As the morning was cool, our party kept well together, except the Orang Kaya Upit and his relations, who would have bad birds. They are evidently in alarm; what about is rather puzzling, as we are only going to the houses of our last night’s visitors, but they apprehend treachery, and are giving broad hints about returning; to this I will not listen, as they will state no reason for their fears. Tabari’s village, unlike the rest, is on the main river, which thus affords us pleasant baths; it contains twenty-three families. Opposite the houses is one of those bamboo and wooden suspension-bridges, thrown from one tree to another, common in many rivers, and very useful, though they are sometimes very rotten, and will only bear one at a time. (Houses 3,127 feet.) Although we stopped at Tabari’s house, the Orang Kaya Upit would not, but went on to the next village. [Illustration: T. Picken, lith. Published by Smith, Elder & C^o. 65, Cornhill, London. Day & Son, Lith^{rs}. to the Queen. MURUT BRIDGE--TABARIS VILLAGE.] These people say that they are not Adangs, but the original inhabitants of the country, intermarried, however, with the fugitive tribe, and speaking the same language. They may be people of the lower Trusan, but I doubt if they have long been settled here: there are no fruit-trees nor ancient clearings around them, no sign, in fact, but of a rather recent settlement. I am promised a sight of the great mountain of Lawi to-morrow. There is some talk of our returning a new way; I shall not object if I can get my baggage brought on, as I like to pass over fresh ground, and I may be able to get some bearing of Molu, which I have not done since I left the Limbang. I forget whether I have mentioned it before, but there is a scheme on foot of which the Orang Kaya Upit is the originator, and he quotes me as his great authority. It is this: that the Sultan should allow a fort to be established at the entrance of the Madalam, to be held by the Orang Kaya, to stop the expeditions of the Kayans; then that the whole of the inhabitants of the interior of the Trusan should move over and farm between the Madalam and Madihit. There can be no doubt that it would be a good thing both for Brunei and the Muruts, as the Borneans would get rice cheap, and the Adangs be able to supply themselves with goods; few wear anything but bark now, and as on the Limbang there are both wax and camphor, and innumerable rattans, they would have no difficulty in purchasing cloths, which they already prize. The Muruts would be too far off to be oppressed, but near enough to trade. The Shabandar, however, dreads anything like combination among the Muruts, and would particularly object to their getting beyond his reach.