412 TRAVELS ly THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO- 



that this place is called Lubu Siki5piiig. Tliey now 

 builtl liouses lite tliose of other Malays. They are 

 better-formed people than the Javanese, and closely 

 resemble in their features the Onmglaut^ or common 

 Malays of the coast regions. Their favorite holiday- 

 dress is chiefly a bright scarlet. Half an honr after 

 I arrived here the inspector came. He had found the 

 road BO narrow in one or two places that the natives 

 had to push out planks beyond the outer edge of the 

 road to support the outsi<le wheels of the carriagej 

 and I was glad that I came on horseback, though, 

 when I led the vicious bmte, I had to keep a constant 

 watch to prevent him from seizing my wrist in his 

 teeth. 



At 5 p. H. we walked out to enjoy the grand 

 scenery in the vicinity. The level plateau here, which 

 is one thousand five hundred feet above the sea, is 

 bounded on the northeast side by an exceedingly 

 steep, almost overhanging range of mountains, whose 

 several crests appear to be five thousand feet above 

 us. It was one of tlie most imposing sights I wit- 

 nessed on that island of high mountains. Mount 

 Ophir is just west of this place, and at sunset we 

 saw it through a gap in the mountains near us, rest- 

 ing its lofty ptLi-ple summit against the golden sky. 



Fehrimry 2Hth, — I find it much more agreeable to 

 ride on horseback most of the time, because I can stop 

 or turn round when I please, and the opziener has 

 therefore given me a horse to go the next ten paals. 

 For all that distance the scenery w^as much like that 

 described last night, exce]>t that the valley kept widen- 

 ing as we progressed northward, and, therefore, the 



