so nORKEO, [chap. v. 



Infty titsea at iiiglit, buikimg up their Bamboo ladder as 

 they go, and brinrjing down gigantic honeycombs. Tliesc 

 t'nrnish them with a delicious feast of honey and yeiiag 

 hees, besides the wax, which they sell to traders, and witU 

 the proceeds buy the niuch-coveted brass wire, eaniugH, 

 and gold-edged handkerchiefs with which they love to 

 decorate themselves. In ascending Durian and other fruit 

 treea which bs-aiieh at from thirty to fifty feet from the 

 fzrnund, T have seen them use the Banrboo i)egs only, 

 without the upright Bamboo which rendei's tliem so much 

 more secure. 



The outer rind of the Bamboo, split and slia%fed thin, is 

 the strongest material for baskets ; hen-coops, bird-cages, 

 and conical fish-tmps are very quickly made from a singh* 

 joiut, by splitting off the skin in narrow strips left 

 attached to one end, while rings of the same material or 

 of i-attan arc twisted in at regtihir distances. Water is 

 ]>rought to the houses l>y little aqueducts fonued of large 

 liauiboos split in half and supported on crossed sticks ol 

 various heights so as to giv» it a regular fall- Thin long- 

 jointed Bamboos form the Dyaks* only water-vessels, and a 

 riniien of them stand in the corner of eveiy house. Tliey 

 are clean, light, and easily cai ried, and are in many ways 

 superior to earthen vessels for the same purpose. They 

 also make excellent cooking utensils j vegetables and rice 

 "■an l>e boiled in them to perfection, and they are often 

 used when travelling. Salted fruit or fish, sugar, vinegar, 

 and honey are preserved iu them instead of in jtirs or 

 bottles. In a small Bamboo case, prettily carved and 

 ornamented, the Dyak carries his sirih and lime for betel 

 chewing, and his litlle long-bhuled knife has a Bamboo 

 sheath. Uis favourite pipe is a huge ljubble- bubble, which 

 he will construct in a few minutes by insetting a small 

 piece of Bamboo for a bowl obliquely into a large cylinder 

 about six inches from the bottom containing water, through 

 which the smoke passes to a long slender Bamboo tube. 

 Tiiere are many other small matters for which Bamboo is 

 daily used, but enough has now been mentioned to show 

 its value. In other parts of the Archipelago 1 have 

 myself seen it applied to many new uses, and it is pro- 

 bable that my limited means of observation did not make 



