xx] ON THE RAPIDS 



dangerous, capsizing the canoe in an instant. At first the current 

 seemed nothing out of the common, but as we approached it in- 

 creased in force until there seemed almost something uncanny in 

 its overwhelming strength. About fifty or sixty yards from the 

 rapid our steersman had already made up his mind as to the line 

 to be followed. His great object was to keep the boat with plenty 

 of way on in the current ; for woe betide us if we but swerved an 

 instant — we should have been at once capsized and done for ! As 

 we approached the bigger part of the fall the paddlers redoubled 

 their efforts, and our long, light, narrow boat shot like an arrow 

 down the swell, and in an instant was righted in the bubbling 

 waters of the pool beneath, in a cloud of pulverized water which 

 formed a mist-like column around us. I feel that it would be 

 attempting the impossible to endeavour to translate into words the 

 emotions of that moment, which came and went like a flash of 

 lightning ! 



When we got into the comparatively tranquil waters beyond 

 our boat was full, and would inevitably have sunk but for the 

 rapid and able manner in which the Kayans baled the water out. 

 Some of them jumped overboard to lighten the boat at once. 



It requires the sangfroid and experience of the Kayans to shoot 

 such rapids. The feat is partly accomplished by taking the fall at 

 such a pace that the canoe reaches calm water beyond almost 

 before it has time to sink. It is all important that the paddlers 

 should not get frightened at the amount of water shipped, but 

 continue to paddle with all their strength until the danger is well 

 past. Then comes the work of baling and emptying the boat, 

 which requires to be done carefully and quickly, most of the crew 

 springing overboard as soon as possible in order to lighten the boat. 



We had thus successfully passed the first rapids, but our experi- 

 ence had been such that we did not feel equal to tackling the second, 

 to which we came very soon after in the canoe, for it was said to be 

 even more dangerous than the other. We were accordingly pru- 

 dent, and made a portage along the shore. At the third rapid the 

 passage was easy, or, rather, without obstacles : a smooth sheet of 

 water plunging over into the basin below, with a fall of about seven 

 feet only. It was here, nevertheless, that the Tuan Muda lost 

 several of his men on an expedition against the Kayans. On that 

 occasion more than one of the boats were capsized, and several of 

 the Dyaks who formed the crews, in spite of being expert swimmers, 

 disappeared and were seen no more. It was said that the sharks 

 took them. I should have thought that they more probably fell 

 victims to crocodiles ; .but the natives assured me that these reptiles 

 are not found there, though the eddies below the rapid are frequented 

 by sharks resembling those found in salt water. 1 



1 Mr. St. John {Op. cit. i. p. 136) tells us that sharks are found in the left 



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