The monsoon was dead against us, and we met numerous
native boats flying down to Labuan before the wind.
hese were laden with pearl-shell, trepang, etc., and
were mostly from the islands of Balabac and Palawan ;
some, however, bad come round from the north-east coast
of Borneo, and even from the Sulu isles. In about a
fortnight the monsoon is expected to change, when they
will find no difficulty in returning safely. At sunset, and
again at sunrise, we saw “ Kina Balu ” towering up into
the clouds, and apparently very near to the coast, but the
distance is very deceptive. It was dark when we entered
Sandakan Bay, and about three o’clock on the morning
of the 8th, I was awakened by the rattling of the anchor-
chains, and found we were at Sandakan itself. It is
merely a small trading station consisting of about a dozen
ataps, ’ or palm thatched houses built over the water,
and a long jimbatan, or jetty, also on piles, serves as
a loadway and a landing stage for produce.
At the time of my visit the only European residents were
Mr. W. B. Pryer, who acted as agent and resident for the
company, who had just obtained cessions of territory
from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu respectively, and
Mr. Martin, a trader. There was formerly a depot here
belonging to the “ Labuan Trading Company,” managed.
by a Mr. Sachze, who died rather suddenly, as is believed
by poison administered by his wife, a beautiful native
woman given to intrigue. We landed at daybreak, and
Mr. Cowie and myself took our guns and went for a walk
in the forest behind the little group of houses. We followed
a path which had been recently cut, and which led
us in a northerly direction for about half a mile until we
came to a stream descending the steep hill side in a series
of little falls. Pigeons were plentiful here, but the trees
were too high to allow of our shooting them. We also
disturbed a colony of large red monkeys, who were breakfasting
on a tall fig-tree in fruit. We clambered up the
hill-side and walked along the ridge for some distance.
The surface vegetation was very meagre, only a few ferns
being obtained, all of which I had seen before, with the
exception of a bipinnate form of Blechnum orientalis,
having fronds five feet in length.
We retraced our steps along the ridge and descended
near the houses, following for some distance the little
stream which supplies beautifully clear and cool water to
the houses, and ships which call in here occasionally. This
stream falls over the sandstone rocks about a hundred
yards from the houses, to which it is conveyed by a large
bamboo aqueduct. Quite near to the rocks a neat little
bath house has been erected, and through the upper part
of this structure the bamboo water-pipe is carried, and
by blocking it up with a plug a delicious shower-bath is
obtainable. . We sent for our towels and clean clothes
from the ship, and enjoyed our morning ablutions very
much. The noble Dipteris Horsfieldii was luxuriant on
the rocks here, and a fine scarlet ixora was a perfect mass
of bloom. While searching for plants on the wet rocks
near the bath-house, I was startled by a snake popping
its head out of a bunch of herbage just level with my face !
I struck at it with a stick I had in my hand, but it made
its escape apparently unhurt, and perhaps more frightened
than I was, although I entertain a horror of these creatures.
Beturning to the ship I shot a fine fish hawk as
it flew overhead on its way to the forest. After breakfast
we paid Mr. Pryer a visit, and enjoyed looking over
splendid collections of Lepidoptera and Coleóptera which
he had made here. Some of the butterflies and beetles
were especially fine, and several were supposed to be new
to science. He had also a small collection of bird skin»