68 
NORTH BORNEO. 
Brunei power, and sooner or later must fall under the rule of one of the neighbouring 
governments. Perhaps the sooner the better, as at the present moment it is a wedge 
of barbarism of the most brutal type between two improving States; but jealousy at 
present prevents either side from acquiring it. When speaking of a river in Borneo the 
large territory through which the river flows is included in the district bearing the name 
of the river. 
After six hours’ sail we reached the embouchure of the Lawas. The first inhabitant to 
meet us was a large wild boar, which was taking its evening stroll along the beach, 
but having no rifle handy he was passed unmolested. After rowing a short distance we 
reached a Brunei village where the nominal rulers of the district dwell. The Pangeran was 
not at home, but his sons and others in the evening did their best to dissuade us from con¬ 
tinuing our journey, declaring that all the Murats were out on the war-path, and that 
the district was too dangerous even for them to travel in; but as all Bruneis tell the same 
tale, being anxious to keep Europeans out of their districts, fearing, not without reason, 
that they will soon cease to be even nominal proprietors, we paid no attention to their 
warnings, and proceeded' up stream the following morning to another Pangeran. This 
chief told the same tale about the Murats, and advised us to return to the village of the 
first Pangeran and obtain his permission before we went further; this of course I 
refused to do, and we rowed up another branch of the river known as the Sungei 
Meropok, a confluent of the Lawas. The dark green foliage on the banks was greatly 
brightened up by numerous bright-red-sheathed Areca palms, which I did not notice 
elsewhere in Borneo. 
After rowing some distance we reached a small settlement of Kadyans, who assured me 
that the Muruts were on good terms with them, and that the Bruneis fearing we had come 
on a trading-expedition to the Muruts, which might interfere with their gains, had painted 
them as black as possible to deter us from proceeding. As we had passed the houses of 
several Chinese traders, there was little doubt that the Muruts were comparatively 
peaceable. 
The Kadyans lent us an old house, the occupants migrating with most of their 
property into that of one of their neighbours. We soon made ourselves fairly comfortable, 
and removed all our baggage from the prahu into our new quarters. This house is similar 
to others already described, but is built much higher olf the ground on numerous thin piles 
of that excessively hard wood known as “ biliong.” There were two reasons for this : in 
the first place to be out of reach of the high river floods, and secondly the danger of attacks 
from inland tribes. It was no easy matter to reach the entrance, a climb up a 15-foot 
notched pole being necessary; at night this pole is drawn up into the house. Soon after 
we were comfortably settled it began to rain; and I had the pleasure of being visited by 
the first real barbarian I had ever seen, for the Bajows, coast Dusuns, and Padas Muruts 
must be considered civilized in comparison with the Lawas Muruts. The object of my 
admiration was a tall handsome Murat, naked all but his loin-cloth or “ chawat; ” his hair 
was long, hanging below the shoulders, his forehead looked higher from the fact that the 
hair had been shaved olf for about an inch; the eyebrows were also dispensed with. In 
the lobes of his ears were inserted looking-glasses, about the size of a florin piece, not 
