2 A JOURNEY TO THE SOURCE OF THE INDAU. 



On the 'North bank at the Kuala, there is a Police Station 

 flying- the Sultan of Pahang's flag, whilst on the opposite bank 

 is Kampong Padang, the residence ot the Sultan of Johor's 

 Naib, or officer in charge. The coast just here is low and 

 sandy, and a bar at the Kuala prevents steamers of any ton- 

 nage from entering the inner harbour. The village of Padang 

 numbers about 500 Malay inhabitants, with a few Chinese 

 merchants and shop-keepers. The trade with Singapore, 

 which is small but growing, consists chiefly in the export of 

 damar, rotans, getah and kapur barus (camphor wood). 



On August 13th, I proceeded up-stream with a small party 

 of Malays in jalors (dug-out canoes). For the first few miles 

 the Indau averages ^ of a mile in width, the banks are low 

 and the country somewhat swampy. There are numerous 

 small clearings on either bank, but very little cultivated land. 

 Steamers of light draught can easily run up as far as Kuala 

 Sembrong, a distance of 30 miles from Padang. 



The junction of the Indau and Indau Sembrong was 

 reached early on the morning of the 14th. Near this point is 

 a small group of hills, the principal summits of which, are 

 known as Bukit Tanah Abang and Bukit Langkap. The former 

 hill is composed of granite, with, on the lower slopes, an over- 

 burden of white and yellow clays. Here I found a little cassi- 

 terite (tin ore) in small waterworn grains. 



At the Station at Kuala Sembrong I obtained the assistance 

 of the Malay Batiii of Jakuns, and, accompanied by him, pro- 

 ceeded in a North-West direction along the Upper Indau to 

 Batu Gajah, a Jakun village on the Johor bank, about 22 miles 

 above the Sembrong. Here a camp was established, in order 

 to enable the Batin to collect a sufficient number of abori- 

 gines to take myself and party up to the source. The river 

 at this point is shallow and winding with a pebbly bed and 

 high banks covered with fine timber. 



But little is known of the Jakuns of the Upper Indau. They 

 are in most cases darker and smaller than the ordinary Malay, 

 and appear to present anthropological characteristics similar 

 to those of the Orang Sakai described by Maclay. A certain 

 amount of crossing has probably rendered the Indau type 



