The Dyaks Get
Two Crops Off The Ground In Succession; One Of Rice, And The
Other Of Sugarcane, Maize, And Vegetables.
The ground then lies
fallow eight or ten years, and becomes covered with bamboos and
shrubs, which often completely arch over the path and shut out
everything from the view.
Three hours' walking brought us to the
village of Senankan, where I was again obliged to remain the
whole day, which I agreed to do on the promise of the Orang Kaya
that his men should next day take me through two other villages
across to Senna, at the head of the Sarawak River. I amused
myself as I best could till evening, by walking about the high
ground near, to get views of the country and bearings of the
chief mountains. There was then another public audience, with
gifts of rice and eggs, and drinking of rice wine. These Dyaks
cultivate a great extent of ground, and supply a good deal of
rice to Sarawak. They are rich in gongs, brass trays, wire,
silver coins, and other articles in which a Dyak's wealth
consists; and their women and children are all highly ornamented
with bead necklaces, shells, and brass wire.
In the morning I waited some time, but the men that were to
accompany me did not make their appearance. On sending to the
Orang Kaya I found that both he and another head-man had gone out
for the day, and on inquiring the reason was told that they could
not persuade any of their men to go with me because the journey
was long and fatiguing one. As I was determined to get on, I told
the few men that remained that the chiefs had behaved very badly,
and that I should acquaint the Rajah with their conduct, and I
wanted to start immediately. Every man present made some excuse,
but others were sent for, and by hint of threats and promises,
and the exertion of all Bujon's eloquence, we succeeded in
getting off after two hours' delay.
For the first few miles our path lay over a country cleared for
rice-fields, consisting entirely of small but deep and sharply-
cut ridges and valleys without a yard of level ground. After
crossing the Kayan river, a main branch of the Sadong, we got on
to the lower slopes of the Seboran Mountain, and the path lay
along a sharp and moderately steep ridge, affording an excellent
view of the country. Its features were exactly those of the
Himalayas in miniature, as they are described by Dr. Hooker and
other travellers, and looked like a natural model of some parts
of those vast mountains on a scale of about a tenth - thousands of
feet being here represented by hundreds. I now discovered the
source of the beautiful pebbles which had so pleased me in the
riverbed. The slatey rocks had ceased, and these mountains seemed
to consist of a sandstone conglomerate, which was in some places
a mere mass of pebbles cemented together.
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