430 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



selves to be constantly tortured by presentiments and 

 omens, I could not rid myself of an impression tliat 

 some accident was going to happen to those who were 

 bringing over the carriage, and went back to see for 

 myself what they were doing. The wheels and top 

 were over, and six natives were bringing the body, 

 which, though quite large, was very light. They had 

 already crossed the long span, and were coming on 

 to the short one. "Is it possible," I said to myself, 

 " that such a slight structure can hold such a weight 

 at such a great leverage ? We shall soon see, for 

 they are rapidly coming to the middle of the second 

 span." At the next instant there was a loud, sharp 

 crack, like the report of a pistol. One of the large 

 rattans that went over the high branches of the 

 camphor-trees and supported the sides, had parted at 

 one of its joints. The officer who had charge of the 

 bridge, and was standing by my side, seized me by the 

 shoulder in his fright. As soon as the rattan on one 

 side broke, the bridge gave a fearful lurch in the op- 

 posite dii'ection, but the natives all knew they must 

 keep perfectly quiet and allow themselves to swing, 

 and, finally, when it had become still, they came on 

 carefully and safely reached the bank. The officer 

 and I both believed that the moment one of the rat- 

 tans broke, the others, having of coui'se to support a 

 much greater weight, would also break, and that we 

 should hear a few more similar crackings, and see all 

 the natives fall headlong down nearly one hundred 

 and forty feet into the boiling torrent beneath, which 

 is so rapid that only a few days ago a buifalo, that 

 was standing in the side of the stream above the 



