156 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. vn. 



are commonly made by the Muruts on the Lawas and 

 the Limbang rivers, and it is also still used by the Dusan 

 villagers on the Tampassuk, notwithstanding their skiU 

 in preparing, weaving, and dyeing the " Lamba " fibre. 



The native women inland wear short "sarongs" of 

 "Lamba" cloth reaching from the waist nearly to their 

 knees, and a profusion of stained rattan coils, brass wire, 

 coloured beads, and other trinkets around their waists, 

 and heavy rings of brass on their legs, or coils of brass 

 wire on their plump and dusky arms. The younger ones 

 wear a strip of dark cloth across the breast. All have 

 glossy black hair and dark eyes. Some of the Murnt 

 women are fine muscular creatures, and either in boats 

 or afield they appear to be as strong and active as the 

 men. Their hair is often very gracefully wreathed up 

 with a string of red or amber-coloured beads, sometimes 

 with a strip of the pale yellow nipa leaf in its young state, 

 and the colour contrast is then very effective. The 

 physique of the inland tribes, especially of the Dyaks, 

 Kayans, and Muruts, is superior to that of the Malays. 

 The Kayans and Muruts are especially lithe and active — 

 bronzy, straight-limbed, and statuesque. This is the 

 result of an active life spent hunting in the forest, climb- 

 ing after gutta, rubber, jungle-fruit, or beeswax, or in 

 cultivatiug the clearings around their dwellings, or in 

 fishing in the rivers. The aboriginals are active, while, 

 as a class, the Malays are lethargic and luxurious, and 

 rarely exert themselves or make long foot journeys unless 

 actually compelled to do so, and the richer ones spend 

 much of their time in opium smoking or with their women 

 instead of trying to ameliorate the condition of their 

 poorer neighbours, who in one way or another have to 

 "pay the piper." 



It is sad to see such a lovely and fertile island impov- 



■iJ 



