KELANTAN AND GUNONG TAHAN. 13 



a hurried breakfast, being anxious to reach the top as early as 

 possible before the clouds commenced to gather round it. The 

 rain had made everything nasty and slippery, and as we had to 

 get up the steep slope, it took us some considerable time before 

 we again got out on the ridge, and both I and the coolies had 

 some bad falls and got a good deal bruised. After getting out 

 on the ridge the ascent was again easier, going up very gradu- 

 ally, but the rattan jungle still gave us lots of trouble, and as 

 I had to go ahead myself and clear the way I got the skin of 

 my face and hands torn a good deal, and smeared all over with 

 blood. At last we reached the top of the mountain, which 

 proved to be only 5500' high, so I was quite certain that it could 

 not be Gunong Tahan. 



We had a splendid view from there toward the north 

 across immense stretches of low and flat land, — Gunong Siam 

 being evidently the last peak to the northward of that range of 

 mountains in the middle of the Peninsula, whereof Gunong 

 Tahan forms a part. The mountains to the south and south-east 

 were hidden Irom view, being enveloped in the clouds. The 

 top of Gunong Siam is only a long and very narrow ridge, being 

 in some places only four feet wide, and covered with thick brush- 

 wood. After the coolies had rested for an hour I sent them 

 down another side of the mountain, which I thought would take 

 us down to the Kateh river sooner, with orders to stop as soon 

 as they found water and suitable camping ground. I remained 

 on the top of the mountain together with one of the Malays, in 

 the hope that the clouds would clear away and enable me to get 

 a view of the other mountains. In this I was not disappointed, 

 as the mist cleared during the afternoon, and I got a good view 

 of the Tulang Rabong range to the south and south-east, from 

 which we seemed to be separated by the river Kateh. This 

 range is about the same height as Gunong Siam, and behind it 

 far away to the southeast, I now and then got a glimpse of a 

 higher mountain the top of which was continually hidden bv the 

 clouds ; and I felt certain that this must be Gunong Tahan, there 

 being no other mountain in sight approaching the same height 

 as that. I saw at once that it would be impossible to reach it 

 by going straight from where we were, as we should have 

 to cross ridge after ridge of Pulang Rabong to get there, and 



