If the old Rajah could see the present state of his adopted country, he would have every reason to be proud of the results of his work, for although it has not become what he hoped—a second Java—it is progressing. As the present Rajah, Sir Charles Brooke, was brought up to his work under the old influences, he has carried out the views and projects of his uncle in a very satisfactory manner, and it is only to be hoped that whenever his son may succeed him he may be thoroughly imbued with those traditions which have secured the success of one of the most striking enterprises of modern times.
The old Rajah relied entirely for his position in Borneo on the support of the natives themselves, and the present Rajah does nearly the same.[12] They both had a corps of English officers (civilians) to aid them in governing the country, but the military forces are purely native, and these also constitute the bulk of the civilian employés, from the Datus, those valued members of the Supreme Council, to the humblest policeman. The more one reflects on the subject the more one is disposed to admire the system which has produced a unique Government, the like of which has never been seen before. But whilst we admire the system introduced by the old Rajah, we must not forget those who have so admirably carried it out, at the head of whom is the present Rajah, with his staff of trustworthy assistants.
FOOTNOTES:
[12] There are now a few Sikh police.
CHAPTER IX
PRESENT CONDITION OF NORTH BORNEO—LOVELY COUNTRY—GOOD HARBOURS ON WEST COAST—FORMATION OF NORTH BORNEO COMPANY—PRINCIPAL SETTLEMENTS—TELEGRAPHIC LINES—THE RAILWAY FROM PADAS—POPULATION—TOBACCO CULTIVATION—GOLD—THE PUBLIC SERVICE—THE POLICE OF NORTH BORNEO—METHODS OF RAISING REVENUE—RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE—TRADE RETURNS—EXPORTS—INTERFERENCE WITH TRADERS—A GREAT FUTURE FOR NORTH BORNEO
To complete the survey of those countries, which, through the policy of Rajah Brooke, were ultimately brought under the influence and protection of England, I must devote a chapter to the British North Borneo Company.
There is nothing grander or more lovely than the country which lies between our colony of Labuan and Marudu Bay, on the extreme north of the great island. I have sailed many times along that beautiful coast, and have been lost in admiration at the variety of its scenery, from the soft outline of its well-wooded shores to the succession of ranges of undulating hills which form the background, until all are dwarfed by the magnificent mountain of Kina Balu, which towers above them.
In our journeys towards this lofty mountain, Sir Hugh Low and I passed through a great variety of country. Our first expedition took us from Abai Bay across a cultivated plain to the interior of the Tampasuk river, the low land extending for many miles on either side of the path we followed, and stretching for an indefinite distance ahead of us. Here the natives ride the water buffaloes, the oxen, the bulls and cows as they do horses in other countries. We took up our quarters for the night in the substantial house of a Bajau chief, an old friend of my fellow traveller, and next day we started inland, riding for many hours over a slightly undulating plain, which continued to the foot of the ranges of hills in front. We occasionally passed pretty villages, shaded by dense clumps of cocoanut palms and mango trees. The scene was magnificent. When we reached the first low range the path became stony and very rough, so that we had to give up our horses and trust to our own feet, and most enjoyable days they were, as we advanced along the banks of the Tampasuk, through fertile fields in full cultivation, the only inconvenience our having so constantly to ford the river. At length we turned from the stream, climbing a steepish hill to the extensive village of Kiau, which is built on a sloping buttress of Kina Balu, about three thousand feet above the level of the sea.
On our next visit to the mountain we started from Gaya Bay, then across the lake-like Mengkabong river, and after riding over a well-cultivated plain we climbed to the summit of the first range of hills, and then followed the ridges towards the mountain. Nothing could have been finer than the scenery. There was no forest, of which in Borneo one sometimes gets tired; all the land was either under cultivation or had been cultivated, ideal spots for coffee plantations if the soil be suitable. We continued on the high land until we reached the Tampasuk river, when we followed the same path as we had taken on our previous journey. The weeks we spent on the great mountain were weeks of pleasure, and we explored many of its buttresses, and at length climbed again to its summit. Mr Alfred Wallace used to say that it was worth the journey to Borneo in order to eat the fresh fruit of the Durian, but I think the fatigues of the long voyage would be amply repaid by a visit to this lovely coast and an excursion to its great mountain.