30 



MALACCJ, 



[cnAP, in. 



eggs. Tlie next day tlie country got wilder and more 

 hilly. We passed through extensive forests, along paths 

 often up to OUT knees in mud, and were much annoyed 

 by the leeches for wliich tliis district is famous. These 

 little creatures infest the leaves and herbage by the side of 

 * the paths, and when a passenger comes along they stretch 

 themselves out at fuU length, and if they touch any part of 

 his dress or body, quit their leaf and adliere t^) it. They 

 then creep on to his feet, legs, or other ]>art of his body 

 and suck their fill, the first puncture being rarely felt 

 tkuing the excitement of walking. Ou bathing in the 

 evening we generally found half a dozen or a dozen ou 

 each of us, most frequently on our legs, but sometimes on 

 our bodies, and I had one who sucked lus lill from the side 

 of my neck, but who luckily missed the jugular A^ein. 

 There are many species of these forest leeches. All nre 

 snuill, but some are Iwauti fully marked with stripes of 

 Vjright yellow. They probably attach I hemselves to tleer or 

 otlier animals which frequent tlie forest paths, rind have 

 tlius ac([uired the singular haliifc of .stretching themselves 

 out at the sound of a footst<^p or of rustling foliage. Early 

 in the afternoon we reached the foot of the mountaiii, and 

 encamped by the side of a line stream, whose rocky banks 

 were overgrown with ferns. Our oldest Malay had been 

 accustomed to shoot birds in this neighbourhood for the 

 Malacca dealei-s, and had been to the top of the mountain, 

 and wliile we amused ourselves shooting and insect hunt- 

 ing, he went with two others to dear the path for our 

 ascent the next day. 



Early next morning we started after breakfast, carrying 

 blankets and provisions, as we intended to sleep upon the 

 mountain. After passing a little tangled jungle and 

 swampy thickets through which our men had cleared a 

 path, w^e emerged into a fine lofty forest pretty clear nf 

 undergrowth, and in which we could walk freely. Wt* 

 ascended steadily up a modeiute slope for several miles, 

 having a deep ravine on our left, We then had a level 

 plateau or shoulder to cross^ after which the ascent was 

 steeper and the forest denser till we came out upon the 

 " Padaug-batu,*' or stone field, a place of which we had 

 heard much, but could never get any one to describe intel- 



