ae JOURNEY ACROSS THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
plough gets deep enough, then sown, harrowed, and nothing 
more is ‘required till the time of harvest. 
These fieids have for many years yielded crop after crop 
under these conditions, and the only renewal or manuring of 
the soil is the annual small flood, which rises over even these 
high banks, and a higher flood which comes about once in 
six years and drives the people out of their homes into rafts. 
I‘should suppose that with this soil and three months rainless 
weather, cotton might be successfully orown. 
The Sungei Tékam was almost dry, and whilst the Malays 
walked up the bed crossing and recrossing what hitle water there 
was, we were dragged up- -stream ina dug- out for half a mile and 
then landing walked over a good level jungle-path for two and a 
half miles reaching Kota Tongkat 8.35 a.m. This Kota Tongkat 
is a curious sort of gate through which ariver appears tohave run, 
and it is flanked on both sides by high limestone cliffs covered 
with foliage; these cliffs appear to shut in a narrow valley, a mile 
iong, at the far end of which is the cave Kéta Ktlanggi,* in 
reality, however, the valley is only rock-bound on the right hand 
side as you enter and the ancient river must have met this obs- 
truction at Kota Kélanggi, been turned by it and, cutting along 
the face of these limestone cliffs, made its exit through the 
Kota Tongkat and thence found its way, probably by the 
channel of the Sungei Tékam, to the Pahang River. There is 
nothing specially remarkable about Kota Tongkat, but since 
the river ceased to flow through this giant cate of stone, the 
action of the atmosphere has formed a number of stalactites 
whieh extend from the clear cut ledges of roof to the ground 
(no great distance) and these probably gave to the place its 
present name—Kota Tongkat. 
After a short rest here (the Tou GAsan having suecumbed 
to the pace at which we came from the river), we walked up 
the valley until we reached the foot of Kota Balei. Up to 
this cave we climbed by a ladder of forty steps and then found 
ourselves in a vast cave lighted mainly irom the entrance and 
completely closed at the further end, but having three subsi- 
* See Mr. CAMERON’S account of his visit to these caves. No. 9 of this 
Journal, p. 153. 
ED. 
