CHAPTER VIII 



LIFE ON THE RIVERS 



With the exception of the Punans and some of the 

 Muruts who inhabit the few regions devoid of 

 navigable streams, all the peoples of Borneo make 

 great use of the rivers. The main rivers and their 

 principal branches are their great highways, and 

 even the smallest tributary streams are used for 

 gaining access to their /a^^ fields. It is only when 

 hunting or gathering jungle produce that they leave 

 the rivers. Occasionally padi is cultivated at a 

 distance of a mile or more from the nearest navi- 

 gable stream, and a rough pathway is then made 

 between the field and the nearest point of the 

 river. Here and there also jungle paths are made 

 connecting points where neighbouring rivers or 

 their navigable tributaries approach closely to one 

 another. In the fiat country near the coast, where 

 waterways are less abundant than in the interior, 

 jungle tracks are more used for communication 

 between villages. Where a route crosses a jungle 

 swamp, large trees are felled in such a way that 

 their stems lie as nearly as possible end to end. 

 Their ends are connected if necessary by laying 

 smaller logs from one to the other. In this way 

 is formed a rude slippery viaduct on which it is 

 possible for an agile and bare-footed man to walk 

 in safety across swamps many miles in extent. 



But the jungle paths are only used when it is 



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