IN SUMATRA. 253 



rounded on all sides by a platform under the shade of the roof. 

 I divided it into a writing room and sleeping chamber in front, 

 and a store for my collections and a dormitory for my servants 

 behind. Behind this was another long raft slightly narrower, 

 floored with earth on which a trellis frame-work stood, and 

 the whole housed over. On this earthen floor a fire was 

 continually kept burning to dry the bundles of herbarium laid 

 on the trellis-work over it. 



I had looked forward with intensest pleasure to this mode of 

 travel, and it was therefore with extreme satisfaction that, on 

 the 27th of November, 1881, 1 arrived from Muara Mengkulem 

 and took possession of my floating home. Inside, I lined 

 my sitting-room with white cotton cloth, hung a few drawings, 

 photographs, and trophies about the walls, fixed my table, 

 and laid out my books and the implements of my profession. 

 The outside I hung round profusely with living orchids, some 

 of them in magnificent flower. Next morning, full of the most 

 buoyant feelings, I loosed its cable and let it glide off down the 

 Rawas Eiver, along a great avenue broken at distant intervals 

 only by gambir gardens and factories of Catechu. 



All the villages along the river had been informed of my 

 coming, and on notifying my approach by the beating of a 

 gong, a complement of rowers — more properly of pilots— came 

 off in small boats and relieved their fellows of the village 

 above. In the upper reaches of the river it required 16 jiilots 

 to guide this long flotilla — whose duty it was to keep the 

 stern of the Eakit straight to the stream especially at corners 

 and rapids, by pulling on long fixed lever-like oars at stem and 

 stern, whicli they worked standing. All day long I collected 

 plants from the river banks, by means of a liglit skiff, as the 

 stream moved very slowly, anchoring each night under some 

 great tree by the margin. 



After a seven days' journey I halted for a more prolonged 

 stay at the village of Bigin-telok, to make some closer 

 acquaintance with the flora of the flatter lands which began 

 there. It was then the wet season, and tlie surrounding country 

 was under water for miles from the river bank, and botan- 

 ising from a boat was a curious experience ; for after entering 

 some side stream a little way, all distinction of stream or 

 no stream was lost, and I could simply sail about among 

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