alay belief), but he
(this Malay) had not believed it before, but he now knew that it was
true. Johnson, much amused, asked him how that was. "Oh," said the
Malay, "when the Tuan (Johnson) sent us across the river to bury the
dead man the other day, his spirit came back to him and his body sat
up and talked, and we were much afraid, and seized hold of the body;
which gave us much trouble to put it into the hole we had digged,
and when we had quickly filled in the hole so that the body could not
come out again, we fled away quickly, so now we know that the saying
is true." It thus transpired that they had buried a live Chinaman
without being aware of the fact.

CHAPTER XIII

Home-Life Among Head-Hunting Dayaks.

I leave the Main Stream and journey up the Sarekei--A Stream
overarched by Vegetation--House 200 feet long--I make Friends with
the Chief--My New Quarters--Rarity of White Men--Friendliness
of my New Hosts--Embarrassing Request from a Lady, "like we
your skin"--Similar Experience of Wallace--Crowds to see me
Undress--Dayak's interest in Illustrated Papers--Waist-rings
of Dayak Women--Teeth filled with brass--Noisiness of a Dayak
House--Dayak Dogs--A well-meant Blow and its Sequel--Uproarious
Amusement of the Dayaks--Dayak Fruit-Trees--The Durian as King
of all Fruits--Dayak "Bridges" across the Swamp-Dances of the
Head-Hunters--A Secret "Fishing" Expedition--A Spear sent by way of
defiance to the Government--I "score" off the Pig-Hunters--Dayak
Diseases--Dayak Women and Girls--Two "Broken Hearts"--I Raffle my
Tins--"Cookie" and the Head-Hunters, their Jokes and Quarrels--My
Adventure with a Crocodile.

The Rejang is one of the many large rivers which abound in Borneo,
and its tributaries are numerous and for the most part unexplored. The
Rejang is tidal for fully one hundred and fifty miles, and at Sibu
is over a mile in width. The banks of this river are inhabited by
a large population of Malays, Chinese, Dayaks, Kayans, Kanawits,
Punans and numerous other tribes. Thus it is a highly interesting
region for an ethnologist.

It was with feelings of pleasant anticipation that I started down
the river in the government steam-launch from Sibu just as dawn was
breaking, on my way to spend several weeks among the wild Dayaks on
the unexplored Sarekei River. I took with me my two servants, Dubi,
a civilized Dayak, and my Chinese cook. After