THE KUBUS. ■ 533 



that already described. Other massive rectangular 

 tombs are seen outside. None of these appear to be 

 very old. 



From Palembang to the mouth of the Musi is 

 about fifty miles, and yet there is plenty of water 

 for the largest steamers to come to the city. The 

 ^Musi is therefore the largest river in Sumatra; and 

 Palembang gains its importance from its position as 

 the head of na^^gation on this river, which receives 

 into itself streams navigable for small boats for many 

 miles. On the south is the Ogan, which, in its upper 

 part, flows through a very fertile and well-peopled 

 region, and which, fi-om the descriptions given me, 

 I judge is a plateau analogous to that at Kopaiyong, 

 near the source of the Musi. This reo'ion of the 

 Ogan produces much pepper. North of the Musi is 

 the country of the Kubus, who have been described 

 to me here and at Tebiug-Tingi as belonging to the 

 Malay race. They are said to clothe themselves 

 with bark- cloth, and to eat monkeys and reptiles of 

 all kinds. They shun all foreigners and other na- 

 tives, and are very rarely seen. They appear to be 

 veiy similar in their personal appearance and habits 

 to the Lulnis that I saw north of Padang, and per- 

 haps form but a branch of that people.* It was to 

 this place that the author of the " Prisoner of Welte- 

 vreden " came on his filibustering expedition, and 

 was seized and carried to Batavia, whence he es- 

 caped. The open-hearted and generous manner in 



* The total population of this residency i;* estimated at 527,050, of 

 which 1;]2 arc EuropeaiiM ; about 522,345 natives ; 2, 7'JO Chinese; 1,710 

 Arabs ; and 07 from other Eastern nations. 



