completed our meal. We “ squared up ” with our landlord
by paying a fathom of grey shirting and two black
Chmese looking-glasses for our house (which we had all
to ourselves), firewood, and a nice young fowl for our
dinner. About six o’clock I mounted my steed, and a
ride of about two hours brought us to the luxuriant fruit
groves which surround Ghinambaur. We found a scattered
village close beside the river, each house having its
own clump of cocoanut and other fruit trees. A mottledleaved
alpinia was common beside our route, and a pretty
climbing plant with opposite leaves, each hearing a
thunbergia-like white flower, was not unfrequently observed
among the grass and low shrubs. A rynchosper-
mum and two species of mussamda were very conspicuous.
One of the last-named was a bushy plant two to four feet
in height, bearing bright orange-scarlet flowers among its
dark glossy foliage, each flower being set off by a pure
white bract nearly as large as one’s hand. As seen among
the grass this plant was very distinct and effective. Its
congener is a climbing species not nearly so showy.
We rested in a Dusun house for an hour awaiting our
stragglers, two of whom were sick. Whilst waiting we spread
out our rice to dry, as it had become damp, doubtless
owing to the drenching rain of yesterday. Our hostess
was a rather attractive Dusun girl, whose husband was
away on a hunting excursion. She was very obliging, and
seemed quite pleased at our visit. The house was small
but very neat and clean, having, moreover, an air of comfort
about it not often seen in Dusun dwellings. Among
other goods we noticed netting needles of wood, similar
in principle to our own, together with excellent fishing
nets, weaving instruments, by means of which a strong
and din-able cloth is made from the macerated fibre of a
species of curculigo called “ lamba ” by the natives.
This is afterwards dyed with native grown indigo. Water
bottles of bamboo, sieves and fans of different kinds used
in cleaning rice, well made baskets of rattan-cane, knives
and choppers were also represented, and we especially
noted an excellent adze lashed to its shaft by neat rattan
work. This implement is used in cutting and trimming
planks from the large forest trees, saws being unknown
here. I noticed a small basket of true cotton of excellent
staple, but it is not much used, “ lamba” fibre being
obtainable in any quantity from the jungle without any
trouble, and its fibre is more readily worked with the
help of rude implements. For sewing thread we found
our hostess using the fibre of pine-apple leaves (Ananassa
sativa), which serves the purpose well. This plant must
have been introduced to Borneo many years ago, for it
has become thoroughly naturalised, apparently wild,
indeed, and not even jungle fires seem able to destroy it.
In the Philippine Islands the plant is common, although
the dainty manufactures of “ pina” fibre formerly made
there are now to a great extent discontinued. As examples
of skilful handweaving, these “ pina ” fabrics are
even superior to the celebrated hats of Panama, and a
dress made in the best manner would cost from a hundred
to three hundred guineas.
The villagers who accompanied the “ Orang Kaya,” or
headman, on his visit to us a short time after our arrival,
were very much interested in our firearms, and begged of
me to “ shoot something.” To please them, I took a chance
shot with a Snider rifle belonging to Smith, and brought
down a couple of cocoa-nuts which hung on a tree about
one hundred yards off. There was a general rush to pick
up the fallen nuts, and the blackened place where the
ball had struck was examined with much astonishment.
We now marshalled our followers and again made a