ARRIVAL ON THE MAHAKAM RIVER 213 



sending a message we secured prahus and men, which 

 enabled us to depart from our present encampment. 

 There were some rapids to pass in which our collector of 

 animals and birds nearly had his prahu swamped, and 

 although it was filled with water, owing to his pluck 

 nothing was lost. At Long Kai the lieutenant and Mr. 

 Loing put up a long shed of tent material, while I placed 

 my tent near friendly trees, at the end of a broad piece of 

 road on the river bank, far enough from the kampong to 

 avoid its noises and near enough to the river to enjoy its 

 pleasant murmur. 



When going to their ladangs in the morning the 

 Dayaks passed my tent, thence following the tiny affluent, 

 Kai, from which the kampong received its name. Under 

 the trees I often had interviews with the Penihings, and 

 also with the nomadic Bukats and Punans who had 

 formed settlements in the neighbouring country. Some 

 of them came of their own accord, others were called by 

 Tingang, the kapala of Long Kai, who did good service 

 as interpreter, speaking Malay fairly well. From my 

 tent I had a beautiful view of the river flowing between 

 wooded hills, and the air was often laden with the same 

 delicious fragrance from the bloom of a species of trees 

 which I had observed on the Kasao River. Here, how- 

 ever, the odour lasted hours at a time, especially morning 

 and evening. On the hills of the locality grow many sago 

 palms, to which the natives resort in case rice is scarce. 



It was quite agreeable to see a flag again, the symbol 

 of the Dutch nation being hoisted every day on the 

 hill where the military encampment was located, usually 



