64 AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT KINA BALU. 



able to catch a steamer to take us to Singapore, I sent De Fon- 

 taine to Gantian to make enquiries. I spent the day taking 

 notes, the coolies and crowds of villagers as usual standing and 

 squatting round me, and watching every movement, nearly dis- 

 tracting me by their continuous coughing. But I found some 

 music going on in a neighbouring house very soothing. 



Tuesday, April Jfth. De Fontaine came back at 7 a.m., 

 after having travelled part of the night, bringing the dismal 

 news that a coasting steamer had left Gaya for Labuan at 

 midnight. This really made no difference in the end, however, as 

 we heard later on that this boat had no connection in Labuan 

 with boats for Singapore. He had brought with him a large 

 rowing boat, and so I decided to leave at once for Gan- 

 tian. We started from Panjut at 8.30 a.m., reached Berunggis 

 at 9.15, left there by boat at 9.30, and reached the district 

 office of Menkabong, at the mouth of the Menkabong river, at 

 12.30. Here we had a rudimentary tiffin, left again at 2 p.m., 

 and, rowing and sailing, reached Gantian at 4.53. p.m. It was 

 a very trying journey: the day was hot and cloudless, and we 

 sat in an open boat cramped between piles of luggage. To my 

 regret, I found Mr. Haynes, who in the meantime had shifted 

 from Gaya to Gantian, down with liver, but Mr. Keasberry 

 kindly took charge of us and put us up in an unfinished wooden 

 house intended for the native clerk. The carpenters with their 

 boards and wood shavings lying about were cleared out in a 

 few mintues, and we established ourselves there in a rough and 

 ready fashion. 



Wednesday, April 5th. No work done, all feeling the need 

 of a day's rest. I saw some newspapers, for the first time for 

 about a month. 



Thursday, April 6th. I hired a native boat and went out at 

 6.30 a.m. to the reefs where I did some collecting, chiefly corals, 

 a native diving for them, and spent the greater part of the day in 

 cleaning and bleaching the corals. A coasting steamer brought 

 the welcome news from Mr. Little, Labuan, that two gentlemen, 

 Messrs Lower and Pavitt, would arrive in Gaya on Sunday next 

 with the steam-launch ' Sri Putri,' and could take me down to 

 Labuan just in time to catch the 'Hecuba' for Singapore. De 

 Fontaine was ill this day. 



