Ten Years in Sarįwak, Volume 2Tinsley Brothers, 1866 - Dayak (Bornean people) |
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Common terms and phrases
a-head Abang Achang afternoon anchored Antus Apai arrived attack Bakatans Balang bank Batang Lupar Bintulu boat's crew boats Borneo bring brought Brunei carried chiefs Chinamen coast custom dangerous death deer Dyaks enemy enemy's Europeans expedition farming feel feet felt fire Fitz followed force Government head head-hunting hills hour hundred inhabitants jungle Kaluka Kanowit Kapuas Katibus Kayans killed labour land late latter Lingga living look Malay Mathusein ment miles morning mouth Mukah Nanang natives never night padi Pangeran party passed pinnace population proceeded pulled purpose pushed quiet race Rajah rapid rattan reached Rejang Rejang river Rentap's rice river rocks ropes round Sadok Sakarang sampan Sarawak Saribus Sarikei scarcely Seriff Massahore shot side slaves soon steamer steep stockade stream taken thought tion to-day told trade tribes Tuan Undup village walking Watson
Popular passages
Page 46 - There is no God but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet ! — I desire to embrace the true religion!
Page 336 - To offer one instance of the multiplying process, I will mention the upper Batang Lupar river, which has now a population of eighteen or twenty thousand souls residing on it, and has emitted a supply, about fifty years ago, to a neighbouring stream (a tributary of Rejang), from which a population has now increased to from ten to twelve thousand souls, without the aid of any intermixture from other directions.
Page 234 - A fearful heart produces a disagreeable dream, or a bad omen in imagined sounds from bird or deer; and this always makes a force return. But they often loiter about so long, that the enemy gains intelligence of their intended attack, and is on the alert. However absurdly these omens lead the human race, they steadily continue to follow and believe in such practices. Faith predominates and hugs huge wonders, and tenaciously lives in the minds of the ignorant. Some of the Dyaks are somewhat shaken...
Page 227 - A man then takes the loop up the steps, places his foot in it, and swings off from the top of the ladder, holding by his hands to the rattan. On its returning, another man jumps from the ladder on the swing, sometimes two at a time; and this goes on time after time, until there are as many as ten or twelve swinging together, clinging on by each other's arms or legs. While in this position they strike up a monotonous dirge, beseeching the spirits for a plentiful harvest of sagu and fruit, and a successful...
Page 243 - sixty-six feet long, shaped like a coffin, and totally devoid of all elegance or beauty. She consisted of a single tree hollowed out, and round at the bottom, but raised a little at her extremities. Many trees split while undergoing the twisting, and the wood requires to be peculiarly tough to stand the hacking in the centre. When the hollowing out is done, a bow and stern-piece are fastened with rattans : they have not a nail in them ; two light planks are also tied on to the top, and then they...
Page 57 - If this untimely interference had not taken place the country would have been in our hands in three days. Early the same morning I returned to the
Page 324 - Zealanders had proved a two-edged sword.* No miraculous success attended the rise of Christianity in New Zealand. For fifteen years the missionaries were like men crying in the wilderness, and they frequently said they were casting their seed on a rock. Six years after their arrival they had not made a single convert. | In 1825, the Eev. Henry Williams stated that the natives were " as insensible to the necessity of redemption as brutes," and in 1829 the Wesleyan mission contemplated withdrawing...
Page 125 - Dyaks immediately off sword and dived down, as poor Limin thought, to clear it, but instead of doing so the wily rascal twisted it firmly round and round, came up to take breath, and then again dived, and again twisted it in divers ways round the stumps; he then rose, and said he could not clear it, but asked Limin to try. Limin unsuspectingly took off his sword, dived, and on approaching the surface breathless, the two Dyaks struck and decapitated him without a sound.
Page 332 - urge that they have exposed them' selves to the sun for years, and have " never felt any evil effects, it is only " saying that the losing battle between " the sun and their constitution is not
Page 332 - There is not one single instance ! " There is not a great-grandchild, or " grandchild of these pensioners retain" ing their European characteristics. " An infusion of native blood is essential " to the continuance of the race. " The fact is, for the white man or his " offspring, there is no such thing as accli