CHAPTER IX. 



A VOYAGE TO SULU. 



Sulu Archipelago — Long drought — Jungle fires — Sandakan — Good water 

 supply — Insects and birds — How an alligator was utilised — A boat 

 excursion — Visit to the shore — A Chinese trader — Chinese hospitality 

 — Slavery — A walk by the river — Manilla hemp — Native tombs — 

 Frangipane — or the "dead man's flower" — Rough walking — 

 Interesting birds. 



After having spent some time on the north-west coast 

 of Borneo, varied by collecting expeditions further in the 

 interior of the Murut and Dusun countries, I took a 

 passage on the small trading steamer Far East, bound 

 for Sandakan and the Sulu Archipelago. An intelligent 

 young Scotchman, Mr. W. C. Cowie, part owner and 

 engineer, was on board, and enlivened the voyage with a 

 fund of information relating to the habits, customs, and 

 trade of the natives among whom we were going. We 

 were accompanied by liis brother, who was going to reside 

 in Sulu for trading purposes, and several Chinese and 

 Malay traders also had taken deck passages. We sailed 

 about 7 a.m. on April 5th, and the weather being fine we 

 obtained capital views of the Bornean coast as we steamed 

 along. 



This was the greatest season of drought which had 

 been known here for some time, nearly five months with- 

 out rain, and this under a tropical sun, and in several 

 places we could see jungle fires raging along the coast. 



