Children of Borneo

ing out Australia), and Borneo comes next in size. It is nearly four times as large as England. One quarter of it-the States of Sarawak and British North Borneo-is under British

le, Sir James Brooke, in 1868;-British North Borneo is owned by an English Trading Company,

herefore tropical, that is to say there is no spring, autumn or winter, but only summer, and it is always much hotter in Borneo than it is in the hottest summer in Englan

se to each other, many of them with trunks over six feet in diameter. These trees are often l

which is made either of the soft inner bark of a tree, or else of cotton cloth. It is about one yard wide, and from eight to eighteen feet in length, and is twisted round and round their waists and pulled up tight between the thighs, one end hanging down in front and the other behind. Dyak women wear a short petticoat which is drawn tightly round the waist and reaches down to t

e Dyaks were one of the most savage and cruel people in the world. In those days there was constant warfare between the different tribes. The Dyaks ther

th swords, spears and shields, would form a circle round them. Large brass gongs would be struck in a peculiar manner, to let the neighbours know of the attack, and to implore their help. The fight would continue till one party was defeated. If any came to the rescue, the attacking party wo

e man who succeeded in securing a human head was looked upon as a great warrior, and so very often the young braves w

gun in the bows, the pirates being armed with swords, spears and muskets. Each boat was paddled by from sixty to eighty men. These terrible craft skulked about in the sheltered coves waiting for their prey, and attacked merchant vessels making the passage between China and Singapore. The Malay pirates and their Dyak allies would wreck and destroy every trading vessel they came across, murde

s safe from sudden attack. Many human lives were sacrificed because the Dyaks wished, not only to obtain booty, but to satisfy their lust for blood