Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra13141884roya).pdf/327

 thus one has to climb over and under in a most disgraceful manner, as the whole was an eutangled mass of twigs which stopped and caught one at every side, besides being dripping with water. By the time the highest crest was reached, the clouds had gathered, and no view could be obtained. Having satisfied ourselves about the road, and cleared the most of it, we turned back. Though the descent was slower and more troublesome than going up, yet we reached our camp easily an hour before sunset. Our supplies had not arrived, and our chances of making a second ascent seemed rather uncertain. Our last rations of rice were served out that evening. On the next day (Queen's birthday, hence the camp was called. Queen's Camp) we cleared away much more of the forest, but as the party were without food, and there were no signs of our messengers, we prepared, with much chagrin, to return to our lower camp. We had just packed everything when the supplies arrived. Our messengers had lost themselves in the jungle and this was the cause of the delay.

On the 27th, taking with us a light equipment for camping, we again ascended the summit of the mountain. After erecting our tents, or rather our waterproof sheets which served as a substitute, we went on to the summit and built an immense heap of wood and dammar resin to serve as a signal fire at night. Beyond the summit there is a steep valley and at the other side are isolated pinnacle of granite nearly as high as the mountain and perfectly precipitous except on the side of the valley. Messrs. and ascended this with much hard climbing and found on the summit a small pile of stones and a flag-staff, while the remains of a flag were strewn on the ground. It is supposed that this flag was placed there at the instance of Captain, who paid the Malays a considerable sum to plant a flag there for surveying