AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. 45 
truths he saw fit to tell about the power of the surat I did not 
inquire about. Some of my belongings have been left at Pun- 
bawang’s house, and Lawaratu and his men go off to get it; they 
agree to take it straight to the Seridan river, our next objective; 
while another Kalabit goes off to arrange for a boat to meet us on 
the Seridan. 
In the evening we have a little rifle practice on an old tree 
some hundred yards from the house. The Kalabits are much 
atonished at the penetration of the bullets which they carefully 
dig out with their parangs. <A .303 rifle had been brought specially 
to deal with a rhinoceros, but alas to no purpose. I must hope for 
better luck on another expedition to this region. 
June 5th. We all set out together after a cordial farewell of 
Penribut and his men, and then our paths soon divide, the party 
for Limbang keeping straight on across the end of the valley and 
then north to the kuala Madihit, while we turn to the left and head 
in a south-westerly direction for the Seridan. Hight Kalabits come 
with us to carry our things, of whom four are women, as we cannot 
get sufficient men. Lawaratu asked me if | minded women carrying 
my things instead of men and I said if he and his men were not 
ashamed to let the women do their work I did@’nt mind. This was 
apparently rather lost on him, for they told me after it was quite 
customary for Kalabit women to do this sort of thing and the 
women rather enjoyed it than otherwise ; certainly the four fat and 
smiling damsels who accompanied me looked cheerful enough, and 
they accomplished the rather tiring jourrey to-day without any 
particular sign of fatigue. ‘That unpleasant skin disease “ kurap ” 
so prevalent among the natives here, somewhat detracted from 
their personal appearance. 
An up and down walk brings us to the Malinau river (quite 
a small stream, not to be confused with the Malinau river which 
flows into the 'l'utau), alt. 920 ft. 'The path is so shut in by trees 
that we can get no view of the surrcunding country at all; we 
cross the Lewin stream and later in the afternoon strike the Seridan 
river, quite a large stream. After an hour’s walk through paddy 
farms along this river we come to a lofty bamboo brigde suspended 
from two huge trees overhanging the river; this leads to a fine 
Kalabit house built on the right bank. We learnt that most of the 
men had moved down river yesterday to the next house and that all 
the Kalabit houses of this district were sending down their annual 
tax to the Government station at Claudetown, so that it was an 
excellent opportunity for us to take passage with them. We 
accordingly borrowed two men and a small boat to take us down 
then and there, after paying off our Kalabit luggage-bearers (men 
and women) with the usual I. O. U. The rapids on this river are 
not bad and we poled down for an hour before reaching Balang 
Katou’s house at sunsct. 
This Kalabit house is much larger than any we have seen on 
the Madihit, and is full of men this evening all gathered together 
R. A. Soc., No. 63, 1912, 
