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AN EXPEDITION TO MOUNT BATU LAWI. 58 
weeks ago, never washed except in the rain. Built our lanchos on 
the left bank and slept the sleep of the just after a tiring day’s 
walk, undisturbed by countless sandflies and mosquitoes. 
June 12th. After an early breakfast we continue the walk 
with the idea of cutting across two large bends of the river and 
joining it again some way lower down at a place called kuala Leppu \\ 
Penyu. A little over two hours walk sufficed to bring us to that 
point and we sat down on a pebbly beach by the river side to wait 
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for the Kayans fetched by the two Bruneis. ‘The Penans want to | f 
return so I pay them off with three fathoms of black cloth (enough a 
for one chawat), 4 cigarettes each and some salt. My stock of i 
tobacco ran out some days ago. ‘The young Penan showed us how iy 
to use the sumpitan (blow-pipe), kneeling on one knee and slightly i 
leaning forward as he shot at some flowers in a tree some height | 
above us. He had some 400 thin rotan rings on his legs and arms, 
many ornamented with three or four small beads. He gave me 
5 as a keepsake; then they set off, after mutual expressions of 
friendship and goodwill duly interpreted by Belulok, and quickly 
disappeared into the depths of their jungle home. 
‘The sun steadily rose and in spite of a refreshing bathe in the 
river it became excessively hot sitting waiting on the bank. I 
watched with interest some of our Kalabits squatting on the 
ground busily engaged in going over one another’s heads for 
fleas! Very like monkeys in this work, although they kept their 
mouths still instead of exercising them in the chattering- movement 
of monkeys. Any ‘game’ collected was solemnly handed over to 
the owner of the ‘ preserve, who promptly bit it but did not swallow 
it. I chaffed Belulok on being found to be the owner of four. He 
laughed, and asked what could one expect after living in Kalabit 
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houses like we had on and off for the last ten days ? ! Certainly ih 
‘I could’nt blame him, having pleasant memories myself of those Mi 
nights in Penribut’s house, with rats gnawing at one’s fect, dogs Y 
and fowls crawling over one, not to mention a continual irritation 
from bugs and fleas! ( 
After an hour or so we were rejoiced to sce a small boat being ’ 
poled up to meet us by three men; they turned out to be Kayans I 
coming up to fish, and they reported having passed the Bruneis a i 
little way lower down, so we mush have reached this place only just f 
after the Bruneis had passed. We begged some tobacco off these three 
first, and then sent them off to fetch their companions, some of | 
whom were fishing a little way off, while two others were hunting 
deer with the assistance of a small pack of pariahs. About one , 
o’clock they arrived with two more small canoes and we squeezed \ 
our little party in and paddled on gently down the Melana, occasion- 
ally stopping to pull the boats over a small rapid. Some four 
hours later we reached the Apoh river and landed at a long Kayan | 
house on the left bank of the Apoh, a shot distance above the 
entrance to the Melana. We are cordially welcomed by the chief, | 
a fine broad-chested Kayan, Buoy Won by name, who leads us up ! 
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R. A. Soc., No. 63, 1912. | 
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