82 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



very few showed a long ridge. The access was gained by means 

 of a narrow well-made bamboo ladder, through a square hole, 

 which was wide enough to afford admission for a full-grown man ; 

 the floor consisted of broad sawn planks of unequal length sup- 

 ported by the cross beams ; these beams in their turn resting oti 

 the above mentioned piles. The big houses were divided into 

 stories, the lower one being as high as two men, the upper one 

 was lower and more like a barn. 



Round about on the principal rafters, there were some bam- 

 boo sticks hardly as thick as the thumb fastened across. This 

 looked very nice ; but there were no windows at all, nor any 

 to replace them, but the light came only through the hole 

 holes serving them for door, therefore it was very dark. All their 

 household implements were standing round about, mostly tied to 

 the bamboo ; that which could not be kept in this manner had 

 been put into small boxes, which were one foot long, half a foot 

 wide, and hardly half a foot high, and were provided with lids; 

 which were made, as I have already said before from the parti- 

 tions sheaths of the young Ohamoerops leaves. These little boxes 

 had been tied to a bamboo, which was fastened right across the 

 room, and was therefore at some distance from the roof. 



There was great cleanhness as regards the floor and the air 

 also was very pure, not the faintest disagreeable odour could be 

 detected. The upper story consisted only of bamboo sticks, they 

 were thin, not tied together, and resting on the cross beams ; 

 they had turned somewhat brown through the smoke of the lamps, 

 but I could not see that they kept any provisions there, and on 

 the whole they do not collect many provisions. I saw some piles 

 erected near some of the houses, they were more than man's 

 height, two cross piles were fastened to them and here they 

 stewed some yam roots in the open air. They had no gardens, 

 their houses and also their outhouses stood alone Carica Papaya, 

 Their weapons consisted of small lances somewhat shaped like 

 pikes, which were made of smooth round sticks about as thick as 

 a finger and three yards long". I saw some of them return with 

 these kind of weapons. They had been in the wood to fetch 

 provisions for one or two days. I did not see any fishing 

 implements. 



There were two ships there, one of them an English three - 

 master, the second one lying further south with two masts, 



