AND THE MALAY STATES 



67 



It grew rough in the night and the pagan who pretended to look 

 after my comfort . slipped in and closed the port, which drove me on 

 deck very early in the morning, to find the day lowery and dark, with a 

 high wind blowing. Toward night, however, the clouds had scattered, 

 -all except a great black mass that lay over Sumatra way. As the sun 

 dropped behind this mountain of cloud, and sent its rays through it, 

 lighting the interior, we looked into huge golden caverns, their crimson 

 ceilings upheld by twisted columns and arches of fantastic design, while 

 the light shining above the cloud mass flecked the sky to its furthest 

 horizon with wonderful combinations of gold and purple that held one 

 breathless with awe and delight. 



After passing Malacca, which showed simply a white line close 

 to the water's edge, so far away was it, and many islets covered with 



MALAY VILLAGE "PULO BRAM" SINGAPORE. 



I The huts all on supports, over water.] 



palms, we sighted Singapore about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. As the 

 tide was not right, we couldn't take the nearest channel, but were 

 obliged to go outside of the strongly fortified islands that form natural 

 breastworks for the fine harbor, and by putting on all steam, we were 

 able to get up to the P. and O. docks just as night fell. Those of us 

 who were going to stop in Singapore went ashore at once, leaving 

 our baggage to follow, and, in a square, box-like gharri drawn by a 

 little Burmese stallion, we drove by the Malay fishing village, around 

 through the Kampong Glam to Raffles Hotel, said to be the hotel de 

 luxe of the East. There we had dinner and later took rickshaws and 

 rode through the Chinese, Malay, and Japanese quarters, watching with 

 <eager eyes the strange street scenes, listening to and trying to remember 



