36 NATIVE ROBBERS. 



deer altogether, but they took alarm at our caval- 

 cade before we could reach them. We had observed, 

 at about every two miles, strings suspended across 

 the road from one tree to another, with a bunch 

 of grass in the middle, and on inquiring the mean- 

 ing of it, found it was to notify that European or 

 other important personages were travelling, and 

 the roads were to be kept clear in consequence. One 

 of our attendants told us that one effect of this 

 was to clear the road of robbers, who are by no 

 means unfrequent in these parts, but confine their 

 attentions to Javanese or Chinese, whom they some- 

 times murder as well as plunder, but never venture 

 to attack Europeans. As the Dutch Government 

 entrusts almost all the native police and internal 

 regulations to the native authorities, they do not 

 interfere in these matters, except in the case of a 

 European suffering injury. The consequence seems 

 to be a good deal of insecurity, both of person and 

 property, among the native population. We passed 

 to-day a considerable number of bullock-waggons, 

 laden with paddy and other things, travelling to- 

 wards the north, probably to Probolingo. We also 

 met a considerable number of travellers of both 

 sexes, generally on horseback. We observed that 

 as soon as we came in sight the men would dis- 

 mount, pull off their hats, and stand uncovered, or 

 squat down as we passed ; while the women drew 

 off the road, behind a bush, where they were sup- 

 posed to be out of sight. This extreme respect to 



