56 A JOURNEY ON FOOT TO THE PATANI FRONTIER. 
of his men looked ill and anything but hopeful or prosperous. The 
towkay said that he had worked here for ten years, and, though he 
found it difficult to make money now, he could not find it in his 
heart to abandon the place, and was working on in hope of better 
times. His name was Bory Tan. He said that the terms on 
which he heid his mine from the Patani Chief of the district were 
terribly high, that he had to give the Raja half of his produce and 
to pay an extortionate price for opium. All that he saw of the 
outside world was comprised in a monthly visit to Baling, with 
an elephant hired from Mrencaxone Cut, to convey his tin to market 
and to buy rice and other provisions for his coolies. Once there 
were a good many people living at Kuala Kapayang, and rice 
could be obtained there, but now nothing to eat can be got nearer 
than Baling, almost all the former inhabitants of Kuala Kapayane 
having left it. His monthly output, he said, is, in good months, 
two or three bharas ; sometimes it does not exceed two or three 
slabs (jungkong). He had about twelve coolies altogether. 
It was rather a melancholy tale, and I could not help feeling 
sorry for the man when we rose to continue our journey, leaving 
him at the bottom of his cheerless valley to pursue the chimera of 
making a fortune as well as Malay rapacity will let him. The 
enterprise of the ubiquitous Chinaman is very great, and there are 
few places in the Peninsula where trade is possible to which he 
has not penetrated. It is a pity that he cannot teach the Malay 
to imitate his industry as well as his vices. But gambling and 
opium-smoking are more easily domesticated in a Malay kampong 
than a taste for hard work and a dogged perseverance that over- 
comes all obstacles. 
The pull up to the top of Bukit Intan is a very steep one, but 
fortunately the hill is not very high. From the top of it we caught 
a farewell climpse of the distant peak of Gunong Kendrong. 
Descending on the other side we soon reached a cluster of houses 
and a smelting-house which constitute the mining village of Intan. 
_ The inhabitants—Chinese, Siamese, and a few Malays—vwere full of 
- enriosity, but very civil. We were shewn a hut usually assigned 
to the use of travellers between Kedah and Patani which was 
placed at our disposal. While some of the men got it ready for 
