After passing the Trusan no more Malay houses are to be seen; the inhabitants being the aborigines, the Bisayas, Muruts, and a few Kadayans; their villages occupy nearly every reach. A glance at the map will show what a winding course this river takes; the soil being alluvial offers no obstruction to its changing its direction, and there are many signs of its having altered its bed.
We pulled on to the village of Kruei (Argus pheasant), the residence of Orang Kaya Upit, a son of one of the Adang people, who had promised to accompany us. I had with me a chop or firman from the Sultan, in order to render my procuring guides a work of less difficulty, but, though not refusing, the Orang Kaya was unwilling to start immediately. It would have been very unreasonable of me to have expected a man to be ready at a day’s notice, but this Orang Kaya had settled for some months to accompany me. I agreed to stay a day, as I wished to procure a couple of light boats; in the evening a messenger arrived from the Sultan with orders for every assistance to be given me.[2]
26th.—As this was a day of enforced delay I determined to divide my men; some, under Musa, I sent away to purchase or borrow boats, called here sampirs; they are long and narrow, being simply a canoe, with a plank on either side tied on with rattans and then roughly caulked; they have a front and stem piece fastened in the same way; they are not strong, but are light and very suited to up-country work, varying in length from thirty to sixty feet, and in breadth from one and a half to three feet: as might be expected, they are any thing but stiff.
While Musa was away on this duty, I pulled back to the Gadong hills to take bearings. I was disappointed in not being able to distinguish Molu, but I had some good views of other mountain ranges. The appearance of the country from this elevation (682 feet) was very pretty; to the east of us were alternate diminutive plains and low hills, with rice fields whose bright green contrasted well with the sombre brushwood; farmhouses were scattered here and there; to the west it was but a confused mass of hills and valleys. The course of the river is clearly visible, with its extraordinary windings and its patches of cultivation scattered along its banks; even here in the neighbourhood of the capital two-thirds of the land is still jungle or brushwood.
Towards evening Musa returned, and I was glad to find that he had arranged to buy a sampir and borrow two more, and to leave our canoe behind.
27th.—This morning the peak of Molu was visible, and I immediately went ashore to get a good bearing, as the boat rocked too much to allow me to do it aboard. I find it 9° E. of S. The Adang Muruts give the name of Batu Barit to the mountain, or to one peak of it; Barit is the same as the Malay “berlukis,” ornamented; they say they call it by that name on account of some tracings observed on the rocks, probably fanciful, or from the stone being discoloured in various parts of the precipices. They talk also of a very large palm, the Riman, that grows in great plenty at the foot of the mountain; this yields in abundance a very superior kind of sago, but; baniak, “much,” has a very different signification in their mouths, it may mean a few trees scattered about, or a forest of palms.
Yesterday the Orang Kaya Upit went in search of the Merasam people, who had agreed to accompany the expedition; they are full of delays, but talk of following to-morrow: I shall push on to look for other guides in case these fail us; every day’s delay lessens our stock of food; I have tried to procure some rice in these villages, but nothing is to be had. In fact, they will seldom sell me any food, as the Borneans would make that an excuse to squeeze more out of them after my departure. The Orang Kaya has begged for one of my sampirs, and as it is on my business he is going, the request is but reasonable, so I have given him one, and also some cloth to procure provisions.
We pushed on at 9 A.M., and as we advanced we found all the villages deserted on account of the cholera; the visitation was nearly over, but the Muruts were too alarmed to return to their houses; as no one was to be found at Bidang, the residence of the Orang Kaya Napur, an Adang man, we continued our course to Danau, where it was said we should find him; but on arriving, we heard that he was some distance inland; I therefore sent old Japer to look for him.
5 P.M.—Here is the Orang Kaya Napur, but there is evidently no getting him to accompany us; he has many reasons for not going, some of them good ones; among others, he is planting his rice farm. I explained I only wanted a guide, not a train of followers. Towards evening my old friend Orang Kaya Panglima Prang, of the village of Blimbing, came to see me; he followed me to Molu in both of my former expeditions, and is half inclined to come now, but as he does not know the country beyond six days’ pull, he would not be very useful. He has deserted Blimbing, having too few followers to hold his own even against a small Kayan expedition, and so now he lives here until the Pañgeran Tumanggong can afford him some support, not very likely to be given at present. The cholera has attacked all the villages, but does not seem to have carried off many; the fright was great, and still continues, so that most of the people are yet living in the woods. All those who do not expect to be connected with my expedition, say that this is the proper season, and that the rain is exceptional, while the others whom I want to accompany me, assure me that by waiting two months I shall have fine weather. It certainly looks rainy, but we must do our best even if freshes do come down, and we may yet reach Adang by perseverance. This place is called Danau, on account of a diminutive lake, or large pond, that lies at the back of the village; the entrance, now dry, is at the end of the reach ahead.
28th.—Last night a heavy squall, which appeared to spring from the south-east, but soon veered round to the south-west, made me fear a fresh in the morning, but (7 a.m.) as yet it has not come down upon us. There is much matter held in suspension by the water, as every glass of it we take from the river proves; this, however, appears its normal state, as I have seen it the same at different seasons, as in October, November, December, May, and now, August; not exactly the same, as the water after heavy freshlets is muddy. The banks appear to be generally formed of alluvial deposits; occasionally only have I observed hard banks of clay, and nowhere are there rocks, except where a hill abuts on the river. At the entrance of the Limbang there are many alluvial deposits, and two low islands called Pulau Bharu, or the new islands, are said by the natives to have been formed within the memory of their old men; they are but little raised above high-water mark, and are excellent rice grounds.