•80 Borneo. 



small, that though I had nothing with me but a change of 

 clothes, a gun, and a few cooking utensils, two were required 

 to take me on. The rock which appeared here and there on 

 the river-bank was an indurated clay-slate, sometimes crys- 

 talline, and thrown up almost vertically. Right and left of 

 us rose isolated limestone mountains, their white precipices 

 glistening in the sun and contrasting beautifully with the 

 luxuriant vegetation that elsewhere clothed them. The riv- 

 er-bed was a mass of pebbles, mostly pure white quartz, but 

 with abundance of jasper and agate, presenting a beautifully 

 variegated appearance. It was only ten in the morning when 

 we arrived at Budw, and, though there were plenty of people 

 about, I could not induce them to allow me to go on to the 

 next village. The orang kaya said that if I insisted on hav- 

 ing men, of course he would get them, but when I took him 

 at his word and said I must have them, there came a fresh 

 remonstrance ; and the idea of my going on that day seemed 

 so painful that I was obliged to submit. I therefore walked 

 out over the rice-fields, which are hei'e veiy extensive, cover- 

 ing a number of the little hills and valleys into which the 

 whole country seems broken up, and obtained a fine view of 

 hills and mountains in every direction. 



In the evening the orang kaya came in full dress (a span- 

 gled velvet jacket, but no trowsers), and invited me over to 

 his house, where he gave me a seat of honor under a canopy 

 of white calico and colored handkerchiefs. The great veranda 

 was crowded with people, and large plates of rice, with cook- 

 ed and fi-esh eggs, were placed on the ground as presents for 

 me. A very old man then dressed himself in bright-colored 

 cloths and many ornaments, and sitti'ug at the door, murmur- 

 ed a long prayer or invocation, sprinkling rice from a basin 

 he held in his hand, while several large gongs were loudly 

 beaten and a salute of muskets fired off. A large jar of rice 

 wine, very sour, but with an agreeable flavor, was then hand- 

 ed round, and I asked to see some of their dances. These 

 were, like most savage performances, very dull and ungrace- 

 ful afiairs ; the men dressing themselves absurdly like women, 

 and the girls making themselves as stiff and ridiculous as 

 possible. All the tune six or eight large Chinese gongs were 

 being beaten by the vigorous arms of as many young men, 



