CHAP, in.] MAROS, 2t!9 



carry my baggagft, and a horse for myself. These were 

 promised to be r*^iidy that night, so that 1 could start as 

 soon as 1 liked in the morning. After having taken a cup 

 of tea I took my leave, and slept iii the boat. Some of the 

 men came at night as promised, but others did not arrive 

 till the next morning. It took some time to divide my 

 baggage fairly among them, as they all wanted to shirk 

 the hea\^ boxes, and wonld seize hold of stirae light 

 article and march oft" with it, till made to come back and 

 wait till the whole had been fairly apportioned. At length 

 about eight o'clock all was armnged, and we started for 

 our walk to Mr. M.*s farm. 



The conntry was at first a uniform plain of burnt-np 

 rjce-grouuds, but at a few miles* distance precipitous bills 

 appeared, backed by the lofty central I'ange of tbe penin- 

 sula. Towards these our path lay, and after having 

 gone six or eight miles the bills began to advance mU) 

 the plain right and left of us, and the ground becamr 

 pierced here and there with blocks and pillars of lime- 

 stone rock, while a few abrupt conical liills and peaks rose 

 like islands. I*assiiig over an elevated tract tbiuiing the 

 shoulder of one of the hills, a picturesque scene lay before 

 VIS. We looked down into a little valley almost entirely 

 surrounded by mountains, rising abniptly in huge preci- 

 pices, and forming a succession of knolls and peaks and 

 domes of the most varied and fantastic shapes. In the 

 very centre of the valley was a large bamboo house, 

 while scattered around were a dozen cottages of the same 

 material. 



I was kindly received by Mr. Jacob Mesman in an airy 

 saloon detached from the house, and entirely built of 

 bamboo and tbatcbed with grass. After breakfast be took 

 me to his foreman's liouse, about a hundred yards oti; 

 half of which was given up to nie till 1 should decide 

 wiiere to have a cottage built for my own use. I soon 

 found that this spot was too much exposed to the wind 

 and dust, which rendered it very difficult to work with 

 papers or insects. It was also dreadfully hot in tbe after- 

 noon, and after a few days I got a sharp attack of fever, 

 which determined mu to move. I accordingl)' fixed on a 

 place about a mile off, at tbe foot of a forest-covered hill, 



