474 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



when they do take fii'e, tliey blaze up and disappear 

 like a bundle of straw. 



April 6th. — The Resident gave me a span of 

 horses and a covered carriage to drive to the banks 

 of a stream flowing to the southeast, and a servant 

 followed with another horse for me to use in fording 

 the stream and continuing my journey southward 

 to the southern end of Lake Sinkara. There has 

 been much rain during the past week, and coming to 

 the river we found it so swollen and rapid that the 

 moment a horse or man stepped into it he would cer- 

 tainly be swept away. I was, therefore, ol^liged to 

 follow up its coui'se a mile or two, till I came to a 

 village where the natives had made a rude bridge 

 between two high trees that leaned toward each other 

 from the opposite banks of the torrent. The bottom 

 of the bridge consisted of only two large bamboos, 

 l^ut there was another on either side to enable one to 

 maintain his balance while crossing. No place could 

 be found where it was possible to bring over the 

 horse, and I was obliged, therefore, to send him back 

 and finish that day's journey of twenty miles on foot. 



After crossing the stream I turned to the east- 

 ward, and, passing over a number of sharp ridges, 

 came down to the road we had left. This conducted 

 us along a small, rapid river, which we found to be 

 the Ombiling, the only outlet of Lake Sinkara. At 

 several places I noticed large wheels for raising water 

 to inundate the rice-fields. On the rim were fastened 

 pieces of bamboo at a slight angle, which filled as 

 they touched the surface of the stream and poured 

 out their contents v hen they came to the highest 



