2ZZ THROrC.H CENTRAL BORNEO 



seems to me. Back from the coast there Is seldom any 

 wind, and in the knowledge that at any time the clouds 

 may give place to brilliant sunshine, it is not at all de- 

 pressing. Of course it is better to avoid getting wet 

 through, but when this occurs little concern is felt, be- 

 cause one's clothing dries so quickly. 



The Oma-Sulings are pleasant to deal with, being 

 bashful and unspoiled. The usual repulsive skin diseases 

 are seldom seen, and the women are attractive. There 

 appears to have been, and still is, much intercourse be- 

 tween the Oma-Sulings and their equally pleasant neigh- 

 bours to the east, the Long-Glats. Many of the latter 

 came to the feast and there is much intermarrying among 

 the nobles of the two tribes. Lidju, my assistant and 

 friend here, was a noble of the Long-Glats with the title 

 of raja and married a sister of the great chief of the Oma- 

 Sulings. She was the principal of the numerous female 

 blians of the kampong, slender of figure, active both in 

 her profession and in domestic affairs, and always very 

 courteous. They had no children. Although he did not 

 speak Malay very well, still, owing to his earnestness of 

 purpose, Lidju was of considerable assistance to me. 



The kampong consists of several long houses of the 

 usual Dayak style, lying in a row and following the river 

 course, but here they were separated into two groups 

 with a brook winding its way to the river between them. 

 Very large drums, nearly four metres long, hung on the 

 wall of the galleries, six in one house, with the head 

 somewhat higher than the other end. This instrument, 

 slightly conical in shape, is formed from a log of fine- 



