tain was concerned, and although all our guides were loud
in their protests that it would be impossible to cross the
streams after the. late heavy rain, we were doggedly
determined to go on. We crossed the river twice, and
now, at 8.30, all further progress seems impossible, since
we have to cross again, and this at a place where the
river is a boiling torrent nearly five feet deep. The
Dusun themselves seem to have no great difficulty in
crossing, hut our »Labuan men are afraid. The great
difficulty is to keep one’s legs under one in the strong
current, and to facilitate this being done the Dusun often
take up a heavy stone and carry it on one shoulder. Our
men bathed here whilst waiting, and most of them took
up a stone and cast it into the water ere they flung themselves
in. This they do to propitiate the “ antu,” or
river god, who they tell me might otherwise be offended,
and afflict them with sickness. As we sit beside this
rushing river, the most gorgeous butterflies flit here in
the chequered shade afforded by overhanging branches.
Yellow, white, and brown species vie with each other in
activity. Now and then the most splendid ornithoptera
are seen, their strong and swift flight resembling that of
a bird. One lovely fellow, fully six inches across the
wings, settled on my boot as I remained motionless
watching it. It was of a velvety blackness, with a bold
band of pea-green across the wings. Another species
rather smaller has a band of metallic blue. These delicate
insects are generally most numerous by rivers, or in
sunny places by the dry beds of streams, and, singularly
enough, are most abundant during the cool wet monsoon.
August 11th.—A lovely morning, and at sunrise we
obtained charming views of “ Kina Balu.” The rugged
top crags were especially well defined, as alsj the sloping
plateau, which seemingly forms the watershed for one of
the highest falls. Apparently we are quite near to the
mountain, and the waterfall is distinctly audible, which
does much to increase the delusion. As the sun’s power
increased, however, the view lost its distinctness, and in
half an hour’s time heavy white mist clouds had swept
around its summit, and all its beauty of tint and shadow
was lost to view. We ate a hurried breakfast, and
started for Koung, a large and prosperous village situated
a little to the south-east of Saduc-Saduc, the mountain
ascended by Mr. Thomas Lobb in 1856. Our way lay
diagonally down a hillside drain until we came to the
river, which we forded, and then bore to the left across
level rice-fields and patches of luxuriant kaladi (Calaclium
esculentum) and Indian corn, both of which evidently
succeed best on these rich low lying alluvial plains. We
crossed the river four or five times ere we at last found
ourselves on the splendid village green of Koung. This
green is a mile or more in length, lying at the foot of a
range of sandstone hills which shelter it from the north,
while the river skirts its southern side, and another hill
rises from the river banks still further southward. It is,
in fact, a well watered grassy plain between two sheltering
parallel hill ranges, and affords the best pasturage for
cattle that I have seen anywhere in the East. Of t.hig
the villagers take every advantage, for nowhere have I
seen finer kine and buffaloes than here. We reached the
headman’s house at Koung about four o’clock in a
drenching downpour of rain. Some trees beside the
stream were draped with a glorious climber, having
scarlet flowers (Bauhinia Kochiana), and a glaucous climbing
plant, having lilac flowers, had completely overrun
some of the forest trees on the opposite bank. We took
up our quarters in the house of the headman, “ La-
payang,” to whom Mr. Yeitch and myself had given a