v.] VISIT TO THE TINGILAN DYAKS. Ill 



1803. A few overgrown ruins and traces of the old clearings are 

 all that now remain to mark the spot. 



We left Banguey behind us, and set our course westward once 

 more for the Abai Kiver. As morning broke Kina Balu defined 

 itself above the mists as a wall of clear dark purple. At sunset 

 the night before it had been dyed a glorious pink. "We anchored 

 before mid-day off the mouth of the river, and started shortly after- 

 wards on a little expedition, intending to ascend the stream for 

 some distance, cross the lower spurs of the mountains, and return 

 l3y the Tampassuk Eiver. It was in reality an official trip. The 

 Tingilan Dyaks had raided on the Tawarrans, and had succeeded 

 in taking two heads, which the North Borneo Company's Govern- 

 ment had ordered to be returned, but apparently w^ithout much 

 success. Mr. Gueritz was accordingly anxious to meet the Chief 

 of the former tribe and have a hichara upon the subject. We 

 started in the cutter and skiff, but at the entrance of the river 

 were told that the two heads had been brought down to the coast 

 about eighteen miles farther to the south-west. We afterwards 

 found that this was true, but Mr. Gueritz thought it better to push 

 on to the Datu's house. We rowed about five or six miles up 

 stream between the usual dreary mangrove-swamps before arri\'ing 

 at Abai village — a place of about 200 inhabitants. Here the 

 scenery changed suddenly, and abrupt hills and grassy slopes 

 met our view, with many cultivated plots of land. Leaving the 

 river here, we started at once for the Datu's house, which we 

 reached before nightfall, drenched to the skin, for the rain had 

 fallen in incessant sheets for some hours. The Chief was away, 

 but we took possession of his house, and having brought some food 

 and a change of clothes with us, we soon made ourselves pretty 

 comfortable on mats spread on the split bamboo flooring. Next 

 morning the rain had cleared off, and we obtained a magnificent 

 view of Kina Balu, which stood out cloudless beyond a sea of hills 

 and valleys to the south-east. We started on our journey without 

 delay, and in a short time reached the summit of a range of hills 



