250 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. xiii. 



driver was an intelligent Malay, named Abdul Rathman, 

 who knew the country well. Our first stopping place 

 was to have been Ghinambaur, but as we were late in 

 starting we failed to reach that village before dark, and 

 had to stay at some Dusun huts by the way. At first our 

 way lay through the plain, and here the roads, or rather 

 tracks, through the tall coarse grass were frequently 

 knee deep in mud and water ; then we crossed some low 

 hills of red sandstone which were nearly destitute of 

 herbage, owing to the earth being washed off the rock by 

 heavy rains. In places the tracks over these hills were 

 more like drains than anything, and during a heavy 

 shower the water rushes down these water-worn runnels 

 carrying every atom of soil or pulverised rock into the 

 plains below, so that these last consist of a rich alluvial 

 deposit, well adapted for rice and tapioca culture. 



On the second range of these low hills is a Badjow 

 village, most of the houses being much exposed, without 

 a tree or any kind of shelter. The rain came down in 

 torrents as we passed this place, and some of our Labuan 

 men took shelter from the cold rain and wind which was 

 indeed very piercing. We had to cross some rice fields, 

 in one of which a man was ploughing. The plough was 

 of wood, shaped something like an old English plough in 

 the beam, but with only one handle, and no coulter, 

 wheel, or share-board. This was drawn by a solitary 

 water buffalo, and rooted up the greasy black earth to a 

 depth of five or six inches. At one side of the field we 

 saw a rude harrow formed of bamboo stems lashed toge- 

 ther, the side shoots being cut at about six inches from 

 the stem, and these act as prongs to scarify the soil. 

 The whole system of land culture here is very rude, and 

 yet it is far in advance of that practised by natives 

 anywhere else in Borneo, if we except the plain near the 



