CHAPTER II 



The People at Kuching — -Trades and Professions — The Chinese — 

 The Malays of Borneo and their origin — Arabs and Islamism — 

 Hybridisms — Probable Aborigines in Borneo — The Malays a 

 Mongrel Race — Their Physical Characters and Dress. 



HAVING decided on a prolonged stay in Sarawak, and finding 

 that Kuching formed an excellent centre whence excursions 

 could be made in all directions, we took measures to set up house 

 for ourselves, not wishing to encroach too much on the Tuan Muda's 

 kind hospitality. We engaged a Chinese cook and a " tukang 

 ayer," or water-carrier, who was also a Chinaman, and each of 

 us engaged besides a Malay " boy," or body-servant. Mine was 

 named Ismael ; Doria's, Kassim. We also bought a sampan, or 

 boat, in order to be able to cross the river whenever we desired, 

 and hired two Malay boatmen. In addition to these, I had to engage 

 several men to fell trees when in blossom, this being the only way 

 of getting botanical specimens of such nature. 



In Sarawak the different trades and professions are in the 

 hands of persons of various nationalities. The best carpenters 

 and smiths are Chinese, who, it must be said, do many kinds of 

 work. Thus the principal merchants, vendors of eatables, cooks, 

 tailors, water-carriers, and porters are all Chinese. The Malays, 

 true seamen, do the fishing and small maritime trade ; they are 

 also woodsmen, felling trees and preparing timber, and exploring 

 the forest in search of its natural products — rotangs, resins, gutta- 

 percha, india-rubber, oil-seeds, etc. The washermen, the hair- 

 dressers for Europeans (tukang chukor), tinkers, and a few 

 merchants and shopkeepers, are Hindus or Klings. 



The best agriculturists in Sarawak are again Chinese ; but the 

 European residents mostly employ as gardeners Javanese and 

 the already-mentioned Orang Boyan, and Klings (natives of the 

 Malabar coast), who also act as cow-keepers, taking charge of 

 the few head of cattle, mostly milch cows, which the country can 

 boast of. I often admired the splendid pigs bred by Chinese, 

 who certainly excel in the art of fattening these animals. Amongst 

 other food they give them an aquatic plant, the so-called water- 

 lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), grown purposely in swamps and pools, 

 and boiled. 



17 c 



