124 



SUMATRA, 



[chap. VIII, 



late at night I stayed there a few days, but found that 

 almost all the ground in the vicinity not under water waa 

 cultivated, and that the only forest was in swamps which 

 were now inaccessible. The- only bird new to me which I 

 obtained at Lorok waa the fine long-tailed panoquet 

 (Paloeornia longicauda). The people here assured me that 

 the country was just the same as this for a very long way 

 — more than a week's journey, and tliey seemed hardly to 

 have any conception of an elevated forest-clad country, so 

 that I began to think it would be useless going on, as the 

 time at my disposal was too short to make it worth my 

 while to spend much more of it in moving about. At 

 length, however, I found a man who knew the country, 

 and was more intelligent ; and he at once told me that 

 if I wanted forest I must go to the district of Bembang, 

 which I found on inquiry was about t\venty-five or thirty 

 miles off 



The road is divided into regular stages, of t€n or twelve 

 miles each, and, without sending on in advance to have 

 coolies ready, only this distance can be travelled in a day. 

 At eacb station there are houses for tlie accommodation 

 of passengers, with cooking-house and stables, and six or 

 eight men alw^ays on guard. There is an established 

 system for coolies at fixed rjites, the inhabitants of the 

 surrounding villages all tnking their turn to be subject to 

 coolie service, as well as tliat of guards at the station 

 for five days at a time. This arrangement makes travel- 

 ling very easy, and was a great convenience for me. I had 

 a pleasant walk of ten or twelve miles in the morning, 

 and the rest of the day could stroll about and explore 

 the village and neighbourhood, ha\dng a house ready to 

 occupy without any formalities whatever. In three days 

 I reached Moera-dua, the first village in Itembaug, and 

 finding the coimtry dry and undulating, with a good 

 sprinkling of forest, I determined to remain a short time 

 and try the neighbourhood. Just opposite the station 

 w^as a small but deqi river, and a good bathing-place; 

 and beyond the village was a fine patch of forest, ttiough 

 which the road passed, ovci-shadowed by magnificent trees, 

 wliich partly tempted me to stay ; but after a fortnight 

 I could find no good place for insects, and vei^-- few bh-ds 



