70 



BORNEO. 



[OUAP. V. 



In the evening tlie Orang Kaya came iu full dress (a 

 spangled velvet jacket, but no trowsei's), and invited me 

 over to liis house, where he gave me a seat of honour 

 under a canopy of white calico and coloured handkertiliiefs. 

 The great verandah was crowded with people, and large 

 plates of rice with cooked and fresh eggs were placed on 

 the ground as presents for me, A very old man then 

 dressed hiniaelf iu bright-coloured cloths and many orna- 

 ments, and sitting at the door, murmured a long prayer 

 or invocation, sprinkling rice from a basin he held in his 

 hand, while several large gongs were loudly beaten and 

 a salute of muskets fired off, A large jar of lice wine, 

 very sour but with an iigreeable flavour, was then handed 

 round, and I asked to see some of their dances. These 

 were, like most savage performances, veiy dull and un- 

 graceful affaii^Sj the men dressing themselves absurdly 

 like women, and the girls making tliemselves as stiff 

 and ridiculous as possible. All the time six or eight 

 large Ohiuese gongs %vere being beaten by the vigorous 

 arms of as many }'oung men, producing such a deafening 

 discord that I was glad to escape to the round house, 

 where I slept verj- comfortably with half a dozen smoke- 

 dried human skulls suspended over my head. 



Tlie river was now so shallow that boats could hardly 

 get along. I therefore preferred walking to the next 

 vilhige, expecting to see something of thus country, but 

 was much disappointed, as the path lay almost entirely 

 through dense bamboo tliickets. The Dyaks get two crops 

 off the groimd in succession ; one of rice, and the other 

 of sugar-cane, maize, and vegetables. The gi'ound tlien 

 lies fallow eight or ten years, and becomes covered witli 

 bamboos and shrubs, which often completely arch over 

 the path and shut out everything from the view. Three 

 hours' walking brought us to the village of Seuankan, 

 where I was again obliged to remain the whole day, which 

 I agreed to do on the promise of the Orang Kaya that 

 his men should next day take me thi-ough two other 

 villages across to Sdnna, at the head of the Sarawak liiver. 

 I amused myself as I Ijest could till evening, by walking 

 about the high gi-ound near, to get views of the country 

 and bearings of the chief mountains. There was then 



