IN BORNEAN FORESTS [chap. 



of dried fish for my men, although it had been stowed away in a 

 place apparently out of their reach. 



On the 23rd I was able to engage two Kadjamansfrom Bellaga, 

 and three men, his own Kayans, were procured by Kam Diam 

 to escort me as far as Baloi. With such guides the journey was 

 not so difficult, but without them it would have been next to im- 

 possible, for the Bellaga is obstructed in several places by rapids, 

 which cannot be traversed by boats. Thus, to reach its junction 

 with the Baloi, part of the journey must be performed on foot. 



My attack of fever had left me very weak, but with a good dose 

 of quinine, taken in time, I hoped to keep off any new access for 

 some time. The Kadjamans had willingly let me have a boat, in 

 which we started down the river, and my men paddled vigorously. 

 We passed two rapids safely, but at 11 a.m. we came to one which 

 was quite impassable for our canoe, so we were obliged to leave it 

 and march overland to Baloi. 



As we were descending the last navigable portion of the Bellaga 

 we met with two kidjans — very diminutive and graceful little deer. 

 They suddenly appeared on the river bank, but so rapidly moved 

 out of sight again that I had no time to get a shot. For the Kayans, 

 who are extremely superstitious, this was an ill-omened meeting, 

 and they asked me to stop whilst they performed a ceremony to 

 avert the evil prognostic. They manufactured a diminutive hut 

 with sticks and leaves, put a large stone under it, and placed on the 

 stone, as peace-offering to the spirits, a pinch of rice, tobacco, siri, 

 and pinang. 



Stretched across one of the small affluents which we frequently 

 passed on our way down I observed a rope, from which hung 

 various objects. This signified that a party was in search of camphor 

 along the stream, and the objects were to prohibit any one from 

 going that way, and indicated besides the penalty he would have 

 to pay if he transgressed. They consisted of a wooden disc, which 

 represented a gong, and two or three wooden models of parangs. 



For six hours we tramped in an easterly direction ; then we 

 climbed, and crossing several streams, or perhaps a single but very 

 tortuous one in various parts, we at last came again to the Bellaga 

 a short distance from where it joins the Rejang or Baloi. The 

 rocks in the rapids and the hills we crossed were all sandstone. 

 We camped in the jungle, on a sandy flat which adjoined the river- 

 side. I found here a gigantic aroid with enormous heart-shaped 

 leaves, on a stem about four feet high and as thick as a man's leg. 

 Its flower was quite warm, and its high temperature could be felt 

 by placing the hand on the spathe, which had the shape of a horse's 

 ear, and was of a vinaceous colour. I only preserved a spadix of 

 this plant, which I believe, from several of its characters, to be 

 probably an Alocasia, allied to but distinct from A. indica. 



300 



