224 JIN ABU FINDS 



There were, however, two features of Sumatran 

 life which more than made amends for other short- 

 comings— (1) absence of vermin on the human 

 kind; and (2) scarcity of dogs at the settlements; 

 and it is difficult to decide which brought the trav- 

 eller the greater relief. The Sumatrans are rather 

 modest, for Malays, and in some respects well man- 

 nered; for example, I observed that my men in 

 nearing a house invariably gave a loud and re- 

 peated ahem as a signal of some one approaching. 



We had now come to the little river having its 

 source in the higher country we sought, and which, 

 though less than ten feet separated the up-standing 

 palms guarding its two banks, was fairly deep as 

 is characteristic of these Sumatran streams. Even 

 had it been wide enough, the current was so strong 

 as to make it impracticable to take on our sampan 

 farther, so here, with its philosophic Chinese crew, 

 we left it; while the four Malays and I and the 

 outfit loaded into the dug-out, which, under the 

 added weight, set so low as to leave only a couple 

 inches of freeboard. 



They told us it was about forty miles to the head 

 waters, but our five paddles plied a full ten hours 

 each day of two, and must have sent the easy mov- 

 ing canoe through the water four miles the hour 

 for every one of the twenty, despite the current. 

 Gradually, as we advanced, the palms in the river 



