The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-12-01
Formidable Savages.

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Witt and his comrades is believed tC
have taken place, is on the confines OF
The British North Borneo Company's ter
ritory, occupied by tribes of an entirely
different character to those among whom
MIR. HattOn Frank is at work in the more
northern regions round about Kina Balu.
He and his party are said to have found
the Company's flag flying at several
somewhat remote points. Ihave before
me some special private notes of Mr.
Hatton, relating to his mineral exploring
journey up the Labuk River and over
land to kudat. The travellers had been
in the BOrnean bush from March to
June 10, travelling through Jungle and
by river day after day, and had arrived
1t their destination on the Kinaram
River in excellent health, though several
Of the native attendants had succumbe 1
to fatigue and fever. Some of their ex-
periences are interesting. The writer
describes portions of the Labuk as lined
with magnificent nipa palms, which grow
to an enormous size. They form fringe
along the river, at the back of which ara
trackless mangrove swamps, the home
of the Labuk croco1iles. AS they trav-
eled on, the cries of hornbills and the
chatter of monkeys reached them from
the sumber depths of the forests. Enor-
nous crecpers hung in pendant growths
from the great, dark trees. Butterflies
and insects of every hue and color fut-
tered in the sun. Presently, at a bend
of tho river the forests were backed by
lofty peaked blue mountains, and by and
by the stream, like most other inland
rivers, became unnavigable. Alta place
called Tanger- Batu, the chief, who was
ostentatiously flying the Company's flag,
received the explorer in great style,
placing table before him and rest
ing himself on the other side Mr..
Hatton was tired and hungry; it re-
joiced him to see curious finger
glasses half-full of water brought and
placed upon the table. One of
these the chief drew toward him and
used as a spittoon. II then discovered"
says the writer, that the table was not
intended for refreshments. We sat thus
for nearly three hours talking over the
matter of procuring dugouts, and later,
from Hadgi, up the river. Iobtained two.
got no assistance whatever from the
chief and in Bengan / was afterwards
told that it was good thing l did not
eat there, as dark stories are told of the
chief in question having poisoned more
than one person." Among other tribes
he lcountered the Sin Dyaks. 'They
are," he says, s'painted and tattooed in
a peculiar way. Its customary to place
a rattan across the riverat certain points
where the district is claimed by natives
on the other side, and to pass under
which without authority is generally con-
sidered declaration of war. There was
a rattan on the Sogolitan River. My
Malays were not all willing to 90 under,
as there was a guard on the other side
of three Dyaks in native dugout. Their
boats were of capital workmanship, ele-
gantly carved at the bow. The men were
tattooed with blue down the arms,
throats and legs, and had pieces of
wood in their ears. They wore head
cloth of new blue calico, fastened by
plated rattan, which was passed over
the top of the head-cloth and under the
chin. They were armed with spears and
short swords, and looked
very formidable savages." The expedi-
ton encountered no warlike obstruction,
though the Sin Dyaks did not altogether
behave in a very friendly way further
up.
1t was among the Dusuns, who seem
to be the most industrious, and fortu-
nately the most popular, of the tribes in
the northern regions beyond Kina Balu,
that the explorer received the greatest
and hospitality. He was made
4 ..blood brother by several of these
tribes. The ceremony varies in different
but it always involves the
slaughter of fowl in a peculiar man.
ner. For example, among the Bedowen
Dusuns, the old men and all the tribe
in jungle portion of which
was cleared for about twenty yards. Then
4 hole was dug, into which was placed
a large roughly baked water jar. These
jars, it seems, are of great value. being
sold as high as hundred dollars worth of
yutta. The bottom of the jar was knocked
out so as to render it useless in the future.
The clay taken out to dig the hole was
thrown into the jar, and then the old
men or chiefs began declaiming: so.
lied away down the valley stone was
placed near the jar. Then during the
defamation that lasted for nearly half
m hour the old men declared that by fire
(which was represented by a burning
,tick), by water (Which was brought in
by n bamboo and poured into the jar),
md by earth that they would be true to
all white men. Then a sumpitan was
fetched and an arrow shot into the air to
the god Kinringan, after Which
he exploring party placed four guns on
he mouth of the jar and each of the old
men and himself took a little clay out
and put it away, whereupon his party
shot a volley over the place and the cere-
mony ended. On another occasion he
placed note inside the jar .!fOr the
ghosts" The Dusuns are superstitious
n regard to writing or dispatches.
the Muruts, who are sup
posed to have killed Witt. he says those
men who have fought or been on risky
expeditions are tattooed from the shoul-.
lers to the pit of the stomach, and all
Town the arms in three brOad parallel
stripes to the wrists. Il noticed" he |
saws, san ex-headman or chief, who had
wo square tattoo marks on his back.
This was because he ran awayin fight |
md showed his back to the enemy;
another and Drawer chief was elected
n his place" 1 forgot to mention that
n this ceremony of Northumberland
he white chief and his dusky host take
between them a hive fowl; one holds |
he head. the other the legs. A third
native cuts off the head; the boly
$ dropped, and if the decapitated hen
-uns away and dies, without inclining in
is retreat either to one side or the other,
he ceremony is very successful; if it