Sketches from Formosa.

202 SKETCHES FROM FORMOSA
brought with him a long continuous ring or band of cloth
(perhaps it was hide), one end of which was placed over
the front part of his head ; and the other, dangling down
behind, made to serve as a support for the knees of Her
Ladyship, who was thus being simply carried along on
the man's back, looking as erect, and trying to feel as
comfortable as possible in this rather uncanny position.
I may add that the dress of this aboriginal lady was
appropriately much finer in material, and more tasteful
in form, than that of the other female villagers another
;
of her marks of distinction being the long knife or dagger
which hung from her side, the wooden scabbard of which
was beautifully ornamented with a profusion of brass
scroll-work. On coming within sight of Tu-kuh-vul,
several guns were fired to announce our approach. I
happened to be walking in front at the time, and was
the first to meet the villagers who came out to bid us
welcome. The one who seemed to be the leader of this
Head of the
party was truly a stout, fine-looking man ;
village, as they afterwards told me, and none other than
the husband of my hostess. He wore a very glossy
leopard's-skin coat or long jacket, which was furnished
with a number of little brass bell-like ornaments, so
arranged that a perpetual, though not unpleasant, jangling
sound accompanied him in all his movements.
Like our Ka-piang friends, the people here also seemed
to be tolerably well-off in a worldly sense ;
there being at
least no doubt as to the frank and liberal way in which
they treated us on the present occasion. In the Chief's
house a large shall I say distinguished ? party met,
nearly all of them intent on doing justice to the huge
bowlfuls of steaming soup, the junkets of fat pork, the
sweet potatoes, and the not unpalatable millet-porridge
on which those villagers may be said to live and thrive.
All this indoors, while outside and all in our honour, I