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H. Wilfrid Walker - Wanderings Among South Sea Savages
Though Sarawak is supposed to be under British protection, and though all his officials are Britishers,
Rajah Brooke considers his country independent and will not allow the Union Jack to be flown in his
dominions. He possesses his own flag, a mixture of red, black and yellow, and his own national anthem;
moreover his officials refer to him as the King, and to his son, the heir to the throne, as the "young King"
(or "Rajah Muda").
Two days after my arrival, the Rajah left on his steam yacht for England, but the day before he left, he
held a great reception at his "palace" (or "astana," as it is called in Malay). It was attended by all his
officials, by high Malay chiefs and the chief Chinese merchants. The reins of government were formally
handed over to his son, the Rajah Muda, after which champagne was passed round. The chief resident,
Sir Percy Cunninghame, then introduced me to the Rajah. He is a fine-looking old man with a white
moustache and white hair, and is greatly beloved by every one. He conversed with me for some time, and
asked me many questions about the Chartered Company in British North Borneo. It was rather
embarrassing for me, with every one silently and respectfully standing around listening to every word.
He wished me success in my travels in the interior, and told his officials to do all in their power to help
me. When you talk about the Rajah you say "His Highness," but when you address him, you simply say
"Rajah" after every few words - "Yes, Rajah," or "No, Rajah." The native chiefs, I noticed, kissed the
hands of both the Rajah and the Rajah Muda.
There is no hotel in Kuching, so I put up at the rather dilapidated government Rest-House, part of which
I had to myself, the other half being occupied by two government officers. The club in Kuching seems a
most popular institution with all the officials, and "gin pahits" (or "bitters") the popular drink of this part
of the world; billiards and pool help to pass many a pleasant evening, the Rajah Muda often joining us at
a game of black pool, like any ordinary mortal.
The Rajah's troops, the Rangers, are a fine body of men; they are chiefly recruited from the Malays and
Dayaks, and have an English sergeant to drill them. I was told that when they go fighting the wild
head-hunters, they are allowed to bring in as trophies the heads of those they kill, in the same way that
the Dayaks themselves do. The method of execution here is the same as in other Malay countries, the
criminal being taken down to the banks of the river, where a long "kris" is thrust down through the
shoulder into the heart, and is then twisted about till the man is dead.
After a visit to Bau, further up the Sarawak River, where the Borneo Company, whose guest I was, have
a gold mine (the clay being treated by the "cyanide" process), I collected specimens for some time in the
beautiful forests at the foot of the limestone mountains of Poak. Here I saw something of the Land
Dayaks, but they are a poor degenerate breed, and not to be compared to the Sea Dayaks, who are born
fighters, and whose predatory head-hunting instincts give a great deal of trouble to the government.
These latter were the Dayaks I was anxious to meet, and I soon made arrangements to visit their country,
which is a good way from Kuching, the real Sea Dayak rarely visiting the capital.
So one morning early I found myself with my two servants, a Chinese cook and a civilized Dayak named
Dubi (Mr. R. Shelford also going), on board a government paddle-wheel steamer which was bound for
Sibu, on the Rejang River. Twenty-five miles' descent of the Sarawak River brought us to the sea. We
did not skirt the coast, but cut across a large open expanse of sea for about ninety miles. We then came to
the delta of the Rejang River, and went up one of its many mouths, which was of great width, though the
scenery all the way was monotonous, and consisted of nothing but mangroves, PANDANUS, the
feathery NIPA palm and the tall, slender "nibong" palm, with here and there a crocodile lying, out on the
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