IN BORNEAN FORESTS [chap. 



for Mr. Teysmann, who had asked me to get them for the Botanic 

 Garden at Buitenzorg, in Java ; and as along the lower course of 

 the Rejang this tree is no longer found, I stopped at a hill whose 

 base rose directly from the river, on which I saw several big trees. 

 They had neither flowers nor fruit, but in the shade under their 

 fine crowns of foliage I found quite a number of young plants 

 growing up, about six or eight inches high. I dug up several 

 very carefully, and remembering what I had seen done at the 

 Peradeniya gardens, I placed them in sections of bamboo, which 

 made excellent pots. I afterwards had the pleasure of seeing 

 these plants again at Buitenzorg, grown about a hundred times 

 bigger. Now they are great trees. 



The weather was splendid, and the waters of the river, now 

 low, were of limpid clearness. Notwithstanding the stoppage, 

 we did not do a bad day's work, covering, I should say, not less 

 than thirty-five miles. 



I saw only small remains of the primeval forest on the banks 

 of the river : a sign that the land was or had been utilised for rice 

 cultivation, and that the district was relatively populous, although 

 we had not yet come to a single village since leaving Skapan. To- 

 wards sunset, however, we sighted a Kayan house on the river- 

 side, and from signals visible we found that it was under " pamali," 

 and that we should not be allowed to enter it. But I pretended 

 not to have seen anything of the kind, and, landing, went straight 

 up the ladder, certain that if I once succeeded in entering they 

 would not easily send me away. 



It was the house of Tama Dian, i.e. "the father of Dian," the 

 latter being the son's name. 1 The house was large, new, and strongly 

 built, raised on stout squared piles. I saw quite a number of 

 persons about, but learnt that, except the family of the chief, all 

 the rest were " Ulun-ulun," or slaves, probably descendants of 

 Dyaks captured in raids. It was not very easy to distinguish 

 the masters from their slaves, but in countries where dress is re- 

 duced to a minimum, social differences are less apparent than 

 elsewhere, for dress is beyond doubt one of the greatest factors 

 in maintaining class distinctions. 



The Skapans who had accompanied me from the house of 

 Sematto and Senahan went farther down the river to the village 

 of some Punans to see whether they could find men to go with 

 me as far as Kanowit. 



Tama Dian and his people were not offended at my infraction 

 of the pamali ; on the contrary, they appeared glad of my arrival, 

 for many of them had never seen a white man. Only the 



1 Amongst the Kayans, and also amongst the Land-Dyaks, a father 

 often drops his name and assumes that of his eldest son. 



306 



