CH. III.] In the Foresi. 37 



and in these the leaves and young stems are boiled. 

 The product, when finished, looks like wet red clay, and 

 is packed in coarse bags, and sent to Singapore, where 

 it realises about five dollars per picul of 133 lbs. Gambier 

 is a very exhausting crop, literally ruining the land on 

 which it is grown. 



The Chinese whom we found here were very much 

 interested and surprised at our visit, and gave us a 

 supply of cocoa-nuts, oranges, and papaw fruit from 

 their garden. The latter fruit are as large as a small 

 Cadiz melon, with delicate red flesh, when perfectly 

 ripe. They are not much esteemed ; but I thought 

 these very nice, having a flavour resembhng that of 

 apricots. The colomiess milk of the young cocoa- 

 nuts, fortified by just a soupcon of brandy, tasted really 

 delicious, after our tramp under a hot sun. These thrifty 

 Chinese had a fine flourishing plantation of bananas, but 

 no ripe fruit ; and clumps of yellow sugar-cane here and 

 there attracted the attention of our followers, who helped 

 themselves to the natural " sugar-sticks," without any 

 compunction whatever. 



Eefreshed by a short rest, and a cooling draught, we 

 pushed onwards, and reached Kanka Ah Tong about 

 three o'clock. We sought out the old Chinese headman, 

 and through him obtained the loan of a new house, just 

 erected in the centre of the viUage, so that we were 

 soon established in quarters, and the " boy " then began 

 to cook our evening meal. We were of coui'se soon 

 surrounded by a crowd of villagers ; a?id a paraffin 

 cooking apparatus, which the "boy" had in working 

 order before the door, interested them very much. 



I noticed an excellent breed of black and white dogs 

 at this village, in build not unlike a fox-terrier, but 

 larger. These people evidently desired to keep the breed 



