, and that part of the Dyak population hitherto friendly to the Rajah, should not go over to the enemy in a body. Only one Malay of rank and one Dyak chief declined to attend this meeting, which, though highly improper and calculated to render void all the success hitherto attained, cannot be wondered at, nor, perhaps, be fairly reprehended. However well these chiefs may have been formerly affected to the Rajah’s person and government, and however they may have regretted his overthrow, if, through the co- operation of H.B.M.’s ships with the enemy, he became incapable of affording protection to those who remained true to him — and the natives had every reason to believe that such was the case — the sooner they were in the field with propositions of peace and alliance with the rebels the better their chance of obtaining favourable terms. Nevertheless, on the re-appearance of Mr. Wat- son, whom they had supposed dead and decapitated, they took heart again, and manfully answered his call when he announced his immediate resolution of attacking the enemy’s stockade. Within five da}^s of his arrival the loyal warriors had assembled to 302 CAPITULATION OF THE REBELS. tlie number of 2000, and were prepared to ascend the river with him. Nannang and his followers were found on a tongue of land formed by the junction of the Sepuk river with the main stream, in a position impene- trable to artillery in the front, but commanded on either side by higher ground. These flanking posi- tions, however, were under the range of the Dyak artillery, and the long grass and brushwood was thickly planted with bamboo spikes, terrible to a barefooted antagonist, and difficult to uproot. This duty, however, was eventually performed under a heavy fire, and Mr. Watson got his guns into posi- tion within forty yards of the building, in a situa- tion for which Nannang was not in the least pre- pared. Just before sundown the rebels, who were quite unable to sustain so close a fire for any length of time, hoisted a white flag, and asked permission to evacuate the position with their killed and wounded. No difficulty was raised about the con- cession of these easy terms on account of the near relationship of the opposing parties, and the friendly feeling existent between them. Of all the picturesque sights which it has been his good fortune to witness, Mr. Watson describes this capitulation as the most striking. The wild mountain scenery around lay red and hazy in the light of the ‘setting sun ; the faint mists of evening- curled up over the painted timbers of the great war boats on the river ; in front was the rude but mas- PICTURESQUE SCENE. 303 sive stockade, by tlie door of which stood the herald in his gaudy dress, waving the white flag and gesti- culating his amity, hut timorously prepared to dart through the open door at the first sign of trea- chery. Behind were the guns from wdiich the smoke of the last discharge still slowly curled, and the naked hill above was alive with armed men ; the crimson sunlight sparkled from point to point over a thousand spears, as the scattered groups of warriors swayed to and fro in their excitement. The parti-coloured sarongs and gay jackets of the Malays were conspicuous on every side, and the brown limbs of the Dyaks were concealed by their great painted shields, from which fluttered a hun- dred scalps. Such were the surroundings of Nannang’s capitulation. The herald screamed his terms ; Mr. Watson assented ; a hum of approba- tion rose from those within hearing, while the more distant body still yelled defiance. When evening fell the evacuation was completed. At midnight the stockade was fired, and as the ex- pedition returned down the river, it blazed like a great bonfire of triumph, and proclaimed the victory throughout the country side. But in a very few days intelligence was brought to the fort that these restless insurgents were build- ing another stockade, larger and stronger, in pre- cisely the same spot as that just destroyed. Upon the receipt of this news, Mr. Watson applied for aid to the Tuan Mudah, who had just returned to 304 FORT SEPUK ABANDONED. Sakarran, and that gentleman soon came over in person, accompanied by some thousands of warriors from the Butang Lupar district, including a force of Undup and Balow Dyaks who had always been deadly enemies of the Seribas. A council was im- mediately held, and a joint plan of action arranged ; the Tuan Mudah was to march overland, destroy- ing any fortifications he might discover, and finally to descend on Sepuk, at which place Mr. Watson, who ascended the river with the entire Seribas party, would probably have already arrived. After persevering for a few hours, however, the Tuan Mudah was compelled by increasing illness to return to the fort, while his ballah or war-party pressed on under the command of Abong Aing, the Malay chief of Sakarran. On the third day the two parties united under Mr. Watson’s command, and the Sepuk fort was surrounded, but the guns were too light to make any effectual impression, and recent experience had taught the enemy the weak points of his position. An express boat was accordingly despatched to Seribas to bring up a heavy gun with ammunition. This the Tuan Mudah prepared to send with all speed, and his intention was to accom- pany it in person ; but on this night, just after dark, a tremendous storm of wind and rain set in, and lasted an hour, during which Nannang and his garrison stole out from the place. It was known that the evacuation was progressing, and that the enemy, in several divisions and in different direc- CURIOUS SCENE. 305 tions, was making liis way through the besieging force, but the darkness was so intense and the tem- pest so violent that musket and sword were rendered alike useless. Some of the wilder Dyaks cut and hacked at random on every side, and many were wounded of both parties, but whether by friends or foes was quite uncertain. Nannang showed wis- dom in thus profiting by the opportune assistance of the elements. His provisions could not long have fed the immense garrison he had collected, and his position was entirely surrounded. By day, or on any ordinary night, he could not have escaped with- out great slaughter ; and the besieging force was not, as on former occasions, composed of his own friends and connexions, but of his hereditary enemies and deadly foes, the Undup and Below Dyaks. To surrender to these would indeed have been a desperate resource. When the storm had subsided, the moon shone out brightly, and by her light the land party cut up the fort into rafts which, as fast as they were finished, were loaded with men and launched upon the stream. Mr. Watson remained behind with the Seribas boats to protect the retirement of the Batang Lupar forces. Next morning the scene upon the river and its hanks was curious enough. The Dyaks of Sakarran and Balow, accustomed to embark in all sorts of frail craft, managed their rafts with ease and safety, some of them even con- structing a roof to protect them from the sun ; hut x 30G SECOND EXPEDITION AGAINST MUKAH. tlie greater number, Undups and sucli non-aquatic people, had a miserable time of it. The banks of the river were lined with discomforted navigators, and only by cramming the Seribas boats could they be got along. Most of them had lost their arms and all their possessions when the rafts capsized, and the satirical remarks of their more fortunate friends did not tend to enliven their despondency. After this second failure, Nannang and Loyo gave up all thoughts of maintaining them resistance on the low ground, and they fell back together upon Sadok, where the old Sakarran chief, Rentab, still lay, resting on his hard- won laurels, but no longer inclined to measure his strength against the Rajah’s young officers — the Tuan Mudah and Mr. Watson. His indignation and disgust were accordingly ex- pressed with some vigour when the two sons of the Pamantuah signified to him their intention of settling on his hill ; but might was on the invaders’ side, and they built houses for all the colony in front of his fort, which was perched like an eagle’s nest upon the summit of the ridge. At this time the attention of the Rajah and his officers was occupied by the second expedition against Mukah, in preparation for which Sir James Brooke had ordered out from England a small armed steamer, the Rainbow, now carrying the mails, a number of heavy guns, and all other appli- ances necessary for the overthrow of Serib Musahore. By this coincidence of events Nannang and his RAJAH BROOKE S PREPARATIONS. 307 people were permitted to make their farms upon the mountain-side, and to profess their hostility without reply. Next year, however, Serib Musa- hore surrendered and accepted his sentence of banishment. Thus released from more pressing duty, the Tuan Mudah determined to attempt a third attack upon Sadok. Knowing that small guns were quite useless against a position so impregnable by nature and so well defended, a 12-pounder howitzer was cast in Sarawak weighing nine or ten cwt. ; and the forces of the Batang Lupar and the loyal Seribas again rendezvoused at Mr. Watson’s fort. The howitzer was got on board with a large supply of ammunition and shell-rockets, and the Ballah started up the river, under the command of the Tuan Mudah, assisted by Mr. Watson, Mr. J. B. Cruickshank, and Sergeant Lees. For two days the force pushed on in their boats, but on the third day the stream became too shallow to admit the passage of such large craft. A fort was accordingly built at the point where the force landed, and the boats were left there under the charge of a Malay garrison. The remainder of the Ballali set out on foot, and for two days more they followed the coarse of the river, sometimes walking in the water, sometimes cutting off an angle by climbing the precipitous hills through which it makes its way, and striking its bed again on the other side. Bad as Bornean travel always is, no x 2 308 CHINESE COOLIES. sort of walking can be so difficult as this. The path is only wide enough for one to pass at a time, and each man as he leaves the river to climb the bank carries upon his limbs a quantity of water, which drips down upon the steep path and renders the clayey soil as slippery as ice. . Upon this expedition a body of Chinese coolies were for the first time enlisted in the service of a Dyak force, but altliougli the greatest care was exercised in the selection of sound and powerful men, the experiment failed utterly. It had been supposed that the greater strength and size of the Chinese porter would enable him to carry ammuni- tion and baggage more safely and rapidly, but it was found that, in consequence of his clumsiness and lack of activity, his superior powers were of comparatively little avail. One by one the coolies succumbed to fatigue and despondency ; some even sat down by the roadside, crying like chil- dren, and refusing to move, others, with the cool recklessness characteristic of the race when in a difficult or dangerous position, silently lightened their burden by dropping the shot or shell one by one into the water whenever the opportunity was afforded them by an increased depth. When this was discovered their loads were taken from them and restored to the slighter but more wiry Dyaks. However, upon the second day the river was found to be so reduced in volume as to be no longer navigable, even by the small canoe in which SLOW PROGRESS. 309 the howitzer had hitherto been carried, and it was then mounted upon a field carriage and transported overland. The coolies now became really useful in making a road for the gun with the large hoes they had brought with them. On the evening of the fifth day the gun was attached to long and strong ropes, and the coolie labour was tested. From the water’s edge to the top of the first ridge the height was about 300 feet, and the cliff was so steep that a European, even with empty hands, found difficulty in climbing it. Nothing less than hundreds of Dyaks were required to move the gun. Great was the delight and loud the cheers when it actually got in motion, and louder still they rose w 7 hen it reached its first night’s resting-place on the top of the ridge. The greater part of the ensuing day it advanced by the same method, until, towards evening, the route crossed some farm grounds, where large trees were felled across the path. Here the gun was dismounted and carried bodily, slung on to a long piece of wood, upon the shoulders of men. This work was made harder by the turns and windings of the path, which rendered it impos- sible for all to walk in the beaten track, and the long grass and undergrowth on either side were strewn with spikes by the enemy. On the second day it was difficult to find volunteers for the work, and nothing but the example of the chiefs and men of rank, who all in turn put tlieh’ shoulders 310 TERMS OFFERED TO NANNANG. to the gun, kept the hearts of the Dyaks from despair. The progress was slow and laborious ; after three long days the top of the second ridge was reached, and here it was determined to encamp, and, if possible, open communication with the enemy. The two camps were separated by scarcely half a mile of altitude, but the ascent was almost perpendicular, and the movements of the enemy in their aerial forts could be plainly seen. A mes- senger was despatched, offering a safe-conduct to Nannang or Loyo, if either of them would descend for a personal interview, and on the following day the former made his appearance. He frankly ad- mitted that they were all taken by surprise, never having conceived the possibility of so large a gun being brought against them ; their fortifications were unfinished, and their wives and families were all with them. The Tuan Mudah asserted that he had no wish to do them injury if they would live peaceably and abandon those desires of piracy and head-taking which had caused the troubles. As a security for their good faith he required the cession of a number of the large jars upon which the Dyaks place so fabulous a value, and guaranteed their return in three years if the promises were kept. He likewise required the immediate evacua- tion of their forts at Sadok, and indicated an adja- cent ridge for their encampment until his force should have retired. These terms were gladly accepted ; the jars were placed in the Tuan Mudah’ s hands, and the next END OF RENTA B S STRUGGLE. 311 night Hannang and his followers, with all their families, were quietly sleeping on an open ridge within a few hundred yards of their deadly and hereditary foes. The implicit and reverential con- fidence of the Dyaks in the honour and power of Rajah Brooke and his officers was strikingly illus- trated on this occasion. By the customs of Seribas warfare the word passed for the safety of the capi- tulating force would only he binding until it was at the mercy of the stronger party, and thousands of fierce Balows awaited the signal of massacre with desperate longing. But the Tuan Mudah’s word was passed, and both parties had confidence in it. So intense is the regard of even the wildest Dyaks for that leader, that none ventured to disobey his commands, and the ancient enemies lay almost side by side until the retirement of the government forces. The end of Rentab’s not inglorious struggle is soon told. He still put his trust in the natural defences of his position, until the howitzer was dragged up the cliff by main force, and resistance then became hopeless. The greater part of his pro- perty he lost with his house ; and the gun which was wont to sweep the only approach fell into the invaders’ hands, together with a number of rifles and other spoils of his victory over Mr. Brereton on the Sakarran river. To Hannans' was confided the task of re-transporting the howitzer to Seribas Fort, whither the force returned and dispersed. In 1863, when their Resident called out the 312 CHARACTER OF THE SEA-TRIBES. former pirates of Seribas to join the great “ ballali” fitting out to attack the Kyans* on the Upper Rejang, the old rebels responded to a man, and did good service. They have built their houses and made their farms in the vicinity of the Government Port, and under the rule of Mr. Stuart Johnson, at present in charge of that district, they have become good and peaceful subjects. The hostages given on the top of Sadok have recently been restored to them. Since the fall of Rentab, and the submission of Nannang, the internal peace of the Sea Dyak coun- tries has not been disturbed. From this brief outline of the history of the Sea-tribes, it will be observed, that the extent of their coalitions, the vigour of their attack, and the spirited protraction of their resistance, place them far above that savage and barbarous condition in which they have usually been classed. Many in- stances of generosity, intelligence, and thoughtful patriotism were adduced to us in evidence of a character much removed either from the brutality or recklessness of the savage nature, and we can scarcely doubt that in course of time they will become, under the continuance of Rajah Brooke’s judicious government, what might be called in the * In addition to numerous other acts of lawlessness and agression, the Kyans had sheltered the two surviving mur- derers of Messrs. Fox and Steele. One was killed during the war, the other was surrendered at its conclusion. THE RESIDENCIES OE SARAWAK. 313 East a prosperous and enlightened nation of warriors and seamen, perhaps of agriculturists. I have selected Seribas as an example of the esta- blishment of a Sarawak out-station, partly because its warriors, though few in number,* have always been the bravest and most turbulent of the piratical tribes, partly because I could verify the facts I had gathered about that district more readily than any other ; but I would not have the reader think that the Rajah’s officers all lead such restless and even dangerous lives as the Tuan Mudah or Mr. Watson. The Residencies of Sarawak are now peaceful enough, and the officers complain rather of stagna- tion than of perilous enterprise. To Mr. Brereton must be given the honour of first introducing peace and order among the Sea Dyaks from his residence at Sakarran, but since his death the Tuan Mudah, Mr. Watson, Mr. J. B. Cruickshank, and Mr. Stuart Johnson have been enabled to work upon a much more extensive scale. * * * * * * * After my brother and I had again joined com- pany there was little to detain us in Sarawak. Our curiosity was satisfied, and we had seen with our own eyes that strangest anomaly of the age — a kingdom ruled by a private English gentleman, * The Seribas Dyaks proper only number 3000 doors, which at the average usually adopted in Sarawak would give them 10,000 warriors of fighting age. 314 CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY. whose independent sovereignty is recognised* by his native land. We had visited the fortified posts of his government, Kuching, Belida, Kennowit, Sak- arran, Seribas, Mukah, Linga, and Bintulu ; we had lived with his officers, and noted the wild healthy life they lead ; we had introduced ourselves to the Borneo Company, and endeavoured to regard the country in its trading aspect ; we had watched the practical working of the Missions, and the spread of English civilization ; and we were led to the con- clusion that, though Sarawak he not the original paradise or Eden, yet it is a country whose residents may be, and usually are, exceedingly happy. That some discontent exists both among Europeans and natives it would be impossible to deny, but the same may he said of every kingdom on earth. The aims of the Government appear liberal, and the country is now prosperous beyond all expectation. The exports of the year ending while we stayed were computed at $2,000,000. But the ever-recurring difficulty in the way of enterprise is the want of labour. Dyaks will not work, nor Malays. Klings and all Hindoo races are feeble, timid, and inadventurous, nor do they care to leave the towns. The Chinese remain, as good workmen as exist in the world. But Malays and Dyaks have an aversion to the Celestials, which, in the former case, is reasonable * Sir James Brooke has been recognised since our return, and Mr. Ricketts has been appointed to Kuching as Consul for the English crown. DUTCH MENACES. 315 enough. Wherever these grotesque immigrants congregate under English protection, they gradually monopolize all the means of life, a proceeding much to their credit, of course, as indicating habits of industry, economy, and so forth, but to which the original possessors of the land entertain a natural objection. And in addition to this dislike of their grasping spirit, the Government and people of Sara- wak received a lesson a few years ago which would scarcely give them confidence in the benefit of a large Coolie immigration. Though finally sup- pressed with terrible severity, the insurrection of the Bow gold-washers was so far successful as to leave in ashes the capital, the public library, Govern- ment House, and most of the private residences of Europeans. This experience, with its accompanying slaughter of children and unarmed fugitives, is not encouraging to the advocates of Chinese labour, but no substitute can be procured. Since the recognition of Bajali Brooke by the English Government, it is difficult to indicate a direction from which danger to his kingdom may be apprehended. Previous to that event the Butch, who already possess the half of Borneo, never allowed to lapse the claim which they alleged to Sarawak Proper, and one of their governors is reported to have asserted publicly that the death of Sir James Brooke would be the signal for an immediate invasion which his country would be quite incapable of resisting ; but the appointment of an English consul has effectually silenced these 316 A DOOMED CRAFT. menaces, which never appear to have been justified by any legal rights. No other source of peril to the little kingdom has at present developed itself, though the meddling and fanatical spirit of the Hadjis who each year embark for Mecca in greater numbers, may, it is feared by some, eventually bring about dangerous complications, the more especially if, as is advocated, the Government endeavour to reduce the annual numbers. But the devotion and self-sacrifice evinced by the pilgrims, — even though these feelings be somewhat mingled with hopes of mercantile advantage, — are certainly of a quality to justify some manifestations of respect on the part of those who, from want of enterprise, or of faith, or of means, prefer to remain at home. Any miserable old tea-chest, worm-eaten, dry-rotted, bearing upon her bottom specimens of every marine vegetable, and in her interior every spe- cies of tropical pest, whose timbers can be persuaded to hang together in the roads of Singapore is good enough for the Hadjis. When the captain of the North Wind, having run his vessel on a rock, suc- ceeded in bringing her back to sink at port, he offered her for sale to one of the native merchants engaged in this line of business. The bargain was satisfactorily completed, but when the captain endeavoured to indicate to the purchaser certain defects which should be remedied before the vessel could go to sea with safety, the worthy native positively refused to hear a syllable about any injury not specified among those incurred by the TRADE OE SARAWAK. 317 actual striking of tlie vessel. The captain of the Norik Wind came home with me, and was much troubled during the passage about the fate of the luckless Hadjis embarked in his doomed craft. The trade of Sarawak, like that of Singapore, is absolutely free. No dues or customs whatever are exacted from vessels entering the river, whether European or native, and the good results of this liberality will, no doubt, be shortly apparent. Already, indeed, has the antimony, timber, and sago trade enticed vessels of considerable size to the Moritabas channel, but the present* situation of the capital is not favourable to the approach of large vessels. When H.M.S.S. Pantaloon entered the river during our visit she grounded twice, firstly, off Government House ; secondly, in de- scending the stream on her return. But the tolls paid b} r merchant vessels at most Eastern ports, especially those pertaining to the French and Spanish colonies, are so unreasonably heavy, and the official technicalities so confusing and ridi- culous, that, when trade becomes more abundant and regular, merchants and captains will find their comfort and interest alike advantaged by the load- ing of their return cargoes at Sarawak. With regard to the barbarous custom of heacl- * A project for removing the town to tlie mouth of the Sarawak river has long been in contemplation, and will pro- bably be carried out at no distant day. It is not, however, designed to change the site of Government House or of the Treasury. 318 DISCOURAGEMENT OF HEAD-HUNTING. hunting, formerly carried to a pitch so incredible among the Sea Dj^aks, I believe the philanthropists of England may congratulate humanity upon its final overthrow. This end has been effected, not by an uncompromising assault upon the feelings which induced the collection of such trophies, hut by the steady enunciation of the principle that the subjects of Rajah Brooke cannot he permitted to kill one another except in open war declared by the sovereign himself. Thus gradually, but firmly dis- couraged, the practice is rapidly falling into disuse, and even those heads fairly taken in the late Kyan war did not seem, as we were told, to be regarded with the religious exultation formerly exhibited on such occasions. Nevertheless, the zeal of a missionary indiscreetly attacking the Dyaks upon this subject might still cause dangerous disturbances ; a truth of which the Government very nearly had practical testimony upon a recent occasion. And perhaps if the question he removed from the domain of good taste to that of logical con- sistency, the Dyak warrior glorying in the black- ened skull of an enemy loyally slain will not appear to the unprejudiced mind more brutal or inhuman than the European soldier who adorns his breast with the hard-earned cross or medal. If the latter trophy be a tribute worthily paid to valour and patriotism, the former is a far more palpable proof of similar qualities. It may be urged that the one distinction was gained in a worthy struggle for an CIVILIZATION OF THE DYAKS. 3 i 9 adequate object, but sucli honours are surely con- ferred for the absolute risk of life and limb, quite irre- spective of the justice or necessity of the causa belli ; and when the tenderness towards non-combatants characteristic of modernhostilities,at least inEurope, is considered, it must, I think, be admitted that the warfare of the Dyak who looks forward, if van- quished, to inevitable death as his own portion, and foreign slavery as the lot of all he loves, can be more readily justified than the less reasonable struggles of the civilized world. At least I feel confident that many minds will cheerfully admit a degree of barbarism so dense as not to recognise any effective distinction between the two cases tending to the advantage of the Christian. But in regard to the eventual civilization of this manly and interesting race opinions are much divided. Reason, observation, and general expe- rience* seem to argue conclusively that the Dyaks will never be brought to adopt that unreasoning belief in gold, and selfishness, and varnish, which we Europeans are accustomed to call comfort, and reason, and refinement ; but on the other hand the Milanowe Dyaks of Mukah already are scarcely dis- tinguishable from Malays in their mode of life and trading impulses. These people, however, never * It would, indeed, be difficult to indicate a people profiting to any considerable extent by our introduction of these bless- ings who did not possess them in a certain degree before our arrival. Experience seems to show that a barbarous race can never be reclaimed by the exhibition of those advantages which will stimulate a semi-civilized people. 320 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. enjoyed a high reputation for bravery or enterprise, and tlieir partial civilization may be accounted for by tbeir proximity to tlie sea-coast, and consequent intermarriage with the Malay emigrants. The conclusion which the Government officers of Sarawak appear individually to hold is, that the Dyak population, constituting a majority of Bajah Brooke’s subjects, may, and under the present judi- cious system will, eventually acquire a position more elevated in the scale of humanity, but can never be civilized in the European sense of the ex- pression. After my brother’s return from Seribas, we began to make our preparations for departure. The large sampan, or boat, we presented with all its fittings to Ali Kasut,* who had discharged the duties of his responsible station as interpreter and general guardian of our interests in a manner worthy his high reputation as protector of the griffins. His complexion of brownish-green fairly became unctuous with delight when he realized that the magnifi- cent craft he had steered so often from island to island beneath the green peak of Santubong, and through the hot, silent river-reaches under shadow of vast forest trees, or between quivering belts of * “ Kasut” signifies “shoes.” Ali was distinguished from his innumerable namesakes by the practice of wearing such articles, which are not commonly affected by Orientals. Ali possessed two or three pair made of black English leather, without which he was never visible. DISTRIBUTION OF BACKSHEESH. 321 mangrove and nipa-palm, was actually and abso- lutely his property. Visions of trade with the simple Dyaks at a profit of 1000 per cent, formed themselves into a dazzling picture before his eyes ; a hundred Malay pleasures became tangible in the near future, and possibly the wealth and influence of a real Nikodah* showed themselves at the end of the vista, with, maybe, half a dozen honestly pur- chased wives, and a steeple-crowned residence like that of the uxorious merchant at Muka. To our other servants we distributed various backsheesh. Paliam came out in a manner more spangled than ever by the addition of a mauve scarf wrapped round his waist, and silk neckties disposed generally about his person ; but my brother’s “ boy,” Ali Kechil, or little Ali, with an amount of self-abnegation rarely found among Malays in the matter of personal adornment, carried away his scarfs and ornaments to deck out his hideous old mother — at least so he said. Finally, the last of many pleasant parties was held at the house of Dr. Houghton; and when, after a merry dinner, our health was drunk by these friends of travel whom we were never pro- bably to see again, if, in the confusion always attending an Englishman upon such occasions, our verbal response failed fully to express our grateful sense of a thousand acts of courtesy and considera- tion, our hosts may be assured that the want of * A “Nikodah” is a merchant possessing seagoing craft. Y 322 DEPARTURE FOR SINGAPORE. words alone prevented us from showing the feeling we entertained. And then after many a song and toast we re- turned across the river to our bungalow. The moon hung above us in a cloudless vault of hazy blue — the water rippled past in a network of silver threads — along the Chinese quarter the polished fronds of the cocoa-nuts glittered and glimmered in the stilly light, and the tall penang palms hung their graceful heads like black banners against the sky. Far up the stream appeared the great ridge of Matang, and many another untraversed hill raised its mysterious crest along the horizon ; strangely soft and thrilling the scene appeared upon the eve of our parting, and we felt half tempted to envy those whose lives were destined to pass in this lovely desert. Nevertheless, drowsiness eventually proved too strong for sentiment, and as we turned into our mosquito curtains we reflected with some satisfac- tion upon the sterling English comforts we were so soon to enjoy again. In the morning we bade a final adieu to the Tuan Mudah and the lady residents of Kuching, and at noon we embarked in the Rainbow for Singapore, accompanied by four Hadgis and numerous Malays, Chinamen, and Ivlings. Nearly all the population of the capital came down to the wharf, but whether this imposing ceremony was in our honour, or in that of the influential personages departing on the sacred journey, we did not care to investigate at the moment, and the opportunity is now lost. OUR HOME JOURNEY. 323 Here our travels end. It would be of little inte- rest to tell how we embarked on the Messageries Imperiales at Singapore ; how we talked wondrous Latin to the worthy old Spanish priest, our fellow- passenger, who burned to convert every heretic on board, but could speak no living tongue save his own ; how we broke two hundred and ninety cogs of our “ driving wheel” olf the coast of Ceylon ; how we ran to shore in a tiny catamaran up to our waists in sprats and shell-fish ; liow T we set out to walk to Galle through the cocoa-nut groves, but were compelled to make a modest and even insignificant entry, enthroned on a sort of milk cart; how we were detained many days in the island, and offered ourselves as willing victims to the enterprising jewellers of Colombo; how we made a great plum- pudding for Christmas-day, which came to table with the consistency of pea-soup ; how we were swindled at Aden in a speculation of ostrich feathers, and on arrival at Suez were put to bed for the night upon the tables in the courtyard of Zacli’s Hotel ; how we ran the gauntlet of Cairene bazaars, and put to strange uses the Arabic acquired in a former course of Nile travel ; how we reached that heaven of Indian voyagers, Paris, and did the Car- nival there ; all these things which occur more or less to every traveller are not to be written in this book. In conclusion, I would recommend most strongly to any reader meditating an Eastern journey (be- 324 THE FRENCH LINE OF STEAMERS. yond Suez), whether for business or pleasure, to take the French line of steamers at any inconve- nience, rather than place himself in the hands of the Peninsular and Oriental Company. By the latter line we went out ; by the former we returned. In the one every passenger was discontented and miserable; in the other, it was unanimously ad- mitted that the most captious could find no fault, except the insufficiency of bathing accommodation, in which the Peninsular and Oriental Company itself can boast no great superiority. And let not the English traveller fear that he will feel himself alone among a number of French or foreign voyagers. He w r ill always find his countrymen in a very large majority on board the Messageries , and I never met with an Englishman who had experienced the two systems, who did not readily admit, at some sacrifice of national pride, that the French line of steamers was preferable in every respect to that which it so dangerously rivals. THE END. 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT’S NEW WORKS IN PREPARATION. MEMOIRS AND CORRESPONDENCE OF FIELD-MARSHAL VISCOUNT COMBERMERE, G.C.B., &c. From Ills Family Papers. 2 vols. 8vo, with Portraits and other Illustrations. THE LIFE OF HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL WISEMAN. Any Persons possessing Manuscripts, Letters, &c., or having the knowledge of any facts of importance connected with the Life of His Eminence, are requested to communicate by letter with the Right Rev. H. E. Manning, D.D., care of Messrs. Hurst & Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough Street. HISTORIC PICTURES. By A. Baillie Coch- rane, 31. P. 2 vols. 21s. (Now Ready.) RELIGIOUS LIFE ON THE CONTINENT. By Mrs. Oliphant, Author of “ The Life of the Rev. Edward Irving.” 2 vols. Svo. YACHTING ROUND THE WEST OF ENG- LAND. By the Rev. A. G. L’Estrange. 1 vol. 8vo, Illustrated. VIOLET OSBORNE. By the Lady Emily Pon- SONBY, Author of “ The Discipline of Life.” 3 vols. (Now Ready.) BRIGAND LIFE IN ITALY. By Count Maffei. 2 vols. (Now Ready.) ADVENTURES AMONGST THE DYAKS OF BORNEO. By Frederick Boyle, Esq. 1 vol. 8vo, with Illustrations. IMPRESSIONS OF LIFE AT HOME AND ABROAD. By Lord Eustace Cecil, Lieut.-Colonel Coldstream Guards. 8vo. ALEC FORBES OF HOWGLEN. By George 3 Lie Donald, M.A., Author of “ David Elginbrod,” &c. 3 vols. MY LIFE AND RECOLLECTIONS. By the Hon. Grantley F. Berkeley. Vols. 3 and 4, completing the Work. SOCIAL LIFE IN FLORENCE. By Count Charles Arriyabexe, Author of “ Italy under Victor Emmanuel.” 2 vols. SPORT AND SPORTSMEN: A BOOK OF RECOLLECTIONS. By Charles Stretton, Esq. 2 vols. AGNES. By Mrs. Oliphant. 3 vols. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. By Cardinal 3Yiseman. 1 vol. 8 vo, 5s. (Now Ready.) 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT’S LIST OF NEW WORKS. A JOURNEY FROM LONDON TO PERSE- POLIS; including WANDERINGS IN DAGHESTAN, GEORGIA, ARMENIA, KURDISTAN, MESOPOTAMIA, AND PERSIA. By J. Ussher, Esq., F.R.G.S. Royal 8vo, with numerous beautiful Coloured Illustrations. 42s. Elegantly bound. “ This work does not yield to any recent book of travels in extent and variety of interest. Its title, ‘ From London to Persepolis,’ is well chosen and highly sugges- tive. A wonderful chain of association is suspended from these two points, and the traveller goes along its line, gathering link after link into his hand, each gemmed with thought, knowledge, speculation, and adventure. The reader will feel that in closing this memorable book he takes leave of a treasury of knowledge. The whole book is interesting, and its unaffected style and quick spirit of observation lend an unfailing freshness to its pages. The illustrations are beautiful, and have been executed with admirable taste and judgment” — Post. 44 This work is in every way creditable to the author, who has produced a mass of pleasant reading, both entertaining and instructive. Mr. Ussher’s journey may be defined as a complete oriental grand tour of the Asiatic west-central district He started down the Danube, making for Odessa. Thence, having duly 4 done ’ the Crimea, he coasted the Circassian shore in a steamer to Poti, and from that to Tiflis. This was the height of summer, and, the season being favourable, he crossed the Dariel Pass northwards, turned to the east, and visited the mountain fastnesses of Shamil’s country, recently conquered by the Russians. Thence he returned to Tiflis by the old Persian province of Shirvan, along the Caspian, by Derbend and the famous fire-springs of Baku. From Tiflis he went to Gurnri, and over the frontier to Kars, and the splendid ruins of Ani, and through the Russian territory to the Turkish frontier fortress of Bayazid, stopping by the way at Erivan and the great monastery of Etchmiadzin. From Bayazid he went to Van, and saw all the chief points of interest on the lake of that name; thence to Bitlis and Diarbekir. From Diarbekir he went to Mosul by the upper road, visited Nineveh, paid his respects to the winged bulls and all our old friends there, and floated on his raft of inflated skins down the Tigris to Baghdad From Mosul he made an excursion to the devil-worshipping country, and another from Baghdad to Hilleh and the Birs Nimrud, or so-called Tower of BabeL After resting in the city of the Caliphs, he followed the track of his illustrious predecessor, Sindbad, to Bassora, only on board of a different craft, having got a passage in the steamer Comet; and the English monthly sailing packet took him from Bassora across the gulf to Bushire. From thence he went to Tehran over the ‘ broad dominions of the king of kings,’ stopping at all the interesting places, particularly at Persepolis ; and from Tehran returned home through Armenia by Trebisonde and the Black Sea .” — Saturday Review. “ This is a book of travel of which no review can give an adequate idea. The extent of country traversed, the number and beauty of the coloured illustrations, and the good sense, humour, and information with which it abounds, all tend to increase the author’s just meed of praise, while they render the critic's task all the harder. We must, after all, trust to our readers to explore for themselves the many points of amusement, interest and beauty which the book contains. We can assure them that they will not meet with a single page of dulness. Mr. Ussher handles such topics as Persepolis, Nineveh, and the cities of the Eastern world, with sin- gular completeness, and leaves the ordinary reader nothing to desire. The coloured illustrations are really perfect of their kind. Merely as a collection of spirited, well- coloured engravings they are worth the cost of the whole volume.” — Herald. “Mr. Ussher went by the Danube to Constantinople, crossed thence to Sebastopol, and passed through the Crimea to Kertch, and so on to Poti. From Poti he went to Teflis, and made thence an excursion to Gunib and Baku on the Caspian. The record of this journey is the most interesting part of the book. Having returned to Teflis, Mr. Ussher visited Gumri and Kars, and went thence to Lake Van, and so by Diarbekr and Mosul to Baghdad. From Baghdad he went to Babylon and Kerbela, and returning to Baghdad, descended the river to Basra, and crossed to Bushire. Thence he went by Shiraz and Isfahan to Tehran, and returned to Europe by the Tabreez and Trebisonde route. Tho reader will find the author of this pleasant volume an agreeable companion. He is a good observer, and describes well what he sees.” — A theme um. 44 A truly magnificent work, adorned with gorgeously-coloured illustrations. We are lured over its pages with a pleasant fascination, and derive no little information from so agreeable a cicerone as Mr. Ussher.” — Sun. 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT’S N E W WO R Iv S— Continued. THE LIFE OF JOSIAH WEDGWOOD. From his Private Correspondence and Family Papers, in the possession of Joseph Mayer, Esq., F.S.A., Francis Wedgwood, Esq., C. Dar- win, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., Miss Wedgwood, and other Original Sources. With an Introductory Sketch of the Art of Pottery in England. By Eliza Mete yard. Dedicated, by permission, to the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Vol. 1, 8vo, with Portraits and numerous Illustrations, price 21s. elegantly bound, is now ready. The work will be completed in one more volume. COURT AND SOCIETY FROM ELIZABETH TO ANNE, Edited from the Papers at Kimbolton, by the Duke of Manchester. Second Edition . 2 vols. 8vo, with Fine Portraits. 14 The Duke of Manchester has done a welcome service to the lover of gossip and secret history by publishing these family papers. Persons who like to see greatness without the plumes and mail in which history presents it, will accept these volumes with hearty thanks to their noble editor. In them will be found something new about many men and women in whom the reader can never cease to feel an inte- rest — much about the divorce of Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Arragon — a great dead about the love affairs of Queen Elizabeth — something about Bacon, and (indirectly) about Sliakspeare — more about Lord Essex and Lady Rich — the very strange story of Walter Montagu, poet, profligate, courtier, pervert, secret agent, abbot — many details of the Civil War and Cromwell's Government, and of the Restoration- much that is new about the Revolution and the Settlement, the exiled Court of St. Germains, the wars of William of Orange, the campaigns of Marlborough, the in- trigues of Duchess Sarah, and the town life of fine ladies and gentlemen during the days of Anne. With all this is mingled a good deal of gossip about the loves of great poets, the frailties of great beauties, the rivalries of great wits, the quarrels of great peers. ” — A thenxum. “These volumes are sure to excite curiosity. A great deal of interesting matter is here collected, from sources which are not within everybody’s reach.” — Times. “ The public are indebted to the noble author for contributing, from the archives of his ancestral seat, many important documents otherwise inaccessible to the histo- rical inquirer, as well as for the lively, picturesque, and piquant sketches of Court and Society, which render his work powerfully attractive to the general reader. The work contains varied information relating to secret Court intrigues, numerous nar- ratives of an exciting nature, and valuable materials for authentic history. Scarcely any personage whose name figured before the world during the long period embraced by the volumes is passed over in silence.” — Morning Post. THE LIFE OF THE REV. EDWARD IRVING, Minister of the National Scotch Church, London. Illustrated by his Journal and Correspondence. By Mrs. Olifhant. Fourth and Cheaper Edition , Revised , in 1 vol., with Portrait, 5s., bound. “We who read these memoirs must own to the nobility of Irving’s character, the grandeur of his aims, and the extent of his powers. His friend Carlyle bears this testi- mony to his worth: — ‘I call him, on the whole, the best man I have ever, after trial enough, found in this world, or hope to find’ A character such as this is deserving of study, and his life ought to be written. Mrs. Olipliant has undertaken the work and has produced a biography of considerable merit. The author fully understands her hero, and sets forth the incidents of his career with the skill of a practised hand The book is a good book on a most interesting theme.” — Times. “ Mrs. Oliphant’s 4 Life of Edward Irving ’ supplies a long-felt desideratum. It is copious, earnest, and eloquent. On every page there is the impress of a large and masterly comprehension, and of a bold fluent, and poetic skill of portraiture. Irving as a man and as a pastor is not only fully sketched but exhibited with many broad powerful, and life-like touches, which leave a strong impression.” — Edinburgh Review. “A truly interesting and most affecting memoir. Irving’s life ought to have a niche in every gallery of religious biography. There are few lives that will be fuller of instruction, interest, and consolation.” — Saturday Review. 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. HURST ANI) BLACKETT’S NEW WORK S — Continued. MY LIFE AND RECOLLECTIONS. By the Hon. Grantley F. Berkeley. 2 vols. 8vo, with Portrait. 30s. Among the other distinguished persons mentioned in this work are : — Kings George III. and IV., and William IV.; Queens Charlotte, Caroline, and Victoria; the Prince of Wales; the Dukes of Kent, Cumberland, Sussex, Cambridge, d’Aumale, Wellington, Norfolk, Richmond, Beaufort, Bedford, Devonshire, St. Albans, Manchester, Portland ; the Marquises of Anglesea, Buckingham, Downshire, Waterford, Tavistock, Londonderry, Clanricarde, Breadalbane, Worcester; Lords Mulgrave, Conynham, Clanwilliam, Wynford, Palmerston, Bathurst, Cantelupe, Roden, Eldon, Grey, Holland, Coleraine, Rokeby, Munster, Chelms- ford, Ducie, Alvanley, Chesterfield, Sefton, Derby, Vane, Mexborough, George Bentinck, Edward Somerset, Fitzclarence, Egremont, Count d'Orsay; the Bishop of Oxford, Cardinal Wiseman; Sirs Lumley Skeffington, William Wynn, Percy Shelley, Godfrey Webster, Samuel Romilly, Matthew Tierney, Francis Burdett; Messrs. Fox, Sheridan, Whitbread, Brummell, Byng, Townsend, Bernal, Maginn, Cobden, Bright, O’Connell, Crockford, &c. ; the Duchesses of Devonshire, Gor- don, Rutland, Argyle ; Ladies Clermont, Berkeley, Shelley, Guest, Fitzhardinge, Bury, Blessington, Craven, Essex, Strangford, Paget; Mesdames Fitzherbert, Coutts, Jordan, Billington, Mardyn, Shelley, Misses Landon, Kemble, Paton, &c. “ A book unrivalled in its position in the range of modern literature.” — Times. “There is a large fund of amusement in these volumes. The details of the au- thor’s life are replete with much that is interesting. A book so brimful of anecdote cannot but be successful.” — Athenxum. “ This work contains a great deal of amusing matter ; and that it will create a sensation no one can doubt Mr. Berkeley can write delightfully when he pleases. His volumes will, of course, be extensively read, and, as a literary venture, may be pronounced a success.” — Post. “ A clever, freespoken man of the world, son of an earl with £70,000 a-year, who has lived from boyhood the life of a club-man, sportsman, and man of fashion, has thrown his best stories about himself and his friends into an anecdotic autobiogra- phy. Of course it is eminently readable. Mr. Grantley Berkeley writes easily and well. The book is full of pleasant stories, all told as easily and clearly as if they were related at a club- window, and all with point of greater or less piquancy.” — Spectator. HAUNTED LONDON. By Walter Tiiornbury. 1 yoI. 8 vo, with numerous Illustrations by F. W. Fairholt, F.S.A. 21s., elegantly bound. “ Haunted London is a pleasant book.” — Athenxum, “Pleasant reading is Mr. Tkornbury’s ‘Haunted London ’ — a gossiping, historical, antiquarian, topographical volume, amusing both to the Londoner and the country cousin.” — Star. “ Mr. Thombury points out to us the legendary houses, the great men’s birth- places and tombs, the haunts of poets, the scenes of martyrdom, the battle-fields of old factions. The book overflows with anecdotical gossip. Mr. Fairholt’s drawings add alike to its value and interest.” — Notes and Quei'ies. “ As pleasant a book as well could be, forming a very handsome volume — a vol- ume worthy of being pronounced an acquisition either for the table or the book- shelf. A capital title is 4 Haimted London ’ — meaning by that not merely localities like Cock Lane, but all London. For is it not haunted, this London of ours? Haunted happily, by ghosts of memories that will not be laid. What footsteps have not traversed these causeways, inhabited these dwel ing-houses, prayed in these churches, wept in these graveyards, laughed in these theatres ? And of all these Mr. Thombury discourses — shrewdly, like an observant man of the world ; grace- fully, like a skilled man of letters; lovingly, like a sympathizing fellow-creature ; courtier and playwright, student and actress, statesman and mountebank, he has an eye for them all. Saunter with him down any street he may seem fain to con- duct you through, and before you get to the end of it we wager you will be wiser than at starting — certainly, beyond any doubt of it, you will have been entertained.” — Sun. 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT’S N E W W 0 R Iv S — Continued. A PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF THIRTEEN YEARS’ SERVICE AMONGST THE WILD TRIBES OF KHONDISTAN, FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN SACRIFICE. By Major-General John Campbell, C.B. 1 vol. 8vo, with Illustrations. “ Major-General Campbell's book is one of thrilling interest, and must be pro- nounced the most remarkable narrative of the present season.” — Athenxum. THE DESTINY OF NATIONS, as indicated in Prophecy. By the Rev. John Gumming, D.D. 1 vol. 7s. 6d. “ Among the subjects expounded by Dr. Gumming in this interesting volume are The Little Horn, or The Papacy; The Waning Crescent, Turkey; The Lost Ten Tribes; and the Future of the Jews and Judea, Africa, France, Russia, America, Great Britain, &c.” — Obsei'ver. “One of the most able of Dr. Cumming’s works.” — Messenger. MEMOIRS OF JANE CAMERON, FEMALE CONWICT. By a Prison Matron, Author of u Female Life in Prison.” 2 vols. 21s. “ This narrative, as we can well believe, is truthful in every important particular — a faithful chronicle of a woman’s fall and rescue. It is a book that ought to be widely read.” — Examiner. “ There can be no doubt as to the interest of the book, which, moreover, is very well written.” — Athenxum. “ Once or twice a-year one rises from reading a book with a sense of real gratitude to the author, and this book is one of these. There are many ways in which it has a rare value. The artistic touches in this book are worthy of De Foe. 1 ’ — Reader. TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF AN OFFI- CER’S WIFE IN INDIA, CHINA, AND NEW ZEALAND. By Mrs. Muter, Wife of Lieut.-Colonel D. D. Muter. 13th (Prince Albert’s) Light Infantry. 2 vols. 21s. “ Mrs. Muter's travels deserve to be recommended, as combining instruction and amusement in a more than ordinary degree. The work has the interest of a romance added to that of history." — Athenxum. TRAVELS ON HORSEBACK IN MANTCHU TART ARY : being a Summer’s Ricle beyond the Great Wall of China. By George Fleming, Military Train. 1 vol. royal 8vo, with Map and 50 Illustrations. “ Mr. Fleming’s narrative is a most charming one. He has an untrodden region to tell of, and he photographs it and its people and their ways. Life-like descriptions are interspersed with personal anecdotes, local legends, and stories of adventure, some of them revealing no common artistic power.” — Spectato r. HISTORY OF ENGLAND, FROM THE ACCESSION OF JAMES I. TO THE DISGRACE OF CHIEF JUSTICE COKE. By Samuel Rawson Gardiner. 2 vols. 8vo. ADVENTURES AND RESEARCHES among the ANDAMAN ISLANDERS. By Dr. Mouat, F.R.G.S., &c 1 vol. tlemy 8vo, with Illustrations. “ Dr. Mouat's hook, whilst forming a most important and valuable contribution to ethnology, will be read with interest by the general reader.” — Athenxum. MEMOIRS OF QUEEN IIORTENSE, MOTHER OF NAPOLEON III. Cheaper Edition, in 1 vol. 6s. A biography of the beautiful and nnhappy Queen, more satisfactory than any we have yet met with." — Daily News. 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. IIURST AND BLACKETT’S NEW WORK S — Continued. REMINISCENCES OF THE OPERA. By Bex- jamin Lumley, Twenty Years Director of Her Majesty's Theatre. 8 vo, with Portrait of the Author by Count D’Orsay. 16s. ‘‘Mr. Lumley’s book, with all its sparkling episodes, is really a well-digested his- tory of an institution of social importance in its time, interspersed with sound opinions and shrewd and mature reflections.” — Times. “ As a repertory of anecdote, we have not for a long while met with anything at all comparable to these unusually brilliant and most diversified Reminiscences. They reveal the Twenty Years’ Director of Her Majesty’s Theatre to us in the thick and throng of all his radiant associations. They take us luringly — as it were, led by the button-hole — behind the scenes, in every sense of that decoying and profoundly attractive phrase. They introduce us to all the stars — now singly, now in very con- stellations. They bring us rapidly, delightfully, and exhilaratingly to a knowledge 60 intimate of what has really been doing there in the Realm of Song, not only be- hind the scenes and in the green-room, but in the reception-apartment of the Director himself, that we are au courant with all the whims and oddities of the strange world in which he fills so high and responsible a position. Reading Mr. Lumley. we now know more than we have ever known before of such Queens of the Lyric stage as Pasta, Catalini, Malibran, Grisi, Sontag, and Piccolomini — of such light-footed fairies of the ballet as Taglioni, Fanny Ellsler, and Cerito — of such primi tenori as Rub ini, Mario, Gardoni. and Giuglini — of such baritones as Ronconi and Tamburini — or of such bassi profondi as the wondrous Staudigl and the mighty Lablache. Nay. Mr. Lumley takes us out of the glare of the footlights, away from the clang of the orchestra, into the dream-haunted presence of the great composers of the age, bring- ing us face to face, as it were, among others, with Rossini, Mendelssohn, Mej r erbeer, Verdi, Balfe, and Donizetti He lets us into the mysteries of his correspondence — now with Count Cavour, now with Prince Mettemich — for, in his doings, in his movements, in his negotiations. Sovereigns, Prime Ministers, Ambassadors, and Governments are, turn by turn, not merely courteously, but directly and profoundly interested ! Altogether, Mr. Lumley’s book is an enthralling one. It is written with sparkling vivacity, and is delightfully interesting throughout.” — Sun. “ Everyone ought to read Mr. Lumley’s very attractive ‘ Reminiscences of the Opera.’ In the fashionable, dramatic, and literary worlds its cordial welcome is assured. It is a most entertaining volume. Anecdote succeeds to anecdote in this pleasant book with delightful fluency.” — Post. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. By Victor Hugo. Authorized English Translation. 1 vol. 8vo, 12s. “ M. Victor Hugo has produced a notable and brilliant book about Shakespeare. M. Hugo sketches the life of Shakespeare, and makes of it a very effective picture. Imagination and pleasant fancy are mingled with the facts. There is high colour- ing, but therewith a charm which has not hitberto been found in any portrait of Shakespeare painted by a foreign hand. The biographical details are manipulated by a master’s hand, and consequently there is an agreeable air of novelty even about the best known circumstances.” — Athenxum. LIFE IN JAVA; with SKETCHES of the JAVANESE. By William Barrington D’ Almeida. 2 vols. post 8 vo, with Illustrations. 21s., bound. “ 4 Life in Java ’ is both amusing and instructive. The author saw a good deal of the country and people not generally known.” — Athenaeum. “ Mr. D’Almeida’s volumes traverse interesting ground. They are filled with good and entertaining matter.” — Examiner. “ A very entertaining work. The author has given most interesting pictures of the country and the people. There are not many authentic works on Java, and these volumes will rank among the best” — Post. A LADY’S VISIT TO MANILLA AND JAPAN. By Anna D’A. 1 vol., with Illustrations. “ This book is written in a lively, agreeable, natural style, and we cordially recom- mend it as containing a fund of varied information connected with the Far East, not to be found recorded in so agreeable a manner in any other volume with which we are acquainted.” — Press. 13, Great Marlborough Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT’S NEW WORK S — Continued. TIIE WANDERER IN WESTERN FRANCE. By G. T. Lowth, Esq., Author of “ The Wanderer in Arabia.” Illustrated by the Hon. Eliot Yorke, M.P. 8vo. A WINTER IN UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT. By G. A. Hoskins, Esq., F.R.G.S. 1 vol., with Illustrations. POINTS OF CONTACT BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ART. By His Eminence Cardinal Wiseman. 8vo. 5s. GREECE AND THE GREEKS. Being the Narrative of a Winter Residence and Summer Travel in Greece and its Islands. By Frkdrika Bremer. Translated by Mary Howitt. 2 vols. MEMOIRS OF CHRISTINA, QUEEN OF SWEDEN. By Henry Woodhead. 2 vols., with Portrait. ENGLISH WOMEN OF LETTERS. By Julia Kavanagh, Author of “Nathalie,” “ Adele,” “Frenchwomen of Letters,” “ Beatrice,” &c. 2 vols. THE OKAVANGO RIVER: A NARRATIVE OF TRAVEL, EXPLORATION, AND ADVENTURE. By C. J. Andersson, Author of “ Lake Ngami.” 1 vol., with Portrait and numerous Illustrations. TRAVELS IN THE REGIONS OF THE AMOOR, and the Russian Acquisitions on the Confines of India and China. By T. W. Atkinson, F.G.S., F.R.G.S., Author of “ Oriental and Western Siberia.” Dedicated, by permission, to Her Majesty. Second Edition. Royal 8vo, with Map and 83 Illustrations, elegantly bound. ITALY UNDER VICTOR EMMANUEL. A Personal Narrative. By Count Charles Arrtvabene. 2 vols. 8vo. THE LIFE OF J. M. W. TURNER, R.A., from Original Letters and Papers furnished by his Friends and Fellow Academicians. By Walter Thornbury. 2 vols. 8vo, with Por- traits and other Hlustrations. THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCHES; or, THE PAPACY AND THE TEMPORAL POWER. By Dr. Dollinger. Translated by W. B. Mac Cabe. 8vo. CHEAP EDITION of LES MISERABLES. By Victor Hugo. The Authorized Copyright English Translation, Illustrated by Millais. 5s., bound. “ Tlie merits of ‘ Les Mist; rabies 1 do not merely consist in the conception of it as a whole, it abounds page af ter page with details of unequalled beauty." — Quarterly Review CHRISTIAN’S MISTAKE. By the Author of “John Halifax, Gentleman.” 1 vol. “ A more charming story, to our taste, has rarely been written. Even if tried by the standard of the Archbishop of York, we should expect that even he would pronounce ‘Christian's Mistake ’ a novel without a fault” — Times. (Llnbcr tbc (Especial patronage of filler |Hajestn. Published annually, in One Vol., royal 8ro, with the Arms beautifully engraved, handsomely bound, with gilt edges, price 31s. 6d. L O D GE’S P E E R AGE AND BARONETAGE, CORRECTED BY THE NOBILITY. THE THIRTY-FOURTH EDITION FOR 1865 IS NOW READY. Lodge's Peerage and Baronetage is acknowledged to be the most complete, as well as the most elegant, work of the kind. As an esta- blished and authentic authority on all questions respecting the family histories, honours, and connections of the titled aristocracy, no -work has ever stood so high. It is published under the especial patronage of Her Majesty, and is annually corrected throughout, from the personal com- munications of the Nobility. It is the only work of its class in which, the type being kept constantly standing , every correction is made in its proper place to the date of publication, an advantage which gives it supremacy over all its competitors. Independently of its full and authentic informa- tion respecting the existing Peers and Baronets of the realm, the most sedulous attention is given in its pages to the collateral branches of the various noble families, and the names of many thousand individuals are introduced, which do not appear in other records of the titled classes. For its authority, correctness, and facility of arrangement, and the beauty of its typography and binding, the work is justly entitled to the place it occupies on the tables of Her Majesty and the Nobility. LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL CONTENTS. Historical View of the Peerage. Parliamentary Roll of the House of Lords. English, Scotch, and Irish Peers, in their orders of Precedence. Alphabetical List of Peers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, holding supe- rior rank in the Scotch or Irish Peerage. Alphabetical list of Scotch and Irish Peers, holding superior titles in the Peerage of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. A Collective list of Peers, in their order of Precedence. Table of Precedency among Men. Table of Precedency among Women. The Queen and the Royal Family. Peers of the Blood Royal. The Peerage, alphabetically arranged Families of such Extinct Peers as have left Widows or Issue. Alphabetical List of the Surnames of all the Peers. The Archbishops and Bishops of England, Ireland, and the Colonies. The Baronetage alphabetically arranged Aiphabetical List of Surnames assumed by members of Noble Families. Alphabetical List of the Second Titles of Peers, usually borne by their Eldest Sons. Alphabetical Index to the Daughters of Dukes, Marquises, and Earls, who, hav- ing married Commoners, retain the title of Lady before their own Christian and their Husband's Surnames. Alphabetical Index to the Daughters of Viscounts and Barons, who, having married Commoners, are styled Honour- able Mrs. ; and, in case of the husband being a Baronet or Knight, Honourable Lady. Mottoes alphabetically arranged and trans- lated “Lodge's Peerage must supersede all other works of the kind for two reasons: first, it is on a better plan ; and secondly, it is better executed We can safely pronounce it to be the readiest, the most useful, and exactest of modern works on the subject.” — Spectator. “A work which corrects all errors of formerworks. It is a most useful publication.” — Times. “A work of great value. It is the most faithful record we possess of the aristo- cracy of the day.” — Post. “ The best existing, and, we believe, the best possible peerage. It is the standard authority on the subject.” — Herald. NOW IN COURSE OF PUBLICATION, HUPiST AND BLACKETT’S STANDARD LIBRARY OF CHEAP EDITIONS OF POPULAR MODERN WORKS, ILLUSTRATED BY MILLAIS, HOLMAN HUNT, LEECH, BIRKET FOSTER, JOHN GILBERT, TENNIEL, &c. Each in a single volume, elegantly printed, bound, and illustrated, price 5s. YOL. I.— SAM SLICK’S NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE. “ The first volume of Messrs Hurst and Blackett’s Standard Library of Cheap Editions forms a very good beginning to what will doubtless be a very successful undertaking. ‘ Nature and Human Nature ’ is one of the best of Sam Slick’s witty and humorous productions, and well entitled to the large circulation which it cannot fail to obtain in its present convenient and cheap shape. The volume combines with the great recom- mendations of a clear, bold type, ana good paper, the lesser, but attractive merits, of being well illustrated and elegantly bound.” — Post. YOL. II.— JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN. “ This is a very good and a very interesting work. It is designed to trace the career from boyhood to age of a perfect man— aChristian gentleman, and it abounds in incident both well and highly wrought. Throughout it is conceived in a high spirit, and written with great ability. This cheap and handsome new edition is worthy to pass freely from hand to hand as a gift book in many households.” — Examiner. “ The new and cheaper edition of this interesting work will doubtless meet with great success. John Halifax, the hero of this most beautiful story, is no ordinary hero, and this his history is no ordinary book. It is a full-length portrait of a true gentleman, one of nature’s own nobility. It is also the history of a home, and a thoroughly English one. The work abounds in incident, and many of the scenes are full of graphic power and true pathos. It is a book that few will read without becoming wiser and better.” — Scotsman. “ The story is very interesting. The attachment between John Halifax and his wife is beautifully painted, as are the pictures of their domestic life, and the growing up of their children ; and the conclusion of thebook isbeautiful and touching.” — Athenaeum. YOL. III.— THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS. BY ELIOT WARBURTON. “ Independent of its value as an original narrative, and its useful and interesting information, this work is remarkable for the colouring power and play of fancy with which its descriptions are enlivened. Among its greatest and most lasting charms is its reverent and serious spirit .” — Quarterly Review. “A book calculated to prove more practically useful was never penned than ‘The Crescent and the Cross ’—a work which surpasses all others in its homage for the sub- lime and its love for the beautiful in those famous regions consecrated to everlasting immortality in the annals of the prophets, and which no other writer has ever de- picted with a pencil at once so reverent and so picturesque.” — Sun. YOL. IY.— NATHALIE. BY JULIA KAVANAGH. “ ‘ Nathalie ’ is Miss Eavanagh’s best imaginative effort. Its manner is gracious and attractive. Its matter is good. A sentiment, a tenderness, are commanded by her which are as individual as they are elegant. We should not soon come to an end were we to specify all the delicate touches and attractive pictures which place * Nathalie ’ high among books of its class.” — Athenaeum. [continued on the following pages.] HURST AND BLACKETT’S STANDARD LIBRARY (CONTINUED). VOL. V.— A WOMAN’S THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN. BY THE AUTHOR OF “JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.” “ A book of sound counsel. It is one of the most sensible works of its kind, well- written, true-hearted, and altogether practical. Whoever wishes to give advice to a young lady may thank the author for means of doing so.” — Examiner. “ These thoughts are worthy of the earnest and enlightened mind, the all-embracing charity, and the well-earned reputation of the author of ‘ Jolui Halifax.’ ” — Herald. YOL. VI.— ADAM GRAEME OF MOSSGRAY. BY THE AUTHOR OF “MRS MARGARET MAITLAND.” “ ‘ Adam Graeme’ is a story awakening genuine emotions of interest and delight by its admirable pictures of Scottish life and scenery. The eloquent author sets before us the essential attributes of Christian virtue, their deep and silent workings in the heart, and their beautiful manifestations in life, with a delicacy, a power, and a truth which can hardly be surpassed.” — Post. YOL. Y II.— SAM SLICK’S WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES. “ We have not the slightest intention to criticise this book. Its reputation is made, and will stand as long as that of Scott’s or Bulwer’s Novels. The remarkable ori- ginality of its purpose, and the happy description it affords of American life and man- ners, still continue the subject of universal admiration. To say thus much is to say enough, though we must just mention that the new edition forms a part of Messrs Hurst and Blackett’s Cheap Standard Library, which has included some of the very best specimens of light literature that ever have been written.” — Messenger. VOL. VIII.— CARDINAL WISEMAN’S RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LAST FOUR POPES. “ A picturesque book on Rome and its ecclesiastical sovereigns, by an eloquent Ro- man Catholic. Cardinal Wiseman has here treated a special subject with so much generality and geniality, that his recollections will excite no ill-feeling in those who are most conscientiously opposed to every idea of human infallibility represented in Papal domination.” — Athenaeum. VOL. IX.— A LIFE FOR A LIFE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “ JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.” “ We are always glad to welcome Miss Mulock. She writes from her own convic- tions, and she has the power not only to conceive clearly what it is that she wishes to say, but to express it in language effective and vigorous. In ‘ A Life for a Life ’ she is fortunate in a good subject, and she has produced a work of strong effect.” — Athenaeum. YOL. X.— THE OLD COURT SUBURB. BY LEIGH HUNT. “ A delightful book, that will be welcome to all readers, and most welcome to those who have a love for the best kinds of reading.” — Examiner. “ A more agreeable and entertaining book has not been published since Boswell pro- duced his reminiscences of Johnson.”— Observer. YOL. XI.— MARGARET AND HER BRIDESMAIDS. “ We recommend all who are in search of a fascinating novel to read this work for themselves. They will find it well worth their while. There are a freshness and origin- ality about it quite charming, and there is a certain nobleness in the treatment both of sentiment and incident which is not often found.” — Atheneeum. HURST AND BLACKETT’S STANDARD LIBRARY (CONTINUED). VOL. XII.— THE OLD JUDGE. BY SAM SLICK. “The publications included in this Library have all been of good quality; many give information while they entertain, and of that class the book before us is a specimen. The manner in which the Cheap Editions forming the series is produced deserves especial mention. The paper and print are unexceptionable ; there is a steel engraving in each, volume, and the outsides of them will satisfy the purchaser who likes to see a regiment of books in handsome uniform.”— Examiner. VOL. XIII. — DARIEN . BY ELIOT WARBURTON. “ This last production of the author of ‘ The Crescent and the Cross ’ has the same elements of a very wide popularity. It will please its thousands.” — Globe. VOL. XIV.— FAMILY ROMANCE; OR, DOMESTIC ANNALS OF THE ARISTOCRACY. BY SIR BERNARD BURKE, Ulster King of Arms. “ It were impossible to praise too highly this most interesting book. It ought to be found on every drawing-room table. Here you have nearly fifty captivating romances with the pith of all their interest preserved in undiminished poignancy, and any one may be read in half an hour.” — Standard. VOL. XV.— THE LAIRD OF NORLAW. BY THE AUTHOR OF “ MRS MARGARET MAITLAND.” “ The Laird of Norlaw fully sustains the author’s high reputation.” — Sunday Times. VOL. XVI.— THE ENGLISHWOMAN IN ITALY. “ “We can praise Mrs Gretton’s book as interesting, unexaggerated, and full of oppor- tune instruction.” — The Times. VOL. XVII.— NOTHING NEW. BY THE AUTHOR OF “JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.” “ ‘ Nothing New ’ displays all those superior merits which have made ‘ John Halifax’ one of the most popular works of the day.” — Post. VOL. XVIII.— FREER’S LIFE OF JEANNE D’ALBRET. “ Nothing can be more interesting than. Miss Preer’s story of the life of Jeanne D’Albret, and the narrative is as trustworthy as it is attractive.”— Post. VOL. XIX.— THE VALLEY OF A HUNDRED FIRES. BY THE AUTHOR OF “MARGARET AND HER BRIDESMAIDS.” “ AVe know no novel of the last three or four years to equal this latest production of the popular authoress of ‘Margaret and her Bridesmaids.’ If asked to classify it, we should give it a place between John Halifax ’ and ‘ The Caxtons.’ ” — Herald. VOL. XX.— THE ROMANCE OF THE FORUM. BY PETER BURKE, Serjeant at Law. “A work of singular interest, which can never fail to charm. The present cheap and elegant edition includes the true story of the Colleen Bawn.” Illustrated News, VOL. XXI.— ADELE. BY JULIA KAVANAGH. AdSle ’ is the best work we have read by Miss Kavanagh ; it is a charming story full of delicate character painting.”— Athenaum. HURST AND BLACKETT’S STANDARD LIBRARY (CONTINUED). YOL. XXII.— STUDIES FROM LIFE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “ JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.” “ These ‘ Studies from Life ’ are remarkable for graphic power and observation. The book will not diminish the reputation of the accomplished author.” — Saturday Review. YOL. XXIII.— GRANDMOTHER’S MONEY. “ We commend ‘ Grandmother’s Money ’ to readers in search of a good novel. The characters are true to human nature, the story is interesting, and there is throughout a healthy tone of morality.” — Athenaeum. VOL. XXIY. — A BOOK ABOUT DOCTORS. BY J. C. JEAFFRESON, ESQ. “ A delightful book.” — Athenaeum. “ A book to be read andre-read ; fit for the study as well as the drawing-room table and the circulating library.” — Lancet. VOL. XXV.— NO CHURCH. “ 'We advise all who have the opportunity to read this book. It .is well worth the study.” — Athenaeum. VOL. XXVI.— MISTRESS AND MAID. BY TnE AUTHOR OF “ JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.” “ A good wholesome book, gracefullv written, and as pleasant to read as it is instruct- ive.”— Athenaeum. “A charming tale charmingly told. All the characters are drawn with life-like naturalness.” — Herald. “ The spirit of the whole book is excellent. It is written with the same true-hearted earnestness as ‘ John Halifax.’ ” — Examiner. VOL. XXVII.— LOST AND SAVED. BY THE HON. MRS NORTON. “ ‘ Lost and Saved ’ will be read with eager interest. It is a rigorous novel.” — Times. “ A novel of rare excellence ; fresh in its thought, and with a brave soul speaking through it. It is Mrs Norton’s best prose work.” — Examiner. VOL. XXVIII.— LES MISERABLES. BY VICTOR HUGO. AUTHORISED COPYRIGHT ENGLISH TRANSLATION. “ The merits of ‘ Les Miserables ’ do not merely consist in the conception of it as a whole ; it abounds, page after page, with details of unequalled beauty. In dealing with all the emotions, doubts, fears, which go to make up our common humanity, M. Victor Hugo has stamped upon every page the hall-mark of genius.” — Quarterly Review. VOL. XXIX— BARBARA’S HISTORY. BY AMELIA B. EDWARDS. “ It is not often that we light upon a novel of so much merit and interest as ‘ Barbara’s History.’ It is a work conspicuous for taste and literary culture. It is a very graceful and charming book, with a well-managed stoiy, clearfy-cut characters, and sentiments expressed with an exquisit e elocution. The dialogues especially sparkle with repartee. It is a book which the world will like. This is high praise of a work of art, and so we intend it.” — Times. VOL. XXX.— LIFE OF THE REV. EDWARD IRVING. BY MRS OLIPHANT. “ A good book on a most interesting theme.”— Times. “ A truly interesting and most affecting memoir. Irving’s life ought to have a niche in every gallery of religious biography. There are few lives that will be fuller of in- struction, interest, and consolation.” — Saturday Review. “ Mrs Oliphant’s Life of Irving supplies a long-felt desideratum. It is copious, earnest, and eloquent. Irving, as a man and as a pastor, is not only fully sketched, but exhibited with many broad, powerful, and life-like touches, which leave a strong im- pression.” — Edinburgh Review. DS646.3 .B79 Adventures among the Dyaks of Borneo. Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 1 1012 00023 4171