246 



TUBA FISHING. 



WHEN I was stationed, some years ago, at Kuala 

 Kuantan, I represented throughout a district of many 

 hundreds of square miles, principally forest, all that 

 the Malays understood of British Protection. My 

 nearest European neighbours to the west could only 

 be reached by two days' poling up river ; southward, 

 by a two days' journey on foot along the sea-shore. 

 Eastward lay the China Sea, thundering upon a 

 sandy beach within a mile of my door. Northward, 

 over many hundreds of miles, through unprotected 

 native states, there were no Europeans until Siamese 

 territory was reached. 



I was therefore fortunate in finding myself among 

 an exceptionally fine set of Malays. One and all they 

 welcomed any sporting expedition, and a whole village 

 would turn out at the shortest notice to join in a 

 deer-drive. So much did they enter into the sport 

 and identify themselves with it, that the idea of being 

 paid for their work never occurred to them. Between 

 associates there is no question of remuneration, and if 

 I had offered them money they would at once have felt 

 that I looked upon them as servants rather than as 

 my fellows. All that they asked was, that if it were 



