"We saw a party of them climbing a tree just back of the town to get some cocoa-nuts; it was straight as an arrow, and about two feet in diameter, and hadn't a branch for at least forty feet. How do you suppose they did it? "They made some pegs of pieces from a bamboo pole; then they drove one of them into the tree about three feet from the ground, and another the same distance higher up. Next they took a long pole, also of bamboo, rested one end of it on the ground, and lashed it firmly to the two pegs. Then a man stood on the lowest peg and drove another in at about the level of his face, and as soon as it was driven he lashed the pole to it. So he went on and on, and when the pole gave out another was passed up and lashed in the same way as the first. It took them about fifteen minutes to make a very nice ladder--one side being the tree, and the other the bamboo pole; and as soon as they had got to the lower branches of the tree, the nuts came tumbling to the ground, and the man scrambled down after them. The whole thing appeared very easy and simple, but it would take an American some time to accomplish it. [Illustration: A DYAK YOUTH.] "The Dyaks are very fond of ornaments, and where they can afford it they cover their necks with beads and brass wire, and decorate their arms with large rings of brass or silver. Most of them wear gay-colored handkerchiefs on their heads, and it is easy to distinguish them from the foreign Malays by this mark alone. We saw one Dyak youth of ten or twelve years, who had an intelligent face and bright, flashing eyes; he belonged to one of the hill tribes, and had come down from his home in the mountains with his father to see the strangers on the coast. His hair floated over his shoulders in great masses, and his ears had rings in them that looked as though they weighed a pound. His only clothing, apart from the rings and beads and handkerchief, was a strip of cotton cloth around his waist; and he carried a spear to indicate that he belonged to one of the best families of the country." CHAPTER II. AN EXCURSION IN BORNEO.--STORY OF RAJAH BROOKE. Our young friends greatly desired to visit the interior of Borneo; but as the _Osprey_ would only remain a couple of days at Sarawak, and they wished to continue in her to Manilla, they were obliged to abandon the idea. The Doctor engaged a native boat to take them a short distance up the Sarawak River, so that they could see something of the great island away from the sea, and they gladly accepted the proposal. "Half a loaf is better than no bread," said Frank, and his opinion was promptly echoed by his cousin. The captain of the _Osprey_ agreed to wait for them until the afternoon of the second day, and they promised to be back early enough to allow the ship to get to sea before dark. [Illustration: SCENE ON THE RIVER.]