ARRIVAL AT PENGARON 297 



this animal, very desirable from a scientific point of view, 

 might be started with prospect of success. An otherwise 

 reliable old Malay once told me about a pig of extraordi- 

 nary size which had been killed by the Dayaks many 

 years ago, above Potosibau, in the Western Division. 

 The Dayaks of Pa-au, judging from the one I saw 

 and the information he gave, are Mohammedans, speak 

 Malay, and have no weapons but spears. 



The vaccinateur started in advance of us to prepare 

 the people for our arrival. Our new paddlers, who were 

 jolly and diligent men, brought their rice packed in palm- 

 leaves, one parcel for the men of each prahu. They use 

 leaves of the banana even more frequently for such pur- 

 poses, as also do Javanese and Dayaks, and spread on the 

 ground they form a neat and inviting setting for the food, 

 serving the purpose of a fresh table-cloth. The men ate 

 rapidly with their fingers and afterward drank water 

 from the kali (river), throwing it into the mouth with 

 the hand, as is the Malay custom. I did not notice that 

 they brought dried fish, which is the usual complement 

 to a meal. In this section of the country there is much 

 admixture of blood between Dayaks and Malays, which 

 accounts for the fact that the latter are more genial and 

 agreeable than their lower classes usually are. At Pi- 

 nang the small population turned out in full force, stand- 

 ing picturesquely near the mosque on an open space be- 

 tween the cocoanut-trees that grew on the high river-bank. 

 It was evident that visitors are not often seen there. 



At Belimbing the usually steep, high river-bank had 

 been made accessible by short sticks so placed as to form 



