AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. 29° 
to St. John’s map this stream should be on the other side of the 
Madihit and I learnt later that there was another stream of that 
name flowing out on the other bank just at the same place as the 
Gritang joins the Madihit from our side; and some days later we 
passed two streams of the same name flowing into the Madihit, one 
on either side. 
After the Gritang the path cuts inland away from the Madihit 
and we climb a range of hills further west to those which border 
the Madihit; between the two hills is a wide valley and perched 
right on the top of the hill opposite us we see Penribut’s house. 
The path winds round to the head of the valley and so across until 
we arrive a little after 4 pm. We have come practically due south 
from the mouth of the Madihit, the general direction of the 
Limbang from the kuala Madalam to that point being south-east. 
We stopped once or twice on the path by some curiously marked 
trees. A smooth strip had been cut on the trunk and some charcoal 
figures drawn to represent guns, buffaloes, jars and boats. Tama 
Belulok explained that these were records of other parties that had 
passed that way; some three or four circles he explained meant they 
had been travelling three or four months and some other marks he 
interpreted as the number of lumps of rubber obtained by the party! 
We left our mark for the information of the next passers-by. 
Penribut’s house is built across the top of a hog’s back ridge 
at an altitude of 2,100 ft., and consequently gets a continual gale 
blowing through it from one side of the valley or the other, and the 
smoke inside was something awful. We were met outside by a 
short ugly man with close-cropped hair who came down the steps 
of the house to do the honours in the absence of Penribut, who was’ 
following a little way behind. They told me that he had recently 
lost his wife and that was the reason of his shaved head, which 
looked very out of place among all these men with fine long hair 
flowing down their backs. Apparently it is the custom among the 
Kalabits, Muruts and Tabuns, for a man to shave his head on the 
death of his wife, and again when her bones are removed to their 
final resting place after the temporary disposal of some six months 
ina jar. After the final burial the widower may let his hair grow 
again. The same rule applies to a woman who loses her husband; 
she has to shave her head too. In Tama Kuling’s house I noticed 
two people (man and woman) distinguished by this sign of bereave- 
ment. Tama Belulok tells me the custom is not observed on the 
death of a parent or child. 
a parent or child. 
While sitting in Penribut’s house in the evening, we heard 
a sudden commotion going on behind the wooden partition which 
runs the length of the house dividing the living rooms from the 
common room. Instantly Penribut got up to see what was the 
matter and he was soon followed by about ten other Kalabits who 
all disappeared into one of the rooms; the noise continued and 
seemed to come from several babies and women screaming at once, 
R. A. Soc., No. 63, 1912. 
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