X.] SEARCH FOR COAL. 239 



carried the fortress, and huge creepers had scaled the walls. 



Everything was dreary, dark, and dripping, and it was a relief to 



turn our backs on the place and emerge once more from the 



gloomy forest into the bright tropical sun- . . 



light. We looked in vain for any date — 



which it used to be the custom of the 



Dutch to place over the gatew^ay — or for 



the later monogram of the " Vereendigde 



Oost-indische Compagnie." It is said that 



years ago there were many people living monogram of 



on the island, but that the pirates caused "^'"^^ ^- ^- company. 



its desertion. Our hunters were very unwilling to visit the group 



alone, though whether on this account, or from fear of ghosts or 



fever, I could not discover. 



This end of the island yielded us very little, our progress 

 inland being stopped in several places by sago swamps, which, 

 from the traces of felled trees and the remains of old paths, 

 appeared to be occasionally visited and worked. We shot a few 

 small birds, but saw no more of the racquet-tailed kingfisher, and 

 our only prize was a grand orchid of huge size, which was new to 

 us — its long sprays of pea-green flowers spotted with black and 

 yellow. 



The Kontroleur, finding his explorations in search of gutta 

 and camphor thus stopped, resolved to anchor farther to the 

 north. We weighed and proceeded cautiously under the direction 

 of the old native I have mentioned, passing between the mainland 

 and Mala-mala, which, instead of a rock, as marked on the chart, we 

 discovered to be an island at least three miles in length. It forms 

 a breakwater to the east, but we were unable to find an even 

 passable anchorage, and eventually let go in an awkward position 

 off a small sandy beach, in the neighbourhood of which, according 

 to our guide, both coal and iron existed. The former turned out to 

 be lignite, of easy ignition and very light, and quartz rock con- 

 taining an abundance of iron pyrites was common. From other 



