The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

;54 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chav.The river was uow so shallow that boats could hardly getalong. I therefore preferred walking to the next village, exjiectingto see something of the country, but was much disappointed,as the patli lay almost entirely through dense bamboothickets. The Dyaks get two crops off the ground in successionone of rice and the ottier of sugar-cane, maize, and vegetables.The ground then lies fallow eight or ten years, and becomescovered ANTith bamboos and shrubs, which often completely ai*chover the path and shut out everything from tlie view. Threehours' walking brought us to the village of Senankan, wliere Iwas again obliged to remain the whole day, which I agreed to doon the promise of the Orang Kaya that his men should next daytake me through two otlier villages across to Senna, at the headof the Sarawak Eiver. I amused myself as I best could tillevening, by walking about the high ground near, to get views ofthe country and bearings of the chief mountains. There wasthen anotlier public audience, with gifts of rice and eggs, anddrinking of rice wine. These Dyaks cultivate a great extent ofground, and supply a good deal of rice to Sarawak. They arerich in gongs, brass trays, wii-e, silver coins, and other articles inwhich a Dyak's wealth consists ; and their women and childrenare highly ornamented with bead necklaces, shells, and brasswire.In the morning I waited some time, but the men that were toaccompany me did not make their appearance. On sending tothe Orang Kaj'a I found tliat both he and another head-man hadgone out for the day, and on inquiring the reason was told thatthey could not i^ersuade any of their men to go with me becausethe journey was a long and fatiguing one. As I was determinedto get on, I told the few men that remained that the chiefs hadbehaved very badly, and that I should acquaint theEajah withtheir conduct, and I wanted to start immediately. Every manpresent made some excuse, but others were sent for, and by dintof threats and promises, and the exertion of all Bujon'seloquence, we succeeded in getting off after two hours' delay.For the first few miles our patli lay over a country cleared forrice-fields, consisting entii-ely of small but deep and sharj^ly-cutridges and valleys, without a yard of level ground. Aftercrossing the Kayan Eiver, a main brancli of the Sadong, we goton to tlie lower slopes of the Seboran Mountain, and the jDathlay along a sharp and moderately steep I'idge, affording an excellentview of the country. Its features were exactly those ofthe Himalayas in miniature, as they are described by Dr. Hookerand other travellers ; and looked like a natural model of someparts of those vast mountains on a scale of about a tenth,tliousands of feet being here represented by hundreds. I nowdiscovered the source of the beautiful pebbles which had sopleased me in the river-bed. The slaty rocks had ceased, andthese mountains seemed to consist of a sand -stone conglomerate,which was in some places a mere mass of pebbles cemented