BORNEO--_Continued_.
WAR.
DYAK WEAPONS -- THE SUMPITAN, OR BLOW GUN -- CONSTRUCTION OF THE
WEAPON -- THE INLAID OR METAL BUTT -- THE SPEAR HEAD, OR BAYONET --
THE SUMPIT ARROW -- THE UPAS POISON AND ITS EFFECTS -- DESCRIPTION OF
THE TREE -- THE QUIVER -- THE PARANG, OR SWORD, AND ITS VARIETIES --
THE PARANG-LATOK, AND ITS CURIOUS HANDLE -- POWER OF ITS BLOW -- TWO
BLOWS OF AN EXECUTIONER -- THE PARANG-IHLANG: ITS CURIOUSLY FORMED
BLADE -- AN AWKWARD WEAPON -- POWER OF THE PARANG-IHLANG, AND ITS
VALUE -- THE SHEATH AND ITS ADDITIONAL KNIFE -- DOUBLE-EDGED PARANG,
WITH CHARMS -- A SINGULAR ORNAMENT -- THE KRIS AND ITS VARIETIES --
ITS WAVED AND LAMINATED BLADE -- EFFECT OF THE LIME JUICE -- THE
EXECUTIONER’S KRIS.
We now come to the subject of Warfare, which forms perhaps the most
important branch of Dyak history. Whether the Dyaks belong to the
Land or Sea division, they are always warlike, though the latter are
fiercer, perhaps braver, and certainly more enterprising than the
former. In order to understand the system by which they wage war, we
must first examine their weapons. I will take that which is the most
characteristic; namely, the sumpitan, or blow gun.
We have here a weapon, the like of which we have not seen in any
country that we have hitherto investigated; namely, an instrument by
means of which missiles are projected by means of compressed air. The
principle on which the sumpitan acts is precisely similar to that of
fire-arms, though the propelling power is obtained in a different
and more simple manner. In fact, the sumpitan is nothing but the
“pea-shooter” of boys, very much enlarged, and carrying an arrow
instead of a pea or clay ball.
This curious weapon is about eight feet in length, and not quite an
inch in diameter, and is bored with the greatest accuracy, a task that
occupies a very long time, the wood being very hard, and the interior
of the sumpitan smooth and even polished. It is not always made of
the same wood, the specimens in my own collection being of different
material, one of very dark and the other of very light wood. The
surface is of equal thickness from end to end, and, as it generally
has to enact the part of a spear as well as of a sumpitan, it is very
strong and heavy.
One of these weapons, brought to England by the late Admiral Young,
is of a beautiful colored wood, and is beautifully inlaid, both
at the butt and the point, with metal. The last few inches of the
butt are entirely made of metal, the weight of which causes the
weapon to balance itself easily when held to the lips. The pattern
of the inlaying may be seen in fig. 1, of the illustration entitled
“Sumpitans,” on the 1122nd page.
The other sumpitan, fig. 2, is of a very dark, almost black wood, which
is brightly polished on the exterior as well as in the interior, and is
not inlaid. The butt, however, is encased with brass for five inches,
the brass being very thick and heavy at the end, and deeply ridged,
so as to look at a little distance as if it were a spiral brass wire
coiled round the butt of the sumpitan.
At the tip of this weapon is a spear head, very thick, broad, and
strong, sharply edged and pointed, and decorated with engraved patterns
after the manner employed by Dyak smiths. It is firmly bound to the
sumpitan by brass wire or rattan, and is an exact analogue of the
bayonet, the spear head being fastened to the side of the weapon, and
not interfering with the flight of the missile. The bore of the weapon
is very small, not quite half an inch in diameter, and it is really
wonderful that the maker could contrive to hollow it with the perfect
precision which is necessary for the accurate flight of the arrow.
We next come to the missile which is projected through the sumpitan.
This is a very tiny arrow, made of the thorn of the sago palm, about
seven or eight inches long, equally thick from base to point, and not
thicker than a large steel knitting-needle. In order to make it fit the
bore so that it can be propelled by the breath, it is furnished at the
butt with a conical piece of pith or soft wood, so that it exactly fits
the bore. In some of the arrows, the cone is hollow, and a few of them
are furnished with wing-like appendages along the shaft. As a rule,
however, the solid cone is in most general use.
These arrows are so small that the wound which they inflict is in
itself insignificant, and would not be sufficient to kill any animal
larger than a rat. They are, however, converted into weapons of the
most formidable character by being smeared at the tip with poison
obtained from the upas-tree.
The reader is probably aware of the many tales that are told of this
tree--how that it poisons the country for a mile round, and how that
the deadly juice can only be obtained by means of condemned criminals,
who earn their pardon in case they can bring off a bottle of the juice.
Even in more recent days the upas-tree has not lost all its legends,
and many persons still believe that actual contact with the tree or its
leaves produces a sensation of faintness. This, however, is not the
case; neither is the actual juice of the tree so deadly as is supposed.
A wound made by an arrow poisoned with upas juice is sure to be fatal,
provided that the poison be quite fresh; but it loses its power very
rapidly, and after it has been exposed to the air for two hours it is
useless, and must be renewed. When fresh, it is fatal in a very short
time, as was found by Mr. Johnson, who led an attack on the Kanowit
Dyaks in 1859. He lost thirty men in the attack, every one of them
being killed by the tiny sumpit arrow, and not one having a mark on
him, except the little wound made by the arrow’s point.
Should the poison have been exposed to the air, the wounded man has a
chance of recovery; and it has been found that a large dose of spirits,
sucking the wound, and keeping the sufferer continually in motion will
generally overcome the virulence of the poison. Indeed, the sumpit
arrow seems to have much the same effect as the bite of the cobra, and
the treatment which is efficacious for the snake bite answers equally
well for the arrow wound.
The juice of the upas-tree is procured simply by boring a hole in the
trunk, from which the juice issues in a white, cream-like state. It
is received in little flasks made of bamboo, which are closed in the
most careful manner, in order to exclude the air. One of these flasks
in my possession is five inches in length, and about half an inch in
diameter. One end is naturally closed by a knot, and the other is
sealed with the most scrupulous care. First, a plug of soft wood has
been inserted into the end, after the manner of a cork. Over the plug
a lump of beeswax has been firmly kneaded, and over the wax a piece of
membrane has been tied when wet. Although the upas juice is white when
it first issues from the tree, it speedily becomes black when exposed
to the air.
The upas-tree is called scientifically _Antiaris toxicaria_, and it
belongs to the natural order _Astocarpeæ_, the best known species of
which order is the well-known bread-fruit tree. All the plants of
this order produce a white milky juice, which is always acrid and
deleterious, and in many instances is exceedingly poisonous. Yet those
parts of the plant, such as the fruit, in which the milk is replaced
by sugar in the process of ripening, are not only harmless, but even
nutritious. The tree grows to a considerable size, and the bark of the
trunk has a reddish hue.
The reader will at once understand how formidable is this weapon. It
is greatly to be dreaded even when the Dyak warriors are met in open
battle, and in naval engagements the showers of poisoned arrows that
are continually shot through the port-holes render the gunners’ task
a most unpleasant one. But the sumpitan is much more to be dreaded
by land than by sea; and when it is employed in bush warfare, the
boldest soldier shrinks from the encounter. The Dyak who wields it lies
hidden in the thick foliage, sure that, even in case of discovery, he
can glide through the tangled thickets into a place of security. The
sumpitan makes no report, and gives out no smoke as an indication of
its position, but the deadly arrow flies silently on its errand, and
the only intimation of the presence of an adversary is the slight tap
with which the arrow strikes its mark.
The only disadvantage of the sumpitan is that its range is a short
one, the light arrow being seldom used at a distance exceeding forty
yards, though a man who is accustomed to its use can propel an arrow
for seventy or eighty yards. At this distance, however, it is not to
be dreaded, as its force is so expended that it can scarcely break the
human skin. Some of these arrows have their heads made of the barbed
bone of the sting-ray, which snaps off at a touch, and remains in the
wound if the man tries to draw out the weapon. Others have separate
heads made of wood, which become detached as soon as the shaft is
pulled. The native name of the head is _jowing_.
[Illustration: (3.) PARANG IHLANG. (See page 1124.)]
[Illustration: (1.) PARANG LATOK. (See page 1123.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DYAK SUMPITANS. (See page 1119.)]
The Dyak generally carries thirty or forty of these arrows in a
peculiar-shaped quiver. It is made of the ever useful bamboo, and is
furnished with an appendage by which it can be stuck into the belt and
carried at the side. This appendage is made of hard wood, and is lashed
to the quiver by a broad belt of rattan, most beautifully plaited. The
quiver is closed by a conical wooden cover, which is always secured by
a string so that it shall not be lost. Some of the Dyak quivers are
highly polished, covered with carvings, and are almost to be ranked
with works of art. Many of these quivers have an inner case or lining
of dried skin or membrane, so as to exclude the air, and preserve the
poison of the arrow as long as possible.
When the Dyak uses the sumpitan, he holds the mouthpiece to his lips
between the two first fingers of his left hand, while with his right he
supports and aims the heavy weapon, which requires a strong as well as
a practised man to direct it steadily.
* * * * *
The weapon which comes next in importance to the sumpitan is the
parang or sword, of which there are several varieties. The Dyaks
pride themselves greatly on their swords, and the excellence of their
workmanship is so great that they have good reason for pride. Their
forges are of excellent quality, and some of the tribes are able not
only to forge their own weapons but to smelt their own iron.
The commonest of all the Dyak weapons is the sword called parang-latok,
which is carried by every man and nearly every woman. It is used not
only as a sword, but as an axe, and is indifferently employed for
cutting through the jungle or cutting down the enemy. The shape of this
sword is very peculiar, as may be seen from illustration No. 1, on the
preceding page, which represents a specimen in my collection.
The blade is formed after a very curious pattern. Toward the hilt it
is squared, and is in fact nothing but a square bar of steel nearly
half an inch in thickness, and three quarters of an inch in width. From
the hilt to the point the blade becomes gradually wider and thinner,
so that the broad point, two inches in width, contains just the same
amount of metal as the half-inch square hilt. It is evident that the
sword is first forged into a square bar of equable size, and is then
beaten out flatter and flatter toward the point.
The illustration shows that the blade of the sword is bent at a
considerable angle toward the hilt. This curious shape, awkward as it
is to an unaccustomed hand, forms the principal value of the sword.
When the parang-latok is used for cutting down branches or chopping a
path through the jungle, it is grasped at the squared portion of the
blade, and is used just as we use the common bill-hook in this country.
But when the object which is to be chopped lies on the ground, the
parang is held by the handle, so that the angular shape allows the
blade to be used with full force. It is the habit of holding the parang
by the squared portion of the blade, that disfigures and even deforms
the fingers of the women, as has already been mentioned on page 1118.
The ordinary parangs have no attempt at ornament upon them, but those
of better construction are covered with patterns engraved upon the
blade, of which we shall see some examples.
In war, this sword is a most formidable weapon. It is so heavy,
weighing on an average two pounds, that a blow from it is sufficient
to crush the skull or break the limb of a man, and, even if it had
no edge, it would equal in efficacy the merai of the New Zealander.
But the parang-latok has a very sharp edge, which is kept in the best
order, and, when a blow is delivered with it, the very form of the
weapon causes it to make the terrible “drawing cut,” the blade being
drawn through the wound nearly from hilt to point. In consequence of
this peculiarity, the wounds made by the parang-latok are very severe,
and the natives pride themselves greatly on the depth of the wound
which they can inflict.
One of the modes by which they try their skill is killing a pig with a
single blow of a parang-latok, a good swordsman being able to sever the
animal completely, and to drive the point of his weapon into the earth.
If the reader has been accustomed to use the sword, he will see that to
strike downward at an object so near the ground is by no means an easy
task.
When an English swordsman performs the feat of severing a sheep at a
single blow, he has several advantages which are denied to the Dyak.
In the first place, the sheep is already dead, so that he can take his
aim in quiet, whereas the pig is alive, so that the Dyak must aim his
blow as he can. Then the sheep has been skinned and cleaned, so that
the sword has not so much resistance to overcome. Lastly, the sheep
is suspended, so that the swordsman can use the most effective blow,
namely, “Cut 6,” _i. e._ a sweeping, horizontal cut from left to right,
which can be delivered with the full swing of the arm.
Were it not for the peculiar form of the parang-latok the feat of
severing a pig could not be accomplished, but the angular shape of
the blade and its gradually increasing width combine the power of the
drawing cut with the chopping force gained by the weight of the weapon.
The sheath of this parang is neatly made of two flat pieces of wood,
neatly hollowed inside to receive the blade, and bound together in
the most elaborate manner by a series of belts, twelve or fourteen in
number. These belts are made of very narrow strips of dark rattan, and
are twined into an endless four-plait. In my own specimen, there are
thirteen of these belts. Attached to the upper end of the sheath is the
cord by which the weapon is hung to the side. This cord is doubled, is
made of scarlet and yellow cotton plaited square, and is ornamented at
the ends with two large tassels, the strings of which are yellow tipped
with scarlet tufts.
The parang-latok is more a Malayan than a Dyak weapon, but it is in
favor with the Dyaks, and, as has been mentioned, has come into general
use.
The Malays use it in execution, and are able to decapitate a man at a
single blow, the executioner standing at his side and a little behind
him. On one occasion, an executioner, who was distinguished for the
skill with which he wielded a very heavy parang which he possessed,
stood between two criminals as they knelt on the ground, and with a
right and left hand blow struck off both their heads. The same man, who
was one of the police, being annoyed by the howling of some dogs in the
street, rushed out with his parang, and with one blow cut in two the
first animal which he met.
We now come to another weapon, the parang-ihlang, which is one of the
most extraordinary swords in the world, and more troublesome and even
dangerous to strangers than can well be conceived. This is a smaller,
shorter, and lighter weapon than the parang-latok. From point to hilt
it measures nineteen inches, and in extreme breadth of blade is rather
under an inch and a half. It weighs rather less than one pound six
ounces, and altogether appears to be quite insignificant when compared
with the parang-latok. We shall see, however, that in the hands of an
experienced swordsman it is even superior to that weapon on account of
a strange peculiarity in construction. The general shape of the blade
of the parang-ihlang can be seen in illustration No. 3, on page 1122.
It is very thick and heavy toward the hilt, where it is nearly squared,
like the parang-latok, but becomes gradually thinner toward the point,
which is finished off in a series of scooped patterns that look at a
little distance as if the sword had been broken. The back is quite
straight, and along it and on either side of the blade is a series of
small patterns engraved with much neatness and freedom of execution.
But the most remarkable thing about the blade is, that instead of being
nearly flat as are European sword blades, it is convex on one side, and
concave on the other, as is shown at the section, fig. 5. Owing to this
form, it can only be used for two cuts, one downward and one upward;
and if used in the wrong direction, it flies off at an angle, and is
nearly certain to inflict a wound on the man who wields it. These
swords are made either for the right or left hand, so that a man who is
not acquainted with the peculiarities of any parang is afraid to use
it without a careful trial, lest he should make the wrong cut with it,
and so wound himself.
Small and insignificant as this weapon looks, it is capable of
inflicting the most dreadful wounds, the peculiar concavity of the
blade aiding it in a most remarkable manner. Like the parang-latok, it
is used as a chopper as well as a sword, and in experienced hands is a
most effective tool. One man, described by Mr. Brooke, was a celebrated
swordsman, and has been known to sever at a single blow a log of
tolerably hard wood as thick as a man’s leg.
Even English officers have been so much impressed with the value of
this weapon, that they have only carried the regulation sword for show,
preferring the parang-ihlang for use. The Sea Dyaks, who have been
already mentioned as essentially warriors, prefer this sword to any
other weapon, though the real inventors and principal makers of it are
the Kayans, who belong to the Malanau division of the Land Dyaks. As
a rule, the ordinary Land Dyaks use the parang-ihlang but little, and
when they do use it are apt to hurt themselves. Mr. Boyle mentions an
instance where the eldest son of a chief had cut himself seriously on
both shins through his incautious use of this weapon.
“The finest parangs,” writes Mr. Boyle, “or those esteemed so, are
found in the graves of Kayan warriors, which are consequently rifled by
Dyaks and Malays on every possible occasion. I have one, purchased at
Kennowit, which I was told had been obtained from a sepulchre, three
hundred years old--a rather improbable assertion, though I believe the
weapon was really found in a Kayan grave, for it was strangely stained
and rusted when I bought it.”
The Dyaks are very proud of the quality of their blades, and hold
even the best European steel in utter contempt. It is said that their
swords are made of old files, which are imported in large quantities;
but, whatever may be the material, the temper of their blades is
marvellously excellent. These parangs not only take a razor-like
edge, but are exceedingly tough, and when used for bush-work beat the
very best English implements. Mr. Boyle remarks, that whereas his own
hunting-knives, which professed to be the finest steel possible, broke
and gapped, the Dyak parangs were not in the least injured.
Such a blade as has been described is exceedingly valuable, even in
its own country, and one of the best quality cannot be purchased under
ten pounds sterling. It may be easily imagined that when a Dyak is
fortunate enough to possess one of these valuable blades he will not be
content with an ordinary handle and sheath, but will lavish upon his
weapon all the powers of his native art. The handle, instead of being
of simple wood, is of bone, carved deeply and boldly into patterns, and
is always bent at right angles to the line of the blade. It is further
ornamented by sundry tufts of human hair, dyed of various colors,
of which deep red, yellow, and green are the favorites. The hilt is
generally bound with brass wire, and, for a small-handed race like the
Dyaks, affords an excellent hold. An European generally finds that the
narrow handle is very awkward and cramped, and is not sufficient for
his grasp.
The scabbard of this weapon is covered with ornaments. Instead of being
a plain and simple sheath, like that of the parang-latok, it is made of
a hard wood, of a dark, rich, mahogany color, which takes a very high
polish. This is carved in elaborate and really artistic patterns, the
carving being confined to the front of the scabbard.
In the middle, just under the carved part, is a piece of fur, and below
the fur is a tuft of human hair dyed red. In most cases of swords made
by uncivilized races, there is some danger to the hand in drawing them,
the edge of the sword being apt to project between the two flat pieces
of which the sheath is made. In order, however, to guard against such
an accident, the maker of the parang-ihlang places a piece of rattan
against each edge of the scabbard, so that the blade cannot by any
possibility cut the fingers, even if the hand should grasp the sheath.
The various parts of this sheath are bound together by six belts of
plaited rattan and three belts of brass wire, plaited most beautifully,
in that form which is known to sailors as the Turk’s head.
The belt by which the sword is attached to the wearer is made of
rattan, cut into very narrow strips and plaited into thongs, three
of which thongs are again plaited together to form the belt. On the
opposite side of the scabbard is a second sheath, of the same length as
that to which it is fastened, but small and cylindrical. This sheath is
made of red and yellow cloth, is lined with bark, and is intended for
the reception of a knife which is peculiar to the Dyaks. One of these
knives maybe seen at fig. 3, in the illustration of the parang on page
1129. The handle of this knife is made of the same hard wood as that
of which the sheath is formed. It is nearly cylindrical, about half an
inch in diameter, and fourteen inches in length, the blade being short,
pointed, and barely two inches in length. This curious knife is used by
the Dyaks for splitting rattan, and similar purposes, the long handle
being held under the left arm, while the rattan is drawn with both
hands, across the edge of the blade.
The natives are singularly averse to parting with this knife. They
will sell the sword, if a sufficient price be offered, but will always
endeavor surreptitiously to withdraw the knife, so that, out of many
parangs which have been brought to Europe, comparatively few have the
knife attached to them. In one specimen in my collection, the weapon
appears to be quite perfect, but, on withdrawing the knife from its
sheath, it is seen that the Dyak has cleverly substituted a bladeless
handle for the real knife.
Both the weapons which have been described were presented to me by C.
T. C. Grant, Esq.
There is also in my collection a third kind of parang, which at first
sight looks almost exactly like the old Roman sword. It is thick,
massive, weighty, and at first sight looks more like an ancient than
a modern weapon. On a closer examination, however, the peculiar Dyak
workmanship is evident. Though it is not like the preceding weapon,
convex on one side, and concave on the other, the two sides are
entirely distinct. The blade is double-edged, very thick in the middle,
and sloped off rather abruptly to the edge on either side.
The handle is only made of wood, but is profusely decorated with human
hair of different colors and considerable length, and it is bound with
a broad belt of plaited rattan. The sheath for the knife is entirely
made of bark, and the knife itself is shown at fig. 2. Like the
scabbard of the parang-ihlang already described, that of this weapon is
richly carved, and adorned with fur and long tufts of human hair.
The belt by which it is suspended is made of rattan split very fine,
and plaited so as to form a strap nearly an inch in width, and the
sixth of an inch in thickness. It is rounded at the edges, and at the
upper part it is ingeniously separated into two portions, so as to form
a loop.
The chief peculiarity of this weapon lies in the number of charms
which are attached to it. First come two teeth, and then there is
a beautifully plaited little case, something like the cocoon of an
insect, containing several little pieces of wood. Next comes a small
bag of netted string, about an inch and a half in length, in which is a
stone, and then come three little flattish baskets, with covers, which
are empty. Fastened to the belt by several thongs is a curiously shaped
piece of wood which I believe to be used for sharpening the edges of
the sword, and to the end of the sheath is hung by a string of beads
a feather, the quill of which has been carefully wrapped with red and
black string.
This weapon is in all ways a most formidable one, and to European
travellers is by far the best for practical purposes. The handle is
rather larger than is the case with either of the preceding weapons;
the blade has not that curvature which renders it so perilous a weapon
in unpractised hands; it is double-edged, and either edge can be used
with equal facility; and lastly, it possesses a point, which is not
the case with the other forms of the sword.
One Dyak chief had an ornament attached to his sword of which he was
exceedingly proud. It was an enormous tuft of hair, being nothing more
nor less than the pigtails of ten Chinese whom he had killed, and whose
hair he had fastened to the scabbard of his sword. This ornament must
have been singularly inconvenient to him. There is in my collection an
average specimen of a Chinese pigtail. It weighs nine ounces, so that
the weight of the ten must rather exceed five pounds and a half, while
the length is five feet, so that ten tufts of hair, each five feet in
length, must have given the wearer an infinity of trouble as he walked.
* * * * *
The reader will already have noticed how the various forms of sword
are used alike by the Malays and the Dyak tribes. There is another
weapon, which, though strictly a Malay invention, is used by the Dyaks,
and indeed, with some variations, throughout the whole of the Malay
Archipelago. It is called the kris, sometimes, but wrongly, spelt
_creese_, and is so common that any ordinary collection of weapons is
sure to contain several specimens of the kris. It is remarkable for
three points. In the first place, the handle is not set in a line with
the blade, as in ordinary daggers, but is bent at a right angle; next,
the blade is almost always waved in form, like the flaming sword with
which the old painters armed the angels who kept the gates of Paradise;
and thirdly, the blade is never smooth, but dull, rough, and indented
with curved grooves much resembling in form the marks on a “browned”
gun-barrel. By referring to the illustration “Kris” on page 1129, the
reader will better understand its peculiarities.
There are few weapons which vary more in value, or in which the price
set upon them is so apparently excessive. A first-rate blade, even
without the handle and sheath, will cost from eighteen to twenty
pounds, and an ordinary one can scarcely be purchased under two pounds.
They have by no means the appearance of being valuable weapons, the
steel of the blade being not only rough and corroded, but looking as if
it were composed of successive laminæ which are on the point of being
separated. This effect is produced by steeping the blade in lime juice,
thus causing a partial corrosion of the metal, which is made of small
pieces of steel twisted and welded together in such a manner as to
produce exceeding toughness.
One of these weapons in my collection is worn away almost to a mere
ribbon of steel by the action of the acid, and, strange as it may seem,
weapons of this kind, which look much as if they were mere pieces of
rusty iron-hooping, are the most valued by connoisseurs. The length of
grain in this weapon is wonderful, the corrosion of the lime juice
showing it in the most perfect manner. The long grooves can be traced
from one end of the blade to the other, following the waved form of the
narrower portion, and curling round in the wider part near the hilt,
as if the whole of the blade had been forged out of steel wires laid
parallel to each other and then welded together.
The lime juice takes off from the edge that razor-like smoothness which
is so much admired in European blades, and gives it a ragged, saw-like
appearance that is peculiar to the instrument. This edge, however, is a
terrible one for penetration into human flesh, and answers the purpose
even better than a plain and sharp edge could do.
The form of the kris is sufficient to tell the reader the mode of
handling it, the weapon being thrust forward just as a man points with
his extended forefinger, and not grasped according to the conventional
ideas of painters. Spaniards, who are proverbially expert in the use of
their long knives, hold and use them in nearly the same manner, laying
the extended forefinger along the blade as a guide, and thrusting
forward instead of striking downward. The average length of a kris
blade is about a foot, but some are nearly as long as ordinary swords,
while others are only six or seven inches in length.
Very great pride is taken in an old family kris, the owner regarding
it with a veneration that is almost superstitious. Generally, the
handle is quite plain, but the more wealthy have it made of gold, and
encrusted with precious stones. This weapon is seldom used in war. It
is carried more as the symbol of a gentleman than as a weapon to be
used in actual fight, and plays the part that the sword used to play in
the last century.
The kris is much used in executions, the weapon being one made
expressly for the purpose, quite straight, thin, and narrow. In all
cases it is used in the same manner, though there are some variations
in detail. Generally, the man who is to suffer walks quietly and
unbound to a chair, in which he seats himself, mostly solacing his
last moments by chewing the betel-nut. His arms are then extended, and
held by two men, while the executioner, standing behind him, places
the point of the kris just above the left collar-bone, and strikes it
downward into the heart, so that death is instantaneous.
In some places the execution kris is very narrow, thin, and sharp on
both edges, like a lancet. The executioner takes a small tuft of cotton
wool, and twists it lightly round the blade of the kris, just above
the point. He then holds the cotton wool between the finger and thumb
of his left hand, so as to keep the kris upright. After placing the
point of the weapon on the right spot above the left collar-bone, he
drives it downward into the heart with his right hand, and the man is
dead. Still holding the cotton wool between the finger and thumb, he
draws out the kris, and, as the point is withdrawn, presses the cotton
wool into the small wound which it has made, so that the weapon is
quite clean and bright, and not a drop of blood is allowed to be seen.
There is no doubt that this mode of execution is as certain, swift and
merciful as any that can be devised. It is equal in these respects
to the guillotine, and has the great advantage of being absolutely
bloodless, and requiring no scaffold or visible apparatus. A traveller
might pass within two yards of the fatal spot, and not know that
anything out of the ordinary way was being done.
Some of these weapons have been used for many successive generations,
and are highly prized, some being valued at sums which to Europeans
seem almost fabulous. One of these execution krises was shown at the
Great Exhibition in London, but was lost, together with many other
weapons of great value.
The spear is a weapon much favored by many Dyak tribes, but little
employed by others, the spear head at the end of the sumpitan answering
every practical purpose. In fact it is used, like the club of the Fiji
Islander, as a summons to battle, and serves the same purpose as the
fiery cross of the Scotch Highlands. This symbol is instantaneously
obeyed, and, as it runs through a country with almost magical speed,
a chief can raise a large force within a very short time. On one
occasion, during the rajahship of Sir James Brooke, an incipient
rebellion was ingeniously stopped by finding the “calling-out spear”
as it lay hidden in a canoe, and taking possession of it. The people
strenuously denied that such an article ever existed; but when it was
taken from its hiding-place, the projected rising instantly collapsed.