MY TRIP TO BELUM. 127 



bagged one. I walked on to Lapang Hanyir (open land with 

 a sour smell), which is the Datoh Wan Man's chief residence. 

 His wife is a leper. There are 23 people in the village. The 

 padi-fields are terraced, and years ago there must have lived a 

 clever native engineer who irrigated all these fields, bringing 

 water from the Maka river through a deep cutting. Later in 

 the day the people of Belimbing (on both banks of the river), 

 of Kebeng and of Greh came in and from their lips I took a 

 census, which showed 27 males, 29 females and 69 children, 

 or 125 in all, in those villages. We had a long talk with the 

 Imam, whom I confirmed in his office, and told the people to 

 build a mosque and school at Maka, as it seems the most 

 central place. We procured two goats and a buffalo for a 

 feast for the village people and for our camp followers. All 

 the debt slaves (16), except two, were brought before 

 me, and I told them that their owners had been paid and 

 that they were emancipated. Wan Husein had told all the 

 villagers that they had been transferred to Perak from the 

 protection of Siam, and I explained to them the lines of our 

 administration. They said they would try to recall the people 

 who had left their orchards and rice fields : they complained 

 of the great difficulty in obtaining blachan and salt, but of rice 

 they grew more than enough. They brought us in a quantity 

 of fowls and very good rice. These people are at least 70 miles 

 from Grit. There is no possibility of regularly supplying their 

 wants, except by sending up an elephant once a month. If a 

 Chinese shopkeeper can be induced to settle here he could do 

 it, but as opium smoking is not practised in Belum, he should 

 not be allowed to take opium up country. The whole popu- 

 lation is about 206. 



There is no prospect of planting in this district. The cost 

 of transport would be in itself prohibitive. 



Belum stands at an elevation of over 1,500 feet above the 

 sea, and has a healthy climate. But it is sad to see so many 

 people, especially the young, afflicted with goitre. There are 

 few mosquitoes and but little fever. It is quite a nice place 

 when you get there. The journey is the rub, 



R. A, Soc, No, 54. 1909. 



