176 



A NATUSALISr'S WANDEItlNQS 



the CDiifines of their territory, mj hosts of Siikau took farewell, 

 and I was welcomed by the chiefs of the neighl>yiiriiig mar- 

 gas, who conducted me to Tttiidjong-djati, the village whore 

 I purposed to spend some time. If I was the day before 

 inclined somewhat to levity at the general appe^iraiice of the 

 procession that greet^id me, I felt embarrassed the other way 

 on meeting these chiefs of the Ranati district. Sedate-looking 

 men of middle age they were, dressed in neat black oflieial 

 coats, spotlessly clean collars, white starched trousers with a 

 sarong girt about their loins, patent leather boots, and on their 

 Jieads the imposing official cap, which I saw then for the first 

 time, mitre-like in shape, covered with cloth of gold, w hile each 

 carried in his hand a gold-topped stick beating the arms of his 

 Majesty of Holland, the insigna of his office. They looked 

 such aristocratic personages and so faidtlessly attired that I 

 felt that I ought to descend from my hors*^ and bow myself 

 to the ground in return for the profound aalaam with wluch 

 they received me. 



After the usual festivities given on the visit of a white man, 

 In which the dancing of the maidens, attired in their best 

 attire and jewels, is alw^ays a conspicuous feature, I settled 

 into possession of my new home with a light and hopeful 

 heart., for it was situated in a district considered to be one 

 of the prettiest in Bmnatra, by the margin of the lake 

 looking out on the cone of the Sim i nun g ; but the very 

 night of my arrivtil, whether by accident or by design is 

 doubtful, some poisonous drug wm placed in one or other 

 dish of my evening meal, which induced profuse intenial 

 hfemorrhage that nearly proved fatal to me. Happily a strong 

 emetic rid me of the noxious ingredient, and a few days of 

 care restored me to my normal condition; but it is not a 

 very pleasant reminiscence of the place. 



The Eanau Lake lies 17D0 feet above the sea level at the 

 foot of the now^ quiescent — if ever within historical times active 

 —volcano of the Siminung. From its shape, which is that of 

 two irregular circles run together, it appears to occupy the 

 site of an old crater. In the centre it is of extreme depth. 

 At various points round the margin nearest the Siniinnng, hot 

 springs of 127' F. of temperature bubble up, and warm the 

 greater portion of the western end from 7" to 10^ higher than 



