CHANGE OF PLANS 109 



and I had the pleasure of being Invited to dine at the 

 palace. A large open carriage, with quaint, old-fashioned 

 lanterns, called for me. The coachman and footman were 

 liveried Javanese. It was a beautiful, cool, starlit even- 

 ing in the middle of June when we drove up the imposing 

 avenue of banyan-trees which leads to the main entrance. 

 The interior of the palace is cool and dignified in appear- 

 ance, and the Javanese waiters in long, gold-embroidered 

 liveries, whose nude feet passed silently over the marble 

 floor, were in complete accord with the setting. 



Several weeks had to be spent in preparation for the 

 trip. It was decided that in Borneo I should be furnished 

 with a small escort. Further, Mr. J. Demmini, pho- 

 tographer in the well-known Topografische Dienst in 

 Batavia, was attached to the expedition, as well as Mr. 

 H. P. Loing, a native surveyor of the same institution. 

 After much searching I finally found a man, Rajimin, a 

 native of Batavia, who seemed competent to collect birds 

 and animals. My kinematograph was out of order, but 

 fortunately I succeeded in replacing it with a second- 

 hand Pathe. The first week in August we departed from 

 Tandjong Priok by steamer, bound for Bandjermasin, 

 Borneo. 



On our arrival in Sourabaia we learned that cholera 

 was prevalent in Bandjermasin, and our steamer carried 

 serum for the doctors of the garrison there. Early in the 

 morning we steamed up the river, viewing the usual scene 

 of Malays bathing and children running out of the houses 

 to see the steamer pass. The most urgent matter de- 

 manding attention was to have Rajimin, the taxidermist. 



