PULO PANJONG. 221 



away. The pine-apple plants, which grew in 

 natural profusion, formed extensive plantations, 

 and many of the poorer class of Malays ob- 

 tained a decent livelihood by taking them in 

 sampan loads, when ripe, for sale to Singa- 

 pore. The distant verdant islands also added 

 to the beauty of the landscape, and small boats, 

 gliding with a gentle zephyr over the glassy 

 surface of the water, or a thatched habitation, 

 nearly buried in a dense tropical vegetation, 

 gave an additional charm to the scene. 



Having collected a few fine ripe pines, we re- 

 sumed our little voyage to Pulo Panjong, or Long 

 Island, on which the elevated mount, called 

 Blackan Mattee is situated; we refreshed our- 

 slves with some pines, but our Malays, I observed, 

 did not eat the pines until they had dipped them 

 previously in salt-water, by which they con- 

 sidered the fruit was rendered more wholesome. 

 I did not relish following their example, nor 

 did I feel any ill-effects, from what many have 

 called my imprudence. The pines we gathered 

 contained a quantity of small brown flat seeds. 



We landed on Pulo Panjong, among some 

 neat Malay houses, near a sandy beach. The 

 thatched houses, towering cocoa-palms, plan- 

 tain trees, with rude plantations of sugar-canes, 

 yams, &c., reminded me of many of the islands 

 forming the Polynesian Archipelago ; and the 



