834 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April 2, 1883. 



October 5th. — Balanting offered his services as guide, so 

 we made an early start for Tibebar. The route was pict- 

 uresque but otherwise not of much interest, as it led along 

 the banks of thu Kapooikan river. Later on we branched 

 off aud ascended to a miserable little house, in which we 

 put up in for the night. 



October 6th. — Our journey this morning continued along 

 the banks of the Kapooikan, ami then we ascended through 

 scrub and clearings to a village called Losus. The soil 

 here appeared good, and I took one or two .samples 

 of it. The people here are a suspicious lot and think I 

 have come to spy the land for gutta and are therefore 

 very unwilling to give me auy information. I had a touch 

 of fever in the evening by way of keeping one's spirits 

 up. I forgot to mention an old chief I meet on the road 

 during the day. He told me there had been a man rushing 

 about the country where I was going to and who had 

 been eating men and women. I asked him why they had 

 not killed him, but ho said they were unable to catch him. 

 I then asked if I should have a chance of putting a ball 

 into him, but he stated the man had cleared out and gone 

 in the direction of the Paitan river. I discovered next 

 day that cholera was what the old gentleman had been 

 aiming at. 



October 7th. — Started for Tinegas shortly after six 

 o'clock, first crossing the Sugut river and then taking 

 rather a round through jungle and chena, the soil of 

 which appeared good, and arrived at Tiuegas about two 

 o'clock. The people appeared glad to see me, they having 

 been vi-sited previously by the late Mr. ^yitti. The 

 house was a fine large one, containing, I should think, 

 about 20 families. As is usual at this time of the year, 

 the hou.se is nearly empty during the day, all hands being 

 busy in the clearing. Towards evening men and women 

 came trooping in. Most of the evening was spent in buying 

 rice, a,s our stock is getting low. I happened to open 

 my medicine chest to give one of my men some. I 

 was at once besieged ; everybody had something the 

 matter, even little children only a few months old, their 

 mothers stated, were suffering in all sorts of ways. I dis- 

 tributed as much as I could spare, teUing them at the 

 same tnne I would not be responsible it a few of them 

 died before marrying. This they appeared to think must 

 be naturally expected. Sendoon, the chief, appeared a 

 very good fellow. He told me that the Kagasingans, who 

 are a small tribe not far from liere and are the only ones 

 given to headhunting in these parts, had taken hi,s coun- 

 try from him. I told him he would have a white man 

 to tell his complaints to shortly at the mouth of the river, 

 at which he seemed very pleased. A Sulu trading boat 

 arrived during tlie day, having taken about ten days to 

 get here. 



October 8th. ^I prevailed upon Sendoon to come as 

 guiile as far as the next stage, Mellinsom, and so we com- 

 menced our journey by climbing a steep hill behind his 

 house and through some extensive clearings which had 

 been just burnt off, the soil of which appeared good, but 

 rather light at the surface. Passing on we came to chena 

 and then a jungle range rising up to 2,000 feet with fine 

 soil and timber. It was rather heavy going, being up hill 

 and down dale incessantly. I had pointed out to me for 

 the first time a small shrub called LebullybM, the leaves 

 of which are used as a substitute for quinine. On near- 

 in"' JVIill'nsom there appeared nothing but chena around 

 us. and I fancy this must have been a large settlement 

 in days gone by. AV"e put up at the house of the prin- 

 cipal man named Tuggerging, but as usual every one was 

 out. The house was a very poor one after Tinegas, and 

 it was some time before I laid my traps down, having to 

 search for a spot that was waterproof overhead, ex- 

 perience having taught me caution. Celo Tuggerging came 

 in during the evening and I at once nicknamed him King 

 Cole, as he was a merry old soul. He remembered poor 

 Mr. Witti well. 



October 9th. — Tuggerging accompanied us as guide this 

 morning. Around the village I noticed a great number of 

 fruit trees of all descriptions. After a few hours' travelling 

 we got into jungle, fine big timber but mostly surface 

 feeders. The usual ups and downs were the order of the 

 day. To the north and north-east, I observe sojne fiue 

 ranges of forest which I expect to pass through. I noticed 

 that the lower portions are in many instances cleared. Ar- 



rived at the Katahanan river, we first saw a party that wer^ 

 bathing in the river, but the instant they saw us coming 

 there was a general stampede, articles of clothing, etc., 

 being all left behind. Passing on we came across the head- 

 man and his party, who did not seem very anxious for us 

 to stop, and gave us guides on to the next village. It was 

 not far, but up a tremendous hill, which is always very 

 trying at the end of a day's journey. Our guides poiuted 

 to the houses aud then left us ; so we arrived without the 

 usual introduction. We found the place nearly empty, but 

 picked out the best house and made ourselves comfort- 

 able, and only just in time, for it rained heavily, aud some 

 stragglers who came in late resembled drowned rats, while 

 their companions were nice and dry. Sibango, the head- 

 man, duly arrived, and was very polite, though at the same 

 time rather astoni.shed to see ns. He pressed me to take 

 a lot of fruit, aud promised guides on the morrow. The 

 people here talk a queer .sort ofDusun: my interpreter can 

 only understand it with difficulty. 



October 10th. — I was amused this morning, when, upon 

 giving the chief a few yards of cloth, and his wife some 

 needles, he hesitated to take them. I enquired the reason, 

 and it appeared he was under the impression if he took them 

 I would at once want something or ask him to do some- 

 thing in exchange. I soon explained 'to him it was only a 

 small token of friendship and for the use of his house. 

 The guides being ready we continued our journey, the roads 

 being very slippery and steep. Arrived at a jungle range 

 we travelled along the ridge, there being several small 

 clearings below us on each side. We appeared to be going 

 a good deal out of oiu' way by my compass, but the guides 

 declared this was tho only route. Arrived at a small vill- 

 age the guides handed us over to some others, and from 

 here our track was along a small watercourse, bringing 

 ns out at a place called Waigan and opposite a house in 

 which three gutta hunters from Bungon were living. They 

 pressed us to .stop, which I did, though only twelve o'clock, 

 but then we have a difficult journey tomorrow over the 

 Nipis Nillu range, and besides I have my diary to write up 

 and some clothes to wash. 



October 11th. — Made an early start for Ralin, climbing 

 being the order of the day. We first arrived at some chena 

 with the remains of some houses which appeared only 

 recently vacated. Shortly after we entered some fine 

 forest with a fair soil. 'This range rises to 2,100 and there 

 are several others round about us. I noticed several 

 yoiiiir/ gutta plants, but the older trees were conspicuous 

 "by their absence, they having I fancy caught the eye of 

 the gutta hunter when travelling along this track. At 

 the top of the ridge we found a strong fence, which 

 was put up to keep the people of the village we are 

 going to from entering the one we have left, there being 

 reports of cholera at Benkoka and Bungon. We had a 

 steep descent through high grass to Kalin, there also 

 being a large amount of wild plantain. Arrived below I 

 put up in a small house, aud the owners at once went 

 out and brought in large quantities of sugarcane, Indian 

 corn and potatoes. These myself and ray men enjoyed, 

 as there was no rice to be had. 



October 12th. — Having procured a guide we pushed on 

 for Sonsogon, passing what used to be a large village 

 called Palawayo, but the people have recently " moved 

 on." Our path appeared to take a direct circle, but 

 Dusun paths are generally of this nature. We passed 

 through some good forest which had excellent soil, there 

 being also a fair amount of young gutta trees about the 

 place. Arrived at Sonsogon the people appeared glad to 

 see us and stated it we would stop they would husk 

 some paddy for us during the night, to which I assented, 

 as I feel far from well. This hilly country, combined with 

 my recent attack of fever, is beginning to take effect on 

 me, but I hope to struggle on to the end. These people 

 of the Sonsogon district appear superior in every way 

 to the Dusun, being painfully polite and hospitable. The 

 women also appear to be fairer than the Dusuns. The 

 houses are all boarded with bark. I noticed a good 

 supply of beeswax. 



October 13th. — We entered jungle soon after leaving 

 the house, ascending and descending as usual. The soil 

 appeared rich, .and I took a sample. Crossed the Nomar 

 aud Sonsogon rivers, which gave us our last supply of 

 water for several miles. Later on we spied a house below 



