DEPARTURE FROM KASUNGAN 367 



anchor was thrown and we were tossed about, the lamps 

 went out, and, according to the captain, the boat nearly 

 turned over. Mr. Loing, prostrate with seasickness, 

 saved himself from being thrown overboard by grasp- 

 ing the rail. 



After packing my collections I again set out for Sam- 

 pit with the intention of revisiting Sembulo by another 

 route, proceeding by prahu up the Kuala Sampit as far 

 as possible, and then marching overland to the lake. 

 The controleur was absent, but his native clerk and the 

 kapala together got me the prahus and the men, such as 

 the place afforded. As usual, the Malay coolies were late 

 in arriving and began making many difficulties about 

 various things. To cheer them I gave each f. 1.50 in 

 advance, which made them all happy, and in buoyant, 

 talkative spirits they immediately went off to buy rice, 

 dried fish, tobacco, cigarettes, and other things. All 

 was well, and at ten o'clock in the morning we finally 

 started, with a native policeman in attendance. 



An hour later the coolies wanted to cook rice. It 

 did not take long to discover that they were not very 

 useful, though the clerk had done his best. Two brothers 

 were intolerably lazy, continually resting the paddles, 

 lighting cigarettes, washing their faces, etc., the elder, 

 after the full meal they had eaten, actually falling asleep 

 at times. The interest of the men centred in eating and 

 early camping, and we made slow progress, detained be- 

 sides by a thunder-storm, as it was impossible to make 

 headway against the strong wind. The man at the 

 helm of the small prahu was intelligent, and from him I 



