82 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. v. 



and here and there a crane, majestically stalliing among 

 the crops. At our halting-place the river is very shallow, 

 its high banks being fringed with groves of cocoa-nuts 

 and bananas; and in one or two places I noted 

 neatly-fenced and well-kept gardens descending nearly 

 to the water's edge. In these were sweet potatoes, 

 cucumbers, maize, and " kaladi," or Caladium escu- 

 lentum. The women seemed to be the principal culti- 

 vators of these little plots, and we could see them at 

 work among the garden crops here and there as we 

 passed along. 



Here we noticed a lovely palm for the first time — a 

 caryota — shaving dark green plumose foliage, the pinnae 

 abruptly jagged, and notched along its margins. As we 

 partook of our luncheon, an intelligent old native came 

 along, and sent our men to his garden, which he pointed 

 out to us, for some green cocoa-nuts, so that we obtained 

 a delicious draught, which we found very refreshing after 

 our hot walk. He was very talkative, and begged a 

 little brandy ; and he also gladly accepted the seeds of 

 a fine pomolo (Citrus decumana), to plant in his garden. 

 We did not cross the stream here, but plunged on 

 beside the river, following a narrow, muddy buffalo 

 track, which in places resembled a tunnel, being com- 

 pletely embowered with tall grasses, bound together 

 with large convolvuli and other creeping and climbing 

 plants. 



I A heavy walk of a couple of hours brought us to the 

 j first group of Dusun houses, which stood on a bit of 

 rising ground close beside the stream, being surrounded 

 by a grove of cocoa-nut palms and other fruit-trees. 

 We stayed here to rest our followers, and while waiting 

 shot several birds on the surrounding trees. Let not the 

 gentle reader blame us for wanton destruction ! There 



