CHAPTER IV 



Missions — Bishop MacDougall — Up the Batang-Lupar — The Bore — 

 Baxtexg — Christianised Dyaks — Nepenthes bicalcarata — Simang- 

 gan — Undup — The Sea-Dyaks 



THE head of the Protestant mission in North Borneo was then 

 the Right Rev. F. T. MacDougall, Bishop of Labuan and 

 Sarawak. He was a highly distinguished man, but judging from 

 appearances one would scarcely have supposed him to be a dignitary 

 of the Church. He was a skilful surgeon and at the same time a 

 brave warrior, and had distinguished himself in the latter capacity 

 in various expeditions for the suppression of piracy. His birth- 

 place was Malta, and as he spoke Italian fairly our intimacy grew 

 apace. His hospitable house was ever open to us, and we often 

 were his welcome guests. And, as I write, a feeling of gratitude for 

 the memory of our friendship arises in my heart. 



The Sarawak mission had various stations in localities widely 

 separated and distant from the capital. It was possessed, however, 

 of a good cutter, which the worthy bishop, who was also an excellent 

 sailor, used to navigate himself when he visited his flock in those 

 distant stations. He invited me to go with him on one of these 

 tours : an inspection of the missions on the Batang-Lupar. 1 It was 

 an excellent opportunity of seeing a different part of the country, 

 and of visiting the Sea-Dyaks in their own domain, of whom I had, 

 until then, only seen a few in the bazaars at Kuching. 



On September ist we left our moorings and descended the river to 

 the Maratabas (perhaps more correctly Muara tabas) mouth, where 

 we anchored for the night. 



The next morning was fine, and, aided by the land-breeze and 

 with the tide in our favour, for the breeze soon slackened, we soon 

 passed Pulo Burong, and eventually cast anchor for the night at 

 the mouth of the Batang-Lupar. The river is at this point about 

 three miles wide, but it has a bar with shallow water (about ten feet 

 at low tide) which only permits small vessels to enter. At certain 

 periods of the month, navigation on the Batang-Lupar is dangerous, 

 even for small vessels, on account of the "bore," caused by high tides 

 meeting the descending waters of the river and forming a wave, or a 



1 " Batang " in Malay means " the trunk of a tree," but it also signifies 

 the principal part of the course of a big river. 



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