Heavy masses of clouds were now driving over the sky, threatening a deluge of rain, so we determined to spend the night here, and told our guide that we would distribute our men among the houses. Omar presently returned, saying the villagers refused us entrance into their dwellings. As now heavy drops began to fall, I went down from the fruit grove, where our party was assembled, and approaching a house which appeared the neatest and the cleanest, I found the door shut. There were evidently people inside, while all the other houses were empty. It is an universal custom in Borneo to afford shelter to travellers, but they very rarely like to enter houses whose owners are absent. Hearing some whispering going on inside, I knocked and directed the interpreter to ask for shelter; there was no answer, and as the heavy drops were coming down faster, I gave a vigorous push to the door. The fastening gave way, and an old woman fell back among a crowd of frightened girls, who, at the sight of a white man, shrieked and sprang to the ground through an opposite window. They did not run far, but turned to look if they were followed. We went to the window, and, smilingly beckoned them to come back, and as the rain was now beginning to descend with violence, they did so. We apologized for our rough entry, but the high wind that drove sheets of water against the house was our best excuse. We promised to pay for our accommodation, and in five minutes they were all busily engaged in their usual avocations. On the return of the men from their farms, we told them what had occurred, at which they laughed heartily as soon as they found we were not offended by having had the door shut in our faces, and we then made many inquiries concerning the lake of Kina Balu, and whether either branch of the Tawaran ran from it; but all the Dusuns were positive that the river had its sources in the hills, which we could see farther east. Of the lake itself they had never heard. The Nilau tribe is very scattered, none of the hamlets having above a dozen small houses; but in personal appearance Mr. Low found them much improved since he saw them in 1851. It is impossible even to guess at the population; but judging from the cleared appearance of the country, it must be tolerably numerous. There is little old forest, except on the summit of the highest ridges, all the land being used in succession. Rice, however, is the principal cultivation, there being few kiladis, and we observed no tobacco plantations. The girls of this village wore black cloths over their shoulders, and brought down so as to conceal their bosoms.