40 ACCOUNT OF A TRIP UP THE PAHANG, AND OTHER RIVERS. 



several pools in the hopes of getting some fresh fish. Nothing 

 was got out of any of them but one, but that made up for all 

 the rest as 35 large fish were killed in it. On the 17th, at 3 

 p.m., they reached Kuala Tahan. A very curious fish was here 

 obtained, about 3 feet long with a curious humped back and 

 two rows of teeth on its tongue. Mr. RiDLEY, accompanied 

 by Panglima Garang YUSUF, visited the Penghulu Raja 

 near Kuala Tahan in the hopes of obtaining a guide or at 

 least reliable information as to the route to Gunong Tahan. 

 He, however, was either unwilling or unable to supply guides 

 nor could any reliable information be obtained as to the district. 

 Indeed it appeared doubtful whether any Malays had ever 

 been nearer to the mountain than was sufficient to see it. A 

 number go from time to time up the Tahan valley to collect 

 guttah and rotans, but as they go in boats the distance that 

 they travelled is very short and probably such information as 

 they are possessed of with reference to the Gunong Tahan 

 is derived from the Sakais. 



Gunong Tahan, we were told, could be approached by two 

 routes, one following the river Tahan, the other the river 

 Ketchau. By the route the mountain can probably be 

 approached nearer but it was said that on the W. or S. W. side, 

 from which the Ketchau takes its rise, it is exceedingly preci- 

 pitous and unpracticable, while by the Tahan route it is 

 possible to ascend. The natives further state that there is 

 a lake or swamp from which flow the rivers Tahan and 

 Kelantan. 



. On the 19th, Mr. Ridley, accompanied by Mr. ToWNSON, 

 started off with four boats and fourteen men up-stream and two 

 men were sent back to Pekan in one of the boats with an 

 order for more rice as we found we would require more, and 

 owing to the previous bad season, rice was hardly procurable 

 and very expensive in Pahang. Panglima Garang YusUF 

 tried to get us a guide but without success. He produced an 

 old man who was supposed to know the way to Gunong 

 Tahan and offered to guide us there for the modest sum of ^^60. 

 However as we discovered after some conversation with him 

 that he had never been up to the mountain but had only seen 



