ch. xin.] Textiles. 253 



This is afterwards dyed with native grown indigo. Water 

 bottles of bamboo, sieves and fans of different kinds used 

 in cleaning rice, well made baskets of rattan-cane, knives 

 and choppers were also represented, and we especially 

 noted an excellent adze lashed to its shaft by neat rattan 

 work. This implement is used in cutting and trimming 

 planks from the large forest trees, saws being unknown 

 here. I noticed a small basket of true cotton of excellent 

 staple, but it is not much used, "lamba" fibre being 

 obtainable in any quantity from the jungle without any 

 trouble, and its fibre is more readily worked with the 

 help of rude implements. For sewing thread we found 

 our hostess using the fibre of pine-apple leaves (Ananassa 

 sativa), which serves the purpose well. This plant must 

 have been introduced to Borneo many years ago, for it 

 has become thoroughly naturalised, apparently wild, 

 indeed, and not even jungle fires seem able to destroy it. 

 In the Philippine Islands the plant is common, although 

 the dainty manufactures of "pina" fibre formerly made 

 there are now to a great extent discontinued. As ex- 

 amples of skilful handweaving, these "pina" fabrics are 

 even superior to the celebrated hats of Panama, and a 

 dress made in the best manner would cost from a hundred 

 to three hundred guineas. 



The villagers who accompanied the " Orang Kaya," or 

 headman, on his visit to us a short time after our arrival, 

 were very much interested in our firearms, and begged of 

 me to "shoot something." To please them, I took a chance 

 shot with a Snider rifle belonging to Smith, and brought 

 down a couple of cocoa-nuts which hung on a tree about 

 one hundred yards off. There was a general rush to pick 

 up the fallen nuts, and the blackened place where the 

 ball had struck was examined with much astonishment. 



We now marshalled our followers and again made a 



