292 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. xiv. 



* 



usual, took up our quarters with "Lapayang" in his 

 bamboo-house. He and his people were surprised at our 

 having got across the river to-day, and pointed to where 

 it was rushing and foaming a yard higher than its usual 

 current. Smith lost his stick and some plants he was 

 carrying for me, and his rifle, too, would have gone had 

 it not been strapped to his back. No one can possibly 

 understand the danger of these swollen torrents who has 

 not had personal experience of them. Once" off one's feet 

 in the surging stream, running seven or eight miles an 

 hour at the least, one's life would inevitably be dashed 

 away on the boulders and jagged rocks which occur every 

 few yards. Adventures of this Icind look tame when 

 calmly written down after aU danger is past,, and when 

 read by a comfortable fireside, but they are really very 

 real and exciting when one is undergoing them in person. 

 A little later we were surprised by "Suong" and my 

 "boy," poor little " Kimjeck," who came in looking as 

 miserable as drowned rats. They had avoided the dan- 

 gerous fords by coming along the hill-path beside the 

 river, but my other fellows refused to come on, and took 

 shelter from the rain in some Dusun huts midway. 



" Lapayang " received us kindly, as usual, and gave us 

 a fowl and some rice, and lent us some cooking pots. 

 Another villager brought us eggs and a cluster of fine 

 golden bananas — I never tasted more delicious ones — so 

 that we dined well after all our mishaps. After dinner our 

 host brought us in a couple of fine large tarippe fruit, 

 just at a time when dessert was least expected ; we de- 

 served it, however, and enjoyed it accordingly. I think 

 I never felt so fatigued before in my life, my feet and 

 legs were sore, and the exertion of the descent yesterday, 

 and the falls I had, made me ache aU over. Added to 

 this, my skin from head to foot was covered with irritable 



