r 587 ) 



{ickiujw ledgod siipiviiiacv dl' llic Irihc ol (lic ()ciii() Tow and ils cliii»!" 

 l)()oi Djaloiig. 'riic comiti'v is so salr, llial llic pojjidalioii l^ocs lo llic 

 fields only armed willi a light spear as support, and tlial women 

 unai'ined and nnaccompanied dared to come and \isil me from iieigli- 

 bouring setllements at many lionrs' dislaii('(! Ilirongli the j)rimiti\e 

 forest or in boats. 



In this better I'ogidated society the higher moral (pialilies of tlu^ 

 Kcnjiis also stood ont to adxantage. If among Ihe l>ahans the want of 

 interest in the pnblic welfare was sli'ongly felt, among the Keiijas 

 this was dilïerejit. In the character ol' the Kenja chiefs a sense of 

 I'esponsibility and tlisinteresletlness came to the fi'oiit accompanied 

 with more moral coni-age and inlluence on their subjects. When 

 (piestions arose as to wages, the payment of which always consisted 

 ill goods chosen by the ])arty concerned, the iJahan chiefs always 

 relii-ed for fear of (piarrels with their people. Among iUo Kinjas 

 the chiefs calculatetl, how much was due lo each of theii' j)eople, 

 look it home and disti'ibuted it there. 



When it had been resolved in the ])olitical meetings, that repre- 

 sentatives of sevei'al tribes slioidd go \vith me to the Mahakam, hujidi-eds 

 of Kenjas j)re]>ared to go. IJad omens for the journey, liowexei', caused 

 more than 400 to draw back, and though the principal chiefs might 

 ha\e done so too, they ojdy sent back their followei'S and went on 

 themselves, l)ecause they felt the great impoi'tance of cai'i-ying on 

 the negotiations. 



Among the l)ahaus no chief would easily have gone to look aftei' 

 the gejieral interests, and certaiidy not against- Itad omens. 



Also the conduct of their iideriors during the joni-ney was (pnte 

 tlilferent. Eighty K{3njas succeeded in deriving the recpiired favourable 

 omejis from the llight of birds, the cries of does and the ap|)earance 

 of certain snakes, and accompanied us. Though fi-om diirereuf \ illages, 

 they ff)rmed one company, ha\ing their \iclnals in common, and w hen 

 the Uahaus and oursehc^s had not enough they shared thcMr stock 

 with us, which was then sooii exhausted. TIkw had, howexcr, fn II 

 conlidence in my assui'ance that I would buy them fi-esh pi"ovisi(uis 

 on the Mahakam. 



The diflei-ent grou|)s in a Haliau escort ne\er xolnntarily share 

 iheii" ric(> \\\{h oarh othi'r, and when 1 and my Malays were in 

 want of I'ice on the joui'iiey, we coidd (Uily get some from them 

 at ver\' high jtiMccs. At last a young man had the assui-ance to ask 

 me three times that exorbitant ])rice for his i-ice, though as a physician 

 I had saved his life, and had treated all of them without asking 

 aiiv reward. 



