No rain last night or to-day. I find it impossible to continue writing, from the cloud of sand-flies that are tormenting me. Having made a smoky fire, I am at last rid of them. I have divided the remainder of the rice, and find that the careful men have enough for seven or eight days, while the improvident have not enough for five; so that they must carry sago; and, to my regret, Ahtan reports that all my tinmeats are left at home, but I have enough biscuit for seven days; in fact, I shall leave some behind me for the journey back. Our sportsmen again missed both a deer and a pig; so that, after having had every day many chances, nothing has been secured, though we have with us two of the most famous hunters in the Limbang. I never had a shot myself, as my heavy boat was generally behind the others. The rock that forms the base of many of these karañgans or pebbly rapids is a dark gray sandstone. By the barometer, we are 637 feet above the level of the sea, and as we have been toiling up rapids since we left the Damit stream, it accounts for this elevation.
The men have been working away, forming a cache for the things that we must leave behind: it is raised on four poles, so as to be quite secure from pigs.
To show how extensively the Chinese formerly spread over the country, I may notice that they had pepper plantations even up the Madihit as late as the remembrance of some of the oldest Muruts.
CHAPTER IV.
MY LIMBANG JOURNAL—continued.
Start on the Land Journey—Our Course—Ascend the Rawan Torrent—Attacked by Hornets—Native Remedy—Severe Effect of Sting—Disturbed by Ants—Japer left behind—Fresh Traces of Strangers in the Forest—Appearance of the Country—Water Snake killed—Our Adventure with One—The Swimming Cobra—Romantic but timely Meeting—Story of Pangeran Mumein and the Murut Concubine—Malay Revenge—Punishment of an Offender—Cause of the Borneans being converted to Mahomedanism—Capturing the Daughter of Johore—Independent Position of the Pablat Borneans—Reach the Wax-seekers’ Hut—Flesh of the Wild Boar—The Adang Muruts—Their Sumpitans—The Poison on the Arrows—Melted in hot Water—Weapons purchased, not made by them—Dress of the Muruts—Japer rejoins us—Continue our Journey with new Guide—Method of catching Fish—Effect of Loss of Blood by Leeches—Extraordinary Insect—The Freshwater Turtle—Its Description—Curious Fly—Poisoning the River—Getting short of Provisions—Galton’s Method of dividing Food—Adopt it—Improvidence of the Malays—Cry of the Wahwah—Rejoin the Limbang—Omen Bird—Prepare for Enemies—Quarrel among the Guides—Divide the Party—Hard Walking—The Otter—A Fight with my Dogs—Still beyond the Mountain—Find good Huts—The Stragglers—The last of the Food—Ascend the Mountains—Exhaustion of the Guides—The Remains of the Ham—Its Effects—Reach the Summit—Descend to the Farms—Meet the Adang Muruts—Hearty Welcome—Names—Recent History of these Villagers—Kayan Attacks—Driven from the Limbang—The Geography of the Country—The Houses—Cold, and Fire-places—Arrival of my Followers—Sir James Brooke—The Friend of the Aborigines—His Fame had preceded me—How Reports spread—The Tigers’ Cave—Curious Story.
10th.—I was so stung by hornets yesterday that I was unable to write in my journal, and even now it is a work of difficulty. After some trouble, I got the sampirs hauled up on the bank, to be beyond the reach of freshes; and all the things we intended to leave behind were carefully stowed away. The sago we left in the boats, none of the men choosing to burden themselves with any of it, though I warned them not to take less than seven days’ provisions, but all warnings were useless.
Having divided the packages, we got away at 9.15, and started in an easterly direction for about an hour and a quarter, then southerly for about two hours, when we joined the small stream of Rawan. Our course led us from one bank to the other of the Madihit, crossing and recrossing it nearly every reach, a most fatiguing operation, and trying to one’s feet, over slippery sandstone rocks and pebbles. The forest, though principally consisting of small trees, is tolerably clear, and presented no particular difficulties, nor was it so infested by leeches as in the neighbourhood of Molu. At 12.30 we began to ascend a steep valley (easterly), generally making the bed of the Rawan our path. A mountain torrent never affords very easy walking, and three of our men were so fatigued that at 3.15, after six hours’ walking, I consented to encamp.
It was in following the bed of the Rawan that I was stung. Notice was given by the guide to leave the direct path, and we all did; but I suppose some one disturbed the hornets, as they attacked me with a ferocity that appears incredible: many flew at me, but two fixed on my arms and stung me through my double clothing. They poised themselves a moment in the air, and then came on with a rush that it was impossible to avoid. The pain was acute, but I saved my face. I tumbled down the steep bank in a moment, and, throwing aside rifle and ammunition, plunged up to my eyes in a pool, until the buzzing ceased, and the hornets had returned to their nests.
Some of my men were also stung; they squeezed a little tobacco juice on the wounds, and they say they felt no further inconvenience. I tried it about an hour afterwards, but it did me no good. I had no idea that the sting of this insect was so severe: my right arm swelled up to double its natural size, and was acutely painful; now, on the second day, it is much less so, but as the swelling continues, it is impossible to use it much. In the night we were again unfortunate, being attacked by the selimbada, a most poisonous ant, which quickly drove us from the tents, and compelled us to take refuge on a small pebbly flat near the stream. Fortunately for us it was a fine star-light sky, as we had to spend the remainder of the night there. I have called the sting poisonous; it is scarcely that, as, though the pain is acute, it has but little permanent effect. The little sleep I had was due to the last bottle of porter that remained. My men were so heavily laden, that had I brought a stock of drinkables, I could not have had them carried. I have with me but a couple of bottles of whisky and one of brandy.
Having put my right arm, the most painful, into a sling, I was enabled to make a start with the rest of the party, except Japer, who had an attack of elephantiasis. So leaving two volunteers with him, we continued our course; they promising to follow as soon as possible after the fit was over; they will easily catch our loaded men. I would gladly have stayed behind myself, as my arms were in a very unfit state to be used, and I was compelled to carry my rifle in my left hand; but the fear of running short of provisions made me push on. Having left the tents at 7.30, we soon commenced ascending hills. Our course was at first S.W., but on reaching the summit of a ridge, we followed it to the S.S.E. The guides had some difficulty in discovering the path, which was completely overgrown. We found traces, however, of recent visitors.