316 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



Their total number is estimated to be about 6,000. In 

 1911-1912 this river was visited by cholera and small- 

 pox, which reduced the population by 600 and caused the 

 abandonment of some kampongs. 



Under favourable circumstances one may travel by 

 prahu to Kuala Samba, our first goal, in sixteen days, the 

 return journey occupying half that time. On reaching 

 Kasungan the river was not quite two metres deep, dim- 

 ming our chances of proceeding further with the steam- 

 launch. The djuragan put up his measuring rod on the 

 beach, for unless the water rose he would have to go one 

 day down stream. The prospect was not pleasing. The 

 under kapala of the district, a native official whose title 

 for the sake of convenience is always abbreviated to the 

 "onder," at once exerted himself in search of a large 

 boat belonging to a Malay trader, supposed to be some- 

 where in the neighbourhood, and a young Dutchman 

 who recently had established himself here as a mission- 

 ary was willing to rent me his motor-boat to tow it. 



After several days of preparation, the river showing 

 no sign of rising, we started in an unusually large prahu 

 which was provided with a kind of deck made of palm- 

 leaf mats and bamboo, slightly sloping to each side. It 

 would have been quite comfortable but for the petro- 

 leum smoke from the motor-boat, which was sickening 

 and made everything dirty. 



In 1880, when Controleur W. J. Michielsen visited the 

 Katingan and Samba Rivers, the kampongs consisted of 

 "six to ten houses each, which are lying in a row along 

 the river bank and shaded by many fruit trees, especially 



