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Accordingly, an hour after my arrival I found myself with all my belongings and servants on board the two canoes, with a crew of nine Malays. Soon after leaving the Malay village we branched off to the left up the Sarekei River. It was very monotonous at first, as the giant plumes of the nipa palm hid everything from my view.
After a journey of four hours we arrived at a large Malay village near the mouth of the Sarekei River. Here I disembarked and sought out the chief of the village and demanded the loan of two canoes, with some men to paddle them, and in return I offered liberal payment.
Thus it is a highly interesting region for an ethnologist. It was with feelings of pleasant anticipation that I started down the river in the government steam-launch from Sibu just as dawn was breaking, on my way to spend several weeks among the wild Dayaks on the unexplored Sarekei River. I took with me my two servants, Dubi, a civilized Dayak, and my Chinese cook.
My Malays worked hard at their paddles, and late in the afternoon we left the main Sarekei River and paddled up a small and extremely narrow stream. There we found ourselves in the depth of a most luxuriant vegetation. We were in a regular tunnel formed by arching ferns and orchid-laden trees, giant pandanus, various palms and arborescent ferns and caladiums.
My Dayak servant Dubi informed me that he was singing about the heads he had taken, and for which he thought he was now going to die. After a day's stay in Sibu I went up the Sarekei River with my two servants, and made a long stay in a Dayak house. I will try to describe my life among the Dayaks in the next chapter.
I leave the Main Stream and journey up the Sarekei A Stream overarched by Vegetation House 200 feet long I make Friends with the Chief My New Quarters Rarity of White Men Friendliness of my New Hosts Embarrassing Request from a Lady, "like we your skin" Similar Experience of Wallace Crowds to see me Undress Dayak's interest in Illustrated Papers Waist-rings of Dayak Women Teeth filled with brass Noisiness of a Dayak House Dayak Dogs A well-meant Blow and its Sequel Uproarious Amusement of the Dayaks Dayak Fruit-Trees The Durian as King of all Fruits Dayak "Bridges" across the Swamp-Dances of the Head-Hunters A Secret "Fishing" Expedition A Spear sent by way of defiance to the Government I "score" off the Pig-Hunters Dayak Diseases Dayak Women and Girls Two "Broken Hearts" I Raffle my Tins "Cookie" and the Head-Hunters, their Jokes and Quarrels My Adventure with a Crocodile.
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