EXPEDITION TO THE KATINGAN RIVER 321 



from the Dayaks on account of their fear that the insult 

 may be avenged by the ghost of the original owner, 

 through the infliction of misfortunes of various kinds — 

 illness, loss of crops, etc. According to their belief, 

 punishment would not descend upon the stranger who 

 abstracted a human bone from a coffin, but upon the 

 natives who permitted the theft. Moreover, they believe 

 they have a right to kill the intruder; the bone must be 

 returned and a pig killed as a sacrifice to the wandering 

 liao of the corpse. But the case is somewhat different 

 with slaves, who up to some thirty years ago were com- 

 monly kept in these districts, and whose bodies after 

 death were disposed of separately from those of free 

 people. 



Kuala Samba is quite a large kampong situated at the 

 junction of the Samba with the Katingan River, and in- 

 habited chiefly by the Bakompai, a branch of the Malays. 

 Our large boat had to remain here until we returned 

 from our expedition up the Samba, the main tributary 

 of the river and inhabited by Ot-Danums who are called 

 Duhoi, their proper name in these parts. I desired to 

 start immediately and the "onder" of the place, as well 

 as the pumbakal, at once set to work chasing for prahus, 

 but things moved slowly and people seemed to take their 

 own time about obeying the authorities. 



Not until nine o'clock next day could we leave, and 

 I was glad it was no later. The prahus in these regions 

 are large and comfortable, with a bamboo covering in the 

 bottom. They probably originated with the Bakompai, 

 but the Duhoi also make them. At five o'clock it was 



