xn] HILL PIGS 



tion he was doomed to disappointment, for on the nth April 

 some Dyaks brought me a young Mayas, only just weaned and 

 nearly dead. The colour of the body was a fleshy or slightly rosy 

 brown, as were the lips and eyelids. Such is the colour of the bare 

 parts in the young animals ; but as they get older the skin darkens, 

 until it assumes the blackish olive tint which it has in adults. Of 

 this young Mayas I only preserved the head in a strong solution of 

 spirits and salt. Some Chinamen from Macao took the body and 

 cooked it, and told me afterwards that it made excellent eating. 



On the following day I started with a party of Dyaks for Tiang 

 Laju, an isolated peak a few miles from Marop, from which, on a 

 clear day, all the Batang Lupar country as far as the Kapuas lakes 

 can be seen. I wanted especially to get an idea of the situation of 

 these lakes, for it was my intention to visit them as soon as I could. 

 In an hour and a half's brisk walking we reached Ruma Pranghi, 

 a Dyak village which lies at the foot of the hill, but we could get 

 no farther that day owing to the incessant deluges of rain. Next 

 morning was bright and fine, and as soon as the sun rose we began 

 to climb the hill. At an elevation of about 1,600 feet I left my 

 luggage and part of my -men with orders to construct a lanko to 

 shelter us that night. On the way up a Dyak, with his expert eye, 

 sighted one of the most venomous snakes in Borneo, the " ular 

 unkudi " (Trigonocephaly Wagleri) 1 , which was coiled on a shrub 

 on one side of the path we were cutting out with our parangs. It 

 could hardly be distinguished from the foliage on account of its 

 green coloration. It is extremely sluggish and slow in its move- 

 ments, and does not, as a rule, attempt to bite man, but the Dyaks 

 are, nevertheless, very much afraid of it. 



We continued to ascend through a very fine forest, where few 

 impediments retarded our progress. There were few shrubs in the 

 way, and the ground covered with fallen leaves made walking 

 pleasant, had it not been for the innumerable land leeches which 

 attached themselves to our feet, causing the blood to flow freely. 

 On the top the mountain is reduced to a very narrow ridge, which 

 explains the sharp aspect of the peak as viewed from Marop. Here 

 we came to a pathway which would have frightened the timid, 

 had not the vegetation on each side afforded support. This little 

 track, like others which I had observed on the way up, was, accord- 

 ing to my guides, the work of the babi blida, or hill pigs. These I 

 had not met with, but they were described to me as being much 

 higher on the leg than the common wild pig. We were now on a 

 level with the clouds, or. I should say, above them ; for at times 

 we got glimpses of clear sky and the sun shining overhead, whilst, 

 except at rare moments, all beneath us was shrouded in driving 

 mist. 



1 This snake, according to Low, bears also the native name " Ular ledong." 



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