ch. xiv.] Return Coastwards. 297 



excellent view, and also made a sketch of some Dusun 

 tombstones on the little village green. While waiting, a 

 woman brought us two young cocoanuts and put them 

 down before us, so that we might drink, which we were 

 glad to do, as it was very hot to-day. We gave her a 

 looking-glass, which she evidently considered a good 

 price for her fruit. I found these Tampassuk Dusun far 

 more inclined to be hospitable than their brethren of the 

 Tawaran. 



We passed several tiny hill villages to-day, and some 

 of them had a neat bamboo-fence and a stile at the en- 

 trance with notched sticks for steps. Some of the houses 

 are surrounded by luxuriant gardens, each of which con- 

 tains kaladi, Indian corn, a castor-oil plant (Ricimis) or 

 two, cotton bushes, and in each there is invariably a 

 clump of cocoanut trees, and three or four slender- 

 stemmed betel-nut palms, while here and there old 

 stumps are verdant with the betel pepper, the leaves of 

 which are chewed along with bits of betel-nut, and a few 

 condiments, such as lime — made from coral reef or shells 

 — and gambier. Here and there, too, the red-fruited 

 rose-apple or jambosa was seen. We reached Sineroup 

 about 3.30, and singularly enough have not had a drop 

 of rain all day. "Gantang," the Orang Kaya, was glad 

 to see us, and pointed with pride to the new garments he 

 wore, made from the cloth he had earned by accompany- 

 ing us to Kiau. 



August 22nd. — We left Sineroup and its hospitable 

 headman this morning, after having arranged with him 

 for a guide and another buffalo as far as Ghinambaur. 

 We descended the hill, and after crossing the river two 

 or three times, which was easily done now, since no rain 

 had fallen yesterday, we were surprised by meeting a 

 young Labuan man — whom I had formerly employed. He 



