of the dead man.

Then the corpse is carried out into the public part of the house, and is
covered with a Dyak sheet. By his side are put his belongings--his
clothes, his implements of work, his shield, his sword, his spear--which
are to be buried with him, or placed on his grave.

Early the following morning the body, wrapped in mats, and secured with
a light framework of wood, is carried on the shoulders of four men, and,
accompanied by their friends, they go to the jungle. When they come to
the spot where a tree is to be cut down for the coffin, a halt is made.
A fowl is killed, and the blood collected in a cup, and mixed with a
little water. Each person present is touched with the blood, to
propitiate the gods, and to secure safety from any evil consequences to
the persons engaged in the funeral rites. They now set to work to make
the coffin. A tree is felled and the required length cut off. This is
split in two, and each half is hollowed out. The corpse is then placed
inside this rude coffin, the two parts of which are now firmly lashed
together with cane.

They then proceed either on foot or by boat to the place of burial. The
trees in a Dyak burial-ground are not cut down, so there is nothing to
distinguish it from any ordinary jungle. The Dyaks regard a cemetery
with superstitious terror as the abode of spirits, and never go to it
except to bury their dead, and when they do this, they do not stay
longer than they can help, but hurry away lest they should meet some
spirit from the other world.

The graves are rarely more than three feet deep. The Dyaks dare not step
into the grave to deepen it, because, according to their superstitious
ideas, any one who does such a thing will die a violent death. They use
no spade or hoe to turn up the earth, but cut the soil with their
choppers, and throw up the mould with their hands. They dig the grave as
far as their arms will reach, and no farther.

When the corpse is buried, there are placed either in the grave or on
it, for use in the next world, various articles of clothing, personal
ornaments, weapons of warfare, implements of farm work, and even
instruments of music, according to the sex and natural proclivities of
the dead. Some of these belong to the departed; others are given by
friends as tokens of affection.

When the grave has been filled with earth, it is fenced round, and food
and drink are placed in the enclosure, and at either end something is
put to i