er
parts of the country; I have heard that very much the same story is told
by the natives in the Rejang district several hundred miles south of the
Baram; where the chiefest difference in the accounts is that earlier and
higher than the birds there was a Supreme Being called _Rajah Gantalla_,
who after creating the two birds, committed the rest of the work to
them. I think in the _-allah_ of this name (I speak under correction) we
may discern a strong indication of Mohammedan influence. The first man,
instead of being carved entirely of Kumpong wood, was made, in this
latter account, of clay and then filled with the sap of the Kumpong
tree.

A tradition (I do not say "legend," for this implies writing) which all
the Kayans seem to know and to take pleasure in relating, is connected
with the origin of their rite of head-hunting, for, although every
possible means is employed by the European rulers of the island to stop
this custom, it is still, nevertheless the one ruling passion of the
people. Nay, it is part of their Religion; no house is blest which is
not sanctified by a row of human skulls, and no man can hope to attain
to the happy region of Apo Leggan unless he, or some near relative of
his, has added a head to the household collection. Let me correct,
however, with regard to head-hunting, what is probably the prevalent
idea that the heads are hung up in the houses bleeding and raw, just as
they are severed from the body. This is quite wrong; whether or not they
would tolerate in their homes such horrid objects I cannot say, but
certain it is that the heads are first subjected to fire and smoke until
the flesh has dropped away, and what is then hung up is merely a skull;
unpleasant enough, but not so bad as is generally supposed.

[Illustration: A KAYAN YOUTH.]

The tradition is that the great chief Tokong, when out on a war
expedition, was told by Kop, the frog, that he should always take,
instead of only the hair, the whole head of his enemies; Tokong was
angry, at first, at the frog, but his followers at length persuaded him
to let them try the experiment on their next attack. After taking the
whole heads, the war party retreated quickly to the river down which
they had come, and came to the spot where they had left their boats and
were surprised to find that everything was exactly as they had left it.
When they embarked, lo, and behold! the current of the stream was, for
their sakes, reversed and like a fl