]26 BORNEO. [chap. v. 



various heights so as to give it a regular fall. Thin long- 

 jointed Bamboos form the Dyaks' only water-vessels, and a 

 dozen of them stand in the corner of every house. They 

 are clean, light, and easily carried, and are in many ways 

 superior to earthen vessels for the same purpose. They 

 also make excellent cooking utensils ; vegetables and rice 

 can be boiled in them to perfection, and they are often 

 used when travelling. Salted fruit or fish, sugar, vinegar, 

 and honey are preserved in them instead of in jars or 

 bottles. In a small Bamboo case, prettily carved and 

 ornamented, the Dyak carries his sirih and lime for betel 

 chewing, and his little long-bladed knife has a Bamboo 

 sheath. His favourite pipe is a huge hubble-bubble, which 

 he will construct in a few minutes by inserting a small 

 piece of Bamboo for a bowl obliquely into a large cylinder 

 about six inches from the bottom containing water, through 

 which the smoke passes to a long slender Bamboo tube. 

 There are many other small matters for which Bamboo is 

 daily used, but enough has now been mentioned to show 

 its value. In other parts of the Archipelago I have 

 myself seen it applied to many new uses, and it is pro- 

 bable that my limited means of observation did not make 

 me acquainted with one-half the ways in which it is ser- 

 viceable to the Dyaks of Sarawak. 



While upon the subject of plants I may here mention a 

 few of the more striking vegetable productions of Borneo. 



