r rank having no
less than fifteen, which weighed the lobe down almost to the shoulders.
Their dress consisted of a cloth round the waist, which hung down in
front, and some had on a sort of skin waistcoat, and a cloak over the
shoulders.

The women had petticoats of native cloth fastened above the hips. Their
hair was fine and black, and fell down in profusion behind their backs.
Some of them, indeed, might be called pretty. The greater number of
these people had a frank and pleasing expression of countenance and we
since have good reason to know that they can be easily civilised. Their
arms were brought on board as trophies. They consisted of the
blow-pipe, (the sumpitan); it is about eight feet long, and from it they
eject small arrows, poisoned with the juice of the upas, chiefly for
killing birds. They had also long sharp knives called parangs, spears,
and shields, in addition to the fire-arms, which they procure where they
can find them.

Reaching the mouth of the river without interruption, we stood out to
sea.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

The prahus were now so deeply laden that the Illanons were anxious to
return as fast as possible to their own country. They kept a good
offing from the shore to avoid molestation from any of their brethren,
who might be tempted, by guessing the nature of their freight, to sally
out and pick off any stragglers. The truth is, that the whole of this
magnificent archipelago was given up to anarchy and predatory warfare,
the strong on all points preying on the weak; they in their turn, as
they became enfeebled by their own victories, succumbing to other
tribes, who had in the meantime risen to power, while even their
commerce was combined with a system of slave-dealing and plunder. The
following morning there was a dead calm. I never felt the heat so
great. The sun shone down with intense fury, and seemed to pierce
through the bamboo covering above our heads. The very atmosphere was
stagnant. Had it not been for the supply of water with which Hassan had
furnished us during the night, we should have died of thirst; as it was,
we suffered much. From the feeling of the atmosphere, Fairburn
prognosticated that we were about to be visited by a storm of unusual
severity. The pirates seemed to think the same, for they lowered their
sails, which were indeed useless; and putting the heads of the vessels
seaward, endeavoured to obtain a good offing from the land.

From this we