668 Messrs. Robinson and Kloss on Birds from the 



got off and proceeded up the river in the dusk. We arrived 

 at the wharf in the dark, while the rain, which had been 

 falling more or less ever since we had left Penang, settled 

 down into a regular downpour. By some misunderstanding, 

 the Siamese official who had been detailed to await our 

 arrival was not in attendance, and it was some considerable 

 time before we could find a roof to cover us, and then only 

 owing to the kindness of the resident Railway Engineer, 

 Mr. Knight, into whose house we burst somewhat un- 

 ceremoniously. 



Kantan, as the port of Trang is called, is a place of recent 

 origin and owes its existence entirely to the fact that it is the 

 furthest point up the Trang River which can be reached by 

 the coastal steamers, and that it has, therefore, been selected 

 as the Siamese official headquarters. At present it consists 

 merely of the residences of the Governor and other officials 

 and the various government offices, but in the near future it 

 is destined to be a place of considerable importance, as the 

 terminus of a railway which will shorten the distance between 

 Europe and Bangkok by four or five days. The country 

 round is, from the cursory view we had of it, uninteresting, 

 consisting mainly of rice-fields and plains of coarse grass, 

 with here and there low hills covered with secondary jungle. 



Next day we interviewed the Governor's deputy and 

 received numerous documents in Siamese, armed with which 

 we started off up stream in a steam launch, even more crazy 

 and ancient than the coaster that had brought us from Penang. 

 After about three hours' laboured progress, partly up river 

 and partly through canals cut across the bends, we arrived 

 at a collection of huts and shops at the termination of a road. 

 Here we transferred ourselves into gharries, and our belong- 

 ings and servants into bullock-and-buffalo carts, and rattled 

 off along a very fair road through the town of Tap-tien and 

 for about three miles on the other side to a park or botanical 

 garden, the property of the Governor, in which was a large 

 house built some years ago for the accommodation of the 

 King of Siam. There was also a very comfortable wicker 

 rest-house, in which, after some argument with the guardians, 

 we installed ourselves. 



