A PERSONAL BECONKAISANOB OF GUNONG TAHAN. 89 



The Malays in the Kuala Tahau neighbourhood (some of whom 

 had been employed on Bechers expedition) asserted on our return that 

 at the head of the Tahan valley are two main peaks of almost 

 identical height, one of which (the eastern one and the most 

 precipitous) is Gunong Tahan, and the other (the western, which is 

 slightly lower) Gunong Larong or Coffin Mountain. They also 

 declared that these two mountains entirely block up the upper valley 

 of the Tahan valley, their whole description answering closely with 

 what we found. I give these statements of the Malays, however, for 

 what they are worth, merely remarking that, if they are at all accurate, 

 we must, I think, have been very close to the top of Gunong Tahan, 

 and that, if they are not, I hope, some more fortunate climber than 

 myself will before long be in a position to correct them.* 



The Sea. — It was too hazy in the extreme distance to be quite 

 sure whether we saw the sea, though there can be no doubt that the 

 sea is visible from this range.f 



Fauna.. — We came upon a solitary elephant track that continued 

 for some distance up the range, but it then turned off and probably 

 re-descended to the valley below ; besides this, there were rhinoceros 

 tracks, and tracks of the wild goat, but we did not meet any tracks of 

 sladang or bear. The tiger that we met was on the lower slopes of the 

 range, but he did not trouble us after that one night. There were a fair 

 number of " brok " and siamang on the lower slopes, but we only 

 saw r two snakes, ooe a green snake that we saw asleep on a low shrub 

 below our camp on the top of the ridge, and the other the snake 

 (which I did not see), which bit Mat Akib. With the exception of the 

 argus pheasant which I saw on the lower part of the range close to 

 the stop where we met the first fir tree, there were hardly any birds, 

 and few traces of small mammals. On our w 7 ay dowu the upper 

 reaches of the Tahan, by raft, we did, however, see a large monitor 

 and a large snake swimming across the stream, much to the disgust 

 of the Malays, who immediately spat into the river and exclaimed, 

 " May you die before I do," in each case, as such meetings are con- 

 sidered extremely unlucky. 



* This description, on the whole, is fairly correct. The western peak, Mr. 

 Skcat's " Barrier Mountain," is the one generally known as Gunong Tahan by 

 Pahang Malays. The western range, forming the watershed between the Tahan 

 and Kechau Kiver systems, would appear to be the Gunong Larong mentioned, 

 while the mountain closing the valley at its head between the two ranges 

 which is the highest summit is that called Gunong Siam by the Kelantan Malays. 

 This summit would not have been visible from any point attained by Mr. Skeat, 

 being hidden by his " Barrier Mountain." From the bottom of the cliff to the 

 top of this summit is about four hours' walk, once the right route is found and 

 the top is distant about two miles as the crow flies from the highest point of the 

 range.— H. C. E. 



t Though I was favoured with exceptionally clear weather on the four or five 

 occasions I was on the top, T was unable to pick up the sea with any certainty and 

 much doubt if it is really visible. — H. C. E, 



