248 UDA PRANG 



ness lands, of the Par North as well as of the Far 

 East. Beyond the paths they have made or which 

 their fathers trod, they know nothing ; though they 

 do not confess it. Native imagination, however, 

 is as active as their knowledge is limited, and em- 

 barrassment and confusion await the visiting ad- 

 venturer who has not learned by experience how 

 little dependence may be placed on the alleged in- 

 formation given under such conditions. 



We found no Dutch at this little river settle- 

 ment, Polloe Lawan by name, I think, though I find 

 myself uncertain about names on these rivers, and 

 having lost my notebook in an upset on the river 

 (along with some trophies and many films), I am 

 unable to reinforce my memory. 



The Dutch, in fact, have not made much of their 

 opportunities along the Sumatra coast and prac- 

 tically nothing in the interior; quite a different 

 story from Java, which is a veritable and flourish- 

 ing garden. Apparently they are satisfied with 

 scattered posts near the coast, on a few of the main 

 rivers, where paternal interest chiefly manifests 

 itself to the natives in taxation upon outgoing 

 rattan and incoming sarong stuffs. As a result 

 there has been but slight development of Sumatra. 

 The natives gather a little rattan and grow a little 

 of the plant from which tapioca is made. These 

 constitute their total of industries. Beyond this, 



