A TWO MONTHS' LEAVE IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 3 



though within one degree of the Line ; and the nights are 

 deliriously cool, the mornings almost cold. We are going into 

 a very good game country, and certainly ought to get sport of 

 some kind, either in the shape of elephant, buffalo, or deer, 

 though it will be a great chance if we get a shot at a tiger 

 in that part of the peninsula. 



September 6. — We left Singapore on the 31st August in the 

 tongkong, our party consisting of Capt. C. and myself, Tuanko 

 Solong, the young Rajah of Johor — a great swell in his own 

 country, five Malay boatmen, two gun carriers, both well tried 

 fellows, and my Chinese boy as cook, &c. We had part of the 

 boat covered over with mats, and secured ourselves a dry 

 •sleeping place in all weathers. JVJoving along the west coast of 

 Johor, for about eighty miles, we reached the mouth of the 

 Moar River on Sunday, Sept. 3. The scenery among the 

 islands in the Straits of Malacca is very beautiful ; the land 

 is covered with splendid green forest reaching down to the very 

 edge of the water. The next day we moved a few miles up the 

 river, which is about 500 yards across in this part ; secured 

 two guides, old hands at elephant tracking ; landed, and went 

 out for an hour or two. Here we had our first experience of 

 what the Malay jungle is to move through. The whole 

 country is much the same, being one huge forest, with a dense 

 undergrowth of thorny jungle of different kinds ; and, gene- 

 rally speaking, a knee- deep swamp under foot, with the 

 pleasure of floundering up to your fork occasionally in the 

 holes made by the elephants' feet. It is necessary always to 

 have a man in front to clear the way with his parang (heavy 

 knife). Of course, this first day we found ourselves terribly out 

 of condition, and returned to the boat about two o'clock 

 regularly beat, and without having seen anything, though we 

 heard that five elephants had been close to the huts of the 

 natives, on the bank of the river, during the previous night. 

 The people brought us some fowls, wild honey, and sugarcane 

 for sale. 



Before going any further, I must tell you our daily routine 



B 2 



