ch. xii.] Chinese in Borneo. 235 



had extensive settlements in the northern portion of 

 Borneo, as in part attested by the native names of the 

 places in which their settlements were made, as Kina 

 Balu (Chinese widow mountain), Kina Batangan (Chinese 

 river), Kina Tanah, Kina Taki, and others. There is 

 one tribe of Dusun who wear pigtails, and although they 

 use the Dusun vernacular, yet they converse in very fair 

 Chinese after a little practice, having never quite lost 

 the tongue of their Chinese ancestors, of whom these 

 are the lineal descendants by Bornean women. This 

 peculiar tribe inhabit the Bundu country, but St. John 

 mentions Muruts from the Limbang, who spoke Hokien 

 Chinese on their being confronted with Chinese in 

 Brunei, the capital, although they failed to express 

 themselves in the Malay language of the coast ! 



Just as the sun was sinking behind the trees we 

 mounted our ponies and started for Meimbong. The air 

 was now cool and fresh, and a pleasant ride of two hours 

 brought us to Meimbong. This was my last ride in the 

 island. All the cargo had been stowed below, the hatches 

 closed, and early in the morning we were to leave. We 

 were awoke at daybreak by the steam-whistle, and just as 

 the sun tinted the peaks of Timantangis and Dahau we 

 steamed slowly out of the harbour for the Island of 

 Siassi, one of the Tapal group, where more cargo awaited 

 us. We arrived at Siassi about noon, but the cargo 

 could not be put on board until the next morning. We 

 stayed at Siassi all the following day, and I took the 

 opportunity of riding inland, and to the peak, which I 

 found capped with old forest ; but owing to the extreme 

 drought, everything here was parched and dry, and but 

 few plants of interest were seen. As most of this island 

 is entirely denuded of old forest, of course birds are 

 scarce ; indeed, I saw enough of it to convince me that 



