ch. iv.] Food Supply. J i 



fields and gardens. In some parts of the island it is 

 extremely difficult to purchase food of any kind, the 

 natives possessing only barely enough for their own 

 wants. Here, however, one could obtain fowls, eggs, 

 rice, and vegetables in abundance. The prices may be 

 interesting. For excellent fowls, from fivepence to 

 eiglitpence was charged ; eggs fivepence per dozen ; 

 vegetables enough for two or three days' supply for two- 

 pence ; while lodging, fire-wood, and plenty of jungle 

 fruit in season, may be had for nothing. Dollars and 

 cents were current here, but cloth, especially grey shirt- 

 ing and a stout black fabric, were also readily received 

 in exchange at a slight advance on Labuan prices. The 

 men here were willing to act either as guides or carriers 

 for tenpence to a shilling per diem. 



When I returned to the house at night from the forest, 

 I generally found a liberal share of the jungle fruit which 

 had been brought home by the men laid on my mats ; 

 and after dinner my own men and the villagers would 

 drop in for a chat by the light of a flickering dammar 

 torch. Twenty or thirty dusky figures smoking or eat- 

 ing betel-nut had a curious effect in the badly lighted 

 hut. 



All through the fast month these people never eat 

 or drink anything between sunrise and sunset, but the}' 

 make up for this between sunset and sunrise, the women 

 being busy cooking rice and fish nearly all night. At 

 the end of the month, too, a great feast was held, at which 

 all in the village and neighbourhood met and smoked 

 the " roko " of peace, all old feuds and wrongs being for 

 the nonce forgiven or forgotten. Everyone came dressed 

 in their best head- cloths and sarongs, being armed with 

 their war parangs, and altogether forming an animated 

 and brightly coloured assemblage. This feast was held 



