2 AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. 
so far as to assert that even to point at the mountain with one’s 
hand would incur its just worth, which the mountain would show 
at once by causing heavy rain to fall. 
Such stories, I suppose, so far from acting as a deterrent to 
the majority of white men, would rather stimulate their curiosity, 
so that should occasion offer, they would endeavour to learn more 
of these curious rumours, of the extent of truth in them, of the 
possibility of verifying them. Well, the present writer does not 
claim to be an exception to the average and the result of hearing 
these vague rumours was a careful hunt through available literature 
for any more definite information on the subject, before taking a. 
journey there himself. What little there was forthcoming is soon 
told. : 
HISTORICAL. 
In 1858 Sir Spenser St. John at that time British Consul at 
Brunei undertook a memorable journey up the Limbang River, of 
which he gives a graphic account in his fascinating book, “ Life 
in the Forests of the Far East.” Of this journey Posewitz, * who 
made an exhaustive study of the journeys accomplished by travel- 
lers in Borneo, writes that Sir Spenser St. John “was the first 
European to follow the course of the River Limbang, and its 
tributary, the river Madihit?, deep into the interior of the island 
—namely, as far as the border mountains of Brunei.” St. John 
left Brunei on August 25, 1858, and after fifteen days’ boat journey 
reached the entrance of the Madihit River. Following this river 
up for some way he struck eastwards across country and then leay- 
ing Batu Lawi some 2 days’ journey to the south-east he turned 
north again to the Adang villages, the main object of his expedi- 
tion. After spending some time exploring this district he returned, 
partly down the Limbang River, which in this part is extremely 
dangerous on account of the rapids, and after many thrilling 
experiences and severe privations, he eventually reached the Madihit 
again on Oct. 16th, having made a 5 weeks’ circular tour of that 
region. He reached Brunei again after an absence of 56 days. 
As frequent references to this account are made in the following 
pages for comparison with my own experiences, I need not give 
further details of his expedition here, beyond mentioning that he 
left a careful map—the only reliable one of this region—which I 
found most useful and accurate, besides being a continual source 
of wonder to my native followers, who could never understand how 
that. curious piece of paper could give me the wonderful knowledge 
of the lay of the land which I appeared to possess ! 
_ 1. Borneo: its Geology and Mineral Resources, by Dr. Theodore Posewits, 
translated from the German by Frederick H. Hatch. 1892. p. 58. 
2. Should be the River Madihit. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
