22 JOURXEY ON THE SEMBRONG RIVER. 



portion to the rolume of the Indau Sembrong-, bemg" only a 

 minor tributary of the Meletir. 



As reg-ards the Batu Pahat Sembrong- the Pang-g-ong pla}- 3 

 a more important part, as, with the Sempai stream, it forms the 

 actual source of that river. 



The country from Londang- to the Kelarabu is exceeding'ly 

 swampy, with here and there a little solid, but not hilly, g-round. 

 It is uninhabited save by wandering parties of Jakuns, 



The Meletir is navigable, with difficulty, by moderately 

 large canoes, as far as Repoh ; the Kelambu is not navigable 

 above the Simpai junction. A little deepening and clearing of 

 fallen timber would, however, render both these rivers easily 

 navigable, so that a shallow canal of about one and a half miles 

 in length through soft, flat country, would connect the two Sem- 

 brongs and form a continuous waterway for canoes from the 

 China sea to the Straits of Malacca, a river distance of about 150 

 miles. 



The railway trace runs acrosb this swampy country. 



fd.) The Kahang River. — 



This river, the largest tributary of the Indau Sembrong, 

 takes its rise at the foot of Gunong Bechuak, in the Blumut 

 range. It pursues a north, north easterly course, and empties 

 itself into the Sembrong twenty-four miles above the mouth of 

 that river. At the Kuala the Kahang is about twenty yards 

 wide. For fifteen or twenty miles the river is fairly free from 

 obstructions in the shape of fallen timber and shallows ; past this 

 point, however, it is navigable only by small canoes. 



Near Kuala Kahang is a mixed Dyak and Jakun village, in 

 a clearing on the right bank ; the Dyaks, about ten in number, 

 came in from Sarawak some years ago, they are engag'ed in 

 planting padi and collecting jungle produce. Four miles above the 

 Kuala the Madik river joins the main stream ; this river rises in 

 some low hills distant about twenty-five miles to the south its 

 banks are at present uninhabited. Small canoes can go up almost 

 to the source, from whence a path leads to the Johore river. 



Two miles above Kuala Madik is a Jakun village called 

 P'niot ; here are eight or nine huts with about forty inhabitants. 

 The Kahang is much frequented by Jakun and Malay rotan collec- 

 tors ; the rotan although very abundant is not of first quality. 



