AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. § 
While on the subject of hostile natives it may be as well to 
explain here the attitude which the different tribes up-river were 
expected to adopt towards us, and of course this subject had to be 
carefully considered throughout the journey. After the- lower 
reaches of the Limbang has “been passed, the population dimrnishés 
and houses become less. frequent until one reaches the mouth of the 
Madalam River, where there are a few ae houses, followed by 
~a blank stretch of rapids, which occupied us 4 days in passing; at 
the end of this stretch the river branches sharply off to the Hast 
and becomes impassable for boats; this part is occupied by Kalabits 
who had recently lost their chief and were now under the leadership 
of his son, quite a young man. According to rumour these people 
were not likely to be over friendly, as they had suffered recently 
at the hands of Dayaks, but beyond a cool welcome nothing was 
feared from them. From their place (Kuala Madihit) two routes 
to Batu Lawi were available, one due Kast to the aggrieved Adangs 
and thence south to Batu Lawi, the other to follow the Madihit t6 
its sources and thence due Fast to the mountain. he disadvan- 
tages of the latter route was the difficulty of getting coolies in this 
sparsely populated district, but eventually this outweighed the 
serious objection offered by the other route, namely, the unfriendly 
reception expected from the Adangs. Kast of Batu Lawi lived the 
Pa Bawans who had but recently submitted to the Government. but 
had not yet paid tax; south of them, and south-east of Batu Law 
the country was occupied by the powerful Pa Brian tribe who were 
avowedly hostile to the Government and to any tribes living under 
the Sarawak flag.t. This was the substance of the information 
to be obtained from the natives on the way up the river, and as the 
journey advanced we found that the account was accurate in thé 
main. 
May 9th: (Temp. 6 a.m. 74.5°). Leaving Ukong at 7 a.m., five 
hours’ paddling brings us to the mouth of a little stream called the 
Seradan and we pull up on a high sand-bank just opposite. Above 
this is a small Tabun house occupied by Tama Belulok, the chief of 
the Tabuns of this district and one of the most influential natives 
on the upper part of the river. His son (Belulok) had been with 
1. Evidence of the warlike nature of these Pa Brian people is shown in the 
report for August 1911 by the Resident in charge of Trusan. He writes 
(Sarawak Gazette 1911, p. 198):— ‘‘The Bah Muruts reported that the Muruts 
of Pa Brian came down on them -while they were at work in their clearings and 
shot at th m, killing three men. This occurred in June and was only reported 
on my arriv+l in the Trusan. Later,on, on the 24th, a number of Bah Muruts! 
including the chiefs Dawat Sigar, Gaieng Abai and Sakai Libat, with a, 1: me 
following came to Trusan and reported that two more of their number had* 
shot by Pa Brian people in the sane way and their heads taken. They ead 
make no resistance as they were outnumbered by two to one. The Bahs say 
they have done nothing to justify such attacks and that the Pa Brians area 
terror to the Upper Trusan.’’ 
This must have been going on within a short distance of Batu Lawi, possi- 
bly only a few days after we left the mountain. 
R. 4, Soc., No. 63, 1912. 
