Borneo and the Indian Archipelago |
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afterwards Amoy amused anchored appeared archipelago armed arrived attack bamboo barge Batan boats Borneo Brooke Brooke's Bruni Bud-ruddeen built canoe captain carried cheroots chiefs Chinese Chusan coast of Borneo cocoa-nut colours commenced congreve rockets costume crew crowded dance delightful discovered dressed Dutch Dyaks English European expedition eyes fire flag following day forts gongs Gonong Tabor guns hair head Hong Kong houses inhabitants island jungle junk Keppell kris Kuchin Labuan land Luzon Malays mandarins Manilla miles Minden hospital morning mountain Muda Hassan natives night Ningpo observed obtained officers ourselves Pa-tchu-san party passed Phlegethon piracy pirates port Porto Praya possession prahus proceeded proved pulled rajah remained returned river round Royalist sailed Sakarron Samarang Sarawak schooner sent ship shore side sight Sincapore Sooloo soon spears steamer sultan survey thing Thomas Cochrane town trade trees tribes vessels village whole women
Popular passages
Page 82 - ... time, they each seized a sword and then the display was very remarkable, and proved what ugly customers they must be in single conflict. Blows in every direction, feints of every description, were made by both, but invariably received upon the shield. Cumbrous as these shields were, no opening was left; retreating, pursuing, dodging, and striking, the body was never exposed. "Occasionally, during this performance, the war cry was given by the surrounding warriors, but the combatants held their...
Page 58 - Nepa palm). Outside the bends, about a foot from the water line, runs a strong gallery, in which the rowers sit cross-legged. At the after-part of the boat is a cabin for the chief who commands, and the whole of the vessel is surmounted by a strong flat roof, upon which they fight, their principal weapons being the kris and spear, both of which, to be used with effect, require elbow-room.
Page 109 - ... by instruction, for the discharge of the gun from the barge, to follow up the work of death. The platform admitted one of the steamer's guns to look into the audience chamber, the muzzle was pointed direct at the sultan, a man held the lighted tow in his hand. Every European on board had his musket ready loaded, and matters assumed a serious appearance. From where I was on the barge,' all appeared hushed in the audience room.
Page 81 - Their stench was intolerable, although, as we discovered upon afterexamination, 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 a sign for the music to play louder, for the warcry of the natives...
Page 58 - The Malay war-boat, or prahu, is built of timber at the lower part ; the upper is of bamboo, rattan, and kedgang (the dried leaf of the Nepa palm). Outside the bends, about a foot from the water line, runs a •trong gallery, in which the rowers sit cross-legged.
Page 81 - Then the motions and the screams of the dancers became more violent, and everything was working 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...
Page 7 - ... the sockets, and added not a little to their ghastly grinning appearance. The strangest part of the story, and which added very much to the effect of the scene, was, that these skulls were perpetually moving to and fro, and knocking against each other. This, I presume, was occasioned by the different currents of air blowing in at the port-holes cut in the roof; but what with their continual motion, their nodding their chins when they hit each other, and their grinning teeth, they really appeared...
Page 7 - They were painted in the most fantastic and hideous manner. Pieces of wood painted to imitate the eyes were inserted in the sockets, and added not a little to their ghastly, grinning appearance. The strangest part of the story, and which added very much to the effect of the scene, was, that these skulls were perpetually moving to and fro, and knocking against each other. This, I presume, was occasioned by the different...
Page 82 - The appearance of the heads was a sign 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,...