Bad, however, as they are here, they were worse in a Dyak's house in Borneo where I was once staying, for there they gnawed off the tops of my waterproof boots, ate a large piece out of an old leather game-bag, besides devouring a portion of my mosquito curtain! April 28th .-- Last evening we had a grand consultation, which had evidently been arranged and discussed beforehand.

A number of the natives gathered round me, and said they wanted to talk.

Two of the best Malay scholars helped each other, the rest putting in hints and ideas in their own language.

They told me a long rambling story; but, partly owing to their imperfect knowledge of Malay, partly through my ignorance of local terms, and partly through the incoherence of their narrative, I could not make it out very clearly.

It was, however, a tradition, and I was glad to find they had anything of the kind.