COLLECTING AT PADA2\G LAKE. 391 



up, halted, and stood stock still in full view, not more than twenty 

 yards away. I thought of Balaam and how he wished for his sword, 

 and sympathized with him while I thought of my rifle. She im- 

 pressed me as being the least handsome of all the deer tribe, except- 

 ing, perhaps, the female moose. After we had stared at each other 

 a few seconds she trotted off, and a few moments later I saw a stag 

 of the same species, whose antlers were in the velvet. It literally 

 rained sambur because my dish was bottom up. 



After wandering about for some time to no purpose, I set out to 

 return to the house. Half way down I shot a black monkey or 

 " bijit " {Semnopilhecus femoralis), slung it over my shoulder to 

 carry home, and made for the clearing on the mountainside. After 

 a slow and painful struggle through several acres of thorns I heard 

 a dog bark, saw the edge of the clearing, and knew that I was near 

 the house. At last I reached the edge of the clearing and heaved a 

 sigh of relief, but lo ! it wasn't our clearing at all ! I had never 

 seen it before, and knew that there was no such spot within a mile 

 of the Popook village. The explanation was not difficult. In com- 

 ing down the mountain I had made altogether t6o many degrees of 

 longitude at the top, which brought me out on the west side in- 

 stead of on the south. It was almost sunset, there was no path 

 leading south from the clearing, and I knew that I could not possi- 

 bly make my way through that thorny jungle at that time of day 

 without getting lost and benighted. 



Seeing smoke at the farther end of the clearing, toward the 

 north, I went toward it, resolved to bivouac in good style, and, if 

 it became necessary, roast my black monkey and sup on it. But I 

 found a path leading away from the clearing, and followed it up 

 rapidly. After walking about a mile, I came to a small Dyak house 

 of four or five doors. Calling out the inhabitants I said to them 

 in Malay, " Give me two men go Popook Dyak house, quick ! " 



They asked a question or two which I did not quite understand, 

 and therefore answered somewhat at random. They ci\illy in\ited 

 me to come in and sit down, and chew betel with them, but with 

 equal civility I decUned and urged them to come on. Straight- 

 way two of the young men arose, took a fresh chew of the betel, 

 girded up their loins, tied on their parongs and said they were 

 ready. I said we had " better go lake, go boat," and we started 

 for the lake at once. 



Both my guides were as fine-looking Dyaks as any I saw in 

 Sarawak Territory. One was a youth about seventeen years old, 



