g for
the rougher floor, on which the farmer sleeps. The leaf of the sago
is preferable for the roofing of houses to the nibong. The gomati, or
gno, gives the black fibre which enables the owner to manufacture rope
or cord for his own use; and over and above, the toddy of this palm
is a luxury daily enjoyed. When we entered, this toddy was produced
in large bamboos, both for our use and that of our attendant Dyaks;
I thought it, however, very bad. In the evening we were out looking
for deer, and passed many a pleasant spot which once was a farm, and
which will become a farm again. These the Dyaks called rapack, and they
are the favorite feeding-grounds of the deer. To our disappointment
we did not get a deer, which we had reckoned on as an improvement to
our ordinary dinner-fare. A sound sleep soon descended on our party,
and the night passed in quiet; but it is remarkable how vigilant their
mode of life renders the Dyaks. Their sleep is short and interrupted;
they constantly rise, blow up the fire, and look out on the night:
it is rarely that some or other of them are not on the move.

"Yearly the Dyaks take new ground for their farm; yearly they fence
it in, and undergo the labor of reclaiming new land; for seven years
the land lies fallow, and then may be used again. What a waste of
labor! more especially in these rich and watered valleys, which,
in the hands of the Chinese, might produce two crops yearly.

"_3d._--Took leave of this pleasant valley, and by another and shorter
road than we came reached Ra-at. We arrived in good time on the hill,
and found everything prepared for a feast. There was nothing new in
this feast. A fowl was killed with the usual ceremony; afterward a
hog. The hog is paid for by the company at a price commensurate with
its size: a split bamboo is passed round the largest part of the body,
and knots tied on it at given distances; and according to the number
of these knots are the number of pasus or padi for the price.

"Our host of Nawang, Niarak, arrived to this feast with a plentiful
supply of toddy; and before the dance commenced, we were requested
to take our seats. The circumstances of the tribe, and the ability of
Nimok, rendered this ceremony interesting to me. The Sow tribe has long
been split into four parties, residing at different places. Gunong
Sow, the original locality, was attacked by the Sakarran Dyaks,
and thence Nimok and his party retired to Ra-at. A second smaller
part