254 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. xni. 



start on our way. We found the roads awfully wet and 

 slippery, and in about half an hour's time it rained in 

 torrents, and the river being now so swollen and turbu- 

 lent that there was no hope of our being able to cross it 

 to-day we had to pull up at a little village called Buram- 

 hangan. The house where we stayed was about one 

 hundred feet above the river, which we could hear rush- 

 ing and roaring all night. We were soon surrounded by 

 the villagers, most of them young people, and remarkably 

 handsome. The men, especially, had very regular fea- 

 tures, dark expressive eyes, and their jet black hair when 

 free from the loose coil in which it is generally worn 

 hung down as low as the waist in lustrous masses which 

 a woman might envy. They appeared to be very thrifty, 

 and had abundance of poultry, swine, and buffaloes. 

 Their manufactures seem to be cloth, baskets, hats, and 

 mats of various kinds, together with fishing nets (made 

 in exactly the same manner as our own), and household 

 utensils of bamboo and cocoanut shells. 



August 8th. — We awoke just before sunrise. A lovely 

 morning, and the river has fallen much during the night. 

 We tried to hire another buffalo from these people, but 

 as they would not come to terms quickly we had to push 

 on without it, having fully made up our minds to reach 

 the village of Sineroup ere nightfall. Our path k^y up 

 the hill for about half a mile, and then we bore down 

 hill to the left. The path was like a drain, and awfully 

 dirty. Smith's buffalo made a bit of a start, and its 

 girths being loose he and the baggage toppled over into 

 the long grass and brushwood beside the path. A little 

 further on I had the same luck, although fortunately for 

 the rice and sleeping-gear which ray beast carried it hap- 

 pened in a dry place. The roads were very bad, and also 

 the fords, but we plodded steadily onwards, and by four 



