177 



were not the liabits of the community ; that it was all 

 done by the hot-blooded yoimg men, Avho were difficult to 

 control If the comjiitiuity agreed to abstain for ever 

 from piracy, would tlic Rajiili punish the whole, for the 

 acts of a few T 



The lUjah replied that lie would endeavour to spare 

 the well-disi}osed ; but, he added, conversiug in the Dyak 

 style, " If you see sparrows devouring your rice, do you 

 not try to kill thorn 1 and if by chance some linnete are 

 amongst them, do they not run the siune risk as the com- 

 pany they keep ? In a flock of birds it impossible to 

 distiugaisb tlio good from the bad." 



Ja\^T in the end found that he got the worst of the 

 argument; so they promised to do their best to endeavour 

 to pei-suatlo Buah Ryali of Insabi, the chief of tlie 

 Kanowit River, to enter into an agreement with them to 

 give up tbeir piratical and head-huntiug cruises. 



Before taking their departure, they requested permission 

 to see the dreaded fire-ship that had done sucli fearful 

 execution on the night of the fight : — they had never seen 

 one before* They looked about ; and after partaking of 

 brandy and water appeared quite at their ease. 



On the IfJtli August, thQ-Nmems, taking in tow the 

 Sitigh Rajah and European boats* proceeded up tJie 

 Rejangj to inquire into the proceedings of the Kanowit 

 Dyaks, who had long been the great receive rii of plundered 

 property. In the evening they anchored near two long 

 houses, rnxsod, like the others, on piles forty feet high. 



