ARRIVAL ON THE MAHAKAM RIVER 211 



country, which belonged to the natives, as he expressed 

 it. 



The Penihing kampong, Sungei Lobang, was soon 

 reached. It is newly made, in accordance with the habit 

 of the Dayaks to change the location of their villages 

 every fourteen or fifteen years, and lies on a high bank, or 

 rather a mud-ridge, which falls steeply down on all sides. 

 It was the residence of the chief and the Penihings who 

 brought us here, and if conditions proved favourable I 

 was prepared to make a stay of several weeks in this 

 populous kampong, which consists of several long, well- 

 constructed buildings. The Dayaks assisted in putting 

 up my tent, and of their own accord made a low palisade 

 of bamboo sticks all around it as protection against the 

 roaming pigs and dogs of the place. It proved of ex- 

 cellent service, also keeping away the obnoxious fowls, 

 and during the remainder of my travels this measure of 

 security, which I adopted, added considerably to my com- 

 fort. On receiving their payment in the evening the 

 Dayaks went away in bad humour because they had ex- 

 pected that such a tuan besar as I was would give them 

 more than the usual wages allowed when serving the 

 Company, as the government is called. This tuan, 

 they said, had plenty of money to boang (throw) away, 

 and he had also a good heart. 



Otherwise, however, these natives were kindly dis- 

 posed and more attractive than either of the two tribes 

 last visited. In husking rice the Penyahbongs, Saputans, 

 and Penihings have the same method of gathering the 

 grains back again under the pestle with the hands in- 



