The Dyak war-boat, as represented in the annexed sketch, is a long-built canoe, more substantially constructed than the prahu of the Malays, and sufficiently capacious to hold from seventy to eighty men. This also has a roof to fight from. They are generally painted, and the stern ornamented with feathers.
Both descriptions of war-boats are remarkably swift, notwithstanding such apparent top-weight.
WAR-DANCE OF THE DYAKS OF BORNEO.
Almost every savage nation has its peculiar war-dance, and the different steps, movements, and cries, in each depict different stages in the supposed fight. An account of the various kinds of dances would form an interesting work, and as a contribution to it we here call attention to the following description of a war-dance which was practised for the entertainment of the officers of the Semarang, on the occasion of their visiting a Dyak Chief. It is taken from Captain Marryat's "Borneo:"—
"A space was cleared in the centre, and two of the oldest warriors stepped into it. They were dressed in turbans, long loose jackets, sashes round their waists descending to their feet, and small bells were attached to their ankles. They commenced by first shaking hands with the rajah, and then with all the Europeans present, thereby giving us to understand, as was explained to us, that the dance was to be considered only as a spectacle, and not to be taken in its literal sense, as preparatory to an attack upon us, a view of the case in which we fully coincided with them.
"This ceremony being over, they rushed into the centre, and gave a most unearthly scream; then poising themselves on one foot, they described a circle with the other, at the same time extending their arms like the wings of a bird, and then meeting their hands, clapping them and keeping time with the music. After a little while the music became louder, and suddenly our ears were pierced with the whole of the natives present joining in the hideous war-cry. Then the motions and screams of the dancers became more violent, and every thing was worked up to a state of excitement, by which even we were influenced. Suddenly, a very unpleasant odour pervaded the room, already too warm, from the numbers it contained. Involuntarily we held our noses, wondering what might be the cause, when we perceived that one of the warriors had stepped into the centre, and suspended round the shoulders of each dancer a human head in a wide-meshed basket of rattan. These heads had been taken in the late Sakarron business, and were therefore but a fortnight old. They were encased in a wide network of rattan, and were ornamented with beads. Their stench was intolerable, although, as we discovered upon after examination, when they were suspended against the wall, they had been partially baked and were quite black. The teeth and hair were quite perfect, the features somewhat shrunk, and they were altogether very fair specimens of pickled heads; but our worthy friends required a lesson from the New Zealanders in the art of preserving. The appearance of the heads was the signal for the music to play louder, for the war-cry of the natives to be more energetic, and for the screams of the dancers to be more piercing. Their motions now became more rapid, and the excitement in proportion. Their eyes glistened with unwonted brightness. The perspiration dropped down their faces, and thus did yelling, dancing, gongs, and tom-toms become more rapid and more violent every minute, till the dancing warriors were ready to drop. A farewell yell, with emphasis, was given by the surrounding warriors; immediately the music ceased, the dancers disappeared, and the tumultuous excitement and noise was succeeded by a dead silence. Such was the excitement communicated, that when it was all over we ourselves for some time remained panting to recover our breath. Again we lighted our cheroots, and smoked for a while the pipe of peace."
WONDERFUL FISH.
The Greek Church of Baloukli contains an extraordinary instance of the credulity of superstition. Some wonderful fish are there preserved, which are thus described by Mr. Curzon in his admirable book on the "Monasteries of the Levant:"—