148 THE KAYANS OP THE NORTH-WEST OF BORNEO. 
the unlucky side; the party instantly halted, went on shore, 
kindled a fire and had their accustomed smoke over it, but 
were not disposed to move onward, unless one more favourably 
disposed towards us, should take its flight from the opposite 
side ; however, on reminding them of their belief that fire 
is efficacious in appeasing the hate of birds, and that they had 
observed their usual custom of kindling a fire and smoking, 
they were prevailed upon to resume an onward course. The 
next day unfortunately our boat got swamped at a part of 
the river much obstructed with fallen trees and rocks, the 
river was rapid and much swollen from heavy rain that fell 
during the night. The loss of the greater portion of guc 
stock of provisions and other articles vexed my superstitious 
companions very much, and taking all the blame to them¬ 
selves, they were most profuse in reflecting on the impro¬ 
priety of their disregarding the ominous warning of the 
bird of the previous day. The habitual stillness and solitude 
observed by them when travelling, the country being thinly 
inhabited, the highways drear, and the long serpentine rivers 
dismally wooded to the water’s edge, and, excepting the 
screaming and flight of birds, there being few living objects 
to break the silence of the jungly labyrinths or attract their 
attention, all these combined, tend too strongly to the 
growth cf their absurd notions connected with the feathered 
kind. Another instance of their superstitious propensity I 
observed, previous to leaving on my return to the coast. 
The chief Akom Ida with twenty-five of his men, who were 
appointed by the other chiefs to conduct me, after all pre¬ 
parations for the journey were completed, went and formed 
a temporary hut about a mile below on the opposite bank 
of the river, but still within sight of their own houses, and 
there remained a day and night with eager expectation for a 
propitious omen for the intended journey, which having ob¬ 
tained they immediately set out, without previously visiting 
their homes, although so near, and throughout the journey 
the confidence inspired at the outset did not fail them. The 
. custom practised in some parts of Europe of raising a 
cairn or heap of stones over the grave or about the place 
where a person has been murdered, is also superstitiously 
observed by the Kayans. In the vicinity of the paths on 
which we travelled through the jungle of the interior, I 
observed several cairns, none of which my Kayan compa¬ 
nions would pass without severally adding to the stony heap. 
The above cited customs are common to other tribes 
