Ch. XIV.] MAKING FIEB. 229 



he put a piece of paper under the notch, and taking the 

 small stick between both hands, as he squatted before it, 

 adjusted the flat end to the smoothed surface of the larger 

 stick immediately adjacent to the notch. He then rotated 

 the small stick rapidly between his hands, pressing it down 

 upon the larger one, until by degrees a round hole was 

 formed, and a ligneous powder was produced, which fell 

 down the notch and formed a little heap upon the paper. 

 After having thus rubbed for about two minutes, the powder 

 began to smoke, and then tumiug black as the increasing 

 heat charred it, suddenly became red-hot, and the tinder 

 thus formed only required a puif of breath at this critical 

 moment to ignite the paper beneath. The ex'ertion required 

 was considerable, but of short duration. 



On the following morning the report of some coal which 

 had been discovered by Dyaks higher up the river induced 

 us to make arrangements to visit the spot ; and accordingly, 

 immediately after breakfast, accompanied by the Datu and the 

 Hadji, we set out with a single boat for an excursion higher 

 up the rapids. The first of these was immediately above 

 our halting-place, and the steepest we met with, forming 

 indeed a complete cascade between two projecting rocks. 

 The boat having been dragged round, we proceeded through 

 some highly picturesque scenery, the river becoming more 

 shallow and the rapids more frequent as we advanced. 

 Many beautiful precipitous limestone rocks towered aropid 

 us, of which those called Gunong Gigi and Eetti were per- 

 haps the most striking. The banks were at one time steep 

 and rocky, at another low and alluvial, and upon them were 

 numerous gardens cultivated by the Dyaks, and containing 

 bananas, cocoa-nuts, and other trees. The little mouse- 

 coloured swallow (Hirundo esculenta), which forms the 



