262 UDA PRANG 



where I slept when we did not camp ashore, I con- 

 gratulated Uda Prang on the courage he had shown 

 that afternoon, and told him of my delight in 

 having a jungle hunter of such prowess in my 

 party. 



Next morning we took up our course again. I 

 must say the river travel had become very monot- 

 onous—really oppressive. All the time there was 

 the same scene— palms and a dense jungle lining 

 the banks, with trees here and there showing their 

 tops in the background. Now and again we saw 

 some monkeys with long and short tails, and heard 

 the rasping screech of a hornbill, or the croak of a 

 heron ; now and again a crocodile with baleful eye 

 sunk from sight as we neared. At rare intervals 

 a lonely bird sent out a few notes. Otherwise there 

 was only the squeak of the sampan oars following 

 us, and the men in the canoe now humming, now 

 softly singing, as they drew their paddles through 

 the water. Overhead, just about sunset, passed 

 every afternoon great flocks of fruit bats, which 

 seemed always to be going west. The stream here 

 narrowed considerably, and after three days tow- 

 ing the sampan, because there was not width 

 enough to use the oars, we came at length one after- 

 noon to the headwaters. 



As there was no interior settlement of which we 

 knew in the direction we were going, we made a 



