150 W. Doherfcj — The BtMerJlies of Suinha and Samhawa, Sfc. [No. 2, 



the same as everywhere. The latter are tall, light-brown men, of some- 

 what slender, but graceful and manly proportions. The face is rather 

 long, with a Roman nose and a finely-moulded chin; the hair is straight, 

 rather dry and stiff, and a beard is not generally worn. The women are 

 often of a refined and high-bred, though somewhat grave and melancholy 

 beauty, contrasting strangely with their barbarous condition. The 

 quiet dignity of the men is in striking opposition to the innate vulgarity 

 of all Mongolians from Turcomania to Malay ana. 



The Sumbanese, both men and women, wear a large loose mantle 

 of Manchester cotton dyed black in the mud of the rivers. The women 

 wear also a short black skirt, and on gala occasions a black jacket 

 tastefully embroidered with beads and small cowries. The men wear a 

 waistcloth, a turban, a huge ivory armlet, and a heavy belt like that 

 worn by the Greeks and Albanians, containing their krisses &Jid parang. 

 They always go about with a square mat-work satchel, generally of very 

 pretty design, containing betel. They exchange betel with everyone they 

 meet outside their village, as a sign of peaceful intentions. I had to 

 carry a supply about also, and never dared to decline it, though it is not 

 at all nice, for the Sumbanese could only explain a refusal as a sign of 

 hostility, just as Bedawin would excite at the refusal of salt. Bows are 

 unknown in Sumba, and so are fire-arms, but a man goes nowhere 

 without two spears, which are never laid aside for an instant. In the 

 remote district of Mandas, I was amused to see that my visitors had 

 covered their spearheads with sheaths tied on with thongs, as if to 

 reassure me, reminding me of the old Norse custom. 



" Thereat was the Wrath of Sigurd laid fast in a silver sheath. 

 And the peaoe-strings knit aboat it, for the blade was fain of death, 

 And 'tis ill to show such edges to the broad blue light of day, 

 Or to let the hall-glare light them, if ye list not play the play." 



The Kambera language is understood over the greater part of the 

 island, but Gaura and Laura in the west have languages of their own, 

 and the Memboro dialect is very distinct. All these are closely allied 

 to the Javanese and the languages of Sambawa and Flores. I have 

 taken vocabularies of a number of these, which I hope to publish some 



day. 



Strange to say, Sumba has a currency of its own in the shape of 

 fine copper wire very intricately plaited and cut into lengths of two feet, 

 worth half a rupee each. The ugly, fish-shaped earrings of gold beaten 

 out thin, are always of the same size and value (about a dollar), and 

 are likewise used for money. 



The women have spinning-wheels and weaving-frames, and make 

 cloth, especially blankets, generally white with curious figures of fish, 



