A JOURNEY ON FOOT TO THE PATANT FRONTIER. 18 
ABUBAKAR’S bale? (outer reception room). To be hungry, wet 
and dirty are physical conditions which the traveller in the Malay’ 
Peninsula must make up his mind to endure frequently. The dis- 
tances between settlements have not been accommodated to the 
eravines of the inner man. To stop to cook may result in being 
late at the intended halting place, or in being overtaken by dark- 
ness and having to camp out for the night, so the only remedy is 
to acquire a Malay facility for eating whenever it is convenient, 
and during this expedition it was my usual custom to breakfast at 
6 a.M., and to walk all day until the evening halt without further 
food. 
Wan ABuBAKAR was a man of good Patani family, and slow, 
deliberate and carefully courteous in manner. His voice was low, 
his delivery measured, and his language almost pedantically pure. 
He did the honours of his house perfectly, insisted on adding a 
present of some poultry to the commissariat supplies and looked 
after the comfort of the men. Four Malay policemen detached 
from Larut were stationed at his house to keep up communication 
between this part of the country and British authorities in Perak, 
and I found here an elephant-load of rice awaiting my arrival. It 
had been sent at my request by Captain Sprerpy, the Assistant 
Resident at Larut, for it was impossible to ascertain whether fresh 
supplies of food could be procured in the interior of Perak. Poor 
Penpexk (“the short one”), a diminutive Mandheling Malay who 
was in charge of the elephant, was mysteriously murdered in Larut 
a year later; the motive was said to be jealousy, but never did man 
look less like a distuber of conjugal peace. 
March 28th. Wan ABusakar had incautiously promised in the 
evening that he would send an elephant or two to help in trans- 
porting our baggage over the pass ( Bukit tiga puloh tiga, “ the 
thirty-three hills”) which leads from Ijuk to the Perak valley. 
But when morning came and all were ready for the road the 
unpleasant truth became apparent that no elephants were forth- 
eoming. Jt was in vain that our host pressed us to remain at his 
kampong for a day or two while the stray animals were being caught. 
It was essential that no time should be lost, the baggage was divided 
among the men and we started at last. PrnpeK and the Larut 
elephant laden with rice bringing up the rear. Our way lay at 
