BY R. S. DOUGLAS. 
21 
and were greeted by the chief, Ballang Maran, after an 
unmolested march. Here good news awaited us, as 
Ballang Maran informed us that all the neighbouring 
tribes had decided to come in and make peace at his 
instigation, as otherwise they feared that they might 
suffer the same fate as those tribes who had resisted the 
Government Expedition already referred to. 
Whilst we were discussing the programme as to 
what we were to do on meeting these tribes, we suddenly 
heard a mighty shout from the hills above the village. 
The Kayans and Ivenyahs, who were busy building 
leaf-roofed shelters for the night, immediately dashed for 
their arms and sent back a veil of defiance and stood 
prepared for all emergencies. However, Ballang Maran, 
on sending to inquire, found that it was an embassy 
from the Pa Kabak tribe under their famous marauding 
•chief, Ballang Tawi, who had come to makepeace. The 
Kayan and Kenyah Chiefs quickly asserted their 
authority, and when the ambassadors arrived at the 
house the} 7 passed through the encampment and 
■everybody was busy again building huts, but all arms 
were concealed close at hand in case of treachery. 
Ballang Tawi then walked boldly forward through 
all the friendly Kalabits, who were his deadly enemies 
and at any other time would have cut his head off 
without compunction, and shook me warmly by the 
hand and made the usual polite inquiries as to my 
health, and when I had arrived. He was a short, well- 
made man, and seemed very young to have earned on the 
warpath the terrible name that he has. The preli¬ 
minaries to the peace ceremony were then gone through, 
which consisted in a small pig being stabbed with a 
spear and with this bloody weapon Ballang Tawi 
touched the breast of each of the friendly Kalabits as 
they filed past him. This ceremony was then repeated 
by a Ivalabit chief to Ballang Tawi’s followers and once 
more for the benefit of the Kayans and Kenyahs with me. 
This enabled the various parties to sit down in the same 
house and discuss the proposition of the peacemaking, 
which, all the details having been arranged, it was settled 
to hold on the morrow. Native beer was then produced 
and the Kayans and Kenyahs exchanged drinks with 
Ballang Tawi and his people. Great care, however, was 
