The Himalayas in Miniature. 83 



About noon we reached the village of Menyerry, beauti- 

 fully situated on a spur of the mountain about GOO feet above 

 the valley, and affording a delightful view of the mountains 

 of this part of Borneo, I liere got a sight of Penrissen 

 Mountain, at the head of the Sarawak River, and one of the 

 highest in the district, rising to about 6000 feet above the 

 sea. To the south, the Rowan, and further oif, the Untowan 

 Mountains, in the Dutch territory, appeared equally lofty. 

 Descending from Menyerry, we again crossed the Kayan, 

 which bends round the spur, and ascended to the pass which 

 divides the Sadong and Sarawak valleys, and which is about 

 2000 feet high. The descent from this point was very fine. 

 A stream, deep in a rocky gorge, rushed on each side of us, 

 to one of which avc gradually descended, passing over many 

 lateral gulleys and along the faces of some precipices by 

 means of native bamboo bridges. Some of these were sever- 

 al hundred feet long and fifty or sixty high, a single smooth 

 bamboo four inches diameter forming the only pathway, 

 while a slender hand-rail of- the same material was often so 

 shaky that it could only be used as a guide rather than a 

 support. 



Late in the afternoon we reached Sodos, situated on a 

 spur between two streams, but so surrounded by fruit-trees 

 that little could be seen of the country. The house was spa- 

 cious, clean, and comfortable, and the people very obliging. 

 Many of the women and children had never seen a white 

 man before, and were very skeptical as to my being the same 

 color all over as my face. They begged me to show them 

 my arms and body, and they were so kind and good-temper- 

 ed that I felt bound to give them some satisfaction, so I turn- 

 ed up my trowsers and let them see the color of my leg, 

 which they examined with great interest. 



In the morning early we continued our descent along a 

 fine valley, with mountains rising 2000 or 3000 feet in every 

 direction. The little river rapidly increased in size till we 

 reached Senna, when it had become a fine pebbly stream 

 navigable for small canoes. Here again the upheaved slaty 

 rock appeared, with the same dip and direction as in the Sa- 

 dong River. On inquiring for a boat to take me down the 

 stream, I was told that the Senna Dyaks, although living on 



