72 CRUISE IN THE SOUTHERN CHINA SEA. 



and with more sail soon left us behind and we reached home 

 badly beaten. 



The days between August 24th and September 5th were 

 passed in visiting the northern island but on the latter date we 

 sailed round Siantan and the islands extending from its south- 

 east extremity since the channel on the north was untraversable, 

 drifting on a reef on the way in a calm but easily getting off by 

 the use of a kedge anchor, and in the evening putting in at Telok 

 Aver Bini, a bay on the sonth coast partially protected by an 

 island at the entrance. 



The shores rose very steeply and were uncleared except in 

 one or two places where the people of a house there had made 

 gardens and planted hill rice. It was hard work climbing about 

 the slopes which were rendered excessively slippery by rain that 

 continued incessantly throughtout our stay. A stream with two 

 arms ran into the head of the bay and up one we rowed until 

 stopped by a small cascade, while the other was merely an 

 almost dry bed of granite boulders. 



The wretched weather made specimens scarce and after 

 three or four unprofitable days we sailed on our final visit to 

 Terempa. Four more days were spent here working fresh 

 ground and making fairly good collections of mammals and 

 birds and then we left for Pulo Telaga to the westward. 



Mobur. 



The 24th of August was the first day of our stay at Mobur 

 Island, about 5 miles to the northward of Siantan. Like all the 

 Anambas it is hilly with a broken surface covered with forest, 

 and on the south it is cut into by a narrow gulf with an islet at 

 the entrance; a notable feature of the western group is the 

 number of these inlets and narrow channels that occur. Good 

 as the harbour was with depths of 12 or more fathoms we passed 

 up the strait separating Mobur from the larger Mata and 

 anchored in a big bay on the north side, landlocked for more 

 than three quarters of its perimeter. Four or five miles sea- 

 wards we could perceive the Tokong Belauer, a remarkable 

 white rock bearing at a distance a most extraordinary resem- 

 blance to a modern battleship. We found coco palm, and banana 

 plantations on the island but very few inhabitants, for the people 



Jour. Straits Branch 



