FROM MR. WALLACE. 203 
in search of something to attach themselves to. Their bite is so gentle 
that it is never felt, and when satisfied they drop off; so that the only 
intimation you have of their attacks is when, on changing your clothes, 
you find your stockings or trousers saturated with blood. This used 
to happen with us every day, the only inconvenience being a very great 
irritation as the bites healed. The leeches, therefore, we did not care 
about, and all other hardships we determined to put up with; but the 
difficulty remained to find men to go with us for a moderate payment, 
as we were determined not to be imposed upon, and the Malays are 
generally rather extravagant in their demands when a trip is contem- 
plated to Mount Ophir. | 
At length, however, after several failures in our negotiations, we suc- 
ceeded in agreeing with an old man and four young ones to carry our 
baggage to the mountain, and remain there a week with us and shoot 
birds, etc., during the time. Besides the necessary provisions, we took 
the smallest possible quantity of clothes and bedding, as we had to 
carry collecting apparatus, guns and ammunition, and “ cadjaris” (or 
large mats, made of the leaves of a Pandanus) to thatch our hut with. It 
Was a drizzling morning when we started, at about six o'clock, but this 
Was quite as pleasant for walking. For the first three miles we had a 
pretty good wide road, through a lofty jungle, with only occasional mud- 
holes to wade through. We then reached a village where one of our 
men lived, and they proposed staying here an hour for one of the wo- 
men to sift the rice, which they had found was so full of husk as to be 
almost uneatable. This being done, we again went on through a more 
open country, along paths among fruit-trees and cottages, and, crossing 
over a wide paddy-field valley, we reached another village about ten 
o'clock, where we stayed to breakfast. Starting hence about twelve, we 
crossed a second paddy-field, and then entered again into the gloomy 
jungle. Here our men loaded their guns with ball, assuring us that T 
tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses were all abundant. Onour way they s 
pointed out the footprints of these animals, and I was in hopes we ~ 
should get a sight of them ; but we went on mile after mile through the ae 
jungle and saw nothing till we again emerged at another village, where 
we were to get a guide who knew the road up the mountain. While 
resting here an examination for leeches took place, and many of our 
party found themselves bitten in several places. I escaped my self, by 
Wearing my worsted socks over my trousers, and kept in their place by 
