KYAN COURAGE. 333 



of beautiful red or veined wood, the red and black 

 hair is attached. The belt is made of fine rattans, 

 prettily plaited: one end being formed into a loop, 

 the other supports a large piece of mother-of- 

 pearl, or some other substance, which, together with 

 the tassels of various colours depending from it, are 

 passed through the loop, which catching the mother-of- 

 pearl, supports the sword on the person, and the 

 ornamental little tassels, which are gathered into 

 bunches, hang down before. The spears used by them 

 in their wars, have all short and broad points. They are 

 not thrown ; those used as missiles being formed 

 of hard wood, pointed. The dress and weapons above 

 described, and the tattooed bodies of these people, must, 

 with their fine persons, have a savage and imposing 

 appearance : their long black hair flows over their back, 

 but like the Dyaks, it is cut short in front in a straight 

 line across the forehead to the ears. 



I have already said that these people possess a high 

 character for" courage, and from all we can learn, the 

 Dvaks of every tribe have given way before their superior 

 prowess, and gradually retreated to the westward of the 

 country they formerly occupied. They must be very 

 numerous. The tribes on the Coti river, were reported 

 to Mr. Dalton, who resided for the purposes of trade for 

 fifteen months in the years 1825 to 1826 at the Dyak 

 (Kyan) town of Tongarron, above the Bugis settle- 

 ment of Semerindem, to be above 270,000 in number ; 

 and if we may judge from the tribes of the west, this 

 number is not likely to be an exaggeration, but on the 



