The chief led the way to the "head-house," or strangers' lodging, which is in every Dyak village, and the whole population followed to have a look at the visitors. The boys observed that the Dyaks were generally well formed, and had more intelligent expressions on their faces than the majority of the natives of Java or the Malay peninsula, and there was a playful manner among the younger portion that greatly amused them. The Doctor said the Dyak youths had a great number of games and sports that were quite unknown to the rest of the Malay race, and in this particular they resembled the Chinese and Japanese. They have spinning-tops similar to our own, and they have a game very much like "base ball," in which they display a great deal of skill. Many of their sports are of an athletic character, and they are constantly exhibiting their ability to run, jump, throw the spear, toss heavy stones, and perform other feats that require more or less muscle. In this way their strength is developed, and they lay the foundation of the endurance for which they are celebrated. The head house proved to be a circular building about thirty feet in diameter; it stood on posts, and had a platform running all around it, where persons could sit in the daytime or sleep at night. The head house is not only a lodging-place for strangers, but it serves as the council-chamber for any public business, and is the dormitory of many of the young men, especially in time of war, when they are liable to be summoned at short notice. Sometimes it is the largest building in a village, and the inhabitants take their turns in keeping it in order. There was no one to act as interpreter between the strangers and the people of the village, and the conversation was conducted by signs. Where neither side could say anything, the talk was necessarily brief: the Doctor made the chief understand that he had brought nothing to sell, and did not wish to buy rice or anything else; and therefore he had no occasion to occupy their time. Then the chief ordered the strangers to be served with boiled rice and tea, and he also commanded some of the young men to exhibit their skill in the various Dyak games. An hour was spent in this sport, and then the conference came to an end; the display on the part of the Dyak youths consisted of the games already mentioned, together with pulling at a rope somewhat after the manner of the well-known "tug of war." The rope was made of bamboo shreds tightly twisted, and its rough surface furnished an excellent hold for the hands of the contestants. [Illustration: BRIDGE OF BAMBOO IN BORNEO.]