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ci y of the mod rn style vat. out aiiy of its r f f ectations . 
The road beyond Prapat was new to us, and we enjoyed it tre- 
mendously. It runs to the southeast tip of the Lake, with a 
superb view all the way, over the mountains, with occasionally p 
glimpse of the Lake below. The country is tostly open, a clump of 
trees in the distance denoting a Batak kampong. The houses have that 
exaggerated pitch to the thatched roofs characteristic of Batak 
architecture, and the kampong s are surrounded with an almost fortress 
like wail, three feet of earth and the rast thickly planted prim 
and bamboo, a most efficient screen, providing plenty of shade around 
the houses and I should think pretty good protection fro enemies in 
the old days. Balige, a little town on the southern tip of the 
lake, has a neat though small resthouse, and there we stopped, for 
lunch, which was nasi goreng. We could have chosen any number of 
canned foods from the cupboard - Bill did pick a tin of hot dogs - 
but the rice with trimmings was tasty and. filling. 
On we went across the high plateau, almost a plains country, 
with scrub trees and wide fields of rice and grass, to Taroetoeng. 
Here we held a debate as to which road to take. The old road goes 
from here down to Sibolga, on the coast. P new road goes by way 
of Sipirok to Padang Sidempoean, and we had been told that Fipirok 
was a pie- santer place to stay, but that the road was very dangerous. 
The Brues were anxious to take the new road because there Were hot 
springs along it, but we finally learned that it was absolutely 
Impassable, and decided about five o T cloci' to go on to Sibolga. 
Just before we got to Taroetoeng, about 7 kilometers out, 
we stopped to see a spectacular sulphur spring. It is a big one, . 
very hot (126 F.) and very colorful, green water, yellow sulphur 
deposits, and white lime. It was too hot for Tommie to do any 
collecting, to his great disappointment, but there was no use 
expect, ng anything to live in Water of that temperature. 
It was only 67 kins, to Sibolga, and we thought it pre- 
ferable to go on, rather than stay in the rest house, which wag 
a bit crowded anyway, and had an uninteresting view of the corrugated 
Iron roofs of the village. We would never start out again over 
mountain roads at that time of the evening. At first it was beauti- 
ful, going down the wind ng road that led through heavy jungle, full 
of ferns, big trees, and canyons through which the mountain torrents 
roared. But as darkness fell, the road became more and more 
of a corkscrew. Remy twisted the wheel first one way and then 
the other, until we were weary from being thrown from side to side, 
and had strained our eyes trying to see ahead of us around the next 
bend. Occasionally we had to pass a truck coming up hill, and then 
we held our breaths. Once a hind wheel did go In a ditch. At 
another place we turned out to let a truck go by, and found that we 
were poised right on the §dge of a cliff, with the tops of trees 
practically under our elbow. It is a drop of about 4,000 feet 
in 40 miles, and it took us two hours and a half, going steadily 
down, down, down into Sibolga, passing little native huts by the 
road, that looked extraordinarily serene, with their little families 
gathered about the one 1 erosene lamp set dm the middle of the floor. 
None of us had nervous prostration, and we reached the 
hotel in tiaiie to hrve a shower before dinner. We had been told that 
this ws the worst hotel in Sumatra, and that the town w s unbearably 
hot, but we had big rooms, a good dinner, and pulled blankets over 
us toward morning. : :^|v |?| : W- 
