EXPLORATION OF LEW CHEW. 177 



The Pe-cliing, who had fallen in the rear, came up after dark, and immediately sought us, to 

 make his salutations. "We found that he and his associates had been keeping a journal of our 

 proceedings, and had already filled a roll of paper several yards in length with their remarks. 

 We had but few mosquitoes, and slept so well that I had some difficulty in rising for tbe 

 mid- watch. After much search, two tough old hens were found for our breakfast, which we 

 ate under the scrutiny of an hundred eyes, continually peering at us over walls, or popping out 

 from behind bushes. Whenever we noticed any of them the heads disap})eared, but they 

 returned again as soon as our gaze was removed. 



We were now commencing our fourth day, and it was time to think of turning back shortly. 

 After some consultation, it was determined to follow the coast for a short distance further, then 

 strike across the island in the direction of Port Melville, and reach in the evening a point on 

 the western shore corresponding to the latitude of our present camp. On starting, the native 

 officers were very urgent in requesting us to take a road leading westward. We kept, however, 

 a course nearly due north, and soon reached a hill, whence there was an excellent view of the 

 country on all sides. The northern headland of Barrow's Bay lay behind us. The general 

 direction of the coast in advance was N.E., stretching away to a distant promontory. A si)inal 

 ridge of mountains, covered with a wilderness of forests, ran parallel with the coast, leaving a 

 narrow strip of cultivated land next the sea. A column of smoke ascended from one of the 

 northern peaks, which we judged (and rightly, as it afterwards proved) to be a fire in the 

 woods. 



Mr. Jones decided to make for a gorge between two peaks, about six miles distant, and 

 rather to the east of north. We crossed a deep valley, with a salt creek at its bottom, and, 

 after following the coast for some time, took a road which, after ascending a long barren ridge, 

 plunged into the woods. The further we advanced, the more dense became the wilderness. 

 The only jjersons we met were woodmen, whom we saw occasionally felling trees with their 

 rude axes. The path was narrow, wet, and slippery, and for two or three miles a continual 

 ascent. At length we reached a conical peak covered with trees. The ascent was very difficult, 

 and I halted with the coolies at the base, while Mr. Jones, Dr. Lynah, and Mr. Heine, went up 

 to obtain a view. By climbing the trees and cutting away some of the limbs, they opened 

 epace for a grand central panorama of the island, which Mr. Heine set about sketching from the 

 tree-top. The path, which by this time had dwindled almost out of sight, passed directly over 

 the summit. We found the ascent like a staircase, and were obliged to use hands and feet to 

 reach the top. The Lew Chew coolies who carried our baggage made their way up with great 

 difficulty. As we were all suffering from thirst, I started in advance, with the seaman Mitchell, 

 tbe Chinamen, and the coolies. The path, which was now a faint woodman's trail^ did not 

 appear to have been travelled for months. It was shut in by a species of small bamboo, so 

 dense as almost to exclude light, and a large, red, hairy spider had woven innumerable webs 

 across it. Now ascending, now descending, we pushed ourselves or crept through the almost 

 impervious copse wood, for nearly two miles, till the path became more open, and a partial 

 look-out to the westward showed us the China sea. On the side of the nearest peak to the 

 northward, we distinctly saw the woods on fire and a bare space of about ten acres studded with 

 charred trunks. The descent was very slippery, but becoming more and more open, I at length 

 recognized our position. We were approaching the head of the deep bight south of Port 

 Melville, and separated from it by an arm of the island, which stretches out to the northwest, 

 23 J 



