ABOUT SLIM AND BEB3TAM. 43 



After lea ring the Slim we made a short day's march to the 

 Suugei Kudin, a tributary of the Slim, on the bank of which we had 

 encamped two days before. Here we must have been within a very 

 .short distance of the frontier, judging from the size of the stream ; 

 this, however, is an uncertain guide, as we were told that we should 

 have a long day's march the following day without seeing water. 

 This would be a fine country for road making, apparently very dry, 

 with plenty of stone for metalling. 



The following day, as we had been told, we saw no water, but the 

 Salceis were always able to get enough for drinking in the joints of 

 the bamboos; from a single joint I have seen as much as half a pint 

 taken. There is also a sort of large vine from which, when cut, the 

 water flows in a stream. This day's march took us through some very 

 pretty country if it were cleared, but at present there is no more to 

 be seen at an elevation of 4,000 or 5,000 feet than there is in the 

 plains, the jungle being so dense. We crossed the water shed of the 

 Slim and the Songkei to-day ; the elevation was about 4,000 feet, 

 Here our troubles began. As soon as we left the Slim valley our Sa- 

 Iceis declared that they did not know the way and wanted to go back. 

 By great difficulty I was able to persuade part of the gang to remain 

 with us, and we were obliged to encamp for three days before Songkei 

 Salceis could be got to replace those who had left us, JNone of our 

 Slim Salceis had ever been beyond this before : so much for the sup- 

 posed migratory habits of these people. Here I may remark, that 

 any one wishing to explore these mountain regions must work out 

 one valley at a time. The Malay headmen lower down can always 

 provide guides familiar with their own valley, and in it their topogra- 

 phical information is to be relied upon; attempt to leave it, however, 

 for the next valley, and you are at once brought to a dead lock. The 

 Salceis not infrequently are at feud with their neighbours on either 

 side, they have also a very wholesome dread of a very ingenious sort 

 of spring armed with a bamboo spike, which they are in the habit of 

 setting in the paths for pigs and deer, and which would be pretty 

 sure to be fatal to a man if it struck him. 



After a weary delay of three days we at last got guides, and 

 crossing the Songkei travelled round the southern face of a hill 

 called G-unong Sandor. We passed along the face of the hill at 

 a general elevat'.on of about 3,000 feet ; we were a long way from the 



