AB©T7T SLTM AST) BEBITAM. 39 



I should meutiou here that, ou my return to Kampong Chan- 

 kat from the Bernam, I found Mr. Smith, who had arrived before 

 me. He had ascended the valley of the G-aletin for some distance, 

 and then climbed one of the hills to about a height of 3,000 feet by 

 the aneroid. He was simply in raptures about the soil, which he 

 compared to that of Ouva, the best coffee district in Ceylon. The 

 numerous rocks and boulders he met also pleased him, as he, in 

 common with all the coffee planters I have met, has an un- 

 accountable, hankering after rocky land. He also got a few small 

 specimens of plumbago, with which he was much pleased, as he said 

 it is also found in the best land in Ceylon, although I confess I do 

 not see what planters want with plumbago any more than rocks. 



Another feature which both of us noticed, and which it appears 

 augurs well for the soil, was the comparatively small size of the 

 timber ; the best timber is said to grow on poor soil. 



After stopping for a day at Kampong Chankat to enable Toh 

 Semputi to collect a number of Sakels, we paid a visit to Batu G-aja, 

 the boundary point in the pass between the Slim and Pahang. This 

 was a two days' journey, one out and one back, and proved a most 

 interesting trip. We started in the morning from Kampong 

 Chankat. and keeping a northerly course along the left (East) bank 

 of the Slim for about two miles, reached the confluence of the Sun- 

 gei Bruse and the Slim. The Bruse is a considerable tributary 

 of the Slim, flowing down the Batu Gaja pass in a direction about 

 South-west ; up this valley our course lay. We kept some distance 

 above the river on the North side of the valley, constantly crossing 

 small streams flowing down the side of the hills into the river 

 at the bottom. The ascent though steady was gradual the whole 

 way, it was what I have heard very expressively described as 

 " collar work" all through. We took the elephants a considerable 

 distance and then only left them as we could get on more quickly 

 on foot. The path was a good one and well worn, and we passed 

 several parties of Malays coming and going from Pahang. 



The name of this pass, Batu Gaja, is derived from a stone in it 

 on the right hand side of the path, which bears a fanciful resem- 

 blance to an elephant kneeling down as they do to receive their 

 loads ; the head is deficient and is said to have been removed 

 to the ITlu Bil, a river that I have already mentioned, by some 



