scenery of the Himalayas, is so remarkable, that we are forcibly led to the
conclusion that the forces at work in the two cases have been the same, differing
only in the time they have been in action, and the nature of the material they
have had to work upon.
About noon we reached the village of Menyerry, beautifully situated on a spur
of the mountain about 600 feet above the valley, and affording a delightful view
of the mountains of this part of Borneo. I here got a sight of Penrissen Mountain,
at the head of the Sarawak River, and one of the highest in the district, rising to
about 6,000 feet above the sea. To the south the Rowan, and further off the
Untowan Mountains in the Dutch territory appeared equally lofty. Descending
from Menyerry we again crossed the Kayan, which bends round the spur, and
ascended to the pass which divides the Sadong and Sarawak valleys, and which
is about 2,000 feet high. The descent from this point was very fine. A stream,
deep in a rocky gorge, rushed on each side of us, to one of which we gradually
descended, passing over many lateral gullys and along the faces of some
precipices by means of native bamboo bridges. Some of these were several
hundred feet long and fifty or sixty high, a single smooth bamboo four inches
diameter forming the only pathway, while a slender handrail of the same
material was often so shaky that it could only be used as a guide rather than a
support.
Late in the afternoon we reached Sodos, situated on a spur between two
streams, but so surrounded by fruit trees that little could be seen of the country.
The house was spacious, clean and comfortable, and the people very obliging.
Many of the women and children had never seen a white man before, and were
very sceptical as to my being the same colour all over, as my face. They begged
me to show them my arms and body, and they were so kind and good-tempered
that I felt bound to give them some satisfaction, so I turned up my trousers and
let them see the colour of my leg, which they examined with great interest.
In the morning early we continued our descent along a fine valley, with
mountains rising 2,000 or 3,000 feet in every direction. The little river rapidly
increased in size until we reached Senna, when it had become a fine pebbly
stream navigable for small canoes. Here again the upheaved slatey rock
appeared, with the same dip and direction as in the Sadong River. On inquiring
for a boat to take me down the stream, I was told that the Senna Dyaks, although
living on the river-banks, never made or used boats. They were mountaineers
who had only come down into the valley about twenty years before, and had not
yet got into new habits. They are of the same tribe as the people of Menyerry
and Sodos. They make good paths and bridges, and cultivate much mountain