194 SUMATRA. [chap. vm. 



have any conception of an elevated forest-clad country, so 

 that I began to think it would be useless going on, as the 

 time at my disposal was too short to make it worth my 

 while to spend much more of it in moving about. At 

 length, however, I found a man who knew the country, 

 and was more intelligent ; and he at once told me that 

 if I wanted forest I must go to the district of Rembang, 

 which I found on inquiry was about twenty-five or thirty 

 miles off. 



The road is divided into regular stages, of ten or twelve 

 miles each, and, without sending on in advance to have 

 coolies ready, only this distance can be travelled in a day. 

 At each station there are houses for the accommodation 

 of passengers, with cooking-house and stables, and six or 

 eight men always on guard. There is an established 

 system for coolies at fixed rates, the inhabitants of the 

 surrounding villages all taking their turn to be subject to 

 coolie service, as well as that of guards at the station 

 for five days at a time. This arrangement makes travel- 

 ling veiy easy, and was a great convenience for me. I had 

 a pleasant walk of ten or twelve miles in the morning, 

 and the rest of the day could stroll about and explore 

 the village and neighbourhood, having a house ready to 

 occupy without any formalities whatever. In three days 

 I reached Moera-dua, the first village in Rembang, and 

 finding the country dry and undulating, with a good 



