416 COMFORTABLE ASPECT OF COUNTRY. 



nor that it is of some tertiary, and, I believe, modern 

 tertiary era. 



Several of the swallows were flying in and out of 

 the caverns, but I did not see any of the nests at 

 this visit. There were many bats also in the caverns. 

 Saltpetre is made from the soil which is dug out of 

 the floor of these recesses, the result, probably, of 

 the droppings of the bats and birds. After looking 

 over the caverns, I returned to Grissek. 



I was much struck, not only with the goodness of 

 the roads, but with the neat and clean appearance 

 of the houses and fences, and the apparently com- 

 fortable condition of the people. At some parts of 

 the road, where the central carriage-way was bor- 

 dered by green grassy spaces, with trees arching 

 over-head, neat fences and detached cottages, I could 

 have fancied I w 7 as in England, had it not been for 

 the tropical forms of the trees, the brown skins of 

 the people, and their peculiar dresses. On my return 

 to Grissek, I lunched on the celebrated fruit the 

 durian ; and although I had to overcome some re- 

 pugnance at its scent, I really liked the fruit. Its 

 flavour, however, is very peculiar, something like 

 rich custard and boiled onions mixed together. 



Having a fair wind and tide, we sailed back to 

 the ship with great rapidity. The sail was a huge 

 triangular mat spread between two bamboos, the 

 apex of the triangle downwards. As the whole 

 weight of the sail hangs over to leeward, the tam- 

 bangan heels very much when on a wind, and for 



