30 JOURNEY ACROSS THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
the hall, a nicely decorated room raised on low pillars. Here 
the Datoh Béndahara, and Datoh Teméngg ong, the two Chief 
Officers of the State, received us with great ceremony, and 
telling us the Yam Tian was far from well but wished to sse 
us, invited us to sit down. Whilst we made our way from the 
landing place and greeted the Béndahira and Temenggong, a 
salute was being fe ed lower down the river. 
I carried on a spasmodic conversation with the Béndahara . 
for one and a half hours, during which the Yam Tian again sent 
to say he meant to come and see us, and then His Hichness 
appeared. He certainly looked deadly ill, but he was just as 
courteous and nice as ever, and we all thought he looked a 
trifle better and spoke with less difficulty (his voice was. hoarse 
and changed, and he complained of cough and fever) when 
we left him than when he came in. 
After I had told him of our journey, he asked us to have 
some coffee, &c., he and his son, a nice looking boy, joining in 
this part of the ceremony, and then I told him I should like to 
see him when he felt better and we left. 
Some of the Yam iian’s people took us across the river to a 
raft which had been prepared for our accommodation. On the 
raft is a plank house containing one large room, very comter- 
tably furnished, and a sort of “verandah all round it has been 
planked over so that we can sit out and watch the busy river- 
life with the picturesque town and palm groves for a back- 
ground. Another raft much larger than ours with an upper 
storey (but rapidly fallmg into decay ) was handed over to 
our people, and a guard of twenty-two Malays were sent to see 
that no harm befell us! The Béndahara, Téménggong and 
others came to see that everything was in order, and then we 
were left to ourselves. In the night there was a tremendous 
storm of rain with thunder and lightning, but that was hardly 
so disturbing as the uproar made by the rats who hve under 
the floor of our raft, a protest I suppose against our occupa- 
tion of the tenement. 
Thursday, 7th May.—The Dato’ Mantri of Johor called on 
me and we had avery long talk about Pahang and the other 
States. 
On making up our itinerary, I find that we have come down 
the river two hundred and forty-one and a half miles from 
