120 MY TRIP TO BELUM. 



padi (hiuiia) ; and for the next two or three years the ear of 

 the corn was empty. This so disheartened them that, when 

 the transfer of the upper country began to bs talked about, 

 they asked leave to move over the border to Banding. The 

 school is about to be moved there now. From Pineris to the 

 Kelantan border the distance is 30 miles, and there is a good 

 path most of the way. We left Pineris and the Singor river 

 at 10.35. The path was rather overgrown, and I applied the 

 golok (cutting knife) vigorously to overhanging branches, when, 

 to my sorrow, I cut into the nest of penyengat (wasp), and 

 quicker than anything else but lightning I received ten stings 

 distributed over my right ear, my right-hand and both ankles. 

 The pain was intense for a few minutes and was followed by 

 a feeling of numbness. Soon we came upon some truly 

 magnificent trees of wild cotton (kckabu hutan). They were 

 from 16 to 20 feet in circumference, straight for 150 feet and 

 plentifully topped with leaves very like those of the ordinary 

 cotton tree. The cotton which these trees yield is said to be 

 peculiarly soft. We got into camp at Sungei Banun at 2.30. 



From 3 to 4 p.m., Berkeley and I sat in the sira banun 

 (sulphur spring) and waited for big game but it was a hopeless 

 wait from the first, for the bells of our elephants must have 

 driven all game away. W'e saw the marks, very fresh, of an 

 immense elephant, and it was not long before we were to hear 

 of him. 



We netted a beautiful kelak, the best of our river fish, for 

 dinner. 



At 1 a.m., on the 30th, I awoke with a racking headache 

 and stayed awake till coffee was ready at 4.20 a.m. I had un- 

 mistakable signs of fever on me, so took quinine and determin- 

 ed to walk it off. At 7.30 Simmons and I left camp, and 

 guided by Datoh W T an Man, walked six miles to Kuala Kriong 

 on the Perak river. We got there at 10.30 in bright sunshine, 

 waded across the river and selected a small stone tanjong or 

 bank for a camp. 



We encountered leeches innumerable on our walk, and 

 had to stop e^ery few yards to pick them off. The remaining 



Jour. Straits Branch 



