XXII GOVERNMENT 285 



we greatly astonished by eating plum-pudding with 

 burning brandy upon it. 



Another day's journey over a long series of rapids 

 brought us to the house of Tama Bulan, at that time 

 the most influential chief of the Baram. We found 

 there a number of Kenyah chiefs from the upper 

 reaches of the Pata awaiting our arrival. Tama 

 Bulan, who was strongly in favour of carrying 

 through the Resident's plan, eloquently supported it 

 during the hospitable procedures of the evening, 

 assuring the assembled chiefs that the journey would 

 finally resolve the troubles of the Baram. As usual 

 there was no lack of enterprise and ** go " among the 

 Kenyahs, and they were all keen to make the 

 venture ; while the Kayans on the other hand were, 

 as always, more cautious, more inclined to dwell on 

 the possibilities of failure, and slower to take up the 

 plan and make it their own. The Kenyahs had not 

 yet completed the taking of omens for the expedition, 

 and the following days were devoted to this process 

 (see vol. ii. p. 52), Tama Bulan and his people taking 

 omens for the whole of the Kenyah contingent, while 

 Juman went on to prepare the people of the Akar. 

 In the course of the day Tama Bulan accompanied 

 us on visits to several neighbouring Kenyah villages 

 situated a little farther up the river. In the evening 

 we had another convivial meeting with great flow of 

 oratory and rice-spirit. On the third day, favourable 

 omens having been observed, sacrifices of pigs and 

 fowls were offered before the altar-posts of the war- 

 god, and the various rites needful to complete the 

 preparation for a long journey were performed (see 

 PL 157). In the afternoon the Resident inspected 

 the site for a bungalow or block -house which the 

 Kenyahs proposed to make (and have since erected) 

 for the use of the government's officers. 



On October 23rd we left Tama Bulan's house 

 with a party of about one hundred all told, in several 



