IN BORNEAN FORESTS [chap. 



had been long since abandoned. We marched along under a sun of 

 truly tropical intensity, at the very hottest hour of the day. The 

 heat in the forests of Borneo is always moderate, 1 but in the open 

 it is most oppressive. There were no trees, and the ground was 

 covered with the detestable lalang grass and by rassam (Pteris 

 arachnoidea), a tall and thickly matted fern. This is the vegetation 

 which invades clayey soils, when, after the forest has been cleared 

 and after the first cultivations, the heavy rains have washed away 

 the superficial layer of humus. The hills covered with lalang grass 

 look well from a distance ; indeed, with the clumps of trees 

 which are scattered about, they have quite a park-like appearance. 

 But this is only another kind of mirage, and the illusion passes 

 away as soon as one sets foot on them. 



The hill which we had to cross was steep, and the miserable 

 pathway we followed was as slippery as ice from the morning's 

 rain. Now and again we came across prostrate tree-trunks hidden 

 in the grass, over which we fell. After two hours of this far from 

 pleasant exercise we at last reached the summit, where it was some 

 compensation to get an extensive view over the surrounding country 

 ■ — a rare thing in Borneo. In the distance we could see higher hills 

 on the misty horizon. I was also able to form an idea of the kind 

 of country to the S.S.E., which we had to cross in order to reach 

 the Sakarrang or S'krang river. 



We got down the hill by a pathway no better than the one which 

 had led us up, and after three hours of a very fatiguing march we 

 reached the torrent Meliet. Half of my men had remained in the 

 rear to wait for an old Dyak who had joined us from one of the 

 houses on the way. Although he was a Dyak, he felt the weight 

 of his many years, and our pace was rather too quick for his old legs. 

 Rain was threatening, and the sun was nearing the verge of the 

 horizon. Only a portion of our luggage was with us, and it looked as 

 if we should have to pass an uncomfortable night in the jungle, 

 when one of Ladja's Dyaks, who had been this way before, 

 suddenly remembered that there was a house in the neighbour- 

 hood. We accordingly followed his indications, and got there when 

 it was quite dark. 



Happily, amongst the things with our detachment of the party 

 there was a vessel for cooking rice. The house was empty, the 

 inmates having probably gone to look after their rice fields, where, 

 when they are far from the house, temporary shelters are always 

 built. We found rice in the house and honeycombs, from which 

 my Dyaks extracted some excellent honey, clear and very fluid. 



1 Not every traveller, perhaps, will subscribe to this statement. Some 

 of the most unbearable temperatures I have ever experienced in any part of 

 the world have been in the Bornean forests, especially trying on account of 

 the extreme airlessness. — Ed. 



