The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

v.] BORNEO—JOURNEY IN THE INTERIOR. 61the Tappan, a tree which towers above all others in the forest,and whose smooth cylindrical trunk often rises a hundred feetwithout a branch. The Dyaks climb these lofty trees at night,building up their Bamboo ladder as they go, and l)nnging downgigantic honeycombs. These furnish them witli a deliciousfeast of honey and young bees, besides the wax, which they sellto traders, and with the proceeds buy the much-coveted brasswire, earrings, and gold-edged handkerchiefs with which theylove to decorate themselves. In ascending Durian and otherfruit trees which branch at from thirty to fifty feet from theground, I have seen them use the Bamboo pegs onlj^, withoutthe upright Bamboo which renders them so much more secure.The outer rind of the Bamboo, split and shaved tliin, is thestrongest material for baskets ; hen-coops, bird-cages, andconical fish-traps are very quickly made from a single joint, bysplitting off the skin in narrow strips left attached to one end,while rings of the same material or of rattan are twisted in atregular distances. Water is brought to the houses by littleaqueducts formed of large Bamboos split in half and supportedon crossed sticks of various heights so as to give it a regularfall. Thin, long-jointed Bamboos form the Dyaks' only watervessels,and a dozen of them stand in the corner of every house.They are clean, light, and easily carried, and are in many wayssuperior to earthen vessels for the same purpose. They alsomake excellent cooking utensils ; vegetables and rice can beboiled in them to perfection, and they are often used whentravelling. Salted fruit or fish, sugar, vinegar, and honey arepreserved in them instead of in jars or bottles. In a smallBamboo case, prettily carved and ornamented, the Dj^ak carrieshis sirih and lime for betel chewing, and his little long-bladedknife has a Bamboo sheath. His favourite pipe is a hugehubble-bubble, which he will construct in a few minutes byinserting a small piece of Bamboo for a bowl obliquely into alarge cylinder about six inches from the bottom containingwater, through which the smoke passes to a long, slenderBamboo tube. There are many other small matters for whichBamboo is daily used, but enough has now been mentioned toshow its value. In other parts of the Archipelago I liave myselfseen it applied to many new uses, and it is probable that mylimited means of observation did not make me acquainted withone-half the ways in which it is serviceable to the Dyaks ofSarawak.While upon the subject of plants I may here mention a fewof the more striking vegetable productions of Borneo. Thewonderful Pitcher-plants, forming the genus Nepenthes ofbotanists, here reach their greatest develojDment. Every mountain-topabounds vrith them, running along the grouiid, orclimbing over shrubs and stunted trees ; their elegant pitchershanging in every direction. Some of these are long andslender, resembling in form the beautiful Philippine lace-sponge