l68 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



myself equal to the situation. This was his first lUtcmpt 

 at a strike for higher wages and came unexpectedly soon» 

 but was quickly settled by my offer to raise the wages for 

 the six most useful and strongest men. 



After our baggage had been stored above the head of 

 the kihams, and the prahus had been taken up to the 

 same place, we followed overland. As we broke camp 

 two argus pheasants flew over the utan through the mist 

 which the sun was trying to disperse. We walked along 

 the stony course of the rapids, and when the jungle now 

 and then allowed a peep at the roaring waters it seemed 

 incredible that the prahus had been hauled up along the 

 other side. Half an hour's walk brought us to the head 

 of the kihams where the men were loading the prahus 

 that were lying peacefully in still waters. The watch- 

 men who had slept here pointed out a tree where about 

 twenty argus pheasants had roosted. 



Waiting for the prahus to be loaded, I sat down on 

 one of the big stones of the river bank to enjoy a small 

 landscape that presented itself on the west side of the 

 stream. When long accustomed to the enclosing walls 

 of the dark jungle a change is grateful to the eye. Against 

 the sky rose a bold chalk cliff over 200 metres high with 

 wooded summit, the edge fringed with sago palms in a 

 very decorative manner. This is one of the two ridges 

 we had seen at a distance; the other is higher and was 

 passed further up the river. From the foot of the cliff 

 the jungle sloped steeply down toward the water. The 

 blue sky, a few drifting white clouds, the beautiful light 

 of the fresh, glorious morning, afforded moments of dc- 



