CRUISE IN THE SOUTHERN CHINA SEA. 71 



bees in this place and was put out of action for a day or two in 

 consequence, for while chopping at a liana that crossed the path 

 I disturbed a swarm that were clinging- to it a little to one side. 

 They were about me in an instant and though by retreating to 

 the sea at an unaccustomed pace I shook off the majority, 

 nevertheless those that had secured a hold made things sufficiently 

 painful and my right hand and arm were so swollen that for a 

 time I could do nothing with them. 



The canoes of these islands were very similar to those of 

 the Tambelans ; they differed. principally in having a much higher 

 stem and stern and were shallower, lighter and narrower, with 

 much less beam forward than aft, and they were propelled 

 with a double-bladed paddle. The sampan used by the Chinese 

 was of a very bulky model with an elongated and upward point- 

 ing prow : it sailed under a battened dipping-lug. 



Having beeu told by a son of the Sultan of Linga who was 

 staying in the village, of a large waterfall on the east side of 

 Siantan we set out at sunrise one morning to visit it in the 

 whale-boat. The wind was dead ahead and we had to pull all 

 the way — about eight miles — but the result was well worth the 

 labour. The way lay right up the channel between Siantan and 

 Mata, then a short distance down the east coast and finally an 

 approach by a passage through mangroves that enabled us to 

 bring the boat to the very foot of the falls themsel ves. Bordered 

 by jungle these fell in a series of cascades down a bare strip of 

 rock about 400 feet high. There were twelve or thirteen falls 

 in all and their chief charm lay in their variety — broad ribbons 

 of foamy water slithering over smooth faces of rock, long 

 threads dropping uninterruptedly from a height, and series of 

 little cascades tumbling down flights of stone steps, while here 

 and there in between were delightful cool-looking pools, seem- 

 ing so inviting after our hot row that we feet compelled to have 

 a swim, following the example of the fish that had somehow 

 found their way there. 



The raja had agreed to accompany us but was late in set- 

 ting out, though he arrived before we left and we both started 

 together to sail back, as this time the wind was fair. We were 

 not long in company however, for the other boat — curiously, 

 built in Singapore in the same yard as our own — a little larger 



R. A. Soc.,No. 41, 1903. 



