A JOURNEY ON FOOT TO THE PATANI FRONTIER. at 
The question now was would Tuan Prang give me active assist- 
ance in tracking and following up the fugitives if they were still 
in Patani territory? The advantages to be gained by performing 
a signal service for the British Government were placed promi- 
nently before him. Would he assemble some men and co-operate 
with me, or would he undertake himself the seizure and surrender 
of the proscribed persons? Tuan Prang vowed and declared that 
he was powerless and that he could not move hand or foot without 
orders from his Raja. He would not help the Perak men, but at 
the same time he could not act against them without orders. 
After this, it was of no use to remain longer at Kampong Padang, 
and I told the Chief that I should now return to Penang to report 
to my Government. I asked his permission to travel through 
Patani territory to the Kedah frontier, as my intention was to 
return by a shorter and less fatiguing route than that by which we 
had come. Tuan Prang made no objection to this, stipulating 
only that I should not take more than twenty men with me, as a 
larger number might alarm his people. Before leaving, Tuan 
Prang presented me with an elephant load of rice, and we parted 
with mutual protestations of friendship, he to pass the night at 
the house of Pau Srrar in trying to conjecture whether our inten- 
tions were really as peaceful as described, and I to make all 
arrangements for an early move on the morrow. 
April 11th.— The pelandok (mouse-deer ) may forget the net, 
but the net does not forget the pelandok.” So quoted Haji 
ABUBAKAR sententiously in reply to farewell wishes for our ulti- 
mate success. He and about twenty men were to move to-day to 
the empty house by the.sriver side and were to report all move- 
ments of Maharaja Lexa and his followers to me at Kuala Kangsa, 
where I hoped to be in a week or so. Lesspy Naw and some inva- 
lids were sent down the river on a raft, preferring the perils of the 
rapids to another long jungle tramp. The rest of the men, num- 
bering with the guides about twenty, started with me about 7 a.m. 
on the first stage of our homeward journey. A good path through 
comparatively open ground led us to Grih, Pau Srrat’s kampong, 
where we stopped for a moment to exchange farewells with Tuan 
Prang, who was sitting at the door of the Penghulu’s house. He 
