Seventeen years among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo; a ... - Sabrizain.org

246 SOME rEltSONAL EXPERIENCES
cannot very often hold services at the different prayer-
houses. So if we can find some man in the house who is
a good Christian, and has been to school and can read,
we ask him, in the absence of the Missionary and of the
native teacher, to conduct services. On the Sunday
morning in many Dyak houses, when neither the Missionary
nor the native teacher is there, one of themselves—
some young man— will collect the Christians together, and
they will go to the little prayer-house, and he will read
the prayers, and they will offer up their petitions and
thanksgivings to God. In many Dyak houses, however,
though there are Christians, there is no one whom we can
ask to read the prayers. They have to go without
their services, sometimes for long intervals, until such
time as the native teacher or the Missionary can visit
them.
Visiting the houses where there are Christians, and
holding services in the little prayer-houses built by
themselves, is pleasant and interesting work. The Dyaks
are told beforehand when the Missionary is coming, and
they look forward to his visit, and as many as are able
leave their farm-huts where they may be staying so as to
be at the house to welcome him. The Dyaks are
and cheerful.
civil, natural in manner, kindly disposed,
The3^ are also very intelligent, and I have had many
interesting conversations on my Missionary visits. Ques-
tions are often asked by the Dyaks showing that they
have thought over something that has been said on a
former visit ;
and in the Saribas district, where so many
Dyaks had learnt to read, it was no unusual thing
to be asked to explain some particular passage in the
Gospels, the Dyak translation of which had.
many of them