KINA BALTJ: SECOND EXPEDITION. 
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long time. Dusun omens are apparently very numerous: snakes, centipedes, kingfishers, 
and other animals coming from a wrong direction turn hack an expedition. I knew a girl 
in Melangkap -who set out for her paddi-fields, and on the way there she encountered a 
snake, which she killed and sold to me; she, however, did not attempt to do any work that 
day, but loitered about the house doing nothing. 
Kabong pretends to be very sorry that he could not go ; but it is all put on, as he is a 
lazy drunken fellow, and would, I know, rather sit at home and nurse the baby than go head¬ 
hunting; but to us he has always behaved with great kindness, and is fond of coming to see 
us, spending most of the day about the camp. 
5th, 6th, 7th.—Several Melangkaps came to-day : they are anxious to earn wages from 
Kiau to their village by carrying our baggage ; the Kiaus will not like this, but they must 
settle their own disputes. Heavy rain half the day. 
8th.—Packed up our baggage, as we hope to start for Kiau to-morrow. Several Dusuns 
came from that village to-night in order that they might secure a pack. 
9th.—Started for Kiau at 7 A.m. On reaching Kabong’s house he gave me all the 
baggage I had left in his charge untouched; this man is greatly superior to Kuro, though 
the latter is not a drunkard, but is, on the other hand, very dishonest. 
10th.—To-day we bid adieu to Kiau, after having been amongst these people for eleven 
weeks. We had great difficulty in starting the Dusuns, owing to the numerous parting 
cups of tuak. The day was hot, and where the track led through paddi-fields and jungle 
the air was suffocating. We reached Melangkap at dark, after a most trying journey, the 
river at some of the fords being rather too deep for my liking. 
11th.—I am going to send four Kadyans up the Panataran beyond last year’s camp; 
there are two birds I wish to secure there—the unknown male of the Trogon I discovered 
last year, which has been named Harjoactes vidua (B. M. Cat. xvii. p. 501), and the small grey 
Hornbill. I shall remain in Melangkap, sending the Hadji and Billio to the coast to bring 
up some of my stores left in Abai, and more especially a tin box in which I intend to send 
off some of my new birds to England. These men returned on the 17th. In the mean¬ 
while I busied myself drying and examining my now extensive collections. When I 
received the box I packed in it a pair of most birds that I thought would be new; and this 
collection formed a second paper in the ‘ Ibis ’ by Dr. R. B. Sharpe (1888). The Hadji has 
now to go with this box to Pulo Gaya ; Billio is going with him and is leaving us, as he 
wishes to fast during the “ bulan puossa,” or the Itahamadan of the Mohammedans. I have 
no objection to this, as the old man is noAv useless to us, Buntar being able to converse 
freely in Dusun by this time. The other Hadji, who was taken ill in the camp at Sunless 
Hole, also wants to return to Labuan to fast; this does not matter much, as Nyhan will be 
able to do all the bird-skinning. 
20th.—Before starting with Buntar to-day, I gave the Hadji final instructions about 
sending this precious box off by the first steamer from Gaya and the bringing back of my 
mails. Gamboie is anxious to go to the coast for the first time in his life, and will be 
company on the return journey. The Melangkaps made a serious attempt at blackmailing 
us this morning. I suppose, seeing that our party was separated, four of our men being up 
the Panataran, they thought to frighten us. They claim payment for our using the path to 
2 B 
