ON THE SELANGORE SEA-COAST. 313 



The mother-in-law and daughter had often peeped through the 

 crack of the door at me, but never had showoi themselves until I 

 sent in to the old lady a knife, fork, and spoon as a present, instead 

 of the spoon she had craved as a cui'iosity ; whereupon she forth- 

 with donned her best sarong and jacket, and came into the room 

 where I was, to thank me for her presents and her daughter's. 

 (Nothing makes a man feel meaner than to give a poor present and 

 see it appreciated far beyond its worth.) But her daughter's face I 

 never saw. 



We got off about an hour after dark, spread our huge matting 

 saU, and glided slowly along the shore. Francis sjDread a bed for 

 us under an extemporized roof, and we slept well. In the middle 

 of the night I was rudely awakened from a dream of bison-hunting 

 by my bedfellow, who sprang to his feet, clawing violently at the 

 back of his neck, and "uttering strange oaths" as well as familiar 

 swear words. He had been bitten by " an awful big centipede," and 

 advised me, for my own safety, to get up quickly. Being a firm be- 

 liever in the truth of the saj'ing that " hghtning never strikes twice 

 in the same place," I lay still and went to sleep. At noon of the 

 next day we reached Klang again. 



