Next morning we started for Kiau. We noticed, the previous day, that Timbañgan had disappeared immediately after the pistol was discharged, which was a demonstration especially intended for him, and one of our guides told us he was about to collect his tribe to dispute our further passage, and advised us to make a detour round his village; but, if hostilities were intended, it was better to face them, as, by the lower path, we might easily have been surprised at a ford or in some deep ravine. At the foot of the hill we halted till all our force was collected, and then marched up to the village. To our great surprise, we found it deserted by all except Timbañgan, who offered his services as a guide; though we knew the way as well as he did, we cheerfully accepted his services, and well rewarded them.
We followed the same path as during our last expedition, and reached Kiau without difficulty, to find all our old acquaintances merry-making at a wedding. We were rather anxious about our reception, after the lively scene that had closed our last visit, and had determined to put ourselves in the hands of the old man, Li Moung, as we were very dissatisfied with the conduct of Li Maing, our former guide. We entered the almost deserted house we had formerly occupied, but were soon surrounded by the wedding guests, who came flocking down to meet us, and welcomed us in the most friendly and hearty manner. And these were the very men with whom, on our last visit, we were apparently about to exchange blows. I say apparently, because I do not believe they ever really intended to fight. They had been accustomed to parties of Baju traders arriving at their village, whom they could frighten into compliance with their demands, and thought they might do the same with us; but finding from their former experience they could not, they did not attempt it this time, and we ourselves placed the fullest confidence in them. The Bajus, however, now seldom visit these distant villagers, who are thus compelled to take their own produce to the coast, to be cajoled or plundered in their turn, which is one of the reasons why cloth and iron are so rare among them.
Li Moung was delighted with our determination to leave all arrangements in his hands; and Li Maing was not very much dissatisfied, as a huge boil almost prevented him walking. We made our beds under a large window which opened from the public room, as the only spot where fresh air could be obtained. This house was better arranged than the ordinary Sea Dayak ones. Instead of having the whole floor on a level with the door, they had a long passage leading through the house: on one side the private apartments; on the other, a raised platform on which the lads and unmarried men slept. We found this very comfortable, as the dogs were not permitted to wander over it.
The wedding guests were very excited, having drunk sufficient to loosen their tongues; the men were talkative, while the women pressed in crowds round the foot of our mats. The great difficulty was, as usual—no rice to be had.
Next day we sent our men through the village to find if it were possible to procure provisions, but they only obtained sufficient for a day’s consumption. This determined us to send back to Mengkabong all our followers but six to procure supplies. We told the Ida’an of our resolve, and I think this proof of our confidence had a great effect on them; in fact, we always treated them in the same way, whether we were backed by a large force or not, and we never had to repent of our conduct towards them.
CHAPTER X.
SECOND ASCENT OF KINA BALU—Continued.
Return of the Men for Rice—Readiness to assist us—New Kinds of Pitcher Plants—The Valley of Pinokok—Beautiful Nepenthes—Kina Taki—Description of the Nepenthes Rajah—Rocks Coated with Iron—Steep Strata—The Magnolia—Magnificent Sunset Scene—Fine Soil—Talk about the Lake—Change of Fashions—Effect of Example—Rapid Tailoring—Language the same among Ida’an, Dusun, and Bisaya—Reports—Start for Marei Parei—The Fop Kamá—Prepare Night Lodgings—Fragrant Bed—Stunted Vegetation—Appearance of Precipices—Dr. Hooker—Botanical Descriptions—Nepenthes Rajah—Manner of Growing—Great Size—Used as a Bucket—Drowned Rat—Nepenthes Edwardsiana—An Account of it—Beautiful Plants—Botanical Description of Nepenthes Edwardsiana—Extensive Prospects—Peaked Hill of Saduk Saduk—Noble Buttress—Situation for Barracks—Nourishing Food—Deep Valleys—Familiar Intercourse with the Villagers—Turning the Laugh—Dirty Faces—Looking-glasses—Their Effect—Return of our Followers—Start for the Mountain—Rough Cultivation—The Mountain Rat used as Food—Our Old Guides—Difficult Walking—Scarlet Rhododendron—Encamp—Double Sunset—Nepenthes Lowii—Botanical Description—Nepenthes Villosa—Botanical Description—Extensive View of the Interior of Borneo—The Lake—The Cave—Ascend to the Summit—Its Extent and Peculiarities—Distant Views—North-western Peak—Severe Storm—Injured Barometer—Useless Thermometers—Dangerous Descent—Accidents—Quartz in Crevices—Clean and Pleasant Girls—Friendly Parting—Ida’an Sacrifices—Return by Koung—Kalawat and Nilu—Death of Sahat—A Thief—Cholera-Incantations and Method of Treatment—Arrival at Gantisan—Fine Wharf—The Pangeran—Bad Weather—Heavy Squall—Little Rice to be had—Sail—Anchor at Gaya Island—Curious Stones—Fish—Description of a Magnificent Kind—Poisonous Fins—Set Sail—Awkward Position—Water-spout—Admiralty Charts—Names require Correcting—Serious Mistake—Among the Shoals—Fearful Squall—Falling Stars and Brilliant Meteor—Arrival at Labuan.
Kadum and the men of Tamparuli, together with the overseer and most of our followers, started on their journey, while we amused ourselves in collecting vocabularies, and trying to make ourselves understood by the people. They showed a great readiness to assist us, particularly the girls, who made us repeat sentences after them, and then burst into loud laughter either at our pronunciation or the comical things they had made us utter.
All the lads of the village were rejoiced at our arrival, as we purchased the plants they brought in, particularly those with variegated leaves, and they thus obtained brass wire and cloth. One evening, a man, who had been visiting another village of this tribe, produced from his basket specimens of two new kinds of nepenthes, or pitcher-plants, which were wondrous to behold, so we determined to make a visit to the spot where he found them.
As the man assured us it would be a very long walk, we provided ourselves with blankets, to enable us to sleep out a night, if necessary. We passed over a hill at the back of the village, which, where the path crosses it, is about five hundred feet above the houses, and is a continuation of a spur of Kina Balu. We then descended into a ravine, and, crossing over a sub-spur, had a fine view of a valley about three miles broad. A stream ran on either side of it, and between was a fine space almost flat, at the lower end of which was the village of Pinokok. Having descended and crossed two streams called Haya Haya, which soon joined, however, into one to form the Pinokok, we traversed the plain, and rested on the banks of the Dahombang, or Hobang Stream, to breakfast on sweet potatoes and sardines, the worst things that can be imagined for a morning meal. Crossing the Hobang, a steep climb led us to the western spur, along which our path lay; here, at about 4,000 feet, Mr. Low found a beautiful white and spotted pitcher-plant, which he considered the prettiest of the twenty-two species of nepenthes with which he was then acquainted; the pitchers are white and covered in the most beautiful manner with spots of an irregular form, of a rosy pink colour. On each leaf is a row of very soft downy hairs running along its edge, and a similar brown pubescence grows on the cups. It is a climbing plant, and varies from fifteen to twenty feet in length. Its leaves are about nine inches long in the blade, and have winged petioles which are carried down the stem to the next leaf below, each of which bears a pitcher on a prolonged petiole about fifteen inches in length.