426 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



spector and I were becoming fatigued, we therefore 

 rested at this place for a day, 



March Qth. — Started early in the carnage for 

 Lumut, in a westerly direction. Our road continued 

 to ascend until we reached the water-shed formed by 

 the Barizan, and were two thousand five hundred 

 feet above the sea. We now passed out of the great 

 valley of Mandeling, which is fifty-five miles long in 

 a right line, but only fi'om six to ten miles broad. 



The descent from the water-shed toward the sea is 

 gradual, but the road is execrable and exceedingly nar- 

 row at best, and wholly covered, except a narrow foot- 

 path, with tall grass. Besides, our horses had never 

 been harnessed to a carriage before, and, after many 

 fruitless attempts to guide them, I said to the inspect- 

 or that the only way we should be able to proceed 

 would be to make the ^vild natives, who gathered to 

 look on, haul us themselves. He replied that that 

 would be perfectly impossible, for they respect no 

 one but the governor. However, I noticed that they 

 recognized oui' " American " as the one the governor 

 had used in travelling that way once before — the only 

 time a carriage had ever been seen on the road — and 

 jimiping out, directed our Malay attendants, who 

 could speak their language, to say to them the gov- 

 ernor wished us to take the "American " through to Si- 

 boga, and every man must helj) us obey his com- 

 mand. This chanced to strike them favorably, and 

 their rajahs detailed some twenty to haul us as far 

 as the next village. I selected three of the tallest 

 and fleetest and placed them between the thills, and 

 ranged others outside to haul, by means of long rat- 



