IN BORNEAN FORESTS [chap. 



also called the Makam by the Kayans, and near its source the 

 Silikao. 



If a mountain of any great height existed at the source of the 

 Rejang I feel sure I ought to have heard something about it ; indeed, 

 I ought to have seen it from some of the hills to whose summits 

 I had climbed. I see no reason for admitting the existence of an 

 elevated group of mountains in Central Borneo. From the tests 

 of comparison to which I submitted the intelligent natives from 

 whom I was seeking information, and especially referring to Gunong 

 Baloi, which rises behind the Skapan house, I am ]ed to the con- 

 clusion that the greatest elevation that can be assigned to the 

 two peaks of the central mountain group of Borneo can hardly 

 be much over 7,000 feet. An erroneous interpretation of the 

 native name Batu Puti, i.e. " White rock," may have led to the 

 inference that the mountain was capped with snow. 



Borneo — which, in proportion to its area, is of all countries 

 of the world one of the best provided with great rivers — can be 

 travelled all over by water, so perfect and so extensive is its river- 

 system. A day's, or at the most a two days' walk overland will 

 enable the traveller to pass from the basin of one river to that 

 of another. This is due to the special orographical conditions 

 of the island, which does not gradually rise from the coast towards 

 the interior to reach a great elevation in the central portion. In- 

 stead, nearly all the mountains of Borneo rise abruptly from 

 the plains, and thus the rivers have no great fall, and can be navi- 

 gated by boats nearly up to their source. The action of the tides 

 facilitates also in no small degree the navigability of Bornean 

 rivers. For the reasons above given the tidal influence extends 

 far up each river. 



The big house of the Skapans was built on an elevated bank 

 of the river, which had a sort of extensive inclined beach on which 

 canoes were landed, repaired, and also constructed, this being 

 one of the principal boat-building yards on the Rejang. 



The river was then low, but the banks showed that when full 

 it rises several yards. At Skapan the bed of the Rejang, which 

 ought properly to be called the Baloi, is narrow and hemmed in, 

 as it were, between the hills which form its banks ; but its width 

 is not less than 330 feet, and it is extraordinarily deep. In some 

 places Sematto assured me that 60 depa (about 300 feet) of cord 

 were required to reach the bottom. They informed me that it 

 abounds with fish, and some caught by my men were excellent, 

 and belonged to species I had not seen elsewhere. I was repeatedly 

 told that a species of shark and a ray are caught here in the river. 

 I had too often heard about these two fish — the first being called 

 " Yu," the second " Ikan pare " by the Malays — to entertain any 

 doubt as to the veracity of my informants ; but yet I should have 



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