286 A NATURALIST IN BORNEO 



Sea-Dayak expressions for denoting the different hours 

 of the day are very delightful, e.g. 



" Mansang jimboi," time to dry things in the sun : about 8 a.m 



" Ujong nutok," the end of the padi pounding : about 4 p.m. 



" Salah kelala," to see indistinctly : between 6 and 7 p.m. 



" Pupus tindok anembiak," when all the children have gone to 

 sleep : about 8 p.m. 



" Dini ari dalam," dawn deep down : about 3 a.m. 



" Empliau bebunyi," the gibbons calling : this at first streak of 

 dawn. 



"Tampak tanah," to see the ground : about 5 a.m. 



I found the village of Lanchang gaily decorated with 

 flags in my honour, and I was met at the entrance by 

 the three chief men, the Orang Kaya, the Pengara, 

 and the Penglima. The latter is rather a remarkable 

 character, a talkative, pushful old man, extremely argu- 

 mentative and litigious ; he is most unpopular in the 

 village, and on this account has never been elected to 

 the office of Orang Kaya, the nominal head of the 

 village, but on account of his distinct ability the 

 Sarawak Government created the special office of 

 Penglima for him, and he runs the entire place, his 

 two superiors in office being mere nonentities. I was 

 conducted to the chief " Bala " of the village, which 

 for the nonce had been converted into a guest-house, 

 the heads having been removed and some appearance 

 of comfort attained by rugs and a mattress spread on 

 a bench against the wall, with the addition of a 

 European table and chair which looked strangely out of 

 place. I shook hands with innumerable people and 

 distributed some arrack and tobacco ; all the women 

 of birth, both young and old, came in and settled them- 

 selves all round me they were most persistent in their 



