30 AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. 
helped by discordant cries from the men endeavouring to make 
them quiet. Eventually we learned that it was a baby crying— 
“sakit tolach,” as my people explained it, meaning that it was a 
fit, paroxysm of anger (7) or delight (7) brought on by our 
arrival. One of the Kalabits brought out a small plug of wood 
which they asked me to spit on; this done, they took it back, 
touched the child’s hand and body with it, and the cure was com- 
plete; peace reigned once more and we resumed our conversation 
about plans for to-morrow. ‘The Tabuns and Dayaks took it all as 
a matter of course and I gather that the same thing is done with 
them. The commotion among the Kalabits for the moment was 
quite remarkable. 
As mentioned above, the house stands on the top of a hill and 
a magnificent view of the surrounding country is thus obtained. 
‘lo the west, 1.e., straight across the valley below us is the range of 
hills which we came along to-day, behind them rise Molu and Obong 
where the Seridan, Malinau and Tutau rivers haye their source; 
to the south-west there are some high mountains which must be 
in the Baram district about the head of the Akar; in the south 
and to the south-east are more hills which they say border the Bar 
country; due East of us they point out a little rock as big as my 
thumb peeping over the top of a great black range of mountains 
on the horizon: this is Batu Lawi, the object of our journey, and 
we have to reach that range of mountains before we can see any 
more of it, let alone get tv it! In spite of warnings received on 
the way here, we point te wards it, and almost at once a black cloud 
comes up and hides it from our view, then more clouds and the 
country east of us shows signs of rain, then a few drops and we too 
are in the thick of it. Batu Lawi has vindicated its reputation 
already. After a fortnight’s fine weather enabling us to get thus 
far in quite good time, we have but to point at this dread mountain 
and down comes the rain. [To get ahead of my diary for a 
moment, I may say that it continued wet for practically the whole 
of the next fortnight!]. To the north and north-east of us lie the 
Adang hills stretching away towards that huge range in the East; 
the valley below us runs north and south, the northern end opening 
out at the kuala Madihit. 
May 20th: (Temp. 73.4°). Out early this morning, only to 
find the place in thick clouds and ever ything ; sopping wet. Last night 
(1 a.m.) we were awakened by a terrific ‘crash of thunder, imme- 
diately overhead; this was followed by torrents of rain, which 
speedily came through the wretched leaf roof. I got a kajang rigged 
up over me, but not before most things were wet. The smoke is 
most irritating and everyone is coughing and choking from it. 
Most of the inmates have watery eyes and no wonder. It is the 
same type of house as the other Murut and Kalabit houses we have 
passed, and in the common room there was three fire places in use. 
besides the others in the living rooms. The raised flaps of the 
roof under which we sit draw all the smoke out and the only habit- 
Jour, Straits Branch 
