234 SAGAI MAP OF THE COUNTRY. [1845. 



when the reply through our interpreter came to English, 

 holding his hand up at times to signify that he under- 

 stood sufficient to perceive that his meaning was mis- 

 represented. His intelligence in explaining, by bits 

 of grass and leaves, the route by which my letter would 

 reach Borneo ; up the river by canoe, up one side of the 

 mountain, crossing the Idaan pass, through hostile tribes, 

 &c., and down the other on foot, re-taking a tributary 

 stream by canoe, and at last reach the main river of 

 Brunai, was a masterpiece of savage ingenuity ; and when 

 he saw it traced upon paper in accordance with his de- 

 scription, he was delighted with the transcript, asking for 

 it, as well as for a supply of paper and pencils to make 

 similar sketches. Nothing would have afforded me greater 

 pleasure than to have undertaken this overland journey, 

 had I been unshackled : but this was impossible. 



We had now penetrated further into the interior of 

 Borneo, and under more friendly auspices, than any 

 European who has been in this region, and the question 

 often occurred to me, what might have been the result 

 of poor Murray's expedition, had he selected either the 

 Pantai or Bulungan instead of the Kotai? The trading 

 advantages here are more important than upon any other 

 part of Borneo, and at Bulungan, particularly, the Sagais, 

 the richest of the Idaan tribes, are brought immediately 

 into contact with the traders, instead of, that bar to every 

 improvement in this country, the intervention of the 

 Malay, or more wily Bugis of Celebes. 



The people of these two rivers are extremely anxious 

 to induce Englishmen to settle amongst them, offering 

 ground to build houses upon, gratuitously ; protection in 



