STRUCK BY A HEAVY SQUALL. 451 



stead of being covered by a flat deck, lias a steep roof, 

 which descends on either side to the railing like the 

 Javanese junks. Aft, where the tiller sweeps round, 

 the deck is horizontal, but, as the stern is nearly as 

 sharply-pointed as the bow, there is little room to 

 sit. We have one mast, with a large, tattered main- 

 sail and two jibs. 



At midnio-ht there was a little breeze from the 

 land and we weighed anchor and stood to sea. In 

 the morning we found ourselves becalmed about five 

 miles from Tunkus Nasi, a sharp, conical island, 

 which forms the southern extremity of Tapanuli Bay. 

 Somewhat more to the west was the high plateau-like 

 island of Mensalla. On its northwestern shore there 

 is a waterfall, where the water leaps down some two 

 hundred feet directly into the sea. It is so high that 

 when I was at Siboga, people who have been at 

 Barus assured me they have been able to see it when 

 the sun shone on it, though the distance is some six- 

 teen miles. At sunset we were so far down the coast 

 that it was time for us to chano-e our course to the 

 south if we would visit the Batu Islands. 



Our Malay captain was anxious that we should 

 keep on our course to Padang ; my friend said he cared 

 very little to go to those islands, and when I looked 

 at the ragged mainsail and realized that it would prob- 

 ably disappear in a moment if a heavy squall chanced 

 to strike us, I gave my vote to continue on near the 

 shore. Besides, the sky looked threatening, and we 

 were evidently in a miserable vessel to live out a fresh 

 gale and a heavy sea. Near midnight I was aroused 

 by our boat pitching and rolling heavily, and the cap- 



