XI. 



The wafer In tlie Tahan had also risen in the night, and it was 

 coming down quite thick and dirty. On arriving at Kuala Tenot, 

 which was reached at 2 p.m., it was found thai the freshet was coming 

 down thai river, which runs for the latter part of its course through 

 high clay banks which are constantly falling in. About half a mile 

 above the Kuala a halt was called and a camp built for the night, 

 Fortunately, a small tent and some water-proof sheets had been kindly 

 l.-nt by the Chief Surveyor, for in the valley of the Tahan there is 

 hardly anything with which to thatch a house until the upper part, of 

 it is reached. 



Up to this point the river is fairly easy to ascend, as there are no 

 rapids ( " jeram "), but only what are locally known as " chigar* — that 

 is, gravelly rapids without rocks. Up to Kuala Teku our men asserted 

 that they counted eighty-six rapids besides many ehigars, while beyond 

 that place, neither the Tahan nor its tributary, the Teku, is navigable. 



At half -past seven on the morning of the 21st the camp was broken 

 up. Two very bad rapids and a number of smaller ones were passed, 

 and one of the larger boats had to be left behind, as the men said it 

 might not stand the rough work. One of the other boats unfortu- 

 nately sank, and a quantity of stores, etc., got soaked with water. 

 The worst of it was that the supply of tea was in that boat, also the 

 tobacco, salt fish and matches. At the bad rapids the boats had to be 

 unloaded and the contents carried over the rocks to the smooth water 

 above where the boats could be reladen. The boats themselves had to 

 be pulled up with ropes and in places lifted bodily over the rocks, and 

 ii was only owing to the fact that a very large number of men could 

 be concentrated on each boat that some of the larger ones were 

 got up at all. A number of these portages were passed during the 

 day, so that not much progress was made — in fact, the whole party 

 probably did a greater distance on foot through the river than in the 

 boats, At 3 p.m. a camp was built near Kuala Petal ; the boxes in 

 the boat that went down were opened and the contents dried over the 

 tires, so far as it was possible to do so. Heavy rain fell during the 

 night. 



At 7 a.m. of the '22nd the 2nd Camp was left. The river was 

 about the same as the preceding day, and there were a number of 

 portages. One camp, containing six Malays, who said they were 

 collecting " getah grip," was passed, but, with the exception of two or 

 three Malay houses within half a mile of the Tembelmg River, no 

 other traces of inhabitants, either Malay or Sakai, were seen ; and, 

 except quite near the mouth of the river, there are no patches of 

 blukar, all the jungle being primeval forest. The Malays said that 

 there were no inhabitants, and that, with the exception of an occasional 

 party of Malay or Dyak getah and rotan collectors, no one ever goes 

 up the river. The numerous evidences of Sakai camps seen by 

 Mr. Ridley's expedition were obviously only the traces of these 

 collecting parties. 



