44 A TRIP TO A SOURCE OF THE SARAWAK RIVER 
In a house near my sleeping place were several large jars of 
salted Durien—the jars being very porous, the juice was oozing out 
and the scent was almost intolerable, I asked to have them removed 
and had great difficulty in getting this done as the Dyak owners 
could not apparently understand how such a luxury can be ob- 
jectionable. During the evening a number of Dyaks came in to 
have a chat-chat, each bringing a small present of rice and eggs, 
I disappointed them when I refused their invitation to stay another 
night so that they could call their friends together and give a dance 
in my honour. By means of a boiling point thermometer I took 
the altitude and found it to be about fourteen hundred feet. 
A good start was made the next morning at eight o’clock: the 
path now descending on the opposite side of the watershed was in 
some places extremely steep with deep gullies crossed by tree 
trunks felled so as to form bridges. As the heavy dew of the pre- 
vious night had rendered them slippery care was necessary in 
crossing ; for some hours we passed through new jungle which had 
been cleared within the last five years for paddy farming, and after 
fording a fair sized stream we climbed a ridge of old jungle and 
followed it for many miles, then descending and crossing an omah 
we arrived at Kapot at four o'clock. This is a large Dyak Kampong 
well situated on the bank of a rapid wide flowing river, and judging 
from the number of large fruit trees and palms growing here, it must 
have been an old settlement; the houses are all detached as at 
Teringos and of the same type, which gives it more the appearance 
of a Malay rather than Dyak Kampong, but the high pitched roofs 
present a striking contrast to both—all the houses are connected 
by the bamboo platform. On ascending we were immediately 
surrounded by a large crowd of Dyaks who expressed undoubted 
annoyance at our intrusion—my first enquiry was for the Orang 
Kaya, who at once came forward, and at my request for lodging, 
shewed us to the head house, which we entered with as many Dyaks 
following as the house would hold—the general cry was what do 
you want?” to which I answered that Iam a Tuan from Sarawak, 
taking a walk to Bengkarum collecting flowers and insects, I am 
not a government official tax collecting, and after shewing them 
some of my specimens, they appeared satisfied and most of them 
left the house, which gave us room to open and arrange our things. 
My coolies were very frightened at so suddenly coming amongst a 
strange and somewhat wild people speaking in a dialect which was 
unknown to them, and stood shivering in their wet clothes half 
inclined to try and persuade me to take the road home again. 
After having changed my clothes, and drunk a welcome cup of tea, 
I proceeded to explore the extent of the Kampong, at one end of 
which I came upon a large group of Dyaks dividing a fine catch of 
fish which they had just made and one of which had been previously 
given to me. The division is made, after removing the viscera, by 
chopping the fish into small pieces about an inch cube, then on a 
large mat one cube is placed for each family, and so again and again, 
Jour. Straits Branch 
