showed us the skin of a young rhinoceros which he had
shot in the mud pool near the Sagaliad river, about twenty
miles from Sandakan. The lower horn was three inches
in length, the upper one only just growing. Mr. Prety-
Tnan had also a small hut very interesting collection of
large coleoptera caught in the immediate neighbourhood.
August 25th.—We finished rigging up our boat this
morning, and stowed all our plants and stores on board
before breakfast. Four of my men, including “ Suong,”
who had been very useful to me, agreed to stay at this
place as policemen under Mr. Pretyman. To oblige him
I allowed them to do this. About 1 p.m. we started down
the river, a much easier thing than pulling the other way.
We reached the mouth in about an hour, but could not
get over the bar, as there was not a foot of water on the
bar; indeed we saw two native fishermen carry their little
canoes over. We had to wait until 10 o’clock at night,
when we got over and out to sea with a favourable breeze,
but we did not reach Labuan until August 30th, since
we had contrary winds, and altogether a very rough
passage.
Thus ended our journey for the second time to “ Kina
Balu,” which occupied in all thirty-one days from Labuan,
of which thirteen were occupied in the sea voyage from
Labuan to the Tampassuk and back; from Tampassuk to
Kiau and back thirteen ; and from Kiau to the mountain
and back five days. Our last journey, viz., the Tawaran
from Gaya and Menkabong, occupied in all twenty-three
days, but as we happened to start just at the commencement
of the dry season, we avoided the dangers and difficulties
of fording rapid streams. In the dry season the
Tampassuk route could be accomplished in five days, and
the ground is much more level than that along the
Tawaran route, which is both hilly and fatiguing, the
track being almost impassable for buffaloes. The difference
in the time occupied by the two routes is in part
accounted for in this way. Thus when I and Mr. Yeitch
went by the Tawaran we saved four or five days in going
by chartering a passage for ourselves by a trading steamer
which landed us at Gaya Bay the next morning after
leaving Labuan. On our reaching Labuan, poor Smith,
who had been ill in the boat for two or three days, had to
go to the hospital with a very bad attack of fever, doubtless
contracted during our walk from Ghinambaur to
the Tampassuk. He fortunately recovered in a week’s
time, but evidently had felt the effects of a difficult
mountain journey. All our friends in Labuan were glad
to see us back again, and the mails from home which had
arrived during my absence were of the most cheering
kind. Notwithstanding our rough passage I found my
plants and seeds in good condition, and I am glad to
know that the practical results of this journey were more
encouraging than I had expected, and many of the plants
and seeds obtained ultimately reached Chelsea alive.
Having at this time been over a year in Borneo, I had
learned a good deal of the language, and had also found
much to admire in the Malays and aboriginals, so that I
felt in a way loath to leave a land which had been fraught
with so many novelties and adventures to me.