212 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



end of navigable water for the steam launch. At this 

 stage, which was called the Launch Stage, I encoun- 

 tered Captain Van der Bie and discussed my arrange- 

 ments with him. Then two days' journey further up 

 the river by canoe brought us to what was called the 

 Canoe Stage. I was allowed the use of one canoe to 

 get my things up. At first I was allowed also the help 

 of a couple of Malays who understood the ways of 

 the river, and of the canoes. With their help on the 

 first trip we got along all right. Afterwards my boys 

 were left to themselves, and as they were not used to 

 the work, either to shooting rapids downstream or 

 towing the canoe through them up against the stream, 

 we had a fairly exciting time. On the last trip up 

 when the canoe was actually in sight of Canoe Camp 

 we had an accident. In negotiating a rapid, the canoe 

 struck a stone which broke her almost in half. 



We lost a great deal of stores. All the biscuits, salt, 

 raincoats, mosquito nets, blankets, four mats of rice, 

 three pairs of boots, and other things were washed 

 away. I was rather badly bruised on the stones and 

 my feet cut about, as I had been rolled almost the 

 length of the rapid after losing my footing. Eventually 

 some of the things were rescued and nothing of the first 

 importance was found to be lost. The canoe was lent 

 me by the Military Exploration party, and now I had 

 to depend on them to assist me in getting up the 

 remainder of my rice for the boys. I had left twenty- 

 seven mats of rice in the jungle fifteen days before. 



