gracefulness, darting from side to side in their
war-cloaks of toucans' feathers, which floated out behind them with
each movement. They were armed with shields, spears, and kreises. It
was really a most picturesque scene, and the large open verandah of
Government House, with the background of sea, sky, and distant
mountains, seen in the bright moonlight, with the 'Sunbeam' peacefully
at anchor in the foreground, formed an appropriate setting. The Dusuns
and Sundyaks are very fond of dancing, and seize every opportunity of
indulging in the amusement. In times of abundant harvest, it is said,
dancing goes on in every village all night long, and night after
night.

[Illustration: Dyak Dance]

_Tuesday, April 12th._--Mabelle and the children went out for a ride
this morning, while Tom and I paid a visit to Dr. Hoffmeister, whom we
found much better. It was very hot work walking down to the shore
again, and even the children seemed to find the temperature rather
trying. Fortunately for the inhabitants of Sandakan, the nights are
always cool, a fact to which the little community owes its excellent
health and the preservation of its strength and energy.

In the course of the morning we visited the town to see the bazaars
and have another look at the Museum. There is a fish and general
market at Eleopura, besides Government buildings, barracks, a
hospital, hotels, several stores, and a club, to say nothing of a
small temporary church, a mosque, and a joss-house. On the green in
front of the Government building stands a handsome Irish cross, raised
to the memory of poor Frank Hatton and other explorers who have
perished in North Borneo. At the Government Offices we found a few
interesting curiosities, particularly some finely woven mats that had
been prepared in the interior for the Colonial Exhibition in London
but were not ready in time; an elephant's tusk of enormous size, and
some teeth found in the jungle near here. This collection will
doubtless form the nucleus of a larger museum. It comprises also gems,
weapons, rat-traps, bird-calls, eggs, stuffed orang-outangs, and
specimens of native stuffs and mats. The sarongs from Java and Celebes
are very curious, the pattern being elaborately worked in a sort of
thick coloured wax, which makes them quite stiff. Some of them are
expensive, costing sixty or seventy dollars each. There did not seem
to be any of the curious fire-tubes for producing fire which we had
seen in the