STRUCK BT A HEAVY SQUALL. 



451 



stead of being covered by a flat deckj Has a steep roof, 

 which descends on either side to the railing lite the 

 Javanese jnnks, Affc^ where the tiller sweeps round, 

 the deck is hori^iontal, but, as the stern is nearly as 

 sharply-pointed as the bow, there is little room to 

 sit. We have one mast, with a large, tattered main- 

 sail and two jibs. 



At midniglit there was a little breeze from the 

 land and we weighed anchor and stood to sea. In 

 the morning we found ourselves becalmed about five 

 miles from Tunkus Nasi, a ehaip, conical island, 

 which forms the southern extremity of Tapanuli Bay. 

 Somewhat more to the west was the high plateau-like 

 island of Mensalla. On its northwestern shore there 

 is a waterfall, where the water leaps down some two 

 hundred feet directly into the sea. It is so high that 

 when I was at Siboga, i)eople who have been at 

 Bams assured me they have been able to see it when 

 the sun shone on it, though the distance is some six- 

 teen miles. At sunset we were so far down the coast 

 that it was time for us to change our coui'se to the 

 south if we would visit the Batu Islands. 



Our Malay captain was anxious that we should 

 keepTon our course to Padang ; my friend said he cared 

 very little to go to those islands, and when I looked 

 at the ragged mainsail and realised that it would pro))- 

 ably disappear in a moment if a heavy squall chanced 

 to strike us, I gave my vote to continue on near tlie 

 shore. Besides, the sky looked threatening, and we 

 were evidently in a miserable vessel to live out a fresh 

 gale and a heavy sea. Near midnight I was aroused 

 by our boat pitching and rolling heavily, and the cap- 



