BY MOTOR THROUGH THE EAST COAST OF SUMATRA 



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IN FRONT OF EACH SUMATRAN DWELLING THERE STANDS A SMALL SQUARE BUILDING 

 WHICH IS USED EOR A "GOEDANG," OR RICE GRANARY 



ing serenely by one long arm, indolently 

 exploring a branch with both feet and his 

 other hand. 



The Boekit Barisan, a series of moun- 

 tain ranges running the whole length of 

 the island near the western coast, splits 

 in the north into parallel chains which en- 

 circle the broad Karo-Batak plateau and 

 the vast area of Toba Lake. In these 

 partially explored ranges there have al- 

 ready been discovered ninety volcanoes, 

 twelve of which are now active, the con- 

 structive and destructive forces of Su- 

 matra's formation. 



The road from Deli crosses over the 

 northeastern part of the parallel chains 

 into the Batak Highlands, as the plateau 

 is called, by a pass between the mountains 

 Sibajak and Baros. 



As we neared the summit of the pass a 

 narrow break in the forest revealed a 

 superb view through the trees, over the 

 blue ravine and densely timbered moun- 

 tainside, to the wide coastal plain shim- 

 mering in the heat-haze below ; then the 

 foliage again closed in until we reached 

 the height-of-land and looked out on the 

 other side. 



A dull, treeless expanse, scarcely lower 

 than the top of the pass, stretched out 

 before us in limitless brown waves, a 

 desolate tangle of grass broken only by 

 detached volcanic heights. Two active 

 volcanoes, the northernmost of the range, 

 towered threateningly above the others — 

 Sibajak guarding the entrance through 

 which crept the highland road ; Sinaboeng 

 rising from the plateau in majestic isola- 

 tion, its smoke-crowned peak and deep 

 purple sides outlined against the heavy 

 white clouds that hung behind it. 



A LAND THAT NEEDS PEOPLE 



The first strong impression of loneli- 

 ness and monotonous solitude that the 

 highlands gave was little changed by the 

 few scattered compounds and occasional 

 patches of cultivation later revealed as 

 we progressed. 



In common with the greater part of 

 Sumatra, which could easily support 

 twenty-five times its present population, 

 this section is sparsely inhabited and the 

 villages are small and far apart. 



The Batak tribes lead a communistic 

 life, and outside of the hedged confines 



