A JOURNEY ON FOOT TO THE PATANI FRONTIER. 4.7 
The man on whose information I had originally proposed the 
expedition, made his appearance for the first time this evening. 
He could give me no certain tidings of the fugitives, and did not 
console me much by the assurance that we had been very close 
upon them on the 6th, many having had to wade the river to get 
away, leaving the greater part of their property behind. 
Their plight in the jungle must be most lamentable, for it has 
rained steadily ever since the 6th, and all the rivers are rising. 
April 9th.—All preparations were made this morning for break- 
ing up our camp here as soon as possible, neither information nor 
assistance being obtainable from the Patani authorities. Pending 
reference to the Raja of Reman, I decided to return to Penang 
through Kedah territory, travelling down the Muda river to the 
sea. Iselected twenty men to accompany me, and ordered the rest 
to remain here with Haji ABuBAKAR and get information, it being 
my intention to return, if necessary, after reporting the situation 
of affairs and getting further orders from Singapore. A mes- 
senger was despatched to Tuan Prang at Kernei to say that he 
might expect to see us there on the following day, but our de- 
parture was postponed in consequence of a letter from Tuan Prang 
which I received that evening. In it he said that he would come 
and see me on the following day, and would work with me to get 
what I wanted “if it were to be found in the land of Reman.” 
One of the men produced this afternoon a sumpitam, or blow-pipe, 
the weapon of the aborigines, and some of the natives of the place 
made some very good practice with it. The mouth-piece is put 
into the mouth, not merely to the lips, and then by a sudden puff 
ihe poisoned dart may be propelled for a considerable distance. 
The blow-pipe itself is formed of two tubes of bamboo, both per- 
fectly straight and one fitting inside the other. The poisoned 
darts are carried in a kind of quiver attached to a belt which goes 
round the waist. Some tribes use the bow and arrow in preference 
to the blow-pipe. 
April 10th.—Imprisonment under the cocca-nut trees of Kam- 
pong Padang, which a steady downpour of three days’ duration 
rendered unavoidable, began to get rather tedious, and I took 
advantage of a fine morning to visit the junction of the Kendrong 
