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Show 1 10 MR. D. D. DALY ON THE CAVES CONTAINING [Feb. 7, No. 1. THE GOMANTON CAVES, near Sandakan, East Coast, are by far the most extensive and rich in quantity and quality of birds-nests. These limestone caves are reached from Sandakan, the capital of British North Borneo, by ascending the Sapagaya River, which flows into the vast harbour of Sandakan, and from the head of the navigation of the Sapagaya by a jungle-track, 7\ miles in length, to the Gomanton caves. These caves can therefore easily be reached in half a day from Sandakan. Marching along the narrow track, between green walls of tropical jungle, the traveller at times takes breath to notice ferns, lycopodiums, pitcher-plants, and orchids that love the shade of valuable hard-wood forest trees. The crow of the Argus Pheasant frequently breaks the stillness, and the monster ape, the " Orang utan" (in Malay "Mias") looks down with surprise at the passing wayfarer from lofty branches overhead. As the caves are approached, half a mile off, the air is strongly impregnated with the odour of guano, of which there are valuable deposits; then slippery, moss-grown limestone boulders are scaled until the entrance, "Simud Putech " (Malay for " white entrance " ) , is reached. This porch is situated at an altitude of 570 feet, by aneroid, above the sea, and being 30 feet high by 50 feet wide, presents a noble entrance. Leaving this, a further climb of 500 feet brings the traveller to the summit of the Gomanton Caves. Peering down a small aperture, a magnificent cavern variously estimated at 850 to 900 feet in depth, or upwards of twice the height of St. Paul's, London, is disclosed. The native climbers descend from this hole, holding on to a network of rattan ladders that spread over the limestone roof of the vaults; as seen from the floor of the cave, the collectors appear like flies as they clamber about in their perilous work. Here, on the summit, there are some cocoa-nut trees, lime trees, and a plateau of grass. A grand panoramic view is unfolded, Sandakan harbour and distant cloud-capped ranges being prominent. Looking down from the plateau, there is a precipitous cliff inviting the weary mind with suicidal intent. Let us descend again to the Simud Putech entrance. It is very steep and slippery work ; suddenly a vast dome-shaped chamber is entered. This dome is honeycombed with other domes, all of which have their native names, as precise as the nomenclature of the leading thoroughfares into Trafalgar Square. The vaulted corridors leading to this dome are about 150 feet high. Let no man enter these caves without torch or candle, as there are dangerous fissures. In this, the Simud Putech cave, looking to the left, a dark abyss, known as the Simud ltam (Malay for " black entrance ") Cave, is pointed out by the guide; its depth is estimated at 400 feet. The Simud Putech Cave is coated with a layer of Swifts' guano from 5 to 15 feet in depth ; it is less valuable than the Bats' guano in the Simud ltam and other caves. Swiftlets in them. These nests having been overlooked or being inaccessible to the inexpert climber, are used by the birds for laying their eggs and rearing young ones year after year, until they turn black and worthless. |