192 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



the big prahu, the Penyahbongs amused themselves with 

 wresthng in water up to their shoulders. After some 

 dancing around, the fight would invariably finish by both 

 disappearing and after a few seconds coming to view 

 again. This caused much merriment, especially to the 

 wrestlers themselves, who laughed immoderately when 

 reappearing. 



We entered the tributar}' Bulau, and a couple of hours 

 later arrived at its junction with Bakkaang, at the source 

 of which we expected to cross the watershed. The river, 

 which was rather narrow, would be difficult to ascend un- 

 less we had showers. Luckily rain fell during the night, 

 and although delayed by trees that had fallen across the 

 stream, which was from six to ten metres wide, we made 

 a good day's work and camped at an attractive old clear- 

 ing of rattan gatherers. 



I spent the next forenoon in an excursion to a place 

 within the jungle, where birds and animals sometimes 

 congregate in great numbers to obtain the salt water 

 which issues from the earth or rocks. This masin (salt 

 water) was known to the ALilay rattan seekers in our 

 party, who had snared birds and deer there. In the 

 dry season hundreds of birds of various kinds would 

 gather. By wading up a small stream for twenty min- 

 utes we reached a place where water exuded from a rock, 

 especially at its top, and by following the stream upward 

 for another twenty minutes we arrived at the larger one, 

 where the ooze from the rocks overflowed the ground. 

 Only tracks were seen, but our guide said that after 

 three rainless days in succession birds and ;niini;ils would 



