re the larger craft were concealed, which then came out and fell upon
the enemy. If the craft were used for purposes of piracy, as they were
in the northern part of the island, in attacking foreign vessels, it
could only be when the strangers were caught within a short distance of
the shores.

Mr. Eng came on board of the yacht when his sampans were taken in tow,
and was seated with the cabin party on the forward seats. He spoke
English perfectly, and explained everything that needed it as the boat
proceeded. The explorers had seen Dyaks enough, but had not before taken
the trouble to study them; for they seemed not to be in touch with the
civilization of Sarawak, and were "hewers of wood and drawers of water,"
and not proper specimens of the race.

"The men here, Mr. Eng, do not appear to be very powerful physically,"
said Louis, as they passed several laborers at work in a paddy.

"They are not as strong as Englishmen and Americans," replied the agent,
glancing at the seamen in the waist. "The tallest man I have seen among
the Sea Dyaks was not more than five and a half feet in height. Five
feet three inches is a more common figure, though the average is less
than that. They are not men of great strength; but they are active, of
great endurance, and in running they exhibit great speed."

"These people are not ruined by their tailors' bills," said Scott.

"They do not need much clothing in this climate; and a piece of
bark-cloth a yard wide is full dress here. The _chawat_, as they call
this garment, is about five feet long, and is wound around the waist
tightly, and drawn between the legs, one end hanging down in front, and
the other behind. They wear a sort of turban on the head; and some of
them have as many as four rings, large and small, hanging from their
ears, through which they pass. Some of them use white cotton instead of
bark-cloth, like the Hindoos in India."

The yacht was now approaching the landing-place pointed out by the
agent. A crowd of women and children were hurrying to the riverside.
They appeared to be lighter in complexion than the men. As a rule they
were not handsome, though a few of them were rather pretty. The American
visitors were not likely to fall in love with any of the young women on
the shore. They were all in "full dress," which means simply a
petticoat, reaching from the waist to the knees, made of bark-cloth
embroidered with various figures.

A few of the females wore a sort