Nov. 10, 1856.] V/ALLACE ON BORNEO. 197 



hills and mountains in every direction. In the evening the '* orang- 

 kaya " came in full dress (a spangled Yelvet jacket, but no trousers), 

 and invited me over to his house, where he gave me a seat of 

 honour, under a canopy of virhite calico and coloured handkerchiefs. 

 The great verandah was crowded with people, and large plates of 

 rice, with cooked and fresh eggs, were placed on the ground as pre- 

 sents for me. 



The costume of the Dyaks on ordinary occasions, though scanty, 

 is highly becoming, but when they attempt to make themselves 

 extremely fine on state occasions, they only succeed in becoming 

 ridiculous. In civilized countries it is the same. 



The river was now so shallow, that boats could ascend only with 

 much trouble: I therefore preferred walking to the next village, 

 first presenting the orang-kaya with some tobacco and a pickle- 

 bottle, which latter he greatly esteemed. I had expected io see the 

 country in this walk, but the path lay almost entirely through 

 thickets of bamboo, which here springs up wherever the forest 

 has been cleared away. The Dyaks get two crops off the ground 

 in succession — one of paddy and one of sugar-cane, maize, and 

 vegetables. The ground then remains eight or ten years before 

 it is again cultivated — and soon becomes covered with bamboos, or 

 grasses and shrubs, which often arch over the path and shut out 

 everything from the view. At half-past nine we reached the village 

 of Senankan, where I was again obliged to remain the whole day, 

 which I at length agreed to do on the promise of the orang-kaya 

 that his men should take me through two other villages across to 

 Senna, on the Upper Sarawak Eiver. I therefore amused myself as 

 I best could, by walking about to the high grounds near, to get 

 views of the country round till the evening, when another public 

 audience, with gifts of rice and eggs, and drinking of rice-beer, took 

 place. These Dyaks cultivate much ground, and supply a good deal 

 of rice to Sarawak. They are rich in gongs, brass trays, wire, silver 

 coins, and all such articles in which a Dyak's wealth consists, and 

 their women and children were all highly ornamented. Here, as 

 among most uncivilized people, there seems no gradual transition in 

 the women between youth and age. From the pleasing and often 

 elegantly formed girl of twelve or fourteen, a very few years of married 

 life and hard labour, transforms them into coarse middle-aged women. 



In the morning, after waiting some time, and the men that were 

 to accompany me not making their appearance, I sent for the orang- 

 kaya, and found that both he and another head man had gone out 

 for the day, and on inquiring the reason of this extraordinary pro- 

 ceeding, was informed that they could not persuade any of their 



