110 THE ENDAU A> T B ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



7th September. — To-day ij hours "brought us to Chendia Bemban, 

 the end of our boating journey ; of this 1J hours were lost in the 

 usual way. 



Passed some wild pinang trees. After passing a snag, some 

 overhanging branches which obstructed our progress had to be cut 

 away, and when they began to fall, an ular saiva rend am, or water 

 python, some seven feet long and remarkably handsome with his 

 blue and orange markings, dropped into the water, having been 

 disturbed apparently in the middle of a comfortable snooze, though 

 lie had chosen an odd place for the purpose : it seemed a more 

 suitable situation for offensive operations. He was badly cut by 

 one or two of the men before he could get away, bearing too bad 

 a character to be treated with any consideration. An than Jcelah, 

 weighing about two Icati, was secured by spear, that of the dex- 

 terous Agoi, a Jakun to whose skill we owed most of the game 

 and fish procured on our way up the river. 



As we could not reach the first resting place before dark, it was 

 decided to put off our start till next morning. The banks of the 

 river at this place, Chendia Bemban, were covered with elephant 

 tracks, and the bushes and ferns were crushed flat where they had 

 been lying down. In the afternoon, one or two of the party who 

 had been away to a little distance brought the news that there were 

 elephants not far off, and the excitement which this caused was 

 increased when it was observed, towards dusk, that the river had 

 suddenly become muddy, a sign that some of the huge creatures 

 were having a bath not very far up the stream ; this kept the party 

 on the alert, to be ready to do what they could to frighten away 

 the herd should they come in our direction, as they have a way 

 sometimes of advancing down-stream, and unless they could be 

 diverted from their course, they would walk right through and over 

 us, quite unconscious of such petty obstacles as canoes and baggage. 

 The night, however, passed quietly without any disturbance. Du- 

 ring the evening a very unpleasant low sound was heard, something 

 between a growl and a chuckle, which some of the Malays thought 

 came from an approaching elephant, while I thought of a tiger ; but 

 the Jahuns knew better, it was a frog giving vent to his feelings 

 in the bank ; Agoi went and secured him ; he was a smooth-skinned 

 variety, with very long legs and of large size, upper part dark 



