62 THE SIAMESE MALAY STATES; 



then followed a good jungle path through a plantation of durian 

 and other fruit trees planted by the late AY AN Mat. Having 

 mounted to the top of a low ridge we descended to the shore of 

 the lake Dayang Bunting where a long Malay house has been 

 built on piles on the edge of the lake. Here elaborate prepara- 

 tions were made for a feast, tables, chairs and everything being 

 brought by the numerous Malays who accompanied us. Mr. 

 Peel ventured on the lake in a small canoe. We then sent a 

 man out to take soundings with the SeabircTs lead. In the two 

 places selected it was found to be 9 fathoms deep. 



The lake is surrounded by jungle-clad limestone cliffs some 

 500 to 1,000 feet high which enclose the lake except at the 

 lower end where a low rocky ridge separates it from the sea. 

 The lake (fresh water) is about 500 yards long. AA^e took a 

 sample of the water which I brought to Penang for analysis. 

 After an excellent meal we went round by boat to what once 

 must have formed the inlet to the present lake from the sea. 

 Masses of limestone rock have blocked the entrance so that there 

 is now no connection between lake and sea. After climbing 

 some rocks about 40 feet high we looked right down on the lake 

 the surface of which, so far as we could judge, appeared to be 

 some 10 feet above the sea level. This is a mere conjecture. 

 From Dayang Bunting we should have gone to Telaga tujoh but 

 the Raja Muda wanted to show us the Goa Cherita (Legend 

 Cave) which they said could be reached in an hour. Asa matter 

 of fact it took us 2^ hours to get there. The scenery of this 

 Archipelago is lovely as you wind about among the wooded hills. 

 The highest hill is Gunong Raya which is over 3,000 feet high. 

 A striking feature in the distance is the serrated range known as 

 Gunong Chinchang. Once moie we were destined to be disap- 

 pointed in the matter of caves. The cave is a very ordinary 

 limestone cave and the only interest that attaches to it is an in- 

 scription in Arabic character high on the limestone cliff at the 

 entrance. Certain Arabic words and names can be made out 

 but whether it is ancient as the Malays like to believe or only 

 some hundred years old it is impossible to say. Below Malays 

 and English visitors have inscribed their initials with charcoal 

 and we were told to do the same. It was nearly dark when we 

 started to return to Kuah. Fortunately we had a pilot who was 



