January 29, 1886 ] 



SCIENCE. 



97 



two enormous stalactites. It opens into a passage 

 about twenty-five feet long, after which the cave 

 enlarges to a great hall seventy feet in diameter, 

 and with a tolerably level floor. The roof could 

 not be distinguished by the light of the explorers' 

 six candles. Everywhere the stalagmitic deposits 

 assumed the most curious forms, such as draperies 

 and figures. Every corner was filled with figures 

 of Buddha, some in wood, many in bronze, some 

 very large ones built of brick covered with care- 

 fully gilded cement. An attack of fever, due to 

 the chill of the cave atmosphere, was ascribed by 

 the guides to the anger of a cave deity. A sacri- 

 fice to him, and a large dose of quinine, restored 

 the doctor's health for the time. Below the vil- 

 lage of Pak-u are some rapids called Keng Luang, 

 where for some distance the river is encumbered 

 with numerous blocks of stone. On approaching 

 these, the traveller could hardly believe his eyes, 

 as the rocks seemed to present carved figures. On 

 a nearer approach, they were seen to represent 

 buffaloes, elephants, tigers, crocodiles, and even 

 human figures or groups of immodest character. 

 The natural form of the rock had always been 

 utilized, and at fifty paces or so the figures were 

 perfectly recognizable (much less so on a closer 

 inspection), except the eyes, which appeared to 

 have been recently recut, probably at the annual 

 feast of waters, recently over. Neither the boat- 

 men nor the inhabitants of the village near by, 

 where the party camped, would give any explana- 

 tion of these carvings, or even talk about them. 

 In this village around the pagodas, a sort of 

 carpet-gardening had been practised, plants form- 

 ing the outline of various figures ; and the trees 

 of the river-bank had been cut into the form of 

 statues. One group very ingeniously trimmed 

 represented an elephant : a vine had been care- 

 fully trained to form the trunk. On some rocks 

 near by were pictures of five personages, of which 

 two had had the hair and beard recently touched 

 up. No explanation could be had of the use or 

 purport of these things. Above the village of 

 Kok-han was a hill eight or nine hundred feet 

 high, called the elephant mountain, very well 

 recalling a couchant elephant. The eye, due to a 

 bare spot on the hillside, appeared to be carefully 

 kept in order by the local priests. The mountain- 

 eers of this region do a good business in rice, 

 cotton, tobacco, lac, gold-dust, and the astringent 

 bark which the Laotians mix with their betel. 

 These people, in talking with each other, do not 

 say, ' From what district (or town) do you come ? ' 

 but ' What water do you drink ? ' all tribes, towns, 

 etc., being denominated according to the stream 

 or brook by which they are situated. The villages 

 of these mountaineers are generally on some small 



hillock which is surrounded by a palisade, the 

 several houses being elevated on piles for greater 

 security. These people are called Khas. When 

 a stranger comes, he is always offered a sort of 

 beer made of rice. The first to drink is to be the 

 first of the company to die. In cases where great 

 deference is intended, the whole household drink 

 before offering to the guest. They appear to be- 

 long to one, probably aboriginal, race with the 

 Mois and other tribes of the Indo-Chinese moun- 

 tains. They are intelligent, brave, and active, 

 and do not fear the Hos, or Chinese pirates, who 

 descend upon and devastate the Laotian villages, 

 and are the terror of these people. At a large 

 town, Muong-son, Dr. Neis found the river liter- 

 ally covered with rafts, upon which regular houses 

 were built. Even the governing mandarin lived 

 on a raft. On the alarm being given, all were 

 ready to cut their hawsers and float down stream 

 to avoid the dreaded Hos. The Laotians, being 

 much less numerous than the Khas, have given 

 up growing rice in the exposed districts, and pur- 

 chase it from Khas, giving tin and earthenware, 

 cotton and woollen cloth, and tools in exchange. 

 To grow a crop they said would be a certain 

 means of inviting a raid of Hos. Owing to the 

 troubled state of the country, the explorer was 

 obliged, after doing much important work, to 

 retire, and fortunately reached Bangkok in safety, 

 with all his notes, maps, and collections. 



Explorations in Perak. — Interesting notes on 

 the tin-mining of the peninsula of Malacca have 

 been made public by Errington de la Croix, who 

 has spent several years there in his quality of 

 mining engineer. The tin is derived from the 

 debris of granitoid rocks, which form the backbone 

 of the peninsula. The mineral grains are very 

 pure, separated by sluicing from the gravel, of 

 which they form about six per cent : the washed 

 product contains sixty-five to seventy per cent of 

 pure tin. The work is entirely performed by 

 coolies. The native inhabitants of the country, 

 Sakayas and Malays, do no work ; indeed, hardly 

 exert themselves sufficiently to plant fruit-trees 

 and rice to afford more than a subsistence for 

 themselves. Many are fishers, some hunting is 

 done, and a few domestic fowl and pigs are kept. 

 The Chinese have adopted the Malay superstitions 

 in regard to the spirits supposed to guard the 

 mines. The visitor must take off his shoes and 

 close his umbrella, or the spirit of the mine will 

 decamp and take all the ore with him. At each 

 locality the surface soil is stripped off, and the 

 gravel is excavated to a depth of about twenty- 

 five feet in open cuts. At each mine is a small 

 altar to the divinity 7 of the place, on which the 

 Chinese make offerings of fruit and tea, and 



