308 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



toms and beliefs, although equally unable to do so. The 

 dancing space in the middle was rectangular, about eight 

 metres long, lying nearly east and west. It was about 

 thirty centimetres lower than the remainder of the floor, 

 on which I counted nineteen small rooms, or rather stalls. 

 In the middle of the dancing place was a large ornamental 

 stand made of wood, twice as high as a man, from which 

 were hanging great quantities of stripped palm leaves. 

 From the western part of the stand protruded upward a 

 long narrow plank, painted with simple curved designs 

 representing nagah, the great antoh, shaped like a serpent 

 and provided with four short curved fangs stretched for- 

 ward. The people could not be induced to sell the effigy 

 because it was not yet one year old. 



The country was uneven and heavy for travelling, or, 

 as the carriers expressed it, the land was sakit (Malay for 

 "ill"). There were more mountain ranges than I ex- 

 pected, rather low, though once we got a fine view of two 

 quite impressive mountains. Here and there on the dis- 

 tant hillsides ladangs were seen and solitary houses could 

 be discerned. On our arrival in the first kampong we were 

 hospitably offered six young cocoanuts, considered a great 

 delicacy even among white people. Although I do not 

 much appreciate the sweetish, almost flavourless water of 

 this fruit, they proved very acceptable to my men, as the 

 day was intensely hot for Borneo. 



At the kampong Belimbing, by taking out one of the 

 walls which were constructed like stiff mats, I obtained a 

 good room in the pasang grahan, but the difficulty about 

 getting men increased. The kapala, or pumbakal, as 



