Ch. Xin.] THE DYAKS. 207 



Dyaks and Land Dyaks, but the former derive their name 

 solely from the fact that they are accustomed to the sea, 

 and to marine expeditions, and it does not imply that they 

 all live upon the coast. Indeed they penetrate into the 

 interior equally with the others ; but from their enterprising 

 and wandering habits they have naturally more force of 

 character than the more stay-at-home section. The Sea 

 Dyaks were formerly the great pirates and head-hunters, 

 as might be expected, and are now a reformed class, who 

 possess qualities which are at once of a fiery and impressible 

 nature. The Land Dyaks are those which inhabit the upper 

 part of the Sadong, Sarawak, and Samarahan rivers, but 

 are fewer in number, and less warlike than the others. 

 These two races, however, difier radically in their language 

 from each other; and indeed the Dyaks of different tribes 

 are often unable to understand one another, although there 

 is doubtless an affinity between them. They have, however, 

 no written language, as I was assured by the Bishop, of 

 Labuan, who told me he had searched diligently without 

 finding any trace of such. 



I must leave for othere, however, a history of the Dyaks 

 of Sarawak. Some accoimt of a visit to their homes will be 

 found in the following chapter, and I will only now mention 

 one circumstance which occurred while I was there. Like 

 other uncivilised natioj^s they are very superstitious, and 

 their superstitions are often of a very childish nature. One 

 day when I was dining with the Tuan Muda, a Dyak came 

 over from Sadong expressly to inform him that they had 

 discovered a Hantu or bogey, in which, they conceived, he 

 would be greatly interested. They said that the Hantu 

 had taken up his abode in a Dyak-house, and described 

 him as sitting down, his legs very long, and his knees 



