LAKE SEMBULO 103 



sides, and the men sat on the railing, with their feet hang- 

 ing outside, to look at them. The red, long-nosed variety 

 did not retreat, but looked at us calmly from the branch 

 where it sat; other species hurried off, making incredibly 

 long leaps from branch to branch. Shortly after sunset 

 we threw anchor. 



Lake Sembulo is about sixteen kilometres long by 

 about one in width. The lake is entered suddenly, amid 

 clumps of a big species of water plant which in season has 

 long white odoriferous flowers. Very striking is the white 

 bottom and the beaches consisting of gravel or sand. 

 How far the sandy region extends I am unable to say, but 

 Mr. Labohm, the chief forester, told me that in the Sam- 

 pit River region northeast of here, and about twenty 

 metres above the sea, he walked for two days on whitish 

 sand, among rosaceae and azale, the forest being very 

 thin. The comparatively clear water is slightly tinged 

 with reddish brown on account of its connection with the 

 Pembuang River, which has the usual colour of Bornean 

 rivers. Low receding hills rise all around as we steam 

 along, and the utan, which more or less covers the country, 

 looks attractive, though at first the forests surrounding the 

 ladangs of the Malays are partly defaced by dead trees, 

 purposely killed by fire in order to gain more fields. 



After a couple of hours we arrived at kampong Sem- 

 bulo, which has an alluring look when viewed from the 

 lake, lying on a peninsula with handsome trees which 

 mercifully hide most of the houses. The kapala of this 

 Malay settlement, who came on board in a carefully 

 laundered white cotton suit, had courteous manners. 



