18 AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. 
Bruneis and Bisayas to take back with them. A small jungle track 
was pointed out to me as the road they used, and the journey, he 
told me, took them anything up to two months up and down a 
series of very steep hills; many buffaloes die on the journey, but 
they expect to get more than half through to the end. ‘Tama 
Belulok says they start back with about 50, which they buy for 
about $35 each (adults) down to perhaps $15 for a young one. 
Kalabits always kill one at any important feast. 
I note the charms hanging from ‘ama Belulok’s belt; a small 
broken cowrie shell, a small piece of brass, an inch of cane, a human 
finger-nail (convincing proof of cannibalism!), a pair of brass 
depilatory forceps and a small reddish dried fruit. 
During our conversation the word “k’lit” occurs, mentioned 
by one of the Tabuns, who does’nt know the Malay for it, and I 
cannot make out for some time what he means. ‘Tama Belulok 
explains it thus: “a bird that has no feathers” and Madu, my 
Land-Dayak boy, guesses it at once and explains it as “ haying 
wings like a paper umbrella,” so that at last it dawns on me that 
“kit” is the Tabun for “ bat.” ? 
We saw two pigs on the bank, but no ti e to get a gun out 
before they had fled. It was near here last year that we came across 
a dead pig floating down stream; the natives with me at once 
brought it ashore and on examination found that it had been fresh- 
ly killed, probably by a crocodile, and within an hour the whole 
lot of them were squatting round fires on the boulders by the river’s 
edge, enjoying a feast of roast pork. 
The little Saladong stream flows out just below our camping- 
place skirting a high white limestone cliff, which gives the alter- 
native name of ‘Salindong’ to this place. One day during our 
enforced wait at this place last year five of my Dayaks spotted a 
particular grass growing on the top of this cliff; as they could only 
see one or Samra little tufts of this, they sneaked off by themselves 
taking great care not to be seen by the other natives of the ex- 
pedition, and after a most strenuous (and rather dangerous) 
scramble they succeeded in gathering a clump of this coveted grass 
(“buloh berindu”), which they carefully divided, each becoming 
the proud possessor of a few blades. My most persistent questions 
failed to elicit any information as to their use for it, the more I 
asked the more amused and secretive they became, and all I could 
get out of them was that it was not used as medicine for sickness 
nor as an ointment’ for wounds. And it was only some months 
after that I was told that it had the mysterious power of ensuring 
success in courtship to its possessor. My diary of that date (April 
10th) last year has the following note which may help to illustrate 
the Dayaks’ methods :—“ Ketit (Sea- Dayak) sells his coat to one 
of the Muruts of the party for $1, which he asks me to take out of 
the Murut’s wages for him later. Ketit tells me he bought it 
second-hand for 60 cents in Kuching, but that he told the Murut he 
. Jour. Straits Branch: 
