A2 BRITISH BORNEO. 
although opportunities could not have been wanting. 
I was once horrified by being informed by an observant 
British Naval Officer, who had been to Brunai on duty, that 
he had been disgusted by noticing, notwithstanding our long 
connection with Brunai and supposed influence with the Sul- 
tan. so barbarous a mode of execution as that of keeping the 
criminal exposed, without food, day and night, on a stage on 
high posts in the river. I had never heard of this process, 
and soon discovered that my friend had mistaken men fishing, 
for criminals undergoing execution. Two men perch them- 
selves up on posts, some distance apart, and let down by 
ropes anet into the river. Waiting patiently—and Brunais 
can sit still contentedly doing nothing for hours—they remain 
motionless until a shoal of fish passes over the net, when it is 
partially raised and the fish taken out by a third man, and 
the operation repeated. 
I do not think my naval friend ever published his Brunat 
reminiscences. 
I have already said there is no police force in Brunai; an 
official makes use of his own slaves to carry out his orders, 
where an European would call in the police. Neither is there 
any army and navy, but the theory is that the Sultan and 
Ministers can call onthe Brunai people to follow them to war, 
but as they give neither pay nor sufficient food their call is 
not numerously responded to. 
Every Brunai man has his own arms, spear, kris and buck- 
ler, supplemented by an old English ‘ Tower” musket, or 
rifle, or by one of Chinese manufacture with an imitation 
of the Tower mark. The farang, or chopper, or cutlass, is 
always carried by a Malay, being used for all kinds of work, 
agricultural and other, and is also a useful weapon of offence 
or defence. 
Brunai is celebrated for its brass cannon foundries and still 
produces handsome pieces of considerable size. PIGAFETTA 
describes cannon as being frequently discharged at Brunai 
during his visit there in 1521. Brass guns were formerly 
part of the currency in Brunai and, even now, you often hear 
the price of an article given as so many pikuls (a pikul= 
