Before we knew what had happened the material for our supper
was on board."
After a pleasant drifting down the current of the Kasao River, about noon
on April 7 we arrived at Data Laong, a Saputan kampong consisting of three
small communal houses. On the river bank a small space had been cleared of
grass for my tent. The people seemed very amenable to my purposes and
there was a primitive atmosphere at the place. We had used seventeen days
from Tamaloe, much in excess of the time calculated, but under
unfavourable circumstances we might easily have used double. There was
reason to be satisfied at arriving here safely without having incurred any
losses. We could look forward with confidence to the remainder of the
journey, mainly down the great Mahakam River, toward distant Samarinda,
because the Dayaks along the route were very numerous and had plenty of
prahus.
CHAPTER XIX
THE SAPUTANS - HOW THE EARS OF THE CHIEF WERE PIERCED - AN UNEXPECTED ATTACK
OF FILARIASIS - DEPARTURE FROM THE SAPUTANS - DOWN THE KASAO RIVER -
"TOBOGGANING" THE KIHAMS
The Penyahbongs, men of the jungle, who left us to return home, had not
proved such good workers as the Saputans, who, though in a pronounced
degree smaller, mostly below medium size, are very strongly built.
