475 



itself, I could freely turn my fkttention to the thousaeds of 

 violets, geraniums and labiates that derked the ground, and 

 the profusion of ferns that limdod the Ininks and the trees, 

 among which I observed, in the fore&t that covered the upper 

 2000 feet of the peak, uhuntlance of Pandans, Casuarinjis, and 

 other Pines. To my intiidte disgust and disappointment, I 

 overheard the Kajah'a son tell my interpreter to warn me 

 that all the forest was rigidly Lidif boding ill for my next 

 day's prospects. By dropping Ix»hind, however, out of sight, 

 I that night made sure of all that I eonld possibly carryy 

 and followed quietly through little belts of vegetation of the 

 greatest interest to Fuuuvuan, the little house-cluster on a 

 lower spur of the mouutiun where we hud arranged to camp. 



I retired to rest with a well-laid plan of rising early and 

 slipping oil' to the mountain without being seen or followed. 

 There was little inducement to lie late, for my couch was un- 

 comfortable and the night- wind cold ; I was therefor© easily 

 ready for tJie field before daylight. After a hasty breakfast I 

 ste^jped quietly away for Sobule attended by my Hindoo cor- 

 poral, and th()Ught I had succeeded in escaping unperceived, 

 especially as a dense mist enshrouded the mountain. Alas! 

 we had not gone far when I discovered that quite a little 

 crowd, following the Dato of the place, was on our trail. 

 There was no time to l)e lost, so I hewed away right and left 

 on the slopes below the summit, building up a high pile on 

 the ground of the most delightful specimens. 



The unwonted oprations of a white man, the tot who had 

 probably ever ascended their mountain, kept them for a while 

 at a little dishince watching my operations in silence. My 

 hopes bi*gan to rise that perhaps I was mistaken in what I had 

 overheard the day before. It was a vain delusion; for their 

 low murmured reproaches at hist found distinct utterance in 

 complaint and remonstrance. The corporal was bestraght to 

 restrain me, and save myself as well as them from the retribu- 

 tion of sickness and death that certainly wouhl follow on the 

 violation of the s^iered precincts. I told my Dilly interpreter 

 to express my deep regret, and that I would at once desist ; 

 but 1 gave him to understand that he was not to bring me any 

 more of their messages nor heed me in whatever I did. Moving 

 off to some distance higher up, I recommenced on a new 



