IN THE EYE OP DAY 201 



None the less we set off with considerable enthu- 

 siasm, because reports of elephants which I did not 

 want, and of seladang, which I did desire, were 

 arriving plentifully. Every day one or more na- 

 tives would come in to the official residence with a 

 woful tale of padi destroyed by mischievous ele- 

 phants ; and Noa declared he knew where a small 

 herd of seladang ranged which so often he had seen 

 that now, he assured us, he could find them with his 

 eyes shut for the " eminent Resident and his dis- 

 tinguished friend." 



One wants the happy unreasoning confidence of 

 childhood to thoroughly enjoy Malay. 



When we set out to find Noa's seladang, our 

 outfit of provisions was sent ahead in the pictur- 

 esque Malay draught cart, with our party of 

 eight under Noa leading the way, and Scott and I 

 following in a comfortless gharry, which we dis- 

 missed at the jungle edge in favor of shank's mare. 



As to nationalities, our party was something of 

 a mixture, including Malays, Tamils and China- 

 men ; but as to quality it was, with a single excep- 

 tion, uniform and useless to an exasperating degree. 

 Indeed it was notable in its very uselessness; to 

 have got together seven men so bootless on a hunt- 

 ing expedition, was in itself an achievement worthy 

 of record. The exception was Lum Yet, a Hok- 

 kien Chinaman, who had been engaged as cook, but 



