occasions of rejoicing, and it is the
same among the Dyaks. The principal part of the ceremony is the fetching
of the bride from her father's to the bridegroom's house. The women-folk
of the village, who are friends of the bridegroom's family, set out in a
boat, gaily decorated with an awning of parti-coloured sheets, and with
streamers and flags flying, to an accompaniment of gongs and drums and
musical instruments, to fetch the bride to her future home.

When the boat arrives at the landing-stage of the bride's house, they
all walk up--a gaily dressed crowd--and are welcomed into the house.
Here they sit down and talk over the future prospects of the young
couple, chewing betel-nut and _sireh_ (a kind of pepper leaf) all the
time. A portion of these chewing ingredients are carefully set aside to
be used later on. The Dyak with his great love for divination, cannot
allow such an occasion to pass without some attempt to find out the
secrets of the future.

[Illustration: IN WEDDING FINERY]

The company all sit down in the long common hall of the Dyak house, and
the betel-nut, _sireh_, etc., specially set aside for the ceremony, are
brought forward. A betel-nut is split into seven pieces by one supposed
to be lucky in matrimonial matters, and these, together with the other
ingredients of the betel-nut mixture, are all put in a little basket,
which is bound together with red cloth, and laid for a short time upon
the open platform adjoining the house.

The Master of the Ceremonies, who splits the betel-nut, then makes a
little speech, telling the assembled guests that if either party should
desert the other without sufficient reason, the offending party shall be
fined such an amount as has been agreed upon.

The basket containing the split pieces of betel-nut is then brought in
and uncovered, and the contents examined to ascertain the will of the
gods. Should the pieces of betel-nut, by some mystic power, increase in
number, the marriage will be an unusually happy one; but should they
decrease, it is a bad omen, and the marriage must be postponed or
relinquished altogether. But, as a matter of fact, they neither increase
nor decrease, and this is taken to mean that the wedding is one upon
which the spirits have pronounced neither a good nor a bad verdict.

This action gives the name to the marriage ceremony. The Dyaks call
marriage _Mlah Pinang_--"spitting the betel-nut."

The contents of the little basket, used to