112 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



On approaching Muara Tewe we saw low mountains 

 for the first time, and here the river becomes narrower 

 and deeper, though even at the hist-named phice it is 

 350 metres wide. The water assumed a deeper reddish 

 colour and was speckled with foam, indicating a certain 

 amount of flood caused by rains higher up the river. 

 We passed a family of wild pigs grubbing up the muddy 

 beach in search of roots. There was a large dark one and 

 a huge yellowish-white one, besides four young pigs dark 

 in colour. At Muara Tcwc, where we had to make 

 a stay of two days, the doctor of the garrison said that in 

 the case of the common species of wild pigs the full- 

 grown ones are always light in hue. Doctor Tjon Akieh, 

 who came here from Surinam, had some amusing monkeys, 

 a native bear, tamer than most cats, and a very quiet 

 deer. In a steam-launch he had gone four days up the 

 Ajo River, a tributary to the Barito from the east, which 

 passes between limestone cliffs. In that locality the 

 Dayaks are rarely visited by Malays and therefore 

 have retained their excellent tribal characteristics. The 

 men are inclined to obesity. 



After leaving Muara Tewe we passed many small 

 kampongs which were less attractive than those at the 

 lower part of the river. The farther one proceeds the 

 more inhabited are the banks. In this vicinity, eleven 

 years previously, a violent Malay revolution which had 

 lasted two years was finally suppressed. As usual, the 

 revolt was headed by a pretender to the sultanate. The 

 steamer in which we travelled was a reminder of those 

 days, for it had two gun-mountings on its deck and my 

 cabin, round in shape, was lightly armoured. 



