IGNORANCE OF THE NOBLES OF BRUNI. 145 



of the murdered pangerans, employed themselves in 

 the manufacture of krises, and the carving and polish- 

 ing of their beautiful sheaths and handles; in this 

 work they excelled all their subjects. The education 

 of the existing nobles of Bruni has been much neglected, 

 and the greater part of the young nobles, with the 

 sultan at their head, can neither read nor write ; of 

 such a state of things the middle classes of Sarawak 

 would, as has been already observed, be ashamed. 



The men amongst the Malays do not, as do the 

 Javans, suffer their hair to become long, but have it 

 always cut short, and their heads very frequently shaved ; 

 they do not wear beards, and are naturally without them. 

 The greater part carefully shave off the few hairs they 

 have upon their faces, but some encourage to a great 

 length three or four straggling hairs on the upper lip, 

 and evidently contemplate with satisfaction this con- 

 temptible approach to what is generally supposed a sign 

 of manhood. 



It may be useful to mention, that the only oil 

 used by the women in the cultivation of their hair 

 is that freshly expressed from the cocoa-nut : this 

 is perfumed by allowing the flowers of the various 

 plants, previously mentioned as being used in the 

 adornment of their hair, to remain for some time in it, 

 the fat oil of the nut extracting and retaining the 

 essential oil of the fragrant flowers. I have been told 

 by Mr. Brooke that in Macassar, and on the coasts of 

 Celebes, the rajahs' domestics prepare, with great care, 

 an oil for the use of their women which is supposed 



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