THE RUBBER FORESTS 



23 



steep for even the most 

 agile mules. It is simply 

 impassable for animals 

 without hands. In places 

 the packs are lowered by 

 ropes over steep ledges 

 and men must scramble 

 down from one project- 

 ing root or swinging vine 

 to another. In the breath- 

 less jungle it is a wearing 

 task to pack in all sup- 

 plies for the station be- 

 low the Pongo and to 

 carry out the season's 

 rubber. Recently however 

 the ancient track has been 

 replaced by a road that 

 was cut with great la- 

 bor, and by much blast- 

 ing, across the mountain 

 barrier, and at last mule 

 transport has taken the 

 place of the Indian. 



In the dry season it 

 is a fair and delightful 

 country — that on the bor- 

 der of the mountains. In 

 the wet season the trav- 

 eler is either actually ma- 

 rooned or he must slosh 

 through rivers of mud 

 and water that deluge the 

 trails and break the 

 hearts of his beasts (Fig. 

 1-i). Here and there a 



Fig. 18 — Index map for the nine regional 

 diagrams in the pages following. A rep. 

 resents Fig. 17; B, 42; C, 36; D, 32; E, 34; 

 F, 25; G, 26; and H, 65. 



