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SELAMA TO PONG, PATANI. 117 
Kupang, and the latter of the Sungei Baling. Arrived at 
Kupang at 3 P.M. One of Pénghilu MAHOMET DAHARI’S 
brothers lives here, and he placed a room of his house at our 
disposal. The men show signs of being nearly played out, 
lagging behind very much; most of them have got bad feet. 
This is not the weather for exploring trips, the rain has a 
most depressing effect on every one, and wet clothes and 
slushy paths make the marching tiring work. We encountered 
no hills to-day. There are three paths from Baling to Kupang, 
the one we took is the most direct and easiest. This is a 
kampong of about 100 houses, all the people are Patanis and 
they have the reputation of being a thoroughly bad lot like 
the Baling people. Robbery with violence is what they are 
most partial to. There is a farm here—opium and gambling— 
6 or 7 Chinamen. The ¢owkay told me there were formerl 
several Chinese shops here, but one night the Malays of the 
kampong looted and burnt them all out. Some were killed, 
and Chinese enterprise is not likely to venture here again 
until this miserable country becomes one of the Protected 
States. The men mostly have a sullen, suspicious, crafty 
look about them. I fully expected an attempt at robbery at 
night through the floor, and once felt a shaking and heard a 
slight noise just under my head. I had my pistol ready to 
salute either head or hand that should appear through the 
floor, but it turned out to be a cow that had got under the 
house. One has need though to sleep with one’s ears open in 
this country. It rained all night ; house very leaky. 
26th November.—Did not get under way until 9 A.M.; men 
very tired and no go in them; wading through swamps. 
9.30 A.M. crossed the Kupang River, our course is about 
S.W. This is one of the most tiring days we have had, the 
road is a buffalo-path, and owing to the heavy rains these 
animals have churned it into slush often above the knee, and 
nearly always over one’s boots. Crossed innumerable small 
streams, the path often being in their bed. Halted for re- 
freshment at 12 beside Sungei Tawar, a feeder of the Baling, 
_ ina hut where some one had lately camped. Waited for men 
to come up, and went on at too’clock. At 2 P.M. crossed the 
Sungei Dara; remains of old hut here. Two years ago, two 
