THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 31 



gratifying institution. It is intended originally for 

 the government officials on their rounds of duty, 

 whether it is the Resident of a district on a tour of 

 inspection, or the roads commissioner building new 

 highways into the interior; and among the regula- 

 tions on the wall of the dining-room you will read 

 that in every case an official has first call in the mat- 

 ter of accommodations. In the more frequented 

 places a servant will be found in charge, who performs 

 the combined duties of cook, butler, valet, and any- 

 thing else that may be required. Farther away from 

 civilization, where travellers are few and the officials 

 are given larger tracts to cover, there is no servant, 

 but the key of the rest-house will be found in charge 

 of some privileged old inhabitant of the village, who 

 unlocks it with the greatest pomp and ceremony, 

 and sweeps it out as though preparing a palace for 

 the king's arrival. Up in the interior these buildings 

 are raised high above the ground, in case of flood, 

 a porch runs along the outside, and the single floor 

 inside is simply furnished with plenty of plain 

 wooden chairs and tables, pots and pans for cook- 

 ing, and, above all, mosquito-netting. 



It was at Lenggong that our first news of a tiger 

 came. The headman, or penghulu, of the village 

 called on us one morning with two old trackers, who 

 said that within the week a tiger had killed a bullock 



