34 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



none of tlie fanaticism of that sect in Arabia. Tliey 

 still retain many of their previous Hindu notions, 

 and their belief may be properly defined as a mix- 

 ture of Hinduism and Mohammedanism. A few are 

 " Christians," that is, they attend the service of the 

 Dutch Church, and do not shave their heads or file 

 their teeth. They are cleanly in their habits, and 

 scores of all ages may be seen in the rivers and 

 canals of every city and village, especially in the 

 morning and evening. The sarong^ their universal 

 dress, is peculiarly fitted for this habit. When they 

 have finished their baths, a dry one is drawn on over 

 the head, and the wet one is slipped off beneath 

 without exposing the person in the least. The 

 females wear the sarong long, and generally twist 

 it tightly round the body, just under the arms. Oc- 

 casionally it is made with sleeves, like a loose gown. 

 A close-fitting jacket or hqpi is worn with it. 



The men have but a few straggling hairs for 

 beards, and these they generally pull out with a 

 pair of iron tweezers. The hair of the head in both 

 sexes is lank, coarse, and worn long. Each sex, 

 therefore, resembles the other so closely that nearly 

 every foreigner will, at first, find himself puzzled in 

 many cases to know whether he is looking at a man 

 or a woman. This want of differentiation in the 

 sexes possibly indicates their low rank in the human 

 family, if the law may be applied here that obtains 

 among most other animals. 



Every day I went out to collect the peculiar 

 birds and beautiful butterflies of that region, my 

 favorite place for this pleasure being in an old 



