Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra85861922roya).pdf/192

. Clifford walked over from Pekan and we started up river, spending Sunday, the 11th, at the Pahang Corporation's mine. The old mill at Jeram Batang was running for the last time prior to being moved to Sungai Lembing, where all the stamps were being concentrated. Derrick, the superintendent, entertained us royally. He took Clifford over Nicholson's & Willink's lodes and down the shaft. (Both these lodes are worked to this day).

. We continued upstream in four dug-outs with 20 men. Slept on the Cheras. Clifford's boat filled during the night and he awoke in the water.

. Stopped at a Sakai village, where we tried to get two men to join our party. Clifford fired off his best Senoi at them but they only bolted. Eventually, after an hour we caught two, named Chong and Bo'uk, whom we bribed with much tobacco to accompany us. These Kuantan Sakai have a peculiar way of making their blow-pipes. They split a piece of wood, bore out the half-sections and then bind the two pieces together with rotan and a covering of gutta-percha. The Patagonians of South America do the same, but I know of no other native tribes in this part of the world who make their blow-pipes in this way. Later they came down to my honse and gave a very good exhibition of shooting amongst my cook's fowls, and gave me a blow-pipe which is now in the British Museum.

We camped at Kuala Lipas that night and distributed the loads preparatory to walking next day. The worst of a rice-eating race is that they eat practically as much as they can carry. We therefore had to arrange to drop some of the men at the end of the second day's walk and most of the remainder as soon as we got far enough down the Tekal, or one of its tributaries, to raft.

Clifford was a Spartan in his methods of travelling. He arranged that we should live on curry and rice, tea and biscuits. Four chickens were allowed for curry; when they were finished, salt fish brought for the men was to be the only appetiser for the rice. I smuggled in a small flask of brandy–as my mother had made me promise never to travel without it,–two tins of sardines. and two of cocoa and milk. I may add that my Spartan companion was not above sharing these rare delicacies! Perhaps the most trying part, until one grew accustomed to it, was that the rice was cooked overnight, so a meal of cold rice confronted one at 6 a.m. and another at noon. We indulged in a hot meal only at night. However at the end of the trip we were all as fit as the proverbial flea.

. Started walking up the valley of the Senandok, our "path" being the bed of the stream. The leeches were frightful. I had torn my breeches above the knee, an accident of which these jungle pests took full advantage; I removed 15 leeches from