100 Borneo — The Dyaks. 



will they take the smallest thing belonging to a European. 

 When living at Simtinjon, they continually came to my house, 

 and would pick up scrajDS of torn newspaper or crooked pins 

 that I had thrown away, and ask as a great favor whether 

 they might have them. Crimes of violence (other than 

 head-hunting) are almost unknown ; for in twelve years, un- 

 der Sir James Brooke's rule, there had been only one case of 

 murder in a Dyak tribe, and that one was committed by a 

 stranger who had been adopted into the tribe. In several 

 other matters of morality they rank above most uncivilized, 

 and even above many civilized nations. They are temperate 

 in food and drink, and the gross sensuality of the Chinese and 

 Malays is unknown among them. They have the usual 

 fault of all people in a half-savage state — apathy and dilato- 

 riness ; but, however annoying this may be to Europeans 

 who come in contact with them, it can not be considered a 

 very grave offense, or be held to outweigh their many excel- 

 lent qualities. 



During my residence among the Hill Dyaks I was much 

 struck by the aj^parent absence of those causes which are 

 generally supposed to check the increase of population, al- 

 though there were plain indications of stationary or but 

 slowly increasing numbers. The conditions most favorable 

 to a rapid increase of population are, an abundance of food, 

 a healthy climate, and early marriages. Here these condi- 

 tions all exist. The people produce far more food than they 

 consume, and exchange the sui-plus for gongs and brass can- 

 non, ancient jars, and gold and silver ornaments, which con- 

 stitute their wealth. On the whole, they aj)pear very free 

 from disease, marriages take place early (but not too early), 

 and old bachelors and old maids are alike unknown. Why, 

 then, we must inquire, has not a greater population been 

 produced? Why are the Dyak villages so small and so 

 widely scattered, while nine-tenths of the country is still cov- 

 ered with forest ? 



Of all the checks to population among savage nations 

 mentioned by Malthus — starvation, disease, war, infanticide, 

 immorality, and infertility of the women — the last is that 

 which he seems to think least important, and of doubtful ef- 

 ficacy ; and yet it is the only one that seems to me capable 



