378 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



pong Sembulo there appear to be no Tamoans remaining, 

 the Malays having easily superseded them. 



Although my journey to the lake yielded no evidence 

 to substantiate the legend connected with it, because I 

 found no Dayaks left "to tell the tale," still, satisfaction 

 is derived even from a negative result. Having accom- 

 plished what was possible I returned to Sampit, arriving 

 almost at the same time a sailing ship came in from 

 Madura, the island close to northeastern Java. It was 

 of the usual solid type, painted white, red, and green, and 

 loaded with obi, a root resembling sweet potatoes, which 

 on the fourth day had all been sold at retail. A cargo 

 of terasi, the well-known spicy relish made from crawfish 

 and a great favourite with Malays and Javanese, was 

 then taken on board. 



In the small prison of Sampit, which is built of iron- 

 wood, the mortality from beri-beri among the inmates 

 was appalling. Nine men, implicated in the murder of 

 two Chinese traders, in the course of eight months while 

 the case was being tried, all died except a Chinaman who 

 was taken to Bandjermasin. I understood a new prison 

 was about to be erected. It seems improbable that 

 ironwood has any connection with this disorder, but Mr. 

 Berger, manager of the nearby rubber plantation, told 

 me the following facts, which may be worth recording: 

 Six of his coolies slept in a room with ironwood floor, and 

 after a while their legs became swollen in the manner 

 which indicates beri-beri. He moved them to another 

 room, gave them katjang idju, the popular vegetable 



