THE SEA DYAKS. 467 



the fact that from five to fifty families, according to the size of the 

 long-house, can live under one roof without coming to blows. 



Fancy twenty Anglo-Saxon women living with their husbands 

 and children in twenty rooms, along one side of a vast oj^en hall 

 which sei-ves as work-room and play-room for all. The amount of 

 quaiTelHng, slandering, back-biting, child-slapping, and child-fight- 

 ing which would take place would be fearful to contemplate. And 

 yet among the Dyaks I never saw or heard anything like high 

 words, much less a regular quan-el, between either children or 

 adults. The people with whom I lived at Padang Lake and on the 

 Sibuyau were always light-hearted, and generally even meiTy. It 

 was truly refreshing to see people so universally happy and con- 

 tented. 



They always rise early in the morning, or at about six o'clock ; 

 each family kindles a fixe in its own private room, and boils the 

 morning meal of rice or vegetables in an earthen pot or joint of 

 bamboo. If they are lucky enough to have on hand the flesh of 

 any animal, that also is boiled or roasted and forms a portion of the 

 meal. When eating, they squat uj)on a mat in the centre of the 

 room around the vessels containing the food, and aU eat with 

 their fingers. The drinking-water is contained in a five-foot sec- 

 tion of bamboo which stands in a corner of the room. After eat- 

 ing, the Dyak takes a diink, rinses his mouth, takes down his pa- 

 rong, juah, and tambuk and prepares to set out. If he intends 

 to go into the jungle to search for gutta, honey, dammar gum, or 

 rattans, or to hunt or snare game, he takes with him also his spear, 

 biliong (axe), and his dogs, if he has any. If his day's work Hes in 

 his field he takes -nith him his \vife and older childi-en to help j^lant 

 or reap the paddi, or clear the ground, as the case may be. 



Late in the afternoon he returns, his basket laden either with 

 rice, bananas or other fruit, or such jungle products as he has been 

 able to secure. By the time supj)er is eaten it is night, and time 

 to light the smoky dammar torches, by the flickeiing light of which 

 both men and women make mats and baskets, boil gutta, make new 

 paddles or biliong handles, and work busily until bedtime. If there 

 ai'e visitors, work is partly suspended in order that the evening 

 may be spent in giN^ing and receiving the news. 



About nine o'clock, the young and unmamed men and strangers 

 climb up the ladder into the loft over the long hall, and, after stretch- 

 ing their limbs upon theii' mats, lie thex'e singing and chattering 

 until they fall asleep. 



