I04 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



He kindly arranged for three prahus to take us and our 

 belongings ashore. 



There was a diminutive pasang-grahan here, neatly 

 made from nipah palm leaves, where I repaired, while 

 Chonggat and Ah Sewey put up tents near by. The pres- 

 ence of two easy chairs which had been brought from 

 Bandjermasin seemed incongruous to the surroundings, 

 and had an irritating rather than restful effect on me. 

 Both Malays and Dayaks are very desirous of securing 

 European furniture for the house of the kapala, and will 

 carry a chair or table for hundreds of miles. On the oc- 

 casion of my visit to the Kenyah chief of Long Pelaban, 

 in the Bulungan, he immediately went to a heap of bas- 

 kets and other articles occupying one side of the big room, 

 dug out a heavy table with marble top, which was lying 

 overturned there, and proudly placed it upright before 

 me to be admired. That this piece of furniture had been 

 brought so great a distance over the kihams was almost 

 incomprehensible. 



I had a talk with the kapala and a large number of 

 people who soon gathered in front of the pasang-grahan. 

 The Dayaks who originally lived here have disappeared or 

 amalgamated with the Malay intruders, who in this case 

 are largely composed of less desirable elements. It soon 

 became evident that no information could be gained from 

 these people in regard to the traditions of the place. One 

 man said that if I would wait four or five days (in which 

 to be exploited by the wily Malay) he would undertake to 

 bring me three old men of the place, whereupon the ka- 

 pala, who was more obliging than the rest, went to fetch 



