A PLEASURE TRIP UP THE SARAWAK. 481 



On the folloNving morning we rose early and after a good sub- 

 stantial "coflfee," Mr. St. John and I set out to walk to Tegora, 

 eleven miles from Paku. There is a good bridle-road and good 

 bridges all the way, and with good company it is a delightful walk. 

 The road is merely a narrow lane through beautiful virfjin forest 

 of stately trees and trailing Kanas, mossy rocks and acres of pretty 

 ferns. 



Presently we came to the Staat River, a small, shady stream, 

 along the south bank of which the road winds for several miles. 

 Far below us, over its bed of clean white pebbles, flowed the river, 

 clear and cool ; at last, when we came to where the road crosses 

 the stream on a high bridge*, a deep shady pool in the bend below 

 looked so inviting to our perspiiing bodies that I begged St. John 

 to take a swim vdth me. Boy-like, we " raced " in undressing to 

 see who should take the water first, and in less than five minutes 

 we plunged into the cool, sweet water, where not a ray of the hot 

 sun could reach us, where the water was deep, and, thank heaven ! 

 free from crocodiles. How delicious it was, and how loth we were 

 to leave that bath "fit for the gods." It was the first really secure 

 and comfortable swim I had enjoyed since Jackson and I went 

 s%\'imming in the Orinoco, when I stepped upon a small sting-ray 

 with the usual result, and he got nipj^ed by a cariba fish. Verily 

 there is little comfort in swimming in tropical rivers, especially 

 within tidal influence, for they are nearlv always dirty, and infested 

 by sharks, sting-rays, crocodiles, and other aquatic vermin. 



The last four miles of the road led over a succession of low hills, 

 and the forest scenei-y gi-ew even more picturesque and charming. 

 At last we reached the village of Pankalan about a mile from Te- 

 gora, at which there is a police station and cour1>room, and also a 

 shop kept by a wealthy Chinaman. We halted at the shop and 

 emptied a quart bottle of champagne, a drink by no means to be 

 despised in the jungle. After we had disposed of a "scratch" 

 breakfast evolved for us by the Chinese shopkeeper's domestics, St 

 John tarried to hold court, over which he presided as magistrate. 

 Had I but understood the Malay language I would gladly have 

 stayed to watch the proceedings, but having no special interpreter, 

 my presence would have been only a hindrance to the court, so I 

 left, and walked on to Tegora. 



On the way to Tegora, where we had been invited to dine and 

 put up for the night, I met "^Ix. Harvey, a handsome, manly-looking 

 young Englishman, one of the officers in charge of the mines, who 

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