SRETCH OF BORNEO. 61 



ner to the vicinity of the villa^os of another tribe, 

 and lies in ambush till they surprize snme 

 liecdless unsuspectihg ^vretch, vvho is inataritly 

 dccapitated. Sometimes too they surprize a 

 solitarj, fislierman in a river or on thesbore, wha 

 instantly undergoes the same fate. When the 

 hiinter returns, the whole village is fiücd with 

 joy, and old and young, men and womcn hurry out 

 to meet him, and conduct him with the sound of 

 brazen cymbals, dancing in long lines, to the 

 house of the female he admires, \7hose family 

 likevvise comes out to meet him with dances, and 

 provide him a seat, and givebim meat and drink. 

 lïe still holds tb<'. blood j head in liis hand, and 

 puts part of the food into its mouth, after whicli 

 the fenjales of the family come, and receive the 

 bead from him, which they bang up to the ceil- 

 ingover the door. The betrotbing of the bvide 

 then takes place, when the busband mtjst present 

 lier with one or more slaves, a coiiple of cloths, 

 ftnd an eartben urn or pitclicr adorned with 

 figures On the day of tbe marriage cere- 

 mony, the bride and tbe bridegroom are botb 

 dressed very fine in tiieir manncr, and a feast 

 is held in eacli of their bouscs. The bride- 

 groom comes in state to tbe house of the bride, 

 ^bere one of tbc friciids leceives him at tbe door. 



