WE COME UPON AN ELEPHANT. 



513 



I could see the forehead of my game. All set up a 

 loud, prolonged yelly and tlie beast slowly retreated, 

 and allowed us to proceed unmolested. The natives 

 are not afraid of whole herds of elephants, but they 

 dislike to come near a single one. The larger and 

 stronger males sometimes drive off all their weaker 

 rivals, which are apt to m'eak their vengeance on 

 any one they chance to meet. Beyond this was a 

 more open country, and in the road were scattered 

 many small trees that had been torn up by a herd, 

 apparently this very morning. 



Although they are so abundant here in Sumatra, 

 there are none found in Java. They occur in large 

 numbers on the Malay Peninsula, and there is good 

 reason to suppose they exist in the wild state in the 

 northern parts of Borneo. This is regarded as dis- 

 tinct from the Asiatic and African species, and has 

 been named Mleplias SuTmtremis. 



Three paals before we came to Bunga Mas, a 

 heavy rain set in and continued until we reached 

 that place. Oui- road crossed a number of streams 

 that had their sources on the "flanks of the moun- 

 tains on our right, and in a short time their torrents 

 were so swollen that my horse could scarcely ford 

 them. Bunga Mas is a dumn, or village, on a cliff 

 by a small riv^er w^hich ^owb toward the noiih. Near 

 the village is a stockade fort, where we arrived 

 at half past six. The capt^iin gave me comfortable 

 quarters, and I was tnily thankful to escape the 

 stoi-m and the tigers without, and to rest after more 

 than twelve hours in the saddle. 



Tliis evening the captain has shown me the skin 



33 



