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



variety of causes of which the chief were the difficulties of 

 transport owing to the low state of the river and bad coolies. 

 Food for the expedition for two months — the time allotted by 

 the Government — was taken but owing to the want of rain 

 the rivers were so shallow that it was with the greatest diffi- 

 culty that the boats were taken up and this delayed progress 

 greatly. Added to this were the difficulties of making our 

 way through the Tahan jungles which were far greater than 

 had been anticipated. The coolies who were chiefly Kelantan 

 men proved, with a few exceptions, a very worthless lot and 

 many of them suffered from beri-beri, fever, diarrhoea, dysen- 

 tery and a most loathsome form of skin disease, known 

 among the Malays as '^ kiirap!' 



Judging from recent information about this part of Pahang, 

 the route adopted was probably not the best, as it gave us 

 much more actual jungle work than would have been necessary 

 had the Tembeling River been followed up to its source and a 

 path cut from thence to Gunong Tahan. 



One man can carry in the jungle but little more provisions 

 than sufficient for fifteen men for one day, so that for ten days 

 in the jungle away from the base of supplies ten men out of 

 fifteen are required at the start to carry provisions and every 

 additional day away from the base increases the difficulties of 

 transport. 



The Tahan jungles appear to be very unhealthy especially 

 at the further points reached. Heavy rain fell here every 

 night, and the ground was covered with decaying vegetable 

 remains. At night frequently the whole ground round the 

 tents was illuminated by phosphorescence, (probably bacterial) 

 on the decaying leaves. 



Unfortunately though the jungles contain plenty of game, 

 it is not easily procurable and cannot be caught without trap- 

 ping, and this, time did not permit. All the streams, how- 

 ever, contain plenty of fish and they can generally be obtained 

 with the aid of dynamite. 



It was hoped that some observations might have been taken 

 that would materially increase the topographical knowledge 

 of the Tahan region, but owing to the close nature of the 



