IN THE EAST INDIES. 101 
walls twelve hundred feet high, disappears through a 
great tunnel a hundred and fifty feet high, with 
wonderful stalactites and stalagmites in it. It emerges 
a fourth of a mile beyond but scon disappears into 
the earth again; it does not reach the light again for 
more than a hundred and twenty-five miles. The walis 
of the gorge, covered with magnificent maiden hair 
ferns, ivies, orchids, creepers and palms growing in 
the niches of the rocks, with the great hornbills flying 
about; wild parrots darting like green arrows here 
and there; peacocks and jungle cocks calling — the 
descent will never be forgotten. It was fearfully 
hot but inside it was most refreshingly cool. We 
found a great colony of swiftlets (Collocalia) nesting © 
inside and shot some of them. We got some interesting 
insects and fresh water crustacea from the bottom of 
the gorge and from within the tunnel. The gorge has 
just been reached by a railroad. 
Two hours and a half later. 
I have just seen the Rangoon Gazetteer which 
shows that the boat sailing the day after tomorrow for 
the Straits Settlements is the Bharata, a far better 
boat than the old Palemeottah, which sailed last week. 
So I feel well pleased that we remained here the extra 
time. None of these boats are what we would eall 
ocean liners, these are still waters and our four days 
journey is broken for twelve hours at the beautiful 
little island of Penang. The island has a fine botanical 
garden, and we would both like to spend a week there 
for the climate at ‘‘the peak’’ is very fine. It is the only 
hill station or sanitorium in the Straits Settlements. 
From Singapore we go by the first boat to Batavia, 
Java, and directly from the steamer, which iands us 
