RUNNING A-MUCK. 149 



muk, has yet to be spoken of. One case which 

 occurred during my stay at Sarawak arose from fear : 

 the man had, however, been previously subject to fits of 

 insanity. It was during a rumour of an attack on the 

 settlement caused by the firing of some guns early in 

 the morning before the inhabitants were stirring : the 

 person in question seized a large and heavy sword in one 

 hand, and a spear in the other, and rushing out of the 

 house, struck at indiscriminately any one he met ; nine 

 persons being severely wounded by him before he 

 reached the jungle whither he directed his course. Five 

 of these people died of their wounds ; the insane mur- 

 derer was killed afterwards by the Dyaks, in an attack 

 which he made on one of their villages some days after 

 he had first fled into the jungle ; during the interval, 

 he was the terror of the inhabitants, who durst not 

 venture into the forests about their ordinary avocations, 

 while they were tenanted by so dangerous a character. 

 Another case happened without the least appear- 

 ance of previous madness, but was unattended by 

 serious consequences, except to the deranged person ; 

 and other instances were fortunately prevented before 

 the afflicted person had been able to accomplish any 

 serious injuries. This peculiar form of madness, which 

 has been usually ascribed to the restless temperament 

 of the Malays acting upon diseases of the brain, is not 

 known to exist in other nations ; and though madness 

 amongst the Dyaks of Borneo is not of unfrequent 

 occurrence, it never takes this destructive form. What 

 has been previously said of the quiet and peaceful 



