expose every other portion of their
bodies. Their hair, which is fine and black, generally falls down
behind. Their feet are bare. Like the American squaws, they do all the
drudgery, carry the water, and paddle the canoes. They generally fled at
our approach, if we came unexpectedly. The best looking I ever saw was
one we captured on the river Sakarron. She was in a dreadful fright,
expecting every moment to be killed, probably taking it for granted that
we had our head-houses to decorate as well as their husbands. While
lying off the town of Baloongan, expecting hostilities to ensue, we
observed that the women who came down to fill their bamboos with water
were all armed.

And now to resume the narrative of our proceedings:--

I stated that after our interview with the old chief, and promising to
return in the evening to witness a war dance, we proceeded on a stroll,
accompanied by the chiefs eldest son, who acted as our guide, and
followed by a large party of the natives. We first examined the forts:
these were in a tolerable state of efficiency, but their gunpowder was
coarse and bad. We next went over the naval arsenal, for being then at
peace with every body, their prahus were hauled up under cover of sheds.
One of them was a fine boat, about forty feet long, mounting a gun, and
capable of containing forty or fifty men. She was very gaily decorated
with paint and feathers, and had done good service on the Sakarron river
in a late war. These war prahus have a flat strong roof, from which they
fight, although they are wholly exposed to the spears and arrows of the
enemy.

We then invaded their domestic privacy, by entering the houses, and
proceeded to an inspection of the blacksmith's shop, where we found the
chiefs youngest son, with his velvet jacket thrown aside, working away
at a piece of iron, which he was fashioning into a pa-rang, or Dyak
knife. The Dyak pa-rang has been confounded with the Malay kris, but
they differ materially. The Dyaks, I believe, seldom use the kris, and
the Malays never use the knife; and I observed, when we visited the
south coast of Borneo, that the knife and other arms of the tribes
inhabiting this portion, were precisely similar to those of the Dyaks on
the northern coast. Customs so universal and so strictly adhered to
proves not only individuality, but antiquity. Having examined every
thing and every body, we were pretty well tired, and were not sorry that
the hour had now arri