2o8 THE WOODLANDS ORCHIDS 



dry bones. Here sprang a single tuft of Cyp. Stoneii, and 

 in passing Sir Hugh was tempted to dig it up. He cherishes 

 a suspicion — which he does not attempt to justify, of course 

 — that this sohtary plant, growing under conditions so 

 different to the rest, was platytaenium. 



Some years afterwards, a young clerk in the service of 

 a German firm at Singapore, visited Sarawak on his holiday. 

 Orchids made a standing topic for conversation in that early 

 time. He heard much about Mr. Day's priceless Cypriped 

 at the capital, and he resolved to try his luck. I may call 

 him Smidt for convenience ; my informants are not sure of 

 the name, after a lapse of forty years. 



There is no trouble in reaching Bau, The village stands 

 on the river Sarawak, and at any moment of the day a 

 sampan '^can be hired to take one thither. Smidt did not 

 travel in luxury. If he kept a ' boy ' at Singapore, like a 

 thrifty young Teuton he left him behind. Servants are as 

 easily found in those countries as sampans, if one be not too 

 particular. Smidt engaged a Chinaman who had good 

 recommendations, though not of recent date, nor from 

 persons living in Sarawak ; he had come thither from 

 Penang to ' better himself,' as he said, and had been work- 

 ing at the gold-fields. For convenience again we may give 

 him a name — Ahtan. 



The project of visiting Bau was not agreeable to this 

 Chinaman. ' I makee bad pigeon there one time,' he said 

 frankly. But the objection was not serious. 



Bau had changed since Sir Hugh Low's day. In the 

 meantime the Dutch authorities at Sambas had irritated the 

 gold-diggers of that region to the point that they massacred 

 a body of troops — I do not mean to hint that the Dutch 

 policy was unjustifiable. In consequence a great number of 

 Chinamen fled across the frontier, found profitable washings 

 at Bau, and invited their comrades. So many came, and 



