300 DYAK MORALITY. 



tion has been discouraged by the Government of 

 Sarawak, in all cases where it could by its influence 

 ensure their protection, without changing the site 

 of their villages Much good has been thus done 

 in Sadong, the Dattu of which place, a weak and 

 easily swayed person, would, ere this, had the Sarawak 

 Government not interfered, have sold the whole of 

 his tribes of Dyaks into slavery; excepting such as, 

 to escape this fate, would have fled to Sarawak for 

 protection. 



The chastity of the women of these tribes has been 

 previously incidentally mentioned, and the reader has 

 seen the care with which the young men are separated 

 from the girls. They may marry at an early age, 

 and the girls are frequently married very young. I have 

 never observed that they have any particular ceremony on 

 entering the marriage state, more than that of killing a pig, 

 or fowl, according to the circumstances of the persons ; 

 though I must confess that my inquiries have been lax 

 on this point. Adultery is a crime unknown, and no 

 Dyak ever recollected an instance of its occurrence. 



They marry but one wife, though I have seen two 

 or three instances where a chief had two : the Chief 

 of Tabiah is one of these, and in consequence of break- 

 ing through the custom of the tribe, had lost all his 

 influence with its members. Incest is held in abhor- 

 rence, and even the marriage of cousins is not allowed. 

 During my visit to Betah, a village of the " Goon" 

 tribe, in 1846, the Baddat Dyaks came with presents 

 of fowls and rice, their village being about ten miles 

 distant. They had also a serious complaint to make 



