"paddling my own canoe. 55 



thoroughly deceived me as well as the natives with me. The 

 lights and shades in the forest, combined with dead branches, 

 bushes, &c, take at times such curious shapes that the 

 wonder is mistakes are not oftener made. I once mistook a 

 bush for a pea fowl and actually did fire a charge of shot 

 into it. From the numerous calls I heard around me there 

 appeared to be a great many of that rare and beautiful bird 

 the argus pheasant, and being most anxious to secure a 

 specimen, I stalked to the sound most cautiously, but I 

 never even got a glimpse of these wary birds. We were 

 much tormented by the little forest leeches which, although 

 not bigger than a rose caterpillar, appeared to cover the 

 ground and hang on every leaf ready to fix themselves on 

 us ; at one place we had continually to move on, being afraid 

 to make a halt on account cf them ; we were duly protected 

 with leech gaiters but they got down the back of our necks 

 and up our sleeves ; how the natives, who had no protection, 

 escaped being absolutely sucked dry is a puzzle to me. 



One of my chief amusements at Singapore was "paddling 

 my own canoe " amongst the lovely islands and looking down 

 into the coral covered depths below, which on a calm day 

 seemed like a fairy forest, the coral having a most tree- 

 like appearance and of every variety of tint from deep red 

 to the most delicate green. Fish of all sizes and colors were 

 swimming about in every direction far down in these charm- 

 ing water woods. So clear is the sea that the Malays in 

 their sanpans, a very light kind of canoe, chase and spear 

 the seer fish, which here takes the place of salmon, only the 

 flesh is white instead of pink. It is a fast swimmer, quite 

 as large as the salmon and excellent eating. Two Malays, 

 one in the bow and the other in the stern of the canoe, 



