6 JOURNEY ON THE SEMBRONG RIVEPv. 



entirely a fruit eater, is very good eating*, steaks off the 

 breast somewhat resembling beef steak. On the 23rd the journey 

 up the Sembrong- was commenced. The country here continues 

 of the some low swampy nature as on the lower Indau, and 

 although one or two abandoned clearings were passed, not a 

 sign of a hut or a human being was discovered. There was 

 heavy rain ag-ain during the afternoon and at night. 



The next morning- on the way up stream we met a Jakun, 

 going- down in a small jalor, who told us that Che Ma Hassain, 

 the Penghulu of the Kahang district was some distance down 

 stream with a party of his Jakuns collecting rotans, and as we 

 were more or less dependent upon his assistance in getting boats 

 and men we sent a man back with a letter which we had for him. 



We reached Kuala Kahang at 9 a.m. and having' fixed on a 

 site for a camp set our men to work to construct 'pondoks' or 

 huts, to shelter ourselves and our stores. This work did not take 

 long, as the natives, both Malays and Jakuns, are used to con- 

 structing these rude shelters on their journeys through the 

 jungle in search of rotans, etc. 



The Kahang is a rapid stream, showing by its current that 

 it takes its rise in the mountains, and contrasting with the Sem- 

 brong which, taking its rise and flowing for the greater part of 

 its course through swamps, is very sluggish. 



During' the day a Chinaman who had come over from the 

 Batu Pahat side passed down the Sembrong', and from him we 

 obtained some information concerning the route, and a little 

 later there arrived a small jalor containing a Hyak, his wife and 

 two children, and a Jakun who were going' up the Kahang;. 

 From this Dyak we learned that there was a small Dyak settle- 

 ment near Ki:ala Madek, a few miles up the Kahang consisting 

 of himself and four or five other Dyaks, who had been there for 

 six years. He told us that the Jakuns now settled at Kuala 

 Madek had come there two years previously from the Lenggu 

 river. The under growth in the near neighbourhood of our 

 camp consisted almost entirely of a small rotan which made bird 

 and plant collecting very difficult work. 



As we intended to explore the Kahang, and Madek rivers, 

 the former of which had not previously been ascended by a 

 white man, we sent off some of our men to hunt up small jalors 

 at the villages up stream, in which we could make the ascent of 



