Children of Borneo

ess he had been successful in obtaining the head of an enemy. For this reason it was usual to make an expedition into the enemy's country before the m

the dead, these bundles were all undone, and the men and women were allowed to wear their ornaments again. Some man cut the string with which they were tied up, but before he could do such a thing, it was necessary that a human head be brought into th

dman of the house generally cuts open the bundles of finery that have been put away, and at the

head may be that of a woman or child. Again, the heads need not be obtained in open warfare. Very often the head of an enemy is taken while he is asleep. Nor

ed a human head to enable them to put off their mourning. Or perhaps they wished to build a new house, and required some human heads to offer to the spirits of the earth. Or, possibly, he himself wished to marry, and wanted a head as a proof of his valour in the eyes of his lady-love. Among the crowd who listened, there would be ma

e house, deliver his message, and return, leaving the spear to be carried on by one of the men in that house to the next village, and so on. At once the

wn make. It is a dangerous weapon at close quarters. He also has a spear consisting of a long wooden shaft of some hard wood with a steel spear-head, which is tied on firmly to the shaft with cane. For defensive purposes the Dyak has a large wooden shield, about three feet long, which,

othness and straightness of the bore is remarkable. The hole is drilled with an iron rod, one end of which is chisel-

into a round piece of very light wood, so as to afford a surface for the breath to act upon

Though the wound made by the dart is very slight, yet so potent

, they content themselves with cutting off stragglers, or hide near the water-side for people who are going to bathe, or on their way t

tives often cluster together for mutual help. When one of them is killed, rather than al

and wait there, till all the women-folk come to it dressed in their best. The excitement is great, and there are continual shouts of triumph as the women, singing a monotonous chant, surround the hero who has killed the

HE W

Dyak chiefs, who became Christians-one the Orang Kaya of Padih, Saribas, and the other, Tarang of Krian-should have taken such a decided step as to refuse to treasure their enemies' heads any more. They were both men of position, with a great reputation for bravery. Two of the grandchildren of the Orang Kaya were at my school at T