526 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



large apartment witli two small rooms at tlie rear 

 end. 



May '1th. — A severe tootliaclie and tlie bites and 

 buzzing of thousands of mosquitoes made me glad to 

 see tlie dawn once more, and again be floating down 

 tlie river. Before we came to the chief village of 

 each district, where we were to exchange boatmen, 

 we always met the boat of the rajah of that place, 

 and were greeted with shouts and a great din from 

 tifas and gongs. 



The rajahs in this region are divided into three 

 grades, and their ranks are shown by the small 

 hemispherical caps they wear. Those of the highest 

 rank have theirs completely covered with figures 

 wrought with gold thread ; those of the second 

 rank have theirs mostly covered with such orna- 

 ments ; and those of the third rank wear only a 

 gold band. They all carry krises of the common ser 

 pentine form. Those that have the wavy lines alike 

 on each side of the blade are regarded as the most 

 valuable. The handles are usually made of whale's- 

 teeth, and very nicely carved ; and the scabbards are 

 frequently overlaid with gold. Those that have 

 been used by famous chiefs are valued at all sorts of 

 enormous prices, but are never sold. They also fre- 

 quently wear a belt covered with large diamond- 

 shaped plates of silver, on which are inscribed verses 

 of the Koran, for the natives of this region are prob- 

 ably the most zealous and most rigid Mohammedans 

 in the archipelago. 



The staple article of food here is rice. They also 

 raise much cotton from seed imported from our 



